by Leslie North
He held up a hand. “You don’t have to be a part of it, though. You can go radio silent the way you wanted, stay out of the public eye from here on out. I can take over with the publicity campaign and you can just focus on the testing. Divide and conquer, right? And hopefully that’ll help you get the research done on time, too.” He slid the dossier back into his bag, mind made up.
Anna stared at him. The party was a bad idea, but ultimately it was his choice, and if he chose to throw it she couldn’t be a part of it. What he was offering was what she technically wanted—so why did it feel like a breakup? “Are you sure that’s what you want?” she asked, mouth dry.
Eric was not her boyfriend. Eric was a prince, with responsibilities, with a past and his own needs. And she was a professional—a scientist, who should be much more concerned about her research than a man. She needed to remember that. She shouldn’t be feeling like crying right now. Going their separate ways with the project didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t pick up where things left off after the project was over, anyway. But somehow, this decision felt big. Inevitable. It felt like a turning point, and she was worried they might both have the wrong priorities.
“Yes,” Eric said, and her heart broke a little.
“Okay,” she said after a minute, pulling herself together. “It sounds like we have a plan, then.”
When she watched Eric walk out of the room, a terrible sense of finality wound its way around her heart. What had he done?
What had she done?
14
On the day of the party, Anna was late to the palace. She hadn’t gotten up the courage to tell Ella she wasn’t going yet, and her sister had requested she join her for a makeover session beforehand. And since Anna wanted the girl time with Ella, who she hadn’t gotten to see much of lately, she’d agreed to let herself be outfitted in a beautiful new dress and have her hair and makeup done. She figured she could break the tough news gently during the session.
Breathless, she hurried into Ella’s rooms. “Back here!” her sister called. She already had her hair done by the time Anna found her.
“Sorry I’m late,” Anna said, plopping down into the chair next to hers. A servant came up behind her and wrote down her measurements, then darted off to find a dress. Anna winced, deciding to wait a little while to tell them she wouldn’t need one.
Ella beamed at her. “No problem, sis,” she said. “I’m just glad we finally got some time together. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately. Being queen can be a lot of work some days.”
“You mean it’s not all trying on tiaras and petting your hunky husband’s abs?” Anna teased.
Ella snorted. “Who even says hunky anymore? But I’ll admit, there is quite a lot of ab petting.” She raised her eyebrows smugly, making Anna laugh.
“I’m glad you two are doing so well.”
Ella smiled dreamily. “We really are. Did I tell you he got me a colt as a wedding present?”
“Only a hundred times,” Anna answered, but Ella went on as if she hadn’t heard.
“He’s a gorgeous little thing. Thinks an awful lot of himself, though. When he’s around the fillies you can practically see him preening. And you should see him after I don’t get the chance to visit him for a few days—he sulks in the corner until I bring him a sugar cube.” She rolled her eyes. “Phillip picked him out himself. He says when he’s old enough, we can start a royal breeding program with him. Isn’t that perfect?”
“Absolutely,” Anna said dutifully. She liked horses pretty well herself, but they were more Ella’s thing than hers. Anna’s room had always been decorated with artistic renderings of viruses and atoms and electron microscopes. When she and her sisters had gotten glow-in-the-dark stars for their ceilings, Anna had spent a week arranging hers into astronomically accurate constellations.
Her smile faded. Thinking of constellations made her think of her nerd date with Eric, which was now splashed all over the tabloids as if it were everybody’s business and not a private moment that she cherished.
Eric. He was probably getting ready for the gala right now, worried that everyone would see him as less of a serious politician than he wanted to be. She’d tried to tell him several times over the last week that holding the party so early was a bad idea, but he’d brushed her off, urging her to focus on getting the research done on time. What she hadn’t told him was that there was no longer any way that was going to be possible. With a big project like this, snags inevitably arose and timelines were delayed. It happened to the best of scientists, and now it had happened to her team. She’d gotten more and more uneasy as the party approached, knowing that the results weren’t anywhere near ready and likely wouldn’t even be ready before the bill passed—if it passed—but she didn’t want to tell Eric that she’d gotten so much further off schedule than he’d anticipated. Instead, she’d been working her butt off, hoping she could make up the time without having to disappoint him. Eventually, though, she would have to tell him that the study probably wouldn’t be done in time to provide the publicity boost he’d been hoping for before Parliament voted on the bill that meant so much to him.
“Everything okay?” Ella asked, frowning over at her.
Anna snapped out of her reverie and gave a stiff smile as one of the servants tugged her hair into a regal updo. “Yes, of course, I’m just tired.”
Ella watched her a moment longer. “Are you sure?” she asked gently. “I’ve noticed you and Eric have become close—is that bothering you?”
“You read the tabloids too, huh?” Anna asked ruefully.
Ella laid a hand on her arm. “No, I just know my sister,” she answered, then shrugged a shoulder apologetically and added, “and yes, I read the tabloids. I hope you know that you can talk to me whenever you want, though. So if you do want to talk…” She waited.
Anna was surprised to realize that she did. “Eric is amazing,” she said truthfully. “He makes me feel amazing. He’s sweet and thoughtful and so funny and charming, and oh good Lord, even that man’s forearms are sexy. It’s unfair, really.”
Ella laughed. “It sounds like you two are doing well, then.”
“Not really. We…kind of ran into a snag in our work together that’s affecting our relationship. Though it’s a pretty unconventional relationship anyway.” Faintly embarrassed, she explained the small-talk and seduction lessons that had led to their romance, and then the roadblock they’d hit with the tabloid scoop.
Ella was leaning forward, her chin in her hand by the end of Anna’s story. “Wow, I didn’t know you had it in you,” she said, impressed. “Go, girl!”
Anna blushed. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“But now?”
“I mean, I don’t regret it. I’ve learned so much about men, and about myself. And about Eric. But I’m worried I may have messed it all up now.”
Ella’s attendant finished with her hair and darted off to the other room, probably to retrieve more jewelry. Ella was already dripping in diamonds and sapphires to go with her elegant blue dress, looking every inch the queen she was.
Ella tilted her head. “If your love of science hasn’t run him off by now, I doubt it ever will.”
Anna laughed dryly. “If only that were the problem,” she muttered. No, now she had new and much bigger problems. Like knowing Eric’s bill might fail because of her.
Ella squinted, leaning forward to examine her sister’s expression, then leaned back in her seat with revelation washing over her face. “You’re in love with him,” she said.
Anna blinked. “What? No.” But she faltered, because the truth was, she had been falling for Eric. She’d even thought the L-word to herself, crept around its corners and poked at it before burying it deep in the back of her mind again, unable to deal with it yet. “Maybe,” she said slowly. “Okay, yes. I think I am. But it’s awful, I mean seriously, the worst timing ever.”
“Bad timing or not, I’m proud of you. And don’t worry. Whateve
r speed bump you two are hitting, you’ll recover. I’m sure of it. Even I have noticed Eric seems different lately. He shines brighter, and I think it’s because of you.”
Anna remembered telling Eric he was like the sun and everyone else in the room was a flower. She was a flower too, she realized. He’d changed her, helped her grow and bloom, and she needed him in her life like she needed sunshine on a winter’s day.
Ella’s attendant brought out a tiara, one of the most formal ones that was covered with diamonds. Ella caught her staring at it. “This party is a huge deal for the royal family,” she explained. “A big victory, one of the first real wins for the medical research funding project. And all because of you. I’m so proud of you, Anna.”
Anna’s mouth went dry and she felt sick as she watched the tiara being pinned in place. Tonight, Eric would shine bright during the gala and everyone would listen to him tell them that the results would be positive, that her research was a success, and that his healthcare bill would come through without a hitch. She couldn’t let him lie like that, couldn’t let him potentially ruin his reputation along with hers, especially now that she’d realized she loved him.
She jolted up from her seat, ignoring the dismayed noise from the servant who’d been fixing her hair. “I’m sorry,” she told Ella. “I have to go. I have to talk to Eric before the party.”
All she could do was tell him the research wouldn’t be done on time, and hope he would forgive her.
15
Eric was tugging on his suit jacket when Anna burst into his rooms. A grin spread instantly over his face; she’d changed her mind. She’d decided to come to the party after all, to support him, which could only mean she’d decided to believe her instincts about how good her research results would be when they were ready. The momentary relief was nearly overwhelming. He’d known he missed her, but seeing her again after their long time apart was like a drink of water in the desert.
But then his elation faded. She was in her normal work clothes, but her hair was half pulled up into a fancy style and she had on more makeup than usual—but it was the expression on her face that made his smile vanish. She looked panicked, distraught.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, crossing the room in three long strides. He went to take her hands in his, concerned.
“I love you,” she blurted.
He froze, his hands hovering in mid-air as he reached for her. “Anna—” he started, not really sure what he was feeling but more than a little scared by how strong it was, but she interrupted him.
“That’s why I can’t let you do this,” she said.
“Do what?” he asked, caught off-balance and thoroughly confused.
“Throw this party. You have to call it off.”
Frustration welled in his chest. Had she really come all this way just to shake this tree again? He had to throw the party if he wanted to nab the last few Parliament votes he needed for his bill to pass. “We’ve talked about this.”
“We need to talk about it more,” she argued, her gaze fiery as it bored into him. “It could be suicide to celebrate success before the trials have even finished. I can’t let you throw away your own reputation like that, especially with so much riding on it.”
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? Has something changed?”
Her gaze wavered but she lifted her chin. “The research won’t be done before the vote on the bill,” she said. “I’ve checked and double-checked and done everything I can to move things along, but it’s just not going to happen. I’m so sorry, but sometimes delays are inevitable, and—”
He sat down hard on the couch. “You have to be joking,” he said flatly, feeling panic spiral tight inside him. He’d been counting on that perfectly-timed publicity push to ensure that the public and Parliament wouldn’t bail on him during the last-second deal-making. This bill was his shot, his big chance to prove himself as a politician and not just the good-for-a-good-time spare. If he failed at this, it would prove everyone who’d ever judged him right: he was charming, and that was all. He might never get another opportunity to show them otherwise.
“I’m sorry,” Anna said softly again, confirming his worst fears.
He dropped his head into his hands. This was all his fault. He’d gotten too involved with her, distracted her just like the tabloids said. Worse, he’d let her distract him. He had a job to do: fix the royal family’s image problem after his big brother’s wedding scandal. Instead, he’d created more scandals of his own. Women had always been his weakness. He should’ve known that would be the case this time too, that a relationship with Anna would only be a liability. He should’ve never offered to help her with her small talk. He certainly never should’ve seduced her. In fact, it would have been better if they’d never met, if he’d chosen another project with a head researcher who could finish her work on time.
The thought speared him through the heart, but he resolutely shut that part of himself down. He could still pull this off if he got himself together. He stood and buttoned his jacket, squaring his shoulders. “Fine,” he said shortly. “Just hurry it along as quickly as you can and I’ll take care of the rest.”
She hesitated. “You’ll tell everyone there’ll be a delay? Surely Parliament will be okay with that. A potential cure for the most common type of breast cancer is worth a few months’ wait.”
He shook his head sharply. “I’m not telling them anything. I won’t lie, but I can charm the hell out of them, dance around the issue, obfuscate. That’s the only shot I’ve got at nailing down the votes I need.” Bitterness tugged his mouth into a frown. “The only way they’ll follow me is if I keep things positive, give them what they want, show them a good time. That’s all I’m good for, after all.”
Anna’s eyes shone. “Eric, that’s not true. You have to know that’s not true.”
He barked a laugh. “Why are you arguing? What do you have to complain about? A good time is all you wanted from me, too.”
She reared back like he’d slapped her, but it was too late to take it back. After a second her expression transformed from hurt to betrayal to anger, and she spit out, “Well, apparently all you wanted from me was my brain, and now not even that is good enough for you since you won’t listen to my advice.”
Still reeling from her news, he lashed out. “In this situation, no, apparently your brain wasn’t good enough since you couldn’t get your research done on the schedule we agreed upon when you accepted my offer.”
Her hands curled into fists. “Did you even mean it when you said I was beautiful? Did you even enjoy any of it? Or was I just another conquest to you?” She hurled the questions at him like daggers, and each one stabbed a little deeper.
“That has nothing to do with it,” he snapped back.
“I think it does.”
“Okay, fine, it does. Yes, I think you’re beautiful, and what we had was special—but you’re a distraction now that I’m trying to do real work, and I’m a distraction for you too, apparently. Neither of us are right for each other. We should’ve stuck to the small talk lessons and never taken things further than that.”
“You can’t mean that.”
No, he didn’t. He could never. But his mouth stayed shut even as his heart screamed at him to go to her, to apologize, to find some way to work this whole mess out.
She threw back her shoulders and reached for the doorknob. “Fine,” she said. “If that’s what you want, then you can have it, have your party, have your good time. But I won’t stand by to watch it. I can’t support what you’re doing to my research. And I can’t see you this way.”
She paused, giving him one last chance—but he simply reached for his cufflinks and turned his back, finishing his preparations for the party.
When the door closed behind her it was whisper-soft. It sounded like the end.
16
The next morning, Eric felt like he had a hangover. The party hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped. Sure, he’d managed to say all t
he right things and give everyone the good time they’d come for, but he hadn’t achieved the purpose of the night. The members of the press might have been fooled into thinking the research was ready. The members of Parliament, not so much.
Now, sitting at a breakfast meeting with Simon, he groaned as he gulped down half a cup of coffee in one go. It scorched his throat, but he couldn’t help but feel like he deserved it. The look on Anna’s face last night, the way he’d turned his back on her when she’d walked out—that couldn’t possibly have gone any worse. But what was done was done, and now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place without his best advisor.
“So. The Parliament task force won’t budge on their demands,” Simon commented. They both already knew that—it was the reason for this morning’s meeting to dig through the bill one last time and see if there was any way to save it without either cutting coverage for the poorest Danovians or cutting funding and changing the currently-beneficial medical research laws for projects like Anna’s.
“What about section twelve B?” Eric asked, rubbing his face as he sorted through the papers. “If we could trim some of those requirements up, it might save some on the budget.”
“Not nearly enough.”
Eric slammed his empty coffee mug to the table. “This is ridiculous,” he declared. “This bill would benefit everyone, but all that task force cares about is which big health corporation is putting money in their pockets. They don’t want to cover sick people, homeless people, the citizens who need it most. And if I refuse to let them make cuts there, they’re going to cut funding for medical research and kill the loopholes that allow scientists to fast-track their projects here. How can that possibly be good for the economy, not to mention all the people who would benefit from a fucking cure for cancer?”
Simon raised an eyebrow. “Hey, I’m on your side, buddy,” he tried, but Eric had built up too much steam to stop now.