by Leslie North
Artur didn’t care about the headlines, he cared about real life. “There have always been headlines. There will always be headlines. But this is the situation we’re in. You’re the PR professional. Can’t you find a...positive way to spin it?”
She shot him a look that was so sharp it almost broke his skin. “I’m not spinning a baby. The baby will be kept out of this, as far as I’m concerned. Out of the public eye. Out of the spotlight.”
Artur snorted. “You think as the public face of my team, you’re going to be out of the spotlight? The child has no chance of being kept in the shadows either, if that’s what you were thinking. A royal baby has to step into the public eye sooner or later.”
“My child will be given the choice when they’re old enough to decide that for themselves.” Amy’s voice was absolutely firm. “I’m not putting anyone in any kind of spotlight until they’re ready. Until they’re willing.” She dropped a hand to rest protectively on her bump, and something about the motion made Artur realize that repeated insistence wasn’t likely to get him anywhere on this. However, he knew a thing or two about living life as a member of the royal family. Things didn’t stay swept under the rug, no matter how much a person wanted them to. He and his brothers had learned to cope with this in their own way, and the baby in Amy’s belly would have to learn to cope with it, too.
For now, the only thing he could do was back off. “All right,” he said, knowing even as he said it that he wasn’t conceding this argument.
Amy looked down at the surface of her desk. “I’m sorry,” she said finally. “I shouldn’t have—that wasn’t professional. I need to be professional. We—both need to keep this professional.”
Artur didn’t see how that was going to happen. Nothing of a more personal nature had ever happened to him in his life, and it had to be the same for Amy. After all, she was the one who was pregnant. But perhaps this wasn’t the moment to argue that point.
“I’m here to help you,” Amy went on. “It’s my job to make sure that things go smoothly for you and, by extension, for the rest of the royal family.” She met his eyes, and he saw a fiery sincerity there. “I want us to work together on that.” She worried her lip between her teeth. “And we have...plenty of time to figure out the baby stuff, too.”
That, at least, helped him to relax, at least a little. Artur suspected his head might never clear fully from learning this news, but at least this meeting could continue on without any more bombshells. He hoped. “I’d like that,” he said, giving her a smile that she returned with only a moment’s hesitation. “We can...put a pin in this conversation, if you will.” He allowed himself one more glance at her bump, then vowed to focus firmly on the PR matters at hand and nothing else.
“So.” Amy flipped through a couple of pages in the folder with a brisk snap snap snap . “I had some ideas for how we could modify the existing PR strategy—”
She continued speaking, but his awareness of her voice faded out. Artur couldn’t stop thinking about the baby. Their baby. She was pregnant. He’d sworn to keep his head in the game, but here he was, caught in a whirlwind. Was it a boy or a girl? When was she due? The questions burned in his mind, but it wasn’t the time to ask them...she’d made that clear. Oh, my god, he was going to be a father. What relationship would he have with his child? Was she going back to the States?
He stood up so fast he almost knocked his chair over. “You’ll have to excuse me.” Amy stared up at him, eyes wide. “I have to step out.”
4
Amy took one of her maternity tops from her suitcase and grabbed a hanger from the wardrobe. When she turned to put the top on the hanger she almost collided with the maid, who laughed.
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
She managed a weak smile at the girl, whose name was...Sasha. Yes. Amy’s head was still spinning from the meeting with Artur. That had ended rather abruptly. And wow, had she messed up on that delivery. The look on his face—
She’d never misread an expression so completely in her entire life.
“I know I’m supposed to be resting, Sasha, but I just feel restless after the plane ride.”
“Didn’t you touch down yesterday morning?” Sasha hung up one of her skirts. “I’ve never traveled across the ocean, so I don’t know what it’s like to fly for so long.”
“Yes,” Amy admitted. And she’d felt rested and recovered when she woke up this morning. She’d stayed one night in a hotel at the center of the city in a beautiful suite, and her things had all been brought over while she was in the meeting with Artur. “Yes, I did.”
Sasha glanced at her belly. “I still think you should rest.”
Amy knew when she was being gently told to get out of the way, so she went back out into the living room of her suite.
This place was massive. Too massive for a member of the staff. Honestly, Amy had expected to stay in the hotel until she found a place of her own to rent, but then word had come from the palace that it would be simpler to stay close for the time being. Amy had had a moment of disbelief when she thought the solicitousness was because they’d somehow learned about the baby, but then she’d met Kostya. Kostya had informed her that it was best for her to be immediately on hand. Amy didn’t expect any outright PR disasters, but she was working for them now, so...here she was. In a suite in the guest wing of the royal palace. Guest wing or not, she thought it was fit for a queen.
And...she couldn’t relax. Not after that meeting. Moving helped. Dancing—her usual stress reliever—would be even better, but maybe not with the maid here. She shifted her weight from foot to foot in front of the huge windows while Sasha bustled from her suitcases to the walk-in closet.
“Where are you from, Ms. Branch?”
It took Amy a moment to catch up. “I live in New York City.” She wouldn’t be living there for much longer if she got to head up Holliday’s European office. If she did that, she’d be closer to Artur, if he wanted to see her and the baby. Would he? She wasn’t sure. It hadn’t been as easy to see him as she thought it would be. Her mind needed movement to unravel why it had been so hard, and what she was going to do next.
“Do you have any plans for sightseeing while you’re here?”
“I—” Amy was usually prepared with a list. She didn’t go into any situation without a plan, but now that Sasha had asked, she found herself with nothing to offer. “I was hoping to see the palace,” she said with a laugh. Hopefully that would cover the fact that she hadn’t researched anything about sightseeing landmarks in the capital city. She’d been so swept up in the pregnancy...
“Have you been sick?” Sasha asked on her next trip out.
At first, Amy didn’t know what she was talking about, but then she looked down to where her hand was already resting on her bump. “Oh, no. I was a little tired in the beginning, but otherwise it hasn’t been too bad.”
“That’s good,” said Sasha. “Some women can’t get out of bed. My sister—” She shook her head. “So sick. Are you here until the birth?”
It seemed like a personal question, but Amy had an answer. The Stolvenian National Medical service had a hospital close to the palace. She would go there. It was on her agenda to meet with a few possible OB-GYNs as soon as possible. But giving birth was a whole different story from getting pregnant, as well she knew, and it was...not something she wanted to face. Not right now. So she sidestepped the discussion.
“I’m just here to help Prince Artur with some PR things,” she said with a big smile. “Maybe I’ll combine some sightseeing with a countrywide tour and finish my plans for the birth at a later date.”
Sasha laughed. “A countrywide tour won’t take you long. Stolvenia isn’t all that large.”
Still, the thought had set Amy’s mind to work on something she could figure out—PR. Stolvenia was at least large enough that a tour would mean spending a few weeks on the road. Maybe that would be a good plan for Artur. Part of the problem with the original firm’s stra
tegy was that it had focused entirely too much on international events and connecting Artur with members of the elite class, both within Stolvenia and without. That wouldn’t do much to improve the popularity numbers from the citizens of Stolvenia who weren’t the type to attend fancy galas. In order to help him connect with the majority of the voting public of Stolvenia, they needed to do something else.
They needed to start on a local level.
Amy liked that idea. A few weeks out on the road, engagements with the citizens of Stolvenia—that would be a good starting point. It was something she could bring to him at the next meeting—a neutral topic of conversation, and a suggestion that had the added benefit of getting them away from the palace for a bit. Amy had the sense that being at the political ground zero of the kingdom wouldn’t make it any easier to discuss...personal matters.
Now that she had the bones of a plan figured out, Amy felt better. So much better, in fact, that the itch to run right out of the suite had settled. Her feet hurt a bit. She took in the suite with new eyes. The living area featured a loveseat and two chairs around a little table, along with a little round dining table with two chairs. There were plenty of places to sit and relax. Amy chose the loveseat.
“That’s better,” Sasha said, coming out of the closet. “I’ll finish up in here, and then you’ll be on your own for a bit. If you need anything—”
“I’ll let you know.” Amy smiled at Sasha, then sank back into the seat. It was time to flesh out her battle plan.
“...the perception of the royal family needs to change in a groundswell, starting with the citizens who live and work in Stolvenia. Connecting with them will be the key to rebranding Artur’s image, and along with it, the image of the monarchy as a whole.” Amy finished her speech, then turned to the group of people seated around the table.
There was a pause, and then King Rafael brought his hands together in a slow clap. The rest of them joined in.
That felt good. Amy had to admit it. She raised her hands. “Thank you, thank you. But not necessary. I’m just doing my job.”
It was a relief to know she had their approval—that they knew she was genuinely qualified for this task, not just a fling of Artur’s who he’d hired as a cover for an ongoing affair. Not that she had any intention of picking up where they’d left off in New York…but she couldn’t exactly hide the fact that they had gotten together then. Everyone there—Artur’s two brothers, Rafael and Armin; Armin’s wife, Katie; Kostya’s second-in-command, Zia—knew everything.
Artur had pulled her aside before the meeting to tell her that he had informed them so as to avoid any uncomfortable moments in the future. Amy hadn’t been wild about that announcement from Artur, but she knew immediately that it had been a good idea. If she ended up staying in Stolvenia, questions would arise. It was the nature of working so closely with members of the royal family. Better those in his inner circle knew now. “I’ve also informed them that we’ve not decided on any official announcement,” Artur had told her, with a look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read.
“Good,” Amy had said. “Let’s do this.”
Now she stood in front of those same people, telling them how she hoped to change Artur’s reputation for the better. It was more than a little ironic.
“Those are my ideas.” She took the only empty seat at the table. “Do you have other suggestions?”
“Do you plan for the tour to include any gala events?” Zia asked.
“I don’t think so,” Amy said. “Those events have become too stale for Artur, and they only reinforce public opinion that the royal family is out of touch with the common people.”
“Perhaps a few events with schoolchildren,” Rafael suggested. “We’ve always seen positive feedback when Artur visits with kids. Isn’t that right, Zia?”
Zia looked over her own papers. “Yes, that’s right. His work with the children in both hospital and school settings has been well-received.”
Amy tried to keep her expression neutral. Were they guiding this discussion toward kids because of what Artur had told them?
“Perhaps becoming a father will soften his image as well,” Armin chimed in.
“I’m not sure about the timeline of letting the country know about the baby,” Zia answered. “There are still several months before that will come into play. We can’t bank any part of this strategy on something so far in the future. Not if we want to change things now.”
“It should be part of the consideration,” said Rafael.
So this was what Artur’s life had been like.
“I wonder what you think about that, Artur.” Katie, Armin’s wife, had raised her eyebrows at the first mention of fatherhood. “After all, you will be the father.” Amy liked her.
Artur, Amy saw now, was frowning. “Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding us all of that fact.” The prince shifted in his seat. “No, I won’t be using my child as a solution to boosting my popularity. If and when we go public with this pregnancy, it will be on terms that Amy and I are comfortable with.”
Amy appreciated his support…and what’s more, she liked the sound of her name in his mouth, which made it a little harder to present the next part of her plan. “I appreciate that, Artur,” she said. “I have a different solution to the idea of presenting you as more of a family man. I think it’s time to find Artur a wife.”
There was dead silence around the table.
“Technically, a girlfriend,” Amy said into that silence. “I was thinking we could add a fun dating element to the tour.”
“A...dating element?” Katie was the first to speak up, which was a surprise. Amy had thought Zia would leap right into a discussion on her idea. But Katie’s eyes were quizzical, curious. Zia was still staring at Amy as if she was from another planet. “Like a contest?”
“No, not like a contest.” Amy laughed. “Maybe a date with a local woman from each of the stops on the tour. Women from well-regarded families, on casual dates, to create some photo opportunities. It would allow Prince Artur to make connections with citizens and give them a platform to discuss the changes they want to see in Stolvenia. We could talk about their suggestions at our meeting next month. But adding in a bit of a romantic element will make it more fun for the public, waiting to see if Artur will click with any of the women.”
“That does sound like something Artur would do,” Rafael said, still watching Amy.
“It would be entertaining, but with a side of commitment,” Amy said, the word heavy on her tongue. “To both the citizens of Stolvenia and the monarchy itself. It would show the country that not only is Artur serious about national issues, but he’s getting serious about dating as well. He’s ready to settle down.”
“That would be quite the change,” Armin said.
For the first time, Amy looked across at Artur. He was not smiling.
“I find that I’m warming to the idea,” said Rafael. “It could result in a marriage. Marriages do seem to have a...stabilizing influence.” He grinned at Armin and Katie. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I would,” said Katie, putting a hand on Armin’s arm.
“A royal wedding with the right touches could put us in the public’s good graces,” commented Zia. “It would need to be rather restrained.”
“I disagree,” said Armin. “The people might think we’re out of touch, but they love a good spectacle. We wouldn’t want to let them down on that.”
The conversation shifted to royal weddings, but Amy was still watching Artur. Without another word, he got up from the table and slipped away. No one seemed to notice him leaving.
5
It was afternoon before Artur had sufficiently arranged his thoughts about the meeting, at least to the point where he could speak to others without yelling. At first, he took a walk in the gardens, moving so briskly through the trails that he could hear his security detail hustling to keep up. Perhaps he should have chosen the gym. Come to think of it—yes. He should have chosen the gym. He
ran a hand through his hair, changed directions, and headed back in.
After an hour in the palace’s private gym, his muscles burned and his workout gear was soaked through, but his head was clear. This plan of Amy’s—to parade him around with various women of Stolvenia—was never going to happen. But he had another idea.
He showered, dressed, and styled his hair in his signature look, then headed down the hall to Amy’s suite. He’d made sure she got one of the larger apartments in the wing. He knocked at the door. It opened immediately to reveal one of the maids.
“Prince Artur.” She stepped back to let him in, dipping her head.
“Thanks much. What’s your name?”
She looked up at him with a little smile. “Sasha, Your Highness.”
“Sasha. You may go—we’ll be all right for a bit.”
“All right.” She went out behind him, leaving him to Amy’s rooms.
There was a large main room, but Amy wasn’t in here, so he went left, toward the smaller sitting room.
Amy sat at a cabriole facing a table, with papers spread out in front of her and a pen in her hand. She was writing notes on a legal pad and didn’t look up at first. “Sasha, do you think we could—”
“Not quite Sasha.”
Her eyes flew up to meet his. “What are you doing here?”
Deliberately misunderstanding her, he replied. “I live here, of course. Did you not realize you’re being housed in the royal wing?”
Amy’s mouth dropped open, and a pleasantly pink color came to her cheeks. “Well. I didn’t realize I’d been given such...exclusive accommodations.”
He gestured around him. “These rooms are technically part of my apartments. I won’t bore you with the details of the passageways between the different suites. I promise you, they haven’t been used in decades and all of the doors are probably boarded up.”