Worse yet? Felicity had fanned the flames.
“So you gave an interview,” he said, struggling to keep his voice neutral.
“I didn’t know she was a reporter when Joy started saying all those things,” Felicity said quickly. “It wasn’t until she pulled out her notepad that I realized—”
“And you still went so far as to endorse your sister’s position?”
Felicity raised her eyebrows. “Yes, I—I did. I agreed with what she said.” Her voice rose defiantly, but then she turned away from Rafael. “I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but I do agree with her. I was blindsided as much as you are right now. I didn’t know a reporter would be at the dinner, and—”
Rafael put his hand over hers, his mind reeling. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” He left no room for argument.
11
“I need to understand exactly how it happened.”
Rafael sat at his desk in the royal offices, with Felicity on the other side. The sturdy piece of mahogany between them felt massive, like a wall, and Felicity did not look comfortable. She looked good—even now, he had to admit that the charcoal gray dress suited her—but she wore it like armor, her hands neatly folded in her lap.
She looked Rafael in the eye. “This isn’t what I thought you meant when you said we’d talk about it tomorrow.”
He shifted in his seat. “It’s what’s best,” he said definitively, though he wasn’t altogether sure that it was. “This is a matter of royal importance. It will, in the end, involve more than the two of us.”
Felicity frowned. “It was one interview. The more time we spend—”
“I need to know what happened,” he said again. “In order to meet this head-on, I’m going to need all the relevant details.
“All right.” There was only the barest hint of irritation in Felicity’s voice. “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me everything. You arrived at the restaurant on time, and went into the restaurant.”
“Yes. Marta—I’m assuming you know who Marta is, because you created the guest list.”
He gave her a crisp nod, pulling a pen from his desk and letting it hover over the notepad he’d set out before Felicity had arrived. “I know Marta.”
He had her go through the rest of the events, step by step. She complied, but he could tell she was getting irritated, especially when he pressed for more details as to what exactly Joy had said.
“I didn’t write down everything she said,” Felicity retorted. “Oksana was the one to do that.”
He put down his pen. “This is important for me to know in my royal capacity.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why is that? Do you intend to do something about the things Joy mentioned? Because no matter how you feel about the press coverage, these are serious issues.”
“They’re issues that can be dealt with after the referendum.”
Felicity let out a short laugh. “Why on earth would you kneecap yourself like that?”
“Kneecap myself?” Rafael had only heard Felicity get this heated over matters involving her family.
“My sister is right, you know. Stolvenia needs to do something about these issues other than pushing them to the backburner.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “Why aren’t you the one leading the discussion? Is your only plan to coast through the referendum based on the strength of my press appearances?” She let out a short burst of laughter. “I wouldn’t rely on that, if I were you.”
“It’s better not to upset the way of things at such a delicate time,” Rafael protested.
“How would you know?” Felicity raised her eyebrows. “Honestly, how do you know? Have you ever tried? Why wouldn’t you try now, when you have the perfect opening, when everyone wants to know why they should support you?”
Rafael wanted to know what she had to say about this almost as much as he wanted her to stop. This was maddeningly uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to say as much, but Felicity wasn’t done speaking.
“For better or worse, you have a wife…a fiancée…who has opinions. I don’t see myself holding another press conference to walk that back, because I do believe in what Joy said. And furthermore, I have a daughter.” Felicity’s eyes blazed. “She’s going to be a future ruler of this country, but only if you win the referendum. Frankly, I think you’d have a better shot if you addressed the concerns of half the country.”
“Who knows what half the country thinks?” Rafael raised his hands in the air. “I haven’t had my staff do polling on this yet, and—”
“And that’s just an excuse.” Felicity squared her shoulders. “I don’t want to fight with you about this, but really, Rafael, that’s an excuse. You have a daughter now, too. Hope, along with every other girl in Stolvenia, needs a better world than the one we have on offer. They need a better world than the one I grew up in. We all need to do better.”
Once again, Rafael felt himself slipping back into a defensive posture. Of course he wanted to help the women of Stolvenia with health coverage and pay equity. But it could wait until after the referendum. It was just too risky to potentially alienate anyone right now. The reasons not to respond to Joy’s interview flew through his mind in a whirlwind. He studied Felicity across the table. Why was she so fervent about this? And why now?
He had a flash of her little apartment back in the United States, and one thing came back to him: the little stack of bills on the corner of the counter.
Felicity had been a single mother with two dependents. She had worked herself to the bone trying to ensure excellent care for Joy while balancing the needs of her daughter. She had done all of it, he reminded himself, on her own, thanks to his mother’s actions.
He wanted to wipe away the difficulties of the past for her, and that want made his throat tighten.
“What can I do for you, Felicity?” The problems that Joy had raised in her interview—equal pay, a reformation of the health care system already in place in Stolvenia—they loomed like massive dark clouds in his mind. Those weren’t issues that could be solved in a single meeting, let alone a single day. It would take tens of people and weeks of work even to come to a possible solution, and then there would be the matter of implementing it.
In the midst of all this, they’d be having a referendum on whether the monarchy should stay in power at all. What was the point of starting such an involved discussion when Rafael could be removed from power in the middle of it? Where would that leave anyone then? His heart pounded in his ears, and he took a series of deep breaths in and let them out slowly. He had long ago had to learn to deal with stress like this. It just had never seemed so dire.
“Tell me,” he said, urging her to speak. “What can I do for you and Joy, in this moment, to make things run more smoothly for you?”
Felicity shook her head. “It’s not just me who needs help and support. All women need more help and support. Even as the future queen, I’d love to live in a country that offered the kinds of things Joy brought up. And don’t think I’m attacking Stolvenia—the situation is even tougher in the United States.” She leaned in, eyes brightening. “But here, you have a lot more power to deal with it yourself.”
“If you need extra support, I’ll move mountains to get it for you,” said Rafael. “You need only to name it.”
“I feel like we keep having this same conversation,” Felicity said, her exasperation showing frustration couched in kindness. “But that’s the thing. I think maybe you’re the one who could use more support.”
Rafael felt the pull to debate with her, to figure this out between the two of them. That’s how it would be if they were really getting married in more than just name, wouldn’t it? He’d have someone else to lean on.
But that wasn’t the case today, and his schedule was packed. “You’ve brought up some good points,” he said.
Felicity shot him a look. “It sounds like you’re dismissing me.”
“I’m not,” he assured her. “
I’m only…getting some space to turn this all over in my mind. It’s not something I was prepared to confront this early on.” The referendum was still hanging over his head. The referendum, which was on the same day as their wedding. It was all culminating in one big day. Why couldn’t she see that? “However, I think we could both agree on one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s time for that vacation you wanted.”
Felicity’s face lit up. “You’d go on vacation?”
“No.” Rafael did feel the sting of disappointment, even though he’d known when he said the words that he couldn’t step away from his post at a time like this. “But I can arrange for a few days out of the spotlight for you. Maybe at one of the royal vacation residences. There are some lovely properties where—”
“I don’t want it,” Felicity said flatly. “I appreciate the offer…” Her voice quieted. “I appreciate the offer, but the point of taking a vacation was to spend time as a family. If you’re going to be here, working, I’m going to be here supporting you, while I tend to my other responsibilities. It’s the right thing to do.”
“But I know it’s been hard,” Rafael insisted. “You could use a few days to rest and recharge.”
“If you aren’t taking time to rest and recharge, then I don’t need it. It seems there’s a lot to be addressed before the referendum, and even if you don’t want to talk about it with me, there’s no reason for me to be off relaxing while you push through this yourself.”
“You’d be within your rights to look after yourself without worrying about me.” Rafael felt the weight of his kingship on his shoulders, and it was heavier than ever. “You know what we agreed to.” He didn’t have to say the words a public relationship only.
Felicity looked at him steadily across the table, a glint in her eyes. “I do know.” She stood gracefully from her seat and came around the table to kiss his temple. “I’ve got to be getting back—Hope is hosting another tea party.”
She was halfway to the door by the time he could get the words out. “You’re sure you wouldn’t rather have a tea party at one of our private homes?”
“I’m sure.” Felicity went out, her head held high, and Rafael had the distinct sensation that he was watching a queen.
12
Felicity put Hope down for a nap, and found her thoughts circling the place they had been coming back to over and over again for the past week.
Rafael.
Specifically, Rafael’s reaction to Joy’s interview.
They’d had the meeting about it, and she’d let him hear her thoughts on the matter. He hadn’t brought it up again.
There had been plenty of time, too, because Rafael made it a point to spend time with Hope and Felicity every day. He was, Felicity had to admit, really stepping up into his role as a father. He liked to be the one to read Hope her bedtime stories, and Felicity found herself coming to rely on his company. Throughout her pregnancy, she’d known that she could handle being a single mother—in Felicity’s mind, there was no reason to assume she couldn’t. She’d done a lot of hard things in her life, and nothing had been more important to her than this.
But it was easier with a partner by her side.
She went out into the living area of their suite and picked up Hope’s toys, tossing them into their baskets. It wasn’t that she wanted to dwell on the way Rafael had reacted to the interview, but…here she was.
It was a wrench, because as attentive as he was to her and Hope, he didn’t seem to understand how this kind of thing affected all the women of Stolvenia. It had been only a few weeks ago that Felicity had been in the same situation of being a full-time breadwinner and caretaker, one crisis away from utter disaster—but back then, she hadn’t had the time or the energy to think about it much.
Now she did.
And she should be grateful that her fiancé was considerate of her needs. He was insistently considerate, actually.
So why wasn’t he the same way for the people of Stolvenia?
There was a knock at the door to the suite, and Felicity rushed to answer it. They’d been in the palace long enough now that Hope was used to the various daytime noises, but still. A longer nap would do her daughter good.
She opened the door to find Sara standing there with another woman. She was gorgeous with sandy blonde hair, a wide smile, and a pregnant belly. Sara slipped past Felicity with a pat on the shoulder.
“Hi,” said the woman. “I don’t think we’ve had a chance to meet. I’m Amy, Prince Artur’s wife. I would have been here earlier, but the goodwill tour—you know how it is.”
Oh. Oh. “Right! That’s right.” Felicity took her hand and shook. “Come in, out of the hallway. I’m sorry our paths haven’t crossed at any of the…you know, the official events. Rafael usually has me stay close by.”
“Kings. Am I right?” Amy laughed, and Felicity liked her instantly. “No, I get it. I’m usually a little more behind the scenes, since I’ve been working with Artur to coordinate new committees ahead of the referendum. Committees, and events…” She blew out a breath. “It’s a lot. But it’s also why I came to see you.”
“The referendum?” Felicity shoved down the feeling that she paled in comparison to Amy, at least when it came to getting involved. That had never been part of the deal, though, so…
“International Women’s Day.”
Felicity blinked at her. “Is that…coming up? I haven’t been on top of all the international days, what with—”
“Next week,” Amy said with a kind smile. “You’ve had some time to get settled in, though I know it never seems like quite enough. But you’re going to be part of the scene here, and I thought you might like to be part of our events for International Women’s Day.”
“What kinds of events?”
“Tomorrow, we’re hosting a series of meetings with different advocacy groups from around the country. We’re going to be leading a series of roundtables on women’s issues, among other events.” At the look on Felicity’s face, Amy put a hand on her elbow. “Not that you need to lead any of them. I promise you. But I thought you might want a seat at the table.”
Felicity’s head was spinning. “Doesn’t—does Rafael know about all this?”
“Of course,” said Amy. “He’s the king. He has to be kept apprised of all the goings-on with the different committees. Why? Has he not mentioned them to you?”
“No, he didn’t. We—” Felicity gave Amy a careful look. “You might have heard about my sister Joy’s interview.”
Amy’s eyes went wide. “Oh, yes. She was brilliant. And when I read your response, I thought you’d be game for the upcoming events.”
“Rafael wasn’t…quite so enthusiastic about it.”
Amy waved a hand in the air. “Rafael is the most cautious of all the brothers. He’s been in deep with the referendum, so I can see why he wouldn’t want to personally wade into what we’re doing. Don’t get me wrong—I think he should—but I would never ask you to go behind his back on this. I was half hoping you’d have already discussed it, but that doesn’t matter now. Here I am, with your engraved invitation.” She laughed. “Sadly, not literally. But I’d love for you to come in on this.”
“I want to,” Felicity said. “I think that would be a good idea.”
One day, Felicity was going to be the queen. Whatever happened behind closed doors between her and Rafael, that would be her official title. There was no reason she couldn’t use her position to be a good influence for the people of Stolvenia. And this could be something she did by herself. She had been the one advocating for more equality for women—why shouldn’t she lead the charge by taking the reins herself?
Amy beamed at her. “Great.” She pulled out her phone and got Felicity to enter her number. “I’ll text you a list of where to be and when, and you can jump right in with both feet.” She brushed away a lock of hair that had escaped from her chignon. “In the meantime, I’ve got quite a few loose ends to w
rap up.”
Felicity walked with her to the door. “I’ll let Rafael know,” she said.
Amy winked at her. “Best of luck.”
Felicity closed the door behind Amy, feeling more invigorated than she ever had in all her life.
Now there was only one thing left to do: inform Rafael of her plan.
* * *
This was not what Rafael had had in mind when he’d wanted Felicity to find a way to feel invested in Stolvenia.
Felicity had come to him with fire in her eyes and a smile on her face and let him know that she was going to be participating fully in the International Women’s Day activities. He’d had to stifle a groan. As King of Stolvenia, Rafael was fully on board with the events that had been planned—he had to be, otherwise they couldn’t have gone forward. But after the way their first conversation had gone, he hadn’t thought it prudent to bring up those events with Felicity. He’d thought he could keep it from her—or at least keep her from it. So much for that idea.
From that Monday forward, the week was consumed with planning and roundtables and committee discussions, and Felicity attended as many as possible. He found himself slipping into their apartments more and more often, checking in on Hope.
By Thursday, he was worried.
Felicity always seemed to be on the run, and today was no different. He’d expected her involvement to be on the lighter side—a few photo ops, perhaps, and a short speech if the PR team thought she was up to the task. Instead, Felicity had made it a point to be everywhere.
She breezed in as he was heading for the door, having read Hope a story before her nap. Her cheeks were pink, and she looked like she needed a moment to catch her breath.
He’d been stewing, but in the space of a second, all of that was replaced by a heated desire.
“Hi,” breathed Felicity. “Are you on your way out?”
European Billionaire Beaus: The Complete Series Page 28