Page 4 of Falling for the King

He hadn’t forgotten either fact. She wasn’t a child and he knew only too well the position of trust he held in her life.

‘I realise that.’

‘I …’ She stopped whatever she was going to say as another silence filled the room. Her eyes flicked from his then back again. ‘I must go.’

Her back straight, head high, she turned and walked out the room with all the dignity of a queen and suddenly the thought of spending a month touring together didn’t seem like the logical solution to Edgar’s posturing. It seemed foolhardy. And Xavier was no fool.

Chapter 2

Xavier struggled to contain his impatience as his two most senior aides settled into the chairs in front of his desk. Not a man comfortable with being out of sorts, he was honest enough to acknowledge he had been all afternoon, since the discussion with Katerina and his subsequent phone call with Edgar. Despite being a powerful ally, Xavier also knew Edgar to be, at times, changeable and untrustworthy, not to mention vain and unfaithful. Their phone call had been short, to the point and edging on brutal when Edgar had demanded that Xavier insist Katerina accept his offer. That was never going to happen. She’d made her decision. The matter was closed. And if Edgar tried to force her hand in any way, he’d have him to deal with. Edgar, a collector of beautiful things including wives, was well known for divorcing them as soon as someone younger and more beautiful came along. He pushed aside the disgusting thought of Katerina meeting the same fate.

‘The princess will now be accompanying me on the tour. Her itinerary for the next month will match mine, no changes,’ he said without preamble.

A disbelieving pause filled the room.

‘Princess Katerina? On the tour commencing next week that’s been planned for the past eighteen months?’ asked Frederick unable to hide his surprise. His chief aide had also served his grandfather and father. He knew Xavier wasn’t accustomed to making last minute changes, never mind one of this magnitude.

‘That’s correct.’

‘Er … umm … has the princess been informed?’ Xavier couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, Frederick had fumbled over his words.

‘Yes. And I want a meeting tomorrow morning to go through the schedule with her and her team. I’m not oblivious to the extra work, but it can’t be avoided.’

‘What official reason is to be given for this? It will catch everyone by surprise.’

‘This tour was originally planned prior to Max’s death, now that the mourning period has ended it’s been decided the princess will join me. Her work in increasing the number of women studying at university is a good fit with the schedule.’

The usually unflappable Frederick opened his mouth, then closed it and Xavier could almost see the wheels whirling behind his eyes.

‘Martin, that will be all. Have a press release ready for me to approve in an hour,’ Xavier said to the other man who had kept quiet during the exchange and was furiously typing notes. Quickly gathering his things, Martin stood and left the room.

Xavier looked across to Frederick. ‘The princess has rejected an offer of marriage from Edgar of Resleigh. I don’t want him to have any doubt that she’s under my protection.’

‘Good God he’s over sixty and she’s twenty-six.’

‘Five.’

Frederick scratched his cheek, a sure sign he was thinking something through.

‘Of course, he wouldn’t be happy. So hence her accompanying you on tour.’ He didn’t miss much and Xavier would’ve been both surprised and disappointed if he hadn’t made the connection. ‘How unhappy?’

‘Manageable,’ Xavier replied.

‘He’ll be a dangerous enemy; he doesn’t take well to being slighted.’

Which Xavier knew only too well. The two countries shared a border and had been historical enemies until a peace treaty had been signed over a century ago. Part of the terms were all Kings of Maynet were to choose their brides from Resleigh, and it was a tradition that had brought peace. A peace sorely tested when Xavier’s father had jilted his fiancé, Edgar’s cousin, and married someone from another country.

‘Yes, and that ego of his certainly hasn’t diminished with age.’

‘I didn’t realise he’d been … courting her. Do you think there’s any interest at all on her side, that she might change her mind?’

‘No,’ Xavier said with enough finality to end that line of questioning, as his stomach rolled at the thought.

Frederick shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. ‘This brings me to something that I believe you wanted to see as soon as completed, and in light of what has occurred it might be timely.’ He continued cautiously, ‘Or would you like me to postpone until the tour commences?’

‘No. Proceed.’

‘I’ve finished the list of potential brides you requested once the mourning period was over.’