by Leslie North
“My work? My work is going on tours. To repair our image.” Artur had never felt more bitter. It had all gone so wrong.
“The tours were a success. They set in motion all manner of goodwill between our family and the people. The number of meetings focused on fixing immediate problems is nothing but good. You did that.”
“Amy did that.”
“Amy planned that. You’re the one who used your skills and talents to connect with all those people. You are valuable, Artur. For far more than entertainment.” Rafael raised his foil so quickly that Artur had to scramble for his own. He barely got his foil upright before Rafael danced in, scoring the final part.
“You bastard.”
Rafael checked his watch. “I have a meeting. But think about it. Things are not as awful as they seem.”
Maybe Rafael was right.
Artur turned the conversation over in his head as he headed back to his offices. He’d taken a long, hot shower, washing the sweat from the battle away from his skin, and trying to decide what to do.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to make another try for what he wanted. After all, Amy hadn’t left the country yet.
He was hardly watching as he came into his office. The only plan in his mind was to sit behind his desk and keep thinking while he responded to whatever requests had come in while he was with Rafael.
But someone was already there.
“Hello, Prince Artur.”
The voice brought him out of his thoughts like shattering glass.
“Tatyana.” It was a shock, seeing her here, standing in front of his desk as if she belonged there. “Hello.” He stepped forward and shook hands with her, leaning in to brush a kiss an inch from her cheek.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” she said, pulling back. Artur was on high alert, every inch of his skin attuned to her. If Amy walked in right now...
He walked around to the other side of his desk, but stayed standing. “I am, in fact, wondering that.”
“I heard about your news. Congratulations.” Tatyana looked at him coolly. “I can’t imagine you planned that announcement well in advance.”
“No,” he admitted. “The tabloids got ahead of us.”
“So that’s why your Amy was arranging dates with women all over the country.” A little smile quirked her lips. “A good ruse.”
He bowed his head in acknowledgment, and she took in a deep breath. “That’s why I’m here. I wanted to offer my services.”
“Services?” This was a bizarre conversation.
“Yes. I know you wanted to deflect attention from the press in order to protect Amy and give her some privacy during the pregnancy. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have worked so hard on that tour to—to give the impression—” She laughed. “Oh, I’ll come out with it. I’m here to help in any way I can. Including drawing press attention.”
Artur kept his mouth from dropping open, but it was a near thing. “Are you offering to pose as my girlfriend? Give the press a whiff of a love triangle?”
She snorted, and for an instant Artur saw the girl he had spent so much time with in high school instead of the woman who stood in front of him. “My god, Artur. No. I meant fixing a few of the problems we discussed at the gala. It’ll give the press positive news to focus on. They’ll still talk about the baby, of course—everyone loves a royal baby—but getting straight to work on the real issues will keep them from fixating on the fact that you appear to have no relationship with the baby’s mother.”
“The tabloids will argue with you on that.” Those pictures had been heartbreaking. His joy, splashed on the front page for all the world to see. He was no stranger to appearing on the covers of tabloids, but it was different when it was something so private.
“The tabloids didn’t know how to read your face when you made the announcement. As for me, I’m not surprised,” Tatyana said. “Relationships have never been your forte.”
He raised his eyebrows. “What are you getting at?” There was a bitterness in her voice that he couldn’t quite understand.
Tatyana shook her head in exasperation. “I never understood, back in high school, why everything had to be a joke. Everything had to be entertainment for you.”
“It’s not that way anymore.”
“I hope that’s true. Because if you don’t get serious about Amy, you’re going to lose her.”
He was taken aback. “How do you know I’m not serious about her?”
“Where is she right now?”
Artur was silent.
“That’s what I thought.” Amy clapped her hands. “Let’s get started, then. There’s not much time to lose.”
17
It didn’t matter that Amy was determined to finish the job on her own—Petra flew in anyway. And she’d never been so glad to see her friend. The moment she dragged her suitcase into Amy’s room, she flew into her arms and gave her a long, tight hug.
“Wow,” said Petra after Amy finally let go. “It’s been a trip, hasn’t it?”
“More than. I feel like I’ve been all the way to the top of Mount Everest and back. Twice.” She threw herself into a chair. “Are you staying here with me?”
Petra laughed, shaking her head. “The palace set me up in a room down the hall. I haven’t seen it yet. I came straight to you.” She sat down on the sofa and looked at Amy. “You look tired. Are you sure you want to stay for this?”
Amy put her hands over her belly and sighed. She was tired. She was exhausted. It was one thing to travel all over the country of Stolvenia, attending events all day and every evening. It was another to be heartbroken, and that’s how she felt.
Things had not improved with Artur. She’d sat in on a couple of meetings since she’d talked to Petra, but it had been too hard to concentrate when he was in the room, avoiding eye contact. The conversation had swirled around her, and then they’d swoop in and wait very intensely for her opinion about something. She’d answer. The cycle would begin again. So that was how things were behind closed doors in the royal family.
“I need to finish this,” Amy said, though it was very tempting to go back to New York. “I need to figure this out before I head home. Once I get on a plane, everything changes again. It’ll be harder to come back, if...if I do.”
“What are your options, then? Let’s talk it out.”
“Okay.” Amy sat up straight. “Option one is I stay here, in the palace. I know they’d accommodate me, because of the baby, but I don’t think I could be under the same roof as Artur while we’re not speaking. And I also don’t know—” She shook her head. “No. List of options. My next option is to settle somewhere in Europe to head up your branch, which I now have more than enough experience to do. The third option is New York City, to keep doing my job there up until I go on maternity leave.”
Petra looked at her, a neutral expression on her face. “Which one do you want to choose?”
“I don’t know. I go back and forth fifty times a day. It would be simplest to stay in the palace, just based on the logistics. If I decide to live elsewhere, the security arrangements get infinitely more complicated.”
“Security arrangements?”
“Because of the baby.” Amy’s heart beat faster at the mention. “She’ll be part of the royal family. Even if I’m not—” This made her throat tighten again, but she was not going to cry. “Even if I’m not with Artur, she becomes part of the line of succession. There are all kinds of laws and protocols that will have to be followed. I’ll still be in the spotlight, all the time.”
Petra pursed her lips. “Can I ask you something?”
“That’s why you’re here, right?” Amy gave her a shaky smile.
“Have you considered a face transplant? Can it be that expensive?”
Amy laughed. “I’ve considered running to the ends of the earth. But I’m not very nimble on my feet right now.”
“In all seriousness, Amy, I’m not sure why you’re running from this.” There was genu
ine confusion in Petra’s eyes. “Anyone can see that you’re in love with Artur.”
“I am not,” Amy said automatically.
“You are. The way you look at him—I saw that press conference. The world saw that press conference. It was written all over you.”
The hurt in her chest intensified. “He doesn’t love me the same way. He told me so, weeks ago.”
“Things can change in a matter of weeks. You know that. What’s the real problem? You are the best PR professional the world has ever seen. What about being in public scares you so much?”
Amy could hardly get the words out, but she did. This was Petra. “I’m afraid of becoming my own mother, okay? I’m afraid of putting insane expectations on my own daughter. I’m afraid of caring more about appearances than anything else.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Petra leaned forward and put her hand over Amy’s. You’re too loving. You care too much. For god’s sake, you tried to set Artur up with the most eligible bachelorettes in the entire country while you mooned over him.”
“I was not mooning—”
“Your heart is what would make you a great princess. Don’t sit here and deny it. Plus, imagine what royalty could do for the company’s reputation. If we were the sole PR firm for the royal family...” Petra gazed up toward the sky. “It would change everything,” she whispered.
Amy laughed again. “I’m just—I guess I’m too scared to put it all out there. It could ruin me.”
“Leaving this behind could ruin you.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door and Sasha came in with fresh towels. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said. “I’ll be in and out in a flash.” She’d been avoiding Amy lately, timing her visits for when Amy was out of the room.
“I’ve got to unpack and freshen up.” Petra stood up and Amy stood with her. They hugged, and then Petra went to get her suitcase. “We’ll talk again in a little while, okay?”
“All right. I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad to be here.” Petra took a deep breath. “It’s so royal here.”
“Well, yeah.”
Amy felt lighter already.
Sasha came out of the bathroom as the door closed behind Petra, hurrying after her.
“Sasha. Wait.”
The other woman stopped and turned to face Amy, looking as wary as a person ever had.
“I’m sorry,” Amy said, meaning it from the bottom of her heart. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way the other day. It was wrong, and I hope you can accept my apology.”
Sasha nodded slowly, then gave a little smile. “It must be stressful, what you’re going through. I can forgive you for being overwhelmed.”
“You’ve honestly been—” Amy got choked up again. “You’ve honestly been wonderful. Such a support. Such a help. I don’t know—” I don’t know what I’ll do without you. Because leaving the palace meant leaving so much behind. Sasha, Artur, the courtyard where they’d made love…how could she say goodbye to any of it?
“I left your things from the trip set out on the little table in your bedroom,” said Sasha, rescuing Amy from what was quickly becoming a ridiculously emotional moment. “Your souvenirs. So you can pack them carefully, if you—if you decide to go.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve got to step out,” Sasha said, with a bigger smile. “I’m glad you came at all, Ms. Branch. Amy.” Amy went forward and hugged her, too.
Once Sasha had gone out, Amy went into her bedroom. There they were, all the little trinkets that she’d collected in every city. The little stained-glass window glinted at her from the tabletop. They were beautiful, and they’d look beautiful in her baby’s nursery—wherever that turned out to be.
It had been so much fun, being on that trip with Artur. They had stolen so many moments together. There had been so much heat.
It would haunt her forever, leaving him.
She knew that now, looking down at the things holding those precious memories of the time they’d seen all his country had to offer. If she left this man behind, he would always stay in the back of her mind.
And she would always think of leaving him as a mistake.
She picked up the stained-glass window and thought of him leaning down to talk to her, his lips brushing the side of her neck. Goosebumps rose on her skin like he was really there.
What was that saying? You only regret the chances you don’t take. Artur was a chance she was preparing not to take, and she already knew she’d regret it.
No.
Amy put the trinket back down on the table. She wasn’t ready to give that up. Wasn’t ready to give him up.
18
This press conference was going to be different. Amy had made sure of it.
For one thing, instead of holding it outside in the front courtyard, she’d scheduled it in the palace press room. It was going to be an official announcement in front of the Stolvenian flag, and she wanted it to have...weight. It didn’t matter that the conference had been planned in less than a day. The press room had once been the audience room for the king and queen, and she wanted that callback to history.
She’d put out a release explaining exactly what would happen. They would not be taking questions. The focus would be on Artur and Tatyana. They had been working together since the previous day, a fact that made Amy’s heart hurt.
No one needed to know that.
She took a Tylenol and looked at herself one more time in the mirror. The black dress with the red accent was professional and comfortable and her, all at once. The cut proudly showed off her belly. Amy hadn’t been hiding it during her time in Stolvenia, but tonight she really wasn’t going to hide it.
She patted that belly, with the kicking baby girl inside, and checked again to make sure her makeup was perfect. Amy had done her hair in a neat twist and sent Sasha out to find the perfect necklace and earrings. She’d chosen very well.
Still, Amy’s pulse pounded. Public speaking was the least of her worries, honestly. She could never have worked for Petra if she was afraid of appearing before a crowd.
It was Artur she worried about.
She wanted so badly for him to see her doing this, but it just wasn’t a guarantee that he would pay attention. He might still be angry. He might have given up on her once and for all. He might prefer Tatyana. Tatyana had never said all those horrible things to him.
Then again, Tatyana had never been pregnant with his child. Hormones and emotions were heightened.
She blew herself a kiss in the mirror and turned away. It was time to go.
The press room was humming with conversation from the reporters, and even as she went down a side hallway to a hidden entrance, Amy could feel the anticipation in the air. Since Artur was involved, people would expect a surprise. They’d expect entertainment.
Well, they’d get some...but probably not when they were expecting it.
Amy stole to the wings of the big stage at the back of the room. Artur and Tatyana stood across from her. He stood ramrod straight while she leaned in to say something to him. He didn’t look down at her. Good, she thought, then shoved that kind of attitude to the back of her mind. So what if Tatyana had shown up unbidden at the palace? That was what friends did. And girlfriends, if that’s what Artur wanted now.
Artur and Tatyana walked out together, and a hush came over the room.
He stopped at the podium, leaned down to the microphone, and gave that audience the same smile that made her stomach flip every time. “Good evening.” The applause was sustained enough that, after a few long moments, Artur waved it down. Amy could see the bags under his eyes, though she doubted anyone else was paying attention. She’d sent a message to the entire team at the palace notifying them of what she planned to do last night, and to her shock, not a single person had objected. Artur had sent back a terse note saying that Tatyana had come to head the formation of several committees, and they’d be working on the structure of the committee
s themselves for as long as it took. Clearly, it had taken most of the night.
Artur launched right into the planned agenda. “I’m here to announce the formation of a number of committees, focused on various areas of concern, to streamline communication between the public and the royal family. The necessary information from these committees will be routed to the appropriate departments so that timely action can be taken. The transition to this system, including the structure and formation of the committees, will be headed by Tatyana Morozov, whose experience and skill will be an asset to all of Stolvenia.”
“We are also pleased to announce that beginning early next week, the palace will be hiring a corps of staff members to personally read each communication sent to our new public email addresses. No one’s concerns will be overlooked,” added Tatyana. “Look for further updates throughout the week to come.”
A few determined members of the press tried to ask questions, but Tatyana leaned in to speak. “No questions,” she said with the same kind of charming smile that Artur found so easy. “I’d like to now introduce Amy Branch, the public relations liaison for the royal family, who has an announcement of her own to make.”
Amy held her head high as she walked out. Artur and Tatyana smiled at her, lips closed, professional as ever, and she took a deep breath in. No nerves. Not now.
She had not told them what she planned to say.
The two of them stepped back, and Amy reached up to adjust the microphone’s height before she took a small folded paper out of the palm of her hand and spread it out on the podium in case she forgot what she had to say. Her shoulders relaxed and she stood up straight. This was her element. It was only the words that were hard.
“My name is Amy Brant. I came here to today to confirm that I am indeed pregnant, and that Prince Artur is the father of the baby.” Of course, it had already been confirmed at the earlier press conference, but she could hear Artur’s quick intake of breath at her willingness to say this out loud in front of the whole country. In front of the world. “I am so happy to have met him one night in New York City. I didn’t know that I’d be meeting the love of my life.”