Royal Marriage Of Convenience

wished…’

‘I don’t wish.’

‘No.’

He nodded. This room was massive. It was a suite, really, a vast sitting room with an opulent bedchamber attached. He’d been bemused when he’d seen it. ‘The master of the castle always uses these rooms,’ he’d been told, and he thought he’d better go along with it. But it really was over the top.

There was a vast four-poster bed draped with crimson velvet, edged with gold. Gold tassels a hundred times as large as the ones on his uniform. Gilt furniture, overstuffed. A couple of gilt lions on either side of the blazing fireplace.

‘I guess your patients back in Yorkshire wouldn’t recognise you now,’ he said gently, and she did look at him then and managed a smile.

‘No.’

‘Your parents-in-law didn’t come to the wedding?’

‘What do you think?’ she said bitterly. ‘I asked them, but no. I’ve betrayed them.’

‘How did you betray them?’

‘I abandoned Max.’

‘Max died,’ he said, frowning. ‘Two years ago.’

‘I didn’t have his baby.’

‘I see,’ he said cautiously, but of course he didn’t. ‘And the reason you don’t want to sleep with me?’

‘I’m not in love with you.’

‘No, but if you were?’ he said, probing something he suddenly sensed was important. She was so lovely. His bride.

Rose’s dress was a family heirloom. The palace housekeeper had produced it the same day that the country had installed them in this castle.

‘We hid it,’ she’d said as she’d presented it to Rose. ‘We hid it from your sister because she’s not the right one.’

The dress was maybe a hundred years old, exquisite: a clinging bodice and flowing skirt, white silk with gold embroidery, a soft gold underskirt; there was enough color for everyone to decide it was suitable for a widow’s remarriage.

‘I can’t be in love with you,’ she said, still breathless. ‘Not and be free.’

‘I’d never tie you to me.’

Her brow creased into a furrow. ‘That sounds almost like a proposal.’

‘No, but I was just thinking…’ he said, wondering as he said it, what was he thinking? He wasn’t sure. It was just…She was so lovely. And she was right here before him, her brow creased with just that little furrow. And he’d made those vows, and suddenly they seemed not so stupid after all. Not so scary.

But she was frightened. She took a step back. ‘Nick, we’re taking this no further.’

‘No.’

‘I’d get pregnant,’ she said.

Yeah? ‘That could happen,’ he said cautiously. ‘But I read something at the back of a very dark bookstore, somewhere in my deep and murky past, that suggested it might just be possible to prevent it.’

‘The only sure contraception is a two-foot-thick brick wall.’

‘Have you been talking to my foster mother?’ he demanded, but she wasn’t smiling.

‘I could never have a child.’

He frowned. Up until now he’d felt that this situation right now was light. Fun, even. No, she didn’t want to go to bed with him, and he’d never force her. But a bit of light-hearted dalliance after the romance of the day had seemed okay, and if it had led further…

He wouldn’t have objected at all. The more he saw of Rose the more desirable she became. Today had been fantastical. They’d been transported into a fairy tale, a make-believe that was for now only. But why not let it run its course? What harm would it have done?

But suddenly the mood had changed. There was bleak heaviness in her voice. I could never have a child.

‘Is there something wrong?’ he asked, aware that he was intruding, but there was such bleakness in her eyes that he felt compelled to.

‘There’s nothing wrong,’ she said.

‘But you can’t have children?’

‘I…No.’

‘You and Max tried?’

‘No!’

‘Oh,’ he said. Then, ‘You know, this is one thing we haven’t thought of.’

‘What?’

‘The succession.’

‘Why would we worry about the succession?’

‘If you died then Julianna would inherit.’

‘Erhard said we can put changes in place. Permanent changes. This country will never be so dependent on its sovereign again.’

‘No,’ he said, doubtful.

‘Don’t you dare tell me it’s my duty to have a baby,’ she spat, and her voice was suddenly so laced with fury that he stared.

‘Hey,’ he said, and held his hands up in mock surrender. ‘I didn’t.’

‘You inferred it.’

‘I just said it might be fun to learn about how not to have babies.’ He was trying to make her smile again, but she wouldn’t be persuaded.

‘Nick, leave it.’

‘I’ll certainly leave babies,’ he said, still rattled. ‘I certainly don’t want them myself, and if you can’t have them then-’

‘Then the discussion’s ended.’

‘Right,’ he said, and drew his sword.

‘What are you doing with that?’ She sounded nervous.

‘Hey, Rose, I’m not about to ravish you at sword’s point. I thought I might hang it on the hook behind the door,’ he said. ‘It occurred to me that if I’m promising not to ravish my bride I’d better put down my weapons.’

‘All your weapons,’ she said.

‘There’s only my sword.’

‘Stop smiling too,’ she said, and he paused. Carefully he hung his sword and turned back to her.

‘Does my smile do to you what your smile does to me?’

‘I…What?’

‘You see, there’s the problem,’ he said. ‘There’s the crux of the whole mess. Because you’re standing there looking absolutely fabulous and you look amused, and then you look angry, and then you look frightened, and you know what? Every single expression you use makes me want to kiss you senseless.’

‘Which…which would be a mistake,’ she stammered, and her voice wobbled.

‘I can see that. But I’m damned if I know what to do about it.’ ‘I’m sure I can go to my room now.’

‘Listen,’ he told her. From below came the sound of laughter, many voices settling in for the long haul. ‘Did we have to invite so many people?’

‘They’ll go home soon. I could sneak-’

‘Oh, sure. Open the door really, really silently, checking every inch of the way that there’s no one in the hall. Crouch on all fours so you’re below the level of the balustrade. Crawl slowly along, hoping no one looks up. Oh, and may I remind you that we have guests staying on this floor? Foreign dignitaries from all over. Any one of them could chance along and meet the royal bride crawling bedroom-wards. Wouldn’t look good.’

‘No,’ she agreed, and she smiled, resigned. Damn it, there was that smile again. ‘So what do we do?’