Ludwig watched her go, not quite sure how he felt about being called out by his sister.
His mother patted his arm with a smile. “You would do well to settle down, Ludwig. Stop playing at the buffet table.” She left him then, being deftly whisked away by another efficient footman.
Women! He shook his head, amused, as he took his seat. How serious is this likely to be?
He’d only just met her. And they’d only had one kiss. His eyes searched for her in the crowd again. One magnificent kiss.
Anchela beamed a kind smile at Angelica when she spotted her, holding out her hand. “Where did you disappear to, mi hija?”
Before Angelica could answer, her younger sister, Princess Maria Quitéria de Castella y Aragon, sunshine in a glittering rose dress, latched onto their mother’s other hand, an impish smile on her face. “She stepped out with that hottie, Grand-Duke Ludwig Von Kröenenberg, King Angus’s cousin and business partner.”
Maria could almost pass as Angelica’s twin. With the same dark hair and dark eyes, she was two inches taller, with a slimmer figure. She also had more energy than a cocker spaniel. She was genuine and spirited in nature and Angelica was certain there was nothing on this earth that could bring her down.
Anchela’s dark eyes lit up. “And what do you know about him?”
Maria leaned forward to speak around their mother, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “He is single and works with King Angus at his bank, Lekten Royal Bank. It’s very prestigious.”
“Oh, really?” Anchela raised a dark eyebrow of approval.
Angelica wasn’t a huge fan of bankers. They tended to see numbers instead of people and could be quite callous. She understood their way of thinking. Of course, she had to. Running a country wasn’t so unlike running a business. However, she prided herself on putting people first, even in detriment of herself.
Angelica sometimes wondered what it was like when royals such as herself were looked down upon when wanting to have a career for themselves. It hadn’t been so long ago. After the great wars, the world had gradually changed and even royalty bent in their snobbery to the working class.
Aragon is still living as if it’s in the last century. Although it was almost instinctual to find fault with King Angus for having worked for a living when she could not. These thoughts led her to a new barrage of questions about her own life. Until now, her job had been to be the Crown Princess. Now that Siobhan had been discovered and had taken that title from her, she wasn’t sure what she would do.
Her every day had been a tangled mess of dealing with issues that faced her country. While she doubted Siobhan would be able to take over right away, eventually Angelica would be out of a job. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about not being the Crown Princess anymore. What am I going to do with my free time?
Anchela gave Angelica’s fingers a squeeze and her loving expression softened with warmth. “We should find you a husband, mi hija.”
Ugh, no. Not again. That was exactly the conversation they’d had when Angelica had met Abelardo Gutíerrez.
She didn’t feel the things for men that the heroines in romance novels did. For the umpteenth time, she wondered if she was just too frigid for romance.
Until now.
It might finally be her turn. Maybe now it was. She’d just been with a lion of a man and had thought of dragging him back to the terrace to strip him out of his clothes. There might be hope for her yet.
“The grand-duke is very wealthy, and his lineage is excellent,” Anchela mused as they followed the hostess. “Plus, he’s young, strong, and handsome.”
“Not husband material, Mamá,” Angelica whispered.
“What I described is perfect husband material,” countered Anchela.
“I don’t want a husband.”
“No woman who regards men objectively does, and you have always been much too objective, Hermana Major. But imagine!” Maria clasped a hand to her chest. “You could let yourself be swept away by romance now, and”—she leaned forward, lowering her voice as if to impart a secret—“you could marry for love.”
That’s a thought. She had always been jealous of Maria for being able to have the freedom to choose love over duty. Now, that opportunity was also hers.
And although she was not looking for love. She was looking for fun.
5
Ludwig didn’t indulge in the main course, a perfect roast pheasant cooked in white wine with charlotte potatoes. The Lenox Palace Chef had quite outdone himself but Ludwig would rather not have his energy directed to digestion when he was hoping he’d need it for something else later.
He could not take his eyes off Angelica. She sat across the table from him, close, but not close enough. He couldn’t hear her conversation, but she was opening up, blossoming like a flower to Jaxon, Siobhan’s best friend and foster brother. The image made him burn with growing need, watching her unfurl before him.
He hoped she was getting to know Jaxon and that he was telling her what Siobhan was really like. In the few months he had gotten to know Siobhan, he discovered she was a lovely woman with a sad past.
His eyes roamed through the guests.
Prime Minister Mircea Roma sat on the other side of her, thick in conversation with Princess Fiona Braxton-Lenox Mountbatten, Angus’s cousin. She was a spirited woman, but he wondered what could hold Mircea’s attention for this long.
His own mother sat by King Valantín, in a weird replacement of Lektenstaten’s Dowager Princess, Angus’s mother, who had been forbidden by her own son to set foot again in the kingdom.
“What is it like running a bank?”
His wonderings were cut short by Princess Maria Quitéria, Angelica’s sister, who sat on his left. The girl was lovely and full of questions he didn’t mind answering. But he had no idea how to even answer that one, mostly because he was transfixed by Angelica’s lips closing around a spoonful of orange sorbet which had just been served. His manhood lurched in approval at the images his mind produced non-stop. “A bit like running anything else, I suppose.”
“Cheeky answer.”
“Well, I don’t have a better one for you but if you’re interested you’re invited to spend a day at Lekten Royal Bank.”
Maria leaned over and said quietly, “I would be careful. You have a reputation and my sister has been through enough.”
From what he remembered and had learned from his own sister, he agreed, but his curiosity was piqued. He lifted an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“And besides,” she said, straightening, a smile gracing lips so similar to Angelica’s, it made him ache. “You really don’t want to get on the bad side of our brother.”
“Who?” he asked, distractedly.
“King Valantín.”
His eyes wandered to the man in question. He seemed a very broody man and not someone to tussle with.
But neither was Ludwig if he really put his head to it.
“I assure you, I have no intention of putting Angelica through anything that would upset either her or the king.” His eyes found Angelica on the other side of the room. She was not the classic perfection he was used too, but she, with her golden skin, chocolate warm eyes, and lustrous black hair was some sort of perfection. She was not tall enough for his liking, but her curvaceous, toned body compensated for the missing inches. Being neither blind nor ignorant, Ludwig recognized quality beauty when he saw it.
For a deranged moment, while he contemplated the pleasures she would bring to him later—because he would make sure she was in his bed later—he also wondered if it would be worth it to get involved with a woman with such powerful people watching over her. And if he could pay the price if things went badly.
He decided that it was. And that he could.
But he had a nagging suspicion that it would be a very, very expensive price to pay.
Angelica was ready to get out of there almost as soon as they sat down. She realized she wouldn’t know everyone and she didn’t know wha
t the topic of conversation might be. The only thing she could truly focus on was Ludwig, who took his seat opposite her at the long table.
To have him so close, yet so far.
Dom Mircea Roma sat on her left. She politely exchanged a few words with Lektenstaten’s new Prime Minister. She actually had a few things she might want to discuss with him in an informal setting, to get his opinion. She did understand the girth of his victory as the first of the Romani people to ever be in a ruling position. However, after a few polite words, his attention was requested by the woman beside him.
Her eyes wandered to Ludwig again, with a growing sense of worry. Seated between Maria and another woman she did not know, he seemed to be quite chatty with her sister.
A flare of a new emotion flushed on Angelica’s chest and she hoped it was not jealousy. Nor anything to do with romantic or possessive notions. They’d shared one kiss.
One magnificent kiss. And that’s all they might ever have.
The man to her right, the one who had been dancing with her mother, gave her a tight smile. He seemed middle class. His expressions were entirely too frank and open to be otherwise. He offered his hand as soon as she settled. “Jaxon Talbot.”
That certainly wasn’t a name she recognized, but she took his hand lightly in her own. “Princess Angelica of Aragon.”
“Yes, I know. You’re one of Siobhan’s new sisters.”
Yes. That. Angelica kept a smile on her face.
He smiled back at her. “I’m her foster brother.”
“A pleasure.” She was curious about her new sister and he might be the perfect person to ask. “Do you know her well?”
He smiled and ducked his head in agreement. “I like to think so.”
“What’s she like?”
His eyes bore down on her as he thought about her question.
She felt like she was being judged and only hoped she wouldn’t be seen lacking. She had no idea what he would think of her or her family.
“She’s a very warm and caring person,” he said finally.
Warm and caring are good. She opened her mouth to ask about Siobhan’s political views, only to realize that she cared less about that and more about her as a person. “What’s her favorite color?”
“Lavender.” He chuckled. “She loves it so much, I had her Beetle painted this color.”
She joined him in his quiet laughter, feeling incredibly silly and light. She followed up with additional topical questions, inquiring about her favorite foods and music, and she was pleased with his answers. She and Siobhan actually did have things in common. It was good to know that.
Jaxon waited until the main course was served before getting serious. “Aren’t you going to ask me the question that’s really on your mind?”
The question seemed innocent enough, but Angelica felt as though she was about to dip her toe in piranha-infested waters. “What question is that?”
He cut his pheasant, nodding tightly. “I know what’s going on.”
Oh, do you? And how much do I want to hear what you have to say? Angelica decided to stay on the diplomatic side. “And what’s that?”
“You’re upset that she’s ahead of you for the throne.”
“I’m quite pleased, actually.” Angelica had to admit that she had been miffed at first, but now things were looking brighter to her. “Do you have any idea how much extra free time I find myself with now? It’s quite alluring.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Is that why you, quite in the opposite way of your younger sister, Maria, have hardly said a word to her?”
“I don’t know her yet.” And she didn’t. But he was right. That had been the reason she had kept her distance during the last week. “I grew up with Maria. She knows how to…” She sighed. “She knows how to pull me outside of myself when I get grumpy. She understands how to ignore my sharp tone when I’m frustrated or trying to work through a difficult problem. Siobhan doesn’t.”
“And you’re mad at Siobhan because you didn’t grow up with her?”
“No.” And that was the honest truth. She couldn’t be mad at Siobhan. “I just don’t let people in easily.”
His eyebrows flicked upward and he turned toward his meal. “You two have more in common than you might think.”
“Well, I certainly hope so.” However, with all that said, he still didn’t seem mollified. “And besides, I only just flew in a few days ago and she’s been quite busy. I don’t know if you know this, but she was married today.”
“Oh. Right.” His look was bland as he tipped his head at her momentarily. “I guess I should have noticed since I was the one who gave her away.”
It’s fun to talk to him. I will say that. He’s so easy to goad into a reaction. But she needed to stop poking at him.
“You should talk to her. After her honeymoon, I mean.”
I had already planned on that.
“Because I think you’ll find she has no reason to want your throne.”
If only it was about want. “Well, Mr. Talbot—”
“Jaxon,” he corrected her with a smile, and added, “after all, we are related now, even if by strange lines of affinity.”
She released a ghost of a chuckle. “The throne is not mine. It’s my brother’s. And he’s quite young, healthy, and still single.” She didn’t know Jaxon, but she wanted him to understand that…well, that things were complicated. “After him, Siobhan is the next in line to inherit. The lines are set. If my brother dies without an heir, it won’t matter if she wants it. She will have it.”
“Unless she resigns.” Jaxon shook his head. “You need to talk to her.”
Angelica would, but not that night or any time soon. And she really didn’t think that anything she learned about her new sister would change her own situation. “I will. There are things happening in Aragon that she might know about anyway. I would like her opinion.”
“As a test?” Jaxon asked, guarded.
Is everything going to be a battle with him? “No, but as a fresh pair of eyes.”
He frowned at her.
Well, I might as well see what he thinks since her views are probably the same as his. “The Democracy for Aragon is making a move not only for a change in the government system, but also to depose the royal family.”
“The DFAM? I didn’t even realize they had any power.”
“They don’t. Not really. Supposedly they are a non-governmental organization, but they are growing in strength.”
“And this upsets you?”
Not in the ways you might think. “Only in that it clouds issues that I’d thought were taken care of fairly and well.”
“The middle class.”
She nodded. “I can see the struggles in Greece and Spain and it frustrates me that things are going so badly, but we’re doing much better for our working class here.” She set her knife and fork down on her plate, signaling she was done. “Or at least, I had thought.”
Jaxon’s smile grew—a real one this time. “And do you want to use Siobhan’s experiences against the party?”
That’s what my father seemed to want. “No. I want to see how the situation should be dealt with. Fairly. For the betterment of Aragon and all my people.”
He leaned back and laughed. “Oh, you two are very similar. You need to talk to her.”
“I will. But I’ll let her enjoy her honeymoon first, I think.”
And, hopefully, I’ll enjoy my moment of freedom while I can. She stared across the table at Ludwig, catching his eye, before turning back to Jaxon. “Tell me more about Siobhan.”
She found his descriptions of Siobhan very interesting—to the extent that she could stay focused on what he was saying, with Ludwig constantly pulling her attention away.
6
Angelica was relieved when the newly married couple stood up and moved to the cake table. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Jaxon—much to the contrary, he was a down-to-earth man and easy to talk to and had given her a glim
pse of the struggles her own half-sister had endured, which had warmed her heart toward Siobhan—but she was more than eager to talk with Ludwig again.
Yet before she could join Ludwig, her sister intercepted her. “Your grand-duke is charming enough.”
“He’s not my grand-duke.” Despite her sharp answer, Angelica leaned forward, too curious not to ask what Maria knew, and whispered, “What did you say to him?”
Maria primly smiled up at her and hooked her arm through her sister’s. “Wouldn’t you love to know?”
I thought that was the reason I’d asked. Angelica merely raised a dark eyebrow at her sister.
Maria shook her head and shrugged, continuing to the table. “We talked about rather boring things. I restrained my natural urges to attack him.”
Attack him? “What happened to the romance?”
“I am looking out for you, Hermana Mayor.” Maria nudged Angelica, hugging her arm closer. “I merely informed him that if he treated you the same way he treats all his other mujeres sueltas, our big brother may not take it well.”
Loose women? That’s a rather large statement. “Please, Hermanita, let me handle my love life my own way.”
“You mean, allow it to die like a shriveled husk of a dead thing?” Maria stopped, taking both of Angelica's hands. “Te amo, Hermana Mayor, and I only want the best for you.”
“I know.” Angelica hugged her close, pressing a kiss into her hair, and then pulled away, studying her. “What changed your tone? Before dinner, he was a perfect match. You and Mother nearly had me married off to him.”
Maria sighed heavily. “I learned a few things about him. I sat beside Count Mark Wittgenstein. He’s a friend of Angus’s father. Or maybe it was his mother? I don’t remember. But anyway, he spilled all sorts of information.”
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