AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Stunning,’ he murmured. ‘The Connaach sapphires have never seen such a setting.’
‘They have a name?’
‘They do. There are earrings, a pendant and a tiara to match. They date back to the time, and the Court, of Marie Antoinette.’
‘That’s…very impressive. Take it off.’ His gaze met hers in the mirror.
‘They’re not the first thing I see when I look at you,’ he said.
‘What do you see?’
‘Strength.’ He slid the necklace from her neck, dragging it low across the swell of her breast first. ‘Passion.’ He settled her shirt back into its proper position. ‘Loyalty.’
She rebuttoned her shirt while he put the necklace away and made the trays of jewellery slide back where they came from.
‘You never took a husband,’ he said. ‘You’ve had no long-term lovers these past seven years. Why not?’
‘You think I stayed alone out of loyalty to you?’
He turned and warily watched her approach. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Have you had lovers these past seven years?’ she asked.
‘Yes.’
‘So have I.’ His expression darkened and Ana shrugged. ‘Nothing serious, it’s true. But I’m open to the idea of walking through life with the right person at my side. I never shunned that thought.’
‘But you shun me.’
‘You don’t love me.’
‘But I care about your wellbeing. And there’s passion between us. Respect for each other’s needs. I’ve promised you my loyalty. What kind of love do you want? Explain it to me.’
He was opening up another sliding tray and picking out a pair of black cufflinks.
‘I want the kind where two people stand at each other’s side in the middle of this huge and crazy world, with every option known to man open to them, and they know, without a shadow of a doubt, that there is no other place they’d rather be. Love is not an intellectual puzzle. It’s a feeling.’
He pocketed the cufflinks. ‘Thank you for explaining.’
‘You don’t understand, do you?’
‘I do understand. I’ve just never felt that way.’
‘I know. Why do you think I keep refusing you?’
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Could have been any number of reasons. Or a combination of reasons. I like to think that by talking about it with you I’m narrowing it down. Come. I want to show you something else.’
‘More treasure?’
‘Of a sort. This one’s practical.’
It took them five minutes to get out of the palace building and another ten to walk through the garden and down the vast expanse of lawn to the southern end of the palace grounds where a two-storey stone building stood. It wasn’t small. A dozen huge windows ran the length of both floors, and the lower floor also displayed climbing roses of deepest apricot on its walls. Lavender lined the pathway that ran the length of the building and the garden beds here were the most impressive yet—stuffed full to overflowing with shrubbery, more roses, rosemary, thyme and other more tender herbs.
‘This is a cook’s garden,’ she said, breaking off a tip of lavender and putting it to her nose.
‘Yes. It serves the palace kitchen. My grandmother used to live here, the one whose ring you preferred. She was very fond of her garden. The dower house also has the advantage of being situated within the palace grounds but fully separate from the palace itself.’ They reached the corner of the house and turned into the shade of the building. ‘I’d like you and Sophia to consider living here on a permanent basis.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘They duchy I plan to give Sophia is some distance from the capital. This is a better living option for you both, although you will, of course, be free to visit the duchy from time to time.’
‘It’s too big.’
‘I will, of course, pick up the running costs and ensure you have all the staff you need. Some of the rooms are small, if I remember correctly. I don’t remember my grandmother’s house being austere.’
He took her through an iron gate and into a walled vegetable garden full of fruit trees and nursery plants. Definitely not austere, this part of it. It was kind of frenzied and haphazardly organised. A mixture of old and new and everything in between. But thriving. And there were bees. Probably royal bees.
