“Did I say you could come into my office?” Henry snapped.
“Alex said you wanted to see me. Since you so rarely request my presence, I figured it was an emergency.”
Henry narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything. Instead, he took his seat across from Finn and cleared his throat. “Valleria and I are in some delicate negotiations.”
“About?” Though Finn already knew.
“That is none of your business.”
“You made it my business by calling me in here. Spit it out.”
“Don’t you have any respect for my position?”
“I have a great deal of respect for you position, brother dear.” Just none for you, he didn’t add.
Henry shook his head. “I’m going to marry Arianna.”
“So you’ve already asked her? Funny, she didn’t mention she had agreed to marry my brother on our trip today.” That much was true.
Henry faltered slightly. “I haven’t formally asked her yet, but I’ve spoken to Alex about it. We’re negotiating it.”
“So, does she have any say in who she marries? Or did you both just decide for her?”
“See? This is why you’re not engaged in matters of the state or politics. You don’t understand any of the nuances involved.”
Finn understood this ‘nuance’ all too well. “That’s where you’re wrong. So, what does Valleria get out of this deal?”
“Information.”
“About?”
“That, too, is none of your business.”
“And that, too, is where you’re wrong. You may as well tell me the facts now, so I can spin it for reporters.”
“What reporters?”
“They’re always around, especially when I’m out meeting with the citizens.”
Henry harrumphed. “You’ll do anything for attention, won’t you?”
Finn merely smiled. It wouldn’t make any difference if he tried to correct Henry.
“Fine. We have information that Valleria wants.”
“So? Why don’t you just them what they want? Why do have to make everything so goddamn difficult?” If only he’d tell them, Arianna wouldn’t even have to consider this ridiculous proposal.
“Watch your language. I hope you weren’t speaking to Arianna like that today.”
Finn just shook his head, not wanting the conversation to get off track. “Why won’t you just give them the information?”
“Because it’s time I found a wife anyway. She’s already a princess and understands the duties that would be required of her.”
Arianna was complicated, frustrating, and fucking sexy, but a duty she was not. At least, not to him. In that moment, Finn knew that to Henry, Arianna would never be anything more than a duty. A burden. A means to an end. She deserved more than that, more than Henry. She even deserved more than Finn.
“Is that how you talk about the woman you want to marry? Mother would have slapped you for that.”
“Well, she’s not here, is she?” he said with a sneer. “And let’s be thankful for that.”
“Henry, what the fuck? Are you glad our parents are dead?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Who would be happy over that? I’m merely saying that our mother had a way of planning events that I disagree with, and I’m glad I don’t have to fight with her while planning my wedding.”
Finn wasn’t entirely convinced of Henry’s answer. “I’d rather have annoying and alive than dead, but then I miss my parents. Anyway, you just told me Arianna hasn’t even agreed to this. Why are you planning the wedding already?”
“It’s a foregone conclusion, as far as I’m concerned. The information I have is incredibly valuable to Valleria. They will trade it for Arianna.”
“She’s a human being, not a commodity.”
“She’s a princess, which makes her as good as a commodity. What else would she be useful for, but for this?”
“You asshole,” Finn said as he stood. “She’s a smart, talented, and, yes, beautiful. Our people loved her today. She can rule Brazenbourg with you.”
Henry stood, his eyes blazing across the wide desk at Finn. “No one rules this country but me. Not you, not her, no one. It’s mine.”
After a long, charged moment, Henry broke eye contact and spoke first. “I’m having dinner with Arianna tonight. Hopefully, by the end of the evening, she’ll be convinced.”
“I can’t believe that Alex would approve of this, or her father.”
Henry scowled. “They don’t at the moment. If all goes well tonight, then I’m to meet their father, King Gabriel. Alex said there will be no wedding unless he approves.”
“King Gabriel’s known to be a fair man.” Hopefully a savvy one, too, for Arianna’s sake.
“Yes, well. I could care less for the man. Arianna is just what I need to follow-through on my plans. Believe me, no one, not even her father, will stop me.”
“What the hell are you planning? And Arianna is a ‘who’ not a ‘what’. You can’t treat her like a possession. I spent the day with her. Believe me when I tell you that she deserves better than that sort of treatment.”
“What did you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Clearly, you must have said or done something to come to this conclusion.”
“I said nothing of the kind. I spoke to her like a human being and asked her questions. Do the same at dinner tonight, and you’ll come to the same conclusion.”
“Perhaps,” Henry said. “But you are to go along with whatever happens.”
Finn cocked an eyebrow. “So you need my help, is that it? I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Neither did I,” Henry mumbled.
“You want my help, you need to give me more. What information does Valleria want?”
“It’s irrelevant.”
“Clearly not. It’s the purpose behind this entire scheme.”
“If I say it’s irrelevant, then it’s irrelevant, and that’s final,” Henry said loudly and banged his fist on the desk.
Finn shook his head. He knew from experience that Henry would not give into anything in this state. Finn would just have to pry the information from Alex.
“Are we clear?” Henry asked.
“Crystal,” Finn said, then turned and walked out. It was time to get ready for dinner.
Chapter 8
Arianna was giving herself one final look in the mirror when the clock in the room chimed. She had not been on a date for a very long time and had debated what to wear for ages before selecting something. Should she wear a more formal floor-length gown? A sexier knee-length cocktail dress? She was only considering the latter, she had to admit, because she wanted Finn to see her in it.
Since Finn wouldn’t be at her dinner with Henry, she decided to go with the long, oyster gray silk dress. The halter neck-style dress draped elegantly on her body, and the neck, which formed a circular band, was encrusted with sparkling costume diamonds that glimmered in the dim light of the room. A pair of long, real diamond earrings and bracelet were paired to match and add to the sparkle. A silk sash was tied in a graceful knot around her waist, and her back was bare. The sash accentuated her wide hips, but she recalled that Finn didn’t seem to mind her curves; perhaps his brother wouldn’t either.
She sighed and shook her head. She shouldn’t think of Finn, not tonight. Oh, what had she done? She was falling for Finn and it just wouldn’t do. Finn was just like the last man she’d fallen for: dangerous, sexy, and charming. That was the kind of man that would betray and hurt a woman. She just couldn’t go through that again.
She took a few deep breaths and centered herself and her thoughts. She would go to dinner, and then she’d think about what to do next.
She grabbed a small matching purse, also embellished with costume diamonds, and left her room. One of the guards escorted her down to dinner and she gave a brief glance at Alex’s room as she passed; he would be having dinner with Finn while she dined with Henry.
<
br /> The dining room she was escorted to was different from the ones she had seen so far. It was much smaller, much more intimate. A fire was lit, sending heat and light dancing through the room. A table for two had been arranged, complete with candlelight.
“You look beautiful, Arianna,” Henry said from the shadows before stepping forward. “Stunning.”
“Thank you,” she said with a small smile. “You look quite handsome yourself.” He did, she had to admit. Henry didn’t have Finn’s raw sexuality, but he looked dashing in an expensive black suit with his hair slicked back and his mustache trimmed slightly.
“You are too kind,” he said and helped her to sit. After she had arranged herself and her dress, he spoke again. “Some wine?”
“Please,” she said and accepted the glass a waiting servant poured.
“Do you mind if I get straight to the point?”
Arianna blinked, surprised at his desire to skip small talk before easing into such a difficult conversation. “No, please go ahead.”
“I assume your brother has told you about my proposal?”
Arianna flicked a gaze to the waiter, whose face remained impassive. Perhaps the waiter already knew? Or perhaps he was just used to strange situations in the palace?
“Don’t worry about the staff,” Henry said easily. “They’re paid to hold their tongue, else I cut it off for them.” Henry laughed at that, and Arianna chuckled awkwardly in return. She couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, but surely he wasn’t. “Have you considered my proposal?”
“Yes, though I must admit I was surprised by it. We’ve barely met and you’ve decided you want to marry me.”
“You’ll want for nothing as my wife, Arianna. You can see that while we may be a small country, we are not a poor one. I have business interests aside from my role as ruler of Brazenbourg that do very well for me personally.”
“You’ve just told me you can provide financial security, but you haven’t mentioned anything about yourself. I’d like to learn more about you.”
Henry gave Arianna a long look before answering. “Are you a romantic, then? I must admit that I didn’t anticipate that after meeting you. You seemed to be as practical-minded as myself. I thought you would be happy to serve your country in this way.”
Practical. Yes, she was proper, practical Arianna, at least to the outside world. She wasn’t practical with Finn, though was she? Stop thinking about him, she reminded herself.
“I am always honored to serve my country,” Arianna said evenly, belying the turmoil within. “I was born into a royal family, same as you. I understand the responsibilities that come with the role of a princess.”
“Excellent. Things are different here in Brazenbourg, of course, than what you may be used to in Valleria. I want an easy marriage and a non-political wife at my side. I won’t have my wife involved in state affairs, and that’s final.”
Arianna wasn’t sure if he was just clueless or hoping for things beyond the achievable. She wasn’t sure an ‘easy’ marriage existed. Her own parents, who were deeply in love with each other, certainly had not had what could be termed an ‘easy’ marriage. “Those seem to be very clear cut terms, Henry,” she said, and wondered why even his name felt wrong on her tongue. “Are you stating those terms unequivocally? Do you not believe in negotiation or compromise?”
“Of course I do,” he said casually. “Who wouldn’t? Tell me, Arianna: what is that you want from a marriage?”
Love was the first word that came to her mind, but she dismissed it. Love could come with time, she hoped. “Children, of course. If I did agree to this, though I would call Brazenbourg my home, I couldn’t dismiss my family or Valleria. I would still see my family and visit them.”
His mouth flattened into a thin line. “That seems a natural request.”
“As to politics, I’ve never been fully involved in Valleria’s unless needed, though I would not be content to simply stay in the palace. I would use my position to help people, if I could.”
“Anything else?”
She felt like she was on the end of a business deal. She needed a personal connection with him. Changing the subject slightly, she said, “Finn told me a great deal about Brazenbourg and its history as we toured today. He also told me a great deal about your parents.”
“Did he?” Henry murmured. “And what exactly did he say?”
“Only that they were beloved by the people, and that losing them was very difficult. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” Henry said and reached across the small table to take her hand. His soft hand had a slight chill to it, as though it could never be fully warm. “That’s very kind of you to say. It is very difficult to lose one’s parents, and then also take over running the country at the same time.”
Arianna squeezed his hand. “I’m sure.”
“Finn’s lucky he didn’t have that burden as well. I only pray you do not have to live through such an ordeal.”
“I do, too. Logically, I know that I may outlive my parents, but the thought of losing them is unbearable.”
“You’re practical, as I said.” He lifted her hand to his thin lips for a kiss. His lips were cold, too. “I think we’ll make a perfect fit.”
Henry let go of her hand as the appetizers were served. Throughout the meal, conversation was kept to general topics. She felt as though Henry were interviewing her, determining how she felt about certain things. In a way, she was doing the same with him.
After dessert was finished, Henry dismissed the servants. He turned on some soft music from a hidden console and walked back to her.
“May I have this dance, my lady?” he asked, holding out a hand to her.
“Yes, of course,” she said, charmed unexpectedly. She stood, placing one hand in his while gathering her dress with the other.
He brought her into his arms, keeping one hand on the small of her back, brushing against her bare skin. She thought of Finn again, remembering how his hand had grazed her back before he had zipped up her dress.
“Are all your dresses like this?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Are they all this revealing?”
Arianna’s eyes widened in surprise. If he thought this was revealing, she was glad she had not worn the shorter dress she’d been considering. “This isn’t that revealing.”
“With your hair up, your entire back is bared for anyone to see,” he said and skimmed his fingers along her spine. She felt warm where he touched her, but it wasn’t the spark she felt with Finn.
“Does that bother you? This is fairly demure for a modern royal gown.”
“If we marry, I’d prefer you wear revealing clothing only for me,” he whispered.
“I thought that’s what I was doing tonight.”
“There were servants,” he said against her ear after he pulled her flush against him.
“There are always servants,” she replied against his ear. His scent was stronger than Finn’s, and had an edge to it she didn’t care for. It certainly wasn’t as addictive to her as Finn’s scent was. Stop thinking about him, she reminded herself again.
They shifted softly against the sway of the music, Arianna’s jewelry catching the light and sending color dancing on the walls from time to time. It was comfortable in his arms. Not exciting or new, but it wasn’t awful, either.
He pulled back slightly and his eyes dipped to her lips. She knew it was coming and prepared herself. His thin lips were weak against her plump ones. He wasn’t demanding, at least not yet. She realized that with Henry, there may be heat, but no passion. Could she live with that? It wasn’t the most terrible thing in the world.
When he pulled back, his black eyes glittered in the firelight. “Well, that was very nice, wasn’t it?” he asked as he ran a hand over his lips, removing any lipstick she may have transferred.
“It was nice.”
“I think it could be more,” he said as he pulled her close again. “I th
ink we can be more. I could make you happy, Arianna, if only you’ll let me try.”
“I just don’t know,” she said honestly and felt his hold tense around her. “I need more time. I can’t make this decision in a day, and there’s my father and brother to consider.”
Henry let out a sigh of exasperation and stepped back. “Are they more important than your feelings? Are they to be there on our wedding night, too?”
“Henry,” she warned.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said as he held a hand up. “I didn’t mean to get upset. I only wish we could move things along. This is right, Arianna, and you know it, too, if you’re honest with yourself.”
Arianna & Finn (Royals of Valleria #3) Page 10