Charlotte & Nate (Royals of Valleria #4)

by Marianne Knightly

  Nate sat back in his chair. “What did you expect? We’re billions in debt. That’s not going to correct itself with only a few cost-saving measures.”

  “I understand, my son, believe me.” Gabriel sighed. “Before you finalize and present it to the Royal Council the day after next, I’d like you to think long and hard about what you present. The Council has a month to offer suggestions or protest certain aspects of the budget. While I have final say on what is approved, politically, I will need to defer to some of their wishes. Make sure the budget leads them on the path we need them to take, not the one they want us to take. Not all of the Council members make wise decisions, and I don’t want to replace any of them just yet.”

  Fucking politics. “I understand, Papa.”

  “Good. The other thing I wanted to discuss with you was increasing revenues. You mention quite a bit of that here. Do you think that’s realistic, given the current state of the markets?”

  “I do. I think changing some of our investments overseas will yield a great deal for us, but I think entering a new trade deal with Australia will boost things as well. I want you and Alex to really push it with the Prime Minister when he’s here tomorrow.”

  “We’ll do our best. We’ve been on fairly friendly terms with Australia, but given the increasing rates of migration and tourism between our two countries, I’m hoping that will lead to an agreement. At the very least, we could suggest the opening of another Australian embassy, which could also help to strengthen ties.”

  Nate wasn’t sure what his father would think, what the King in him would think, but he laid out the rest of his plan, since Gabriel had viewed the first part so agreeably. “There’s a second phase to that trade deal.”

  Gabriel gave Nate an assessing look. “Is there? I don’t recall reading about it in your notes.”

  “You wouldn’t have. Once we’ve established a more lucrative trade deal with Australia, I’d like to use that a jumping off point to negotiate a new trade deal with various South Pacific countries, including New Zealand, Indonesia, and others.”

  Gabriel rubbed a finger over his mustache for a few moments. “The Council isn’t likely to pass such a deal in the near-term.”

  “They will in the long-term, once they realize how fruitful the Australia deal has been after a few months.”

  “You see Australia as a stepping stone.”

  “I do. They have good relations in the South Pacific, and they can work with us to set it up. I’m sure some of our allies would be interested in it as well. They suffer from the same problems we do when it comes to exporting goods. Some of these nations charge Valleria with tariffs thirty percent or more on dried goods or food products, sometimes seventy percent on other goods. Redefining those tariffs and others could increase our exports and imports, giving the economy a boost, though the tariff issue would just be one facet of the agreement.”

  “I don’t know that Australia would be interested. They have their own trade agreements in place.”

  “They do, but it never hurts to ask. We’d all benefit in the end. I’m sure even Australia would be interested in redefining some elements of their agreements with those countries.”

  Gabriel nodded. “As you know, Australia’s leadership has changed quite a bit in the last few years. God only knows how long this latest Prime Minister will last, but I’ll take that second phase into consideration and discuss it with Alex later today.”

  Gabriel paused, giving his son a keen glare. “There’s one other thing I’d like to discuss with you, my son.”

  “Another element of the budget?”

  “No. How long have been dating the palace staff?”

  The wind left Nate’s sails in a rush, leaving him exposed in a churning ocean. “You spoke to Mama.”

  “I did. I was very surprised, Nathaniel,” he said, his voice becoming that of a scolding parent. “Didn’t I tell you enough times that palace staff are off limits?”

  Anger and emotion welled inside him, and Nate stood up and began to pace the room in a futile effort to tamp it down. “I’m not a child anymore. I know why you instilled that in us when we were younger, but I’m not a naïve little boy anymore.”

  Gabriel stood, his narrowed eyes on his son, his body bracing for the fight to come. “You think she can’t go to the press, like others have?”

  Nate knew his father was referring to the bevy of beauties he’d casually fucked over the last ten years, who’d been only too happy to sell their stories about bedding a prince. “She’s not like that.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so.” Nate paused and turned to face his father. “I’ve been constantly judged for over a decade of my life by you, the press, the public, the rest of the family. A third of my life alone has been spent hiding from you and that disappointed look on your face.”

  Gabriel’s mouth dropped open. “Nathaniel.”

  “I’m not finished. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of giving back to you, all of you, only have every effort thrown back in my face. I’ve paid enough for my sins. Charlotte doesn’t deserve your condescension and she doesn’t deserve to be called a whore by my mother.”

  “Your mother said what?” Gabriel asked, clearly shocked.

  “Guess Mama left a few convenient details out.” Nate shook his head. “I’m done with this.”

  “Done with what?” Gabriel asked cautiously.

  “I’ll stay and deal with the budget and the investigation surrounding the debt, but I can’t stay after that. I just don’t have the fight in me anymore.”

  Gabriel walked up and cupped his son’s face. “What are you fighting for, my son? I don’t understand.”

  “I’m sick of fighting for my place in this family, and I’m sick of paying for the past. Charlotte – Charlie – she’s my future, I’m sure of it. I want all of you to stay away from her. And from me.” Nate broke free of his father’s hold and walked towards the door, pausing only when Gabriel called for him.

  Nate turned and saw his father standing before him once more. “My son. Oh my son.” Gabriel pulled Nate tight against him. It took a startled moment before Nate tentatively returned the hug. As Nate inhaled the unique, understated, and familiar scent of his father, he relaxed a little.

  “None of us are disappointed in you, Nathaniel,” Gabriel said, still holding him. “We never have been and we never could be. Myself included.” Gabriel pulled back and gave Nate a kiss on the forehead. “I know I said some things years ago, and I’ve longed to take them back as soon as they were out. I didn’t mean them, I never could. As for the rest of the family, they may have kept their distance, and I can’t tell you how sorry they are for that, but we certainly never stopped caring for you, or loving you.”

  Nate’s heart was trying to repair itself along with his misconceptions, but he was having a hard time with it. “I don’t know how to believe you.”

  “Just do. We saw how devastated you were all those years ago. You disappeared before our very eyes when you retreated into yourself. We gave you the space you wanted, but now I can see that it was the wrong thing to do.” He gave Nate a kiss on each cheek. “Don’t leave us again, my son. I don’t know that my heart could take it.”

  “Papa.”

  “I know, I know. I’m being a little ‘dramatic’ as you children are prone to say. I can’t help it when it comes to you.”

  Since his father was being honest with him, he could at least return the favor. “I’ll think about it, Papa. I can’t guarantee I’ll stay on as Minister long-term, but I’ll think about everything else.”

  Gabriel nodded. “That’s more than fair. And don’t worry about your mother, I’ll have a talk with her later.”

  “She wanted me to come by and see her in her office.”

  “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry. And don’t worry about Charlotte – that was her name, correct? If you have a good feeling about her, then I’ll trust it.”

  “Thank you, Papa.”

>   Gabriel’s broad hands – which were shockingly similar to Nate’s – came to rest on his shoulders. “We’re with you, my son, not against you. Keep that in mind while you think things through, all right?”

  Nate nodded. After a last shoulder squeeze from his father, Nate walked out.

  Chapter 10

  Charlie put the finishing touches on her dream dinner: a cauliflower macaroni and cheese casserole, coupled with a simple salad. To her, nothing was more comforting than this simple and quick dish, and she’d needed it after her rough meeting with the Queen earlier that day.

  She finished the meal off with a crème brûlée. Some of her favorite desserts was actually just a simple pie or cheesecake, but she thought the meal already looked too ‘American’ and had opted for another favorite in the custard dessert. After all, she was a chef – she could have favorites from all over the world, not just the simple dishes she loved most.

  With the casserole keeping warm in the oven, and the brûlée chilling in the fridge, Charlie spent significant amounts of time deciding what to wear and how to look. In the end, not much had changed from the woman he’d seen earlier that day. The biggest change was her hair, which was now down, and had been brushed until it lay silky and soft.

  She had managed to unearth her one dress from the dregs of her closet – a basic black tank dress – that clung to her trim frame. She almost exclusively wore pants; there was no point for anything else while working in a kitchen. Dresses were always reserved for those who worked in the ‘front of the house’ at a restaurant: the hostesses or waitresses. Not her.

  She’d searched in vain for a way to accessorize it and, in the end, had just given up entirely. She had a pair of simple earrings that Lola had given her for high school graduation and a functional silver watch – that was all she could do that night. After slipping on a pair of black flats that had clearly seen better days, Charlie gave herself a once over in the bathroom mirror.

  All she could think was ‘drab’. Dull dress with worn shoes – is this what a prince would expect in a date? Probably not. She’d read about some of the women he’d been with. Sexy starlets and slim socialites, among others. They were the sorts of women who always smelled soft and sophisticated and knew what to do with a man in their bed. Charlie had always envied women like that.

  She too often smelled like the kitchen and was incompetent between the sheets. What the hell was she thinking of, seeing Nate?

  When a knock came at her door, she walked across her rooms to answer it, but was startled to find no one outside her door. She closed the door and leaned against it, wondering if she had been hearing things.

  “Charlie,” a muffled voice called to her.

  Wondering if she had finally lost her mind and if the voices had taken over, she shook her head and glanced around her rooms. She gasped when she realized one of the walls was slightly ajar, a small credenza in front of it.

  “Charlie, could you move this? It’s me, Nate.”

  “Oh,” Charlie said and rushed over, quickly pushing the antique aside. Her eyes were wide as Nate emerged from the hidden passage with a reckless smile on his face, and dressed in a casual but sexy sweater and jeans. When a sharp pang hit her belly, she realized why she wanted to see Nate, after all.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  “It’s all right.” Charlie peeked around the door to the surprisingly well-lit hallway, which seemed to stretch for ages before disappearing around a corner.

  “Well, I guess we know where the secret door in your rooms is.”

  “I guess so,” she said as Nate closed the door and secured it by pressing his thumb into a fingerprint scanner that was embedded in the wallpaper; Charlie would never have guessed it was there. “Was it very far to travel inside the walls?”

  “Long enough,” he said in a raspy voice and Charlie turned to catch the heat in his eyes. She gasped as he pulled her into his arms and his mouth claimed hers. He demanded entrance immediately, and she gave it easily. Her hands delved into his hair, loosening the leather band holding it back. As his hair fell and brushed her cheek, she moaned and his hold tightened.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t resist you,” he said a moment later.

  “It’s okay,” she murmured as she caught her breath. A timer on the stove brought them both back to the present. “Let me go check on dinner.”

  He ran one hand down the length of her back before stepping back, and gave her an appraising look. “You look beautiful, Charlie.”

  She swallowed, ridiculously pleased that her simple clothes didn’t lighten the intense heat in his gaze. “Thank you.” After turning off the stove, she returned to the living room where Nate had taken a seat on the couch. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “I’ve brought one for us,” he said, and gestured to the bottle of wine she hadn’t noticed earlier. “Why don’t you get some glasses and I’ll pour?”

  When she returned and sat down, he was tapping viciously at his phone. “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s nothing.” He shook his head. “Some people just have a hard time fathoming that I don’t want to speak to them.”

  “Is it related to the embezzlement? Do you need to leave?”

  He sighed when his phone buzzed again, this time turning it completely off. “There, now we won’t be bothered at all. No, I don’t have to leave.” He poured out two glasses of a wine she had not tasted before.

  “What is this?”

  “Lambrusco. It’s a red Italian sparkler. I hope it goes with dinner.”

  Charlie smiled. “It’s an unconventional choice, but I think it will work surprisingly well.”

  “I wanted something light and fun tonight, and I thought it might do the trick.”

  Charlie wondered if he was still talking about the wine, or about her. “I like it,” she said after a sip. “I like sparkling wines, though not all of the other staff do.”

  “What did you make for us?”

  She looked down into her glass. “It’s comfort food. At least, it’s comforting to me.”

  He positioned himself closer to her and put one arm around her. “Do you need comforting tonight, Charlie?”

  She looked into his eyes and thought, perhaps, he was the one who needed comforting. “It was a long day. How did the rest of your day go?”

  He sighed and took another sip, smiling when the bubbles hit his lips. “Surprising and exhausting.”

  “Your family?” she asked tentatively.

  “Yes.” He idly brushed her bare arm as he spoke and she found it oddly comforting. “I hope you realize my mother really was sorry for her behavior earlier. When she’s wrong, she admits it.”

  Charlie nodded. “I could tell. I’m glad, but that doesn’t change the dynamic between us, at least not yet.”

  He nodded, his brow furrowed. “She told my father about us.”

  When she tensed in his arms, he dropped a quick kiss to her lips. “Don’t worry. My father doesn’t know enough about you to form an opinion, not yet.”

  “But if your mother told him, then he may be biased. I don’t want to cause any trouble with you and your family.” When she started to shift away, he held her still.

  “You can’t. My family and I have always had a difficult relationship. Well, not always, but for about the last ten years.”

  She couldn’t help herself when she saw the despairing look in his eye. She brought her hand to his face, the scruffy shadow abrading her skin. He closed his eyes and shifted into her touch, and she felt a curious bloom of warmth within her heart. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

  “Do you want to hear it?” he murmured. “I normally don’t talk about it to anyone, not even my family.”

  “I’m here to listen if you do, but you don’t have to talk about it.”

  Nate put down his glass and hers, and shifted on the couch until his head came to rest in her lap, as though she were a soft, decadent pillow to sink into. She found she didn’t
mind it very much, not when his hands took one of hers and rested it against his heart. She used her free hand to delve into his thick head of hair, which seemed much too soft and silky to belong to the rough, virile man cuddled against her.

  “It was over ten years ago,” he started, his voice low and even, and lost in memory. “I was on holiday break at university during my last year, and I was taking a trip with my girlfriend at the time, Angela. We were heading to the Italian Alps. Long, twisty roads nestled along the edge of the mountains, snowy roads hiding a layer of ice I didn’t see.”

  “Oh, Nate.” Her hand continued to run through his hair; she hoped he found comfort in the gesture. She wasn’t used to giving it or receiving it, and had no gauge to judge it.