‘Even get married?’
‘Even that.’ He nodded. ‘Thanks to you.’
‘Who’ll be meeting us?’
‘Senior palace officials.’ His expression turned rueful. ‘We’ll ignore them for the most part, but some things will be unavoidable.’
‘You live in the palace?’
‘It is where the King resides.’ He nodded. ‘The Queen’s castle is purely for display these days, but the night before the wedding you’ll have to stay there. You’ll process from there to the palace for the marriage ceremony. People will line the streets to watch. It’s the symbolism of unity…no warring with the wife…mainly, it’s just tradition.’
The men waiting for them in the vast room were all older than Alek and were all failing to mask their incredibly curious expressions. They watched her approach as if they were judge, jury and executioner in their funereal clothing and they bowed deeply as Alek introduced them.
‘Very little is known about Hester and our relationship,’ Alek said smoothly. ‘I’m aware that where there is a vacuum, the media will fill it with fantasy over fact so we’ll fill it. We’ll undertake one official appearance to celebrate the engagement. Hester cannot go straight into full-time duties, certainly not right before the wedding. We have a few days but it’s not long. She needs time to adjust.’
Hester watched surprise flash over the men’s faces.
‘Of course, Alek. It is customary for a princess to have attendants to guide her. I thought perhaps—’
‘I’ll guide her.’ Alek cut him off.
‘But—’
‘We want to be together,’ Alek added with a silken smile. ‘If we need further support, I’ll let you know. I’ll meet with you shortly to discuss other issues, but I need to settle Hester into her rooms.’
As the men left Hester turned to face him. ‘Do you expect me to speak at this engagement?’ The thought terrified her but she was determined to hide that fact. She’d keep calm, carry on.
He glanced at her, amusement flickering in his eyes. ‘Only to one person at a time, you won’t address a whole room. We will need to do one pre-recorded interview, but I’ll be beside you and we’ll vet the questions beforehand so you have time to prepare an answer. If you smile, then we’ll get through it easily.’
‘All I need to do is smile?’
‘You have a nice smile.’
‘I can do more than smile.’
‘Yeah?’ His mouth quirked. ‘Well, if you could look at me adoringly, that would also help.’
She rolled her eyes.
‘And call me Alek.’
‘You’re quite stuck on that, aren’t you?’
‘I’m not the one who’s stuck.’ But his smirk slipped as he sighed. ‘I inherited my father’s advisors and they’re used to things being done a certain way. Change is inevitable, but it’s also inevitably slow.’
‘Some people find change hard,’ she said primly. ‘It frightens them.’
‘Does it frighten you?’ He cocked his head.
‘Of course.’ She laughed. ‘But I’m determined to hide it.’
‘Why?’ He stepped closer to her. ‘You do that a lot, right? Hide your feelings. You do it well.’
‘Is that a compliment or a criticism?’ she asked lightly.
‘Maybe it’s just a comment.’ His voice dropped to that delicious softness again that implied seductive intimacy—laced with steel.
‘With no sentiment behind it?’ She shook her head. ‘There’s always a judgement. That’s what people do.’
‘True.’ He nodded. ‘You judged me.’
She stared at him.
‘My lifestyle.’ He flicked his eyebrows suggestively.
She fought back the flush. ‘I never thought you’d be so sensitive to an idle comment.’
‘It wasn’t idle and you’re still judging me right now,’ he teased. ‘You don’t know me, Hester.’
Her heart thudded. ‘I know all I need to.’
‘A bullet list of preferences that might change in an hour? That’s not knowing me.’
‘It’s just enough detail to give this believability. I don’t need to get to know you any more…’
‘Intimately?’ he suggested in that silken voice. ‘Personally?’
Those dimples were winking at her again. He was so unfairly handsome. And she’d never stood this close to someone in years. Never trusted that someone wouldn’t hurt her—with words, or a pinch or a spiteful tug of her hair. So personal space was a thing. Wary, she stepped back, even though there was a large part of her buried deep inside that didn’t want her to move in that direction at all.
‘I’m going to be your husband,’ he pointed out quietly.
‘No. You’re going to be my boss.’
‘Partner.’
‘Boss,’ she argued. ‘You’re paying me.’
‘You are afraid.’ He brushed the back of his hand across her jaw ever so lightly. ‘Tell me why.’
She froze at his caress, at his scrutiny. She couldn’t think how to answer as tension strained between them. She was torn between the desire to flee or fall into his arms. Just as she feared her control would snap, he stepped back.
The dimples broke his solemnity. ‘Come on, I have something to show you.’
She traipsed after him along endless corridors with vaulted ceilings and paintings covering every inch of the walls. Even the doors were massive. ‘I’m never going to find my way back here. I need breadcrumbs or something.’
He laughed and pushed open yet another door. ‘This is your space.’
‘My space?’
‘Your apartment.’
Her what? She stepped inside and took a second to process the stunningly ornate antechamber.
‘It spans two stories within this wing of the palace, but is fully self-contained.’ Alek detailed the features. ‘You have a lounge, study, small kitchen, bedroom plus a spare, inward-facing balconies for privacy and of course bathroom facilities. You can redecorate it however you wish.’
She couldn’t actually get past this initial reception room. ‘I have all this to myself?’
‘A year is a long time.’ Alek circled his hand in the air as he stepped forward. ‘I want you to be happy. I want you to feel like it’s your home. You can have privacy and space.’ He faced her. ‘You can build your own library of thrillers in here if you wish.’
Hester stared at the massive room. No one had ever offered her anything like this in her life. When she’d moved to her aunt’s house, she’d not been offered the same kind of welcome. And she’d tried so
