“Only on the surface,” Sebastianos had muttered when I showed him what I found.
“How so?”
He just shook his head. “She’s got nothing on you, baby girl,” he said as he looked over the papers on his coffee table. To which I snorted. Right.
For what it was worth, that got his attention fully, and Sebastianos looked at me with a serious expression.
“I’m serious, Iliana,” he said, letting me know he meant it. “You roll out of our bed and throw that gorgeous hair of yours on the top of your head and strut out of here with your little sandals and your camera bag, and you’ve got my attention twenty-four straight hours. I’m always watching you, wondering what adorable expression is coming next or if you’re going to look over at me in a crowded room and cross your eyes to get me to break character.”
Yeah. I remembered that exact moment when we’d all found ourselves in the same room for a quick photo shoot for Penelope’s school pictures.
I laughed.
“I refuse to compare you to Reina because there is no comparison,” he continued. “Just know that my eyes are locked on you constantly and all the makeup in that woman’s expansive bathroom couldn’t achieve the same results those adorable freckles on your nose do.”
My face warmed a bit, and I just grinned stupidly as I stared down at my laptop.
Damn, but that man had a way with words.
Then it hit me. “You’ve seen her bathroom?”
From the stories I’d heard, there hadn’t been much time for a physical relationship to develop. Of course, one night with Seb, and I’d been humping him like a dog in heat.
I also knew that she was a communications professional who’d glided from beautiful country to beautiful country in order to rub elbows with the elite. Now, for some crazy reason, she was working in this palace.
“I don’t think you need to worry about her,” he said as he gave me the rundown so I wouldn’t be shocked when people who knew their background might be looking from me to her to me to her. People knew the gossip, and he wanted me to at least be on a level playing field, which I appreciated.
“So I won’t,” I said, trying to put on my brave face. But the truth was, I was a little worried about meeting the infamous Reina. I was just going to do my best not to show it.
About an hour before the press conference, I was being dolled up, three different people working on my hair and makeup when Thierry walked in. He had a pair of Italian sunglasses on his thinning hair and was sprouting the beginnings of a goatee. Only Thierry could pull off such a careless look and make it seem polished.
“How are you?”
The question hung between us for a moment. “Good?”
“You answered my question with a question, Iliana. How are you?”
I took a breath. “Yes, I’m sorry. I’m well, thank you.”
Thierry perched himself on the edge of a chair, his eyes scrutinizing my face and hair with a photographer’s eye. “You look lovely, Iliana. A credit to the duke and the royal family.”
It was the absolute perfect thing for him to say, and tears sprang to my eyes.
“Oh no,” the makeup artist breathed and pressed cotton rounds against my eyes. “No crying, Miss Iliana. This is perfect smiling day.”
I sniffed and took a deep breath, forcing the emotion back. “Thank you for your support, Thierry. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
Instead of smiling, he frowned, making the hair on the back of my neck stir.
“I’m guessing you’re aware of Reina Frangos, right?” He leveled a gaze at me, searching for a reaction.
“I’m aware,” I said.
“And you’re aware that she’s a bit of a snake?”
A smiled played at my lips at that one. “I have no solid proof, but I’ve heard rumors.”
Thierry sighed. “I’ve been hearing rumors too. After the duke’s father’s passing, she applied for the communication position in the palace, and it is believed she did so with the hopes of seducing Sebastianos back to the alter. There are also rumblings that her father is demanding that the initial marriage contract be fulfilled.” Those around me stilled their movements, and I was surprised he was sharing this information so openly.
“And now here comes this American, taking away any chance she might have of becoming a duchess,” I finished for him.
He shook his head. “No. Rumor has it that her plans were to insist he take his rightful title as prince, making her Princess of Cassia.”
“Why are you telling me this, Thierry?”
“I’ve grown fond of you these past weeks, Iliana. You are a hard worker who is both willing and eager to learn. You’re feisty too. And interesting and fun. A breath of fresh air.”
The compliments warmed me although I could feel a “but” coming on.
“But…”
And there it was.
“You are unfamiliar with the ways in which palace life works. The way people of a certain breeding, like Reina, work. People like her will use their own status and birth to make you feel inferior. She’ll drop passive aggressive comments in public that people might not pick up on but will be directed to get a reaction from you. Don’t react. Smile and play the ice queen game with her.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but I could hold back emotions just fine. All he had to do was ask Sebastianos.
“I’ll do my best,” I said, trying to give Thierry a reassuring smile. He looked so worried about me. Was I crazy to not be nearly as worried about meeting Reina as he seemed to be for me?
I was going to find out soon enough.
Once I was prepped and dressed in a sumptuous royal blue silk dress that I couldn’t stop touching, a small retinue of guards walked me to one of the larger reception rooms which had been set up for the press conference. There were rows of chairs set up for the attending media. Thierry and his assistants would take an official engagement photo here, too, so the equipment was already in place.
Everything was ready, I noted, as I watched the television monitors of the room, noting the number of people beginning to arrive and find a seat.
Two hands grasped me around the waist, and I jumped but managed not to make a sound as I whirled to find Seb laughing down at me.
“Oh my god,” I hissed at him as I tried not to laugh. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to meet me in there.”
“We can’t forget this,” he said, and I watched as he pulled a little black box from his pocket and opened it. “It was finished just in time.”
A giant, square-cut diamond sat in a white gold setting, and I nearly swayed on my feet. It was magnificent and probably worth more than everything I’d ever owned in my life, combined.
I couldn’t speak for a moment and just sucked in a breath through my teeth at the sight of it.
“It’s too big,” was all I finally managed and Sebastianos chuckled.
“That’s what she said,” he replied under his breath, and I swatted him.
Seb pulled the ring from the box and returned it to his pocket before picking up my left hand. Holding my breath, I could hardly believe what was about to happen. This was the moment a girl dreamed of all her life.
“Iliana…”
My heart started pounding as he slowly began to sink to one knee.
“Your Grace!” Seb shot back to his feet just as two members of the communication team rushed inside. Thank god, one of them wasn’t Reina. “It’s time.”
He nodded to them and then pressed his lips into my hair, slipping the ring on my finger. Then he offered me his arm, and I slipped my newly blinged out hand through the crook of his arm.
As ungrateful and silly as it was, I couldn’t help the stab of disappointment.
Pushing it away, I smiled up at him as the doors were opened and cameras began to flash and our names were called.
I inhaled through my nose and tried to remember everything I’d been taught about royal protocol over the past few
weeks, despite the fact that my head was swimming in emotions and anxiety. Sebastianos assured me that all I had to do was smile and answer a few mild questions from reporters for less than ten minutes and then we’d be on our way.
I could do that.
Walking across the carpeted floor, Sebastianos led me to a plush leather chair seated on a dais in front of the rows of chairs. We didn’t sit yet. I had been told to wait until the king and crown princess had entered and taken their seats first.
So much to remember.
Reporters filled the rows, and the flashes from cameras were like a strobe light, the murmurs and chatter growing louder as the event began to kick off with the arrival of the king and princess.
The little girl smiled and waved at me, looking so pleased all I could do was smile in return.
And then she was there.
Wearing a body-hugging, gorgeous white dress that was off-the-shoulder and hovered just above her knee, I couldn’t help thinking that Reina looked like a bride herself.
Approaching the podium like some sort of monarch, she held her chin high in the air and leveled one somewhat harsh, assessing gaze at me, likely taking me in for the first time just as I was doing the same to her.
In the back of my mind somewhere, it was like a cartoon I’d seen once. A duck and a rabbit, squaring off across the floor of an Old West saloon, guns on their hips, sizing each other up, hands hovering above their pistols.
Who would draw first?
Apparently, it was Reina.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Sebastianos
It was hard to explain how freeing it was to see the woman you were supposed to marry and feel absolutely nothing for her.
No pang of regret. No bloom of passion or connection. Just dead space between us.
Not that there’d been any feelings between us in the first place.
How could there have been? I’d barely known her. Had only met her on a few occasions prior to having the contract tossed into my face.
After I’d refused to allow the engagement to move forward, I’d been able to see Reina as the manipulator she was. She’d thrown fits and temper tantrums that had rivaled Penelope in a bid to force me to honor the contract between our fathers.
I’d been ready to leave the country, to give up my family and heritage at the time. Thankfully, my father had seen how serious I was, even apologizing once the dust had settled. I’d gone back to the barracks, the only place I’d ever really felt free, trying to put the entire thing behind me.
Now, as Reina eyed me with her cold blue eyes, dressed in pure white in an obvious bid for attention, I could only be grateful at how different Iliana was from her.
I looked over at the woman carrying my child, and a fury of passion and possessiveness swept over me, unlike any I’d felt before.
But what about love? Was I even capable of it?
I had to push those thoughts away and focus when the press conference began.
“Thank you all for coming today,” Reina began, and I was immediately furious that she’d been allowed to take the lead. Heads would roll for this. I looked over at my uncle and he appeared equally furious. “We appreciate you being here on short notice.”
The assembled media began to quiet down as Reina showed her teeth to them. I was pretty sure she was trying to smile.
I hadn’t crossed paths with Reina since her arrival to the palace, which I found strange and at least a little suspect. But today wasn’t about Reina, so I did my best not to listen to the woman as she went on about a new age in royalty and how embracing the working class and foreigners was a testament to King Demetrius’s desire to bring Cassia into the twenty-first century.
The muscle ticked in my jaw as Reina took veiled jabs at Iliana being an American and a commoner, although being the daughter of a baron placed her firmly in the nobility circle, which I’d soon make sure was corrected. Not that it mattered. It was a wonderful thing that the king had given me the freedom to choose my own path, including my marriage, but it sounded off coming from Reina, especially since she was wrong.
Beside me, Iliana watched Reina with an expression I found hard to read. Was she sizing Reina up like she was some sort of competition? It didn’t look like it, but it was certainly hard to tell. If we weren’t in a public function, I’d say something reassuring to her. But public displays of affection were generally frowned upon in official functions like this, so instead, I was forced to pretend to be interested in whatever was coming out of the PR flack’s mouth.
“…and so, the palace would like to welcome Ms. Iliana Costas to Cassia and wish her the best of luck in her marriage to the Duke of Becktonas.”
The reporters erupted into a million questions at once, but before Reina could field any questions, my uncle stood and approached the podium. This hadn’t been the schedule for the events, which told me he was even more angry than me.
Unable to do anything but curtsy and step off the dais, Reina gave me another cold look before marching off, her hips swaying side to side as she strode away.
“Welcome again as we gather for this most joyous announcement,” Uncle Demetrius began, and I realized what he was doing. Whereas Reina would have fielded and answered inappropriate questions, no reporter would dare ask those same questions of my uncle. “I’m happy to answer any of your questions, but first, let me share with you an epic love story of two countries being joined by fate.”
Then my uncle wove a tale of two unlikely individuals meeting on an unlikely night. He spoke of passion and soulmates and immediate love. He even gently corrected the fact that Iliana’s father was a baron without making the palace communications team sound like idiots.
I glanced over at Iliana, whose eyes were glistening again. We smiled at each other as the king spoke of the longing of two hearts to see each other again, and how fate waved its magic wand and made it so.
When he was finished, there were tears in many of the reporters’ eyes, and I knew my uncle had won them over… for now.
It wouldn’t last. Love didn’t sell newspapers. Scandal and drama did. Soon enough, we’d be crucified on the gossip cross, but for now, it was nice.
When it was our time to field questions and pose for pictures, Iliana handled herself beautifully, even making the reporters laugh as she told the story of how she’d stumbled during her first curtsy, even showing them the faint line of the scar she had to prove it.
When I was asked, “How do you feel?” it was easy to answer, “Grateful and happy.”
When the allotted half hour was mercifully over, Reina stepped forward to close out the event, but once again my uncle took over the podium, forcing her to take a step back.
“I’m thrilled to have shared our exciting news with each of you. Our communications office will keep you apprised in due time.”
With that, a page arrived and ushered us into a conference room a few doors away. As with most official events, the communications office always wanted a debriefing and today was no different. We filed into the room, all except for Penelope, who happily skipped away with her nanny.
Casting a look over at Iliana as we were seated at the long table and left with a single guard by the door, I smiled at her.
Her dimples appeared as she smiled back. “That went better than expected.”
I nodded. “It certainly did.”
Nate walked into the small room and took a seat beside me, giving me a curt nod by way of greeting before leaning over and whispering in my general direction. “More talk of trouble from Anjou. There was a scuffle at the Amurian border last night between our troops, and she thinks it’s a sign of more. She wants more troops along the border immediately.”
I nodded. “Come to my office as soon as this wrap-up is finished.”
He gave a nod to Iliana before leaving. Reina breezed in as he left, and I didn’t miss the fact that he refused to acknowledge her.
Trailing behind Reina was the communications director, who looked like he
was being led to a firing squad. Actually, he looked really sick. Almost green. Two assistants were on each side of him, looking like there were prepared to jump in should he topple over.
“Excuse me, Your Highnesses,” Ralph said, looking on the edge of ralphing. “My most sincere apologies for needing to step away.”
My uncle looked concerned and also a little relieved. I knew he wouldn’t want his old friend to be ill, but I knew he wasn’t looking forward to giving the man a dressing down for letting Reina take center stage.
“Please see the attending physician,” my uncle said. “It all worked out well in the end.”
Reina stepped in. “See, I told you everything would be okay. You go on and I’ll share our updates.”
Ralph, looking really ill again, shot a distressed look at my uncle. At his nod, he rushed from the room.
Beside me, Iliana murmured, “Poor man.”
I nodded. “Indeed.”
When the doors were closed, Reina took the seat across from us. One of the assistants stayed behind and pulled out a notepad and iPad.
“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” Reina said as she took her seat. She didn’t look at me, instead settling her gaze on Iliana, who said nothing. Damn, the young woman beside me looked regal as she met the Reina’s gaze steadily.
Reina frowned before looking down at her notes. “We’re doing the best we can in our office to field questions and whatever, erm, speculation has been arising over the past forty-eight hours.” The word “speculation” was given a heavy emphasis. “As you can imagine, we’re dealing with a potential PR nightmare here. With her…” she waved a hand toward Iliana, “lack of proper bearing and protocol, we have enough of a battle. But with a scandalous pregnancy ready to break free at any moment, our job is increasingly difficult.”
“Who says it’s scandalous? You?” Iliana asked, her question and her voice surprising me — in a good way. Good for her for not letting Reina’s subtle jabs go unchecked.
“The king, actually,” Reina sniffed in response. At the head of the table, my uncle shifted in his seat and Reina quickly went on. “Out of concern, of course. Concern for both you and Sebastianos’s reputation. It’s the only reason he pushed for a puppet engagement.”
Claiming My Duchess Page 21