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“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.”
