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Of course, the suicide attempt had been covered up and though the Queen had been seen on state occasions she had spent little time in the country. The Palace PR machine spoke of her spiritual retreat without revealing any details, claiming it was right that her privacy was respected.

‘I don’t understand the urgency. Surely it would be better to let the people know that—’

‘I am aware that I will need to rehabilitate my reputation in the eyes of the people.’ His lip curled expressively. ‘But is there anything people love more than a love story?’

The cynicism made his friend wince. ‘Obviously, you want to cement your position.’

‘Being married is not going to make me impregnable, but it will make it a lot harder for the bastards to spin against me while I…’

‘Continue to pull the rug from under their feet.’

‘Exactly.’

‘You don’t really want an actual list? Princess, virgin…?’

‘Neither are prerequisites, and as for virgin, I really think that is a bit last century…no…? Seriously, though, do you know anything about the Grand Duchy of Quindara?’

‘Of course.’ His friend went on to display an encyclopaedic knowledge of the tiny country until a raised hand stopped him in full flow.

‘Fine. The point is, I met one of the twins once.’

‘You slept with one of the Oliver twins? I never read about that—’

‘Because I didn’t, sleep with her, that is, though, truth be told, I would have—I wanted to.’

‘She knocked you back!’ His friend let loose a bark of laughter.

‘Not exactly. She…she showed no sign of loving me or even particularly liking me—’

‘So, in essence, the perfect wife.’

He acknowledged the sarcasm with a gotcha grin. ‘It was a moment.’ He made a dismissive gesture and paused, aware it should not even have been a moment, certainly not one he recalled with such disturbing clarity.

‘But there was… She seemed pragmatic.’ Which translated as, She looked at you like you were something unpleasant on her shoe. Maybe she had stuck in his mind the way she had because there was no adulation, no seductive smile. She was not easy, but maybe that was where the interest lay. His life where the opposite sex was concerned was too easy.

Her attitude had been combative, but there had been the legs and that mouth and the fact she disapproved of him. There was zero chance of her falling in love with him.

‘So which twin was this?’ A moment scrolling later, he added, ‘Emily or… Elsie?’

‘You know their names?’

Franco’s shoulders lifted in a shrug as he held out his phone. ‘It takes seconds.’

‘I haven’t got a clue which one. Aren’t they identical?’ Would his reaction be identical? With a self-derisive half smile, Leandro buried the thought. He was not seeking a soulmate.

‘It would seem so.’

‘Great. So, does it actually matter? Your silent disapproval is speaking volumes.’

‘You are not your father, Leandro.’

‘True, Franco, it wouldn’t have mattered to my father either, but he wouldn’t have known it ought to matter. I, on the other hand, have awareness of what I lack.’

CHAPTER THREE

ELSIE HELD HER hand over her glass and shook her head slightly, watching as her twin refilled her own.

‘What’s up, Em?’ She put her phone down. ‘I’ve bored you catatonic with my photos, haven’t I? You’ve seen one mountain and you’ve seen them all. You know, I don’t know why I didn’t stay longer—the roof is still a work in progress in my office. I might put in a few hours at the dog rescue.’