by Cat Schield
“You’re too pale. I demand to know what’s wrong.”
Olivia sighed and cast her gaze toward Ariana. Her eyes widened, causing Gabriel to turn his head. Ariana had vanished. The door to the bedroom was shut. They were alone.
Gabriel refocused on Olivia. “Answer me,” he growled.
Red patches appeared on her formerly dull cheeks. “I’ve been having a particularly difficult period,” she murmured.
Relief flooded him. She was embarrassed to discuss her body’s natural process? Was that why she’d kept silent the night before? Amused, Gabriel dipped a finger beneath her chin and raised it.
“I’m going to be your husband. You better prepare to discuss all sorts of things like this with me.”
“Be careful or you may live to regret those words,” she muttered, but her lips were soft and eager beneath his. “Welcome home.”
An endearment hung between them, unspoken. She’d promised not to call him Prince Gabriel or Your Highness as they made love, but she had yet to find a pet name for him. What would it be? Darling? Dearest? Sweetheart?
My love?
“Did you have a successful trip?” she asked.
“It was very long.” He leaned forward and kissed her neck below her ear, smiling as she trembled. “And lonely.”
She framed his face with her hands. “I missed you so much. In fact—”
A knock sounded on the door, interrupting her. Heaving a weary sigh, Gabriel kissed Olivia on the nose and then raised his voice to be heard in the hall. “Come.”
Stewart poked his head around the door. “The king wondered if you’d gotten lost on your way to the meeting with the prime minister.”
Gabriel stood and bent over Olivia’s hand. “Duty calls.”
“Of course.” The bright smile she gave him didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Perhaps we can have dinner together?”
Regret pinched him. “I’m afraid I can’t tonight. I already have an appointment.”
“Of course.”
He’d grown familiar with the micro expressions that belied her thoughts and could see she was disappointed. He hated being the one who robbed her eyes of their sparkle, and the intensity of his desire to see her smile caught him off guard. Falling in love with his fiancée wasn’t what he’d had in mind when he decided to marry Olivia.
“I’ll stop back to check on you later,” he said.
Her gaze clung to his face. “I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
The morning after Gabriel returned from his business trip, Olivia caught herself smiling almost as often as she yawned. True to his word, he’d returned after his dinner to check on her and they’d snuggled on the sofa until almost three in the morning while Olivia filled him in on the twins and he spoke of what he’d seen in Switzerland and Belgium.
In addition to talking, there’d been a fair amount of kissing, as well. Lighthearted, romantic kisses that left Olivia breathless and giddy. He’d treated her with tender patience, not once letting passion get the better of him. Olivia had found his control both comforting and frustrating. Four days without him had aroused her appetite for his hands roaming over her skin and she cursed her cycle’s timing.
On the other hand, there would be nothing to get in the way of their magical wedding night. Unless there wasn’t going to be a wedding.
This was her first period since discontinuing the birth control pills that regulated her cycle. At first she’d been down because as amazing as her nights with Gabriel had been, she hadn’t gotten pregnant. Soon, however, she began to worry as old, familiar symptoms appeared. Assuring herself everything was going to be fine became harder each day as her period stretched out. For the past two days fear had begun to sink deep into bone and sinew. She began to confront the very real possibility that her surgery might not have cleared up her problem. She had to face that getting and staying pregnant might be more difficult than she’d assumed.
Then, after seeing Gabriel yesterday, it became clear what she had to do. She needed to tell him the truth. Despite the connection they shared, she wasn’t sure how he was going to react to her news. She could only hope he would act like his father and work with her to solve any issues that came up.
“Olivia?”
A soft voice roused her. With the paparazzi hungry for their first glimpse of Gabriel’s daughters, Olivia had requested that Noelle bring their flower-girl dresses to the palace to be fitted. Blinking, she refocused on the slim, dark-haired woman.
“Sorry, Noelle. With the wedding two weeks away my mind tends to jump around a great deal these days. What were you saying?”
“I asked if you wanted me to bring your dress here next week for the final fitting rather than have you come to my shop.”
“It would help me if you brought the dress by. I’m drowning in wedding preparations and that would save me time.”
“I’d be happy to.”
A moment later the twins appeared in their new finery. They looked like angels in their matching sleeveless white dresses with full lace skirts and wide satin sashes in pale yellow. Noelle’s assistant had pinned up their hair and attached wreaths wrapped in pale yellow ribbons.
“These are merely to demonstrate one possible look for the girls,” Noelle explained. “If you like it, I’m sure the florist could create beautiful wreaths with yellow roses.”
“The dresses are perfect,” Olivia breathed. “Thank you so much for making them on such short notice.”
“I’m happy you like them.”
While Noelle and her assistant made little adjustments to the dresses, Olivia distracted Bethany and Karina by explaining to them what their role in the wedding would be. They seemed to understand the seriousness of the event because they listened to her with wide eyes and their full attention.
An hour later, Noelle had left, taking the dresses with her, and Olivia was reading the twins a story when the door to her suite swung open without warning. Startled, Olivia swiveled on the sofa to face a very unhappy Gabriel.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s time for the twins to head back to the nursery,” he answered, his voice level and cool as he gestured to the nanny who jumped to her feet. “I think it’s time for their lunch.”
Olivia set the book aside and got to her feet to urge the girls over to their father for a kiss and a hug. His manner softened for them, but a minute later they were gone and Gabriel was back to scowling.
“Is it true?” he demanded.
Her stomach twisted at the hard suspicion in his eyes. “Is what true?”
“That you’re infertile?”
Of all the things that had raced through her mind, this was the last thing she’d expected. How had he found out? Libby was the only person who knew about her condition and Olivia knew her private secretary would never betray her.
“Where did you hear that?”
He stalked across the room toward the television and snatched up the remote. Dread filled Olivia as he cued the power button. She’d not imagined he could look so angry.
“Sources inside the palace confirm that the future princess has little to no chance of producing an heir for Sherdana’s throne. With her medical condition you have to wonder what the prince was thinking to propose.”
The words blaring from the television were so horrifying that Olivia would have crumpled to the floor at his feet if Gabriel hadn’t seized her arms in a bruising grip.
His gaze bore into hers. “Tell me the truth.”
“I had a condition,” she began, and at his dark scowl, rushed on. “But I had surgery to correct the problem. I should be able to get pregnant.” But after these past few days and the return of her old symptoms, her confidence had waned.
“Can you or can’t you?”
“Six months ago when
you proposed I thought I could. At this moment I honestly don’t know.”
“You should have told me.” He set her free as if the touch of her was distasteful. “Did you think you could keep this a secret forever?”
“I really didn’t think it was going to be a problem.” Olivia clasped her hands to keep them from shaking and looked up at Sherdana’s crown prince, who stood there like a granite statue. Little about his current demeanor encouraged hope that he might listen to her with a rational ear. “I would never have agreed to marry you if I believed I couldn’t have children.”
“But your doctor warned you the chances were slim.” It wasn’t a question.
She didn’t ask him how he knew that. The reporter on the television was divulging her detailed medical records. Her privacy had been violated and yet she was being treated like a villain.
“He never said slim. He said there was a good chance I could get pregnant, but to do so I had to stop taking the pill and he wasn’t sure how my body would react since I’ve been on it almost ten years.”
“But you were a virgin. I can attest to that. Why were you on birth control?”
“I had severe cramps and bleeding. It helps control those problems.” Olivia wrapped her arms around herself. “I quit taking the birth control before I left London. I wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible. Provide you with your heir. I knew that’s what you all would expect.”
Gabriel’s expression didn’t change, but his lips tightened briefly. “We expected you to be truthful, as well.”
She flinched at his sharp words.
“I intended to tell you tonight. I haven’t felt right these last few days and thought I needed to discuss the situation with you.”
“I need an heir, Olivia.” His harsh tone softened.
“I understand completely.” Their marriage was an arrangement, an exchange of her hand in marriage for her father’s business. But she was also expected to be a mother. “I never would’ve agreed to marry you knowing I might not be able to have children.”
He needed to marry someone who could provide the next generation of Alessandros. At the moment she wasn’t completely convinced she could do that.
A sharp pain lanced through her and she winced. Her cramps had been a dull ache all through the morning, but now they gained in strength.
“Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “It’s been a hectic morning and I’ve done too much. I should probably take something and lie down for a while. Can we continue later this afternoon?”
She barely waited for his agreement before heading toward the bathroom and the bottle of pain medication she hadn’t needed earlier in the day. She shut the bathroom door, hoping that Gabriel wouldn’t come to check on her, and braced her hands on the vanity top. The woman in the mirror had dark circles beneath her eyes and white around her mouth.
The pain in her body was vivid and icy, very unlike her usual cramps. The difference scared her.
Forcing herself to take deep, even breaths, she fought back nausea and swallowed her medication. Within minutes, the sharp edges came off the ache in her pelvis and she was able to return to the bedroom. There she found Libby waiting for her with the queen. Helpless tears filled Olivia’s eyes. She blinked them away.
“Have you tried pineapple juice?”
The queen’s suggestion confused Olivia. “No.”
“There’s something in it that will help with your cramps.”
Olivia clasped her hands as her stomach flipped sickeningly. Why was the queen being nice, given the news?
“Thank you. I’ll try pineapple juice.”
“You aren’t the first woman in this palace to grapple with reproductive issues. I was young when I came to marry the king and eager to give him the heir he needed. Unlike Gabriel, Matteo had no male siblings to take over the throne if something happened to him.”
“You had trouble getting pregnant?”
“There’s a good reason why Gabriel has two brothers so close in age.” The queen gave a fond smile. “I wasn’t able to get pregnant without help. We did in vitro fertilization twice before the procedure was successful. Gabriel, Nicolas and Christian are the result.”
“And Ariana?” The princess was six years younger than her brothers, close to Olivia’s own age.
“My miracle baby.”
Olivia liked the sound of that. She hoped her own miracle baby was on the horizon. Because the way she felt at the moment, a miracle might be exactly what she needed.
“Do you love my son?”
She rolled the engagement ring around and around on her finger. “Yes.”
“Good, then you’ll do what’s best for him.”
And leaving Olivia to ponder what that was, the queen took her leave.
When the door opened a short time later, Olivia looked up, expecting Libby, and saw a maid instead. “I really don’t need anything right now. Perhaps you could check back in later this evening.”
“I thought you’d like me to pack your things. I’m sure you’ll be heading back to England now that the prince knows you can’t have children.”
The woman’s snide tone wasn’t at all what Olivia was expecting and she sat up straighter, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Of average height and appearance with brown hair and hazel eyes, the woman looked like any of a dozen palace maids. But there was a frantic energy to her movement that made Olivia apprehensive.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, feeling at a disadvantage as the maid stalked toward her. “I’m not leaving.”
Olivia pushed to her feet. The sudden movement sent pain stabbing through her. She swayed and caught the back of the chair. Her breath came in labored gasps. Something was very wrong.
“Of course you are.” The woman’s hazel eyes burned with a crazy zeal. “The prince won’t marry you now that he knows you’re damaged.”
“That’s for him to decide.” It was hard to keep her mind on the conversation when it felt as if hot pokers were being driven into her lower abdomen. “Get out.”
“What makes you think you can order me around?” the woman spat. “Because you have a title and your father has money?”
Step by deliberate step, Olivia backed away from the maid’s furious outburst. It was then that she recognized the woman’s face. She’d been the one who’d been searching the desk the night the twins arrived.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“My sister was twice the woman you could ever hope to be.”
The woman made as if to rush at her and Olivia stumbled backward.
“Marissa was your sister?” Impossible. This woman was as plain and dull as Marissa had been beautiful and vibrant.
“My younger sister. She was beautiful and full of life. Or she was until Prince Gabriel destroyed her.”
“What do you mean?”
Olivia knew she had to keep the woman talking. Somewhere behind her was the bathroom with a solid door and a lock. She just needed to get there.
“In the months following her trip to visit him in Venice, she grew more and more depressed. She couldn’t live with the fact that he wanted nothing more to do with her.” The sister glared at Olivia as if she’d been the cause of Marissa’s heartache.
“I’m sorry your sister was upset—”
“Upset?” The woman practically spat the word. “She wasn’t upset. She was devastated. Devastated enough to try to kill herself. I was the one who found her bleeding to death. She’d slit her wrists. It was at the hospital that she found out she was pregnant. She loved her girls. They were everything to her.”
Olivia reached her hand back and found the bathroom door frame. “Bethany and Karina are wonderful.”
“He doesn’t deserve them. He doesn’t deserve to be happy. And now he won’t because y
ou can’t have children. He won’t want you anymore.” Marissa’s sister was shouting now, her voice rising in unbalanced hysteria.
Another wave of pain made Olivia double over. She backed into the bathroom and clawed at the door. Blackness pushed at the edges of her vision. By feel alone she shut the door and slid the lock into place. The door rattled as Marissa’s sister beat against it in fury and Olivia staggered back.
With her strength failing, Olivia slid to the floor and set her back against the vanity, hoping that the door would hold. Hoping that someone would come find her. Hoping that Marissa’s sister was wrong about Gabriel.
Nine
Gabriel leaned forward in the saddle and urged his stallion to greater speed. Wind lashed at his face, and he focused on the thrum of hoofbeats filling his ears to slow his racing mind. He’d gone for a ride after leaving Olivia because he needed to sort through the conflict raging in him.
Although the powerful Warmblood had stamina enough for a longer run, Gabriel slowed him to a walk after only a mile. He passed the lake where he and his brothers had swum during the hot summers of their youth and wished he could go back to those innocent times.
Accusing Olivia of lying had been unfair. She wouldn’t do that. If he’d learned anything about her, it was that she had a great deal of integrity.
What woman, when faced with the prospect of never becoming a mother, wouldn’t deny the possibility? Especially someone who adored children the way Olivia did. He’d watched her with the twins. He’d seen how his daughters had bonded with Olivia. She’d won them over with her generous, kind heart. They’d been as helpless against her sweetness as he’d been.
By now his parents would be discussing damage control. And debating how to proceed. Olivia had understood the position this news report had put him in. They would advise him against marrying a woman whose fertility was in question. But he wouldn’t make any decisions until he knew the extent of her problems.
And if she could never have children?
He would need to address the bargain he’d struck with her father. The deal with Lord Darcy was contingent on Olivia becoming Gabriel’s wife.