pavilion and the soft sea breeze filtered through. The sky above them had a million stars, a vast continuation of the fireflies’ reflection in the pool.
It was the most romantic of settings. It was a night for seduction.
‘So now you’ve got me here,’ Holly said, breaking into the silence, ‘what do you intend to do with me?’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘You wanted to know about Adam.’ Her voice faltered as she said her son’s name, but she forced it to steady. ‘I could have told you what you needed to know of Adam in one phone call. Instead you commit a crime which could have you thrown in jail-any international court would agree. Prince or no prince, this isn’t the Dark Ages. You’ve dragged me here against my will and you’re in uncharted territory. You let me go now and I’ll go screaming to the press.’
‘You won’t do that.’
‘Tell me why I won’t.’
‘Your reputation…’
‘My reputation?’ She raised her brow in polite incredulity. ‘What, I’ll be revealed as a single mother? Shock, horror. You think I’ve hidden Adam’s existence? Everyone at home knows I had a baby. I conceived Adam in love, Andreas, whether you knew it or not, and I’ve never been ashamed of it. If you or any of your people had approached me I would have told you about him, openly and honestly. He was the most perfect little boy and that we created him…’
She fell silent for a little, but then looked over the table at him, defiant again. ‘So you’re telling me the press could crucify me if they learned of Adam’s existence? Not me. You maybe, Andreas, but not me.’
He nodded, rueful. ‘Okay. Yes. They’d crucify my family.’
She raised her brow again in mock astonishment. ‘You have to be kidding. Royals have been having babies on the wrong side of the blanket for generations. As far as I can see, there’s even pride in it.’
‘There’s no pride in me for Adam’s existence.’
‘Then more fool you,’ she snapped. ‘You didn’t contact me. You missed out on seeing your son. You missed his life, Andreas, and it’s such a loss I can’t even begin to make you understand.’
He couldn’t think like that. It hurt, he discovered. He’d known of Adam’s existence for less than a month but the knowledge had changed something inside that was fundamental. He wasn’t sure how to deal with it. He didn’t know if he could. He just had to concentrate on the here and now while he tried.
‘Holly, I need to get to the point,’ he said, taking a long swig of his wine. Dutch courage? Maybe. ‘Adam did exist. Someone saw the gravestone. I gather you’ve had international buyers on the place?’
‘I have,’ she said, sounding wary.
‘Your land agent knew I stayed there years ago,’ he said. ‘He’s touting that as a sales pitch-buy the place that once hosted royalty.’
‘I never said…’ she began, revolted.
‘Realtors will use whatever means they can to get a sale.’ He had to get this said. He had to block out the personal. ‘So you had a party of Arabian businessmen go through the place last month. One of them saw the gravestone, saw the name and the dates, wondered about the connection to me and mentioned it to his cousin. Who’s a journalist in Calista. So we have questions being asked. And now you’re saying it can be proved the baby is mine.’
She gasped.
‘No,’ he said, quickly, as he saw indignation flood into her face again. ‘I’m not questioning you, Holly. I accept that Adam was my son.’ Hell, that hurt to say. My son. For a man to say such a thing about a child he’d never known…But he had to continue, even if it meant being brutal. ‘I mean outsiders,’ he said. ‘If Adam can be proved to the world to be mine there’s a real chance his birth could bring down our throne.’
He had her attention then. He saw the change on her face. Indignation and anger gave way to confusion. ‘How…?’
‘You were seventeen when he was conceived,’ he said wearily. ‘It makes all the difference in the world.’
‘How?’
‘The age of consent here is eighteen,’ he said. ‘The king…my father…was a known profligate. There was corruption and scandal in the last days of his reign and there’s been a massive backlash.’
‘So what’s that got to do with me?’ She sounded breathless, still confused.
‘My family’s enemies would go to vast lengths to bring us down,’ Andreas said.
‘Your father’s enemies?’
‘Let me explain,’ he said, and then tried to figure out how to do so. It seemed so wrong. The only light was the candles on the table and the stars and the fireflies. They could hear the faint whoosh, whoosh of the surf from the beach outside. This setting was one of romance, seduction and passion, and yet he had to speak cold, hard, facts.
‘You know the kingdom of Adamas is divided into two islands-Calista and Aristo,’ he said at last. ‘The Stefani diamond-a priceless stone of incomparable beauty-has always been central to our hold on the throne. The coronation charter says: No person shall rule Adamas without the blessing of the Stefani jewel.
‘When the kingdom was divided into the two islands, the Stefani diamond was split as well,’ he said, refusing to deviate from an explanation that he must make crystal clear to Holly. Everything depended on it. ‘There’s the royal family of Aristo-myself and my siblings-and the royal family of Calista. Each family has half of the Stefani diamond.’
‘So?’
‘So on my father’s death we discovered our half of the diamond is nothing more than a paste copy. My father’s marriage…well, to say the least it was dysfunctional. There were other women. Intrigue. Financial wheeling dealing. Somewhere along the line the diamond’s been disposed of, and for us it means ruin.’
‘I see.’ But then she shook her head, her blonde curls flicking sensuously over her bare shoulders. ‘No. I don’t see.’
‘We’re at the mercy of the people,’ he said. ‘Or worse. Whoever holds both diamonds will rule both the islands, so if the diamond is found by King Zakari Al’Farisi of Calista then he’ll hold all power. If, though, as appears to be the case, my father gambled the diamond or gave it as a trinket to one of his mistresses then power reverts to the people and public opinion holds sway. Rumours of my father’s womanizing have been legion. My brothers and I have maybe…in the past…not been perfect. My brother Alex has recently married but that’s not enough to stop indignation and a call for new rule. And the fresh news that I fathered a child when you were seventeen…My brother believes it’s enough to topple us. Zakari may end up ruling us all.’
‘That’s some problem.’ She lifted her wine glass and stared into its depths. ‘But not my problem, Andreas,’ she whispered. ‘You walked away from me and didn’t look back.’
‘I never meant to hurt you.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘I don’t imagine you did. Nor did my parents. They threw us together hoping for a forced marriage or at least a fortune. And you…You didn’t lie to me. I knew from the start you were promised to Christina. So did my parents, come to that-they just never imagined your sense of duty would override your decency.’
‘My decency…’
‘Yes, your decency,’ she snapped. ‘Your moral obligation to a girl who fell in love with you. You might still have been young, Andreas, but you were experienced. I, on the other hand, had no defences at all.’
‘So…’
