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But Casimir was done with statecraft. ‘For thirty years I’ve been a perfect puppet for this country. No more. I know what I stand for and I know how I want to proceed. I’ve made my choices very clear. Now all I have to do is get everyone else on board with the plan.’
Rudolpho shook his head. ‘You do realise you risk being exiled?’
‘We’ll see.’
‘You could have at least told me what you planned to do today. I thought you were dropping one bombshell. The existence of your daughter. You dropped three.’
‘I concede that announcing my wedding may have been a mistake.’
‘And your plans for the dam?’
‘Not a mistake.’
Rudolpho’s bleak black gaze encompassed them both. And then he turned on his heel and left.
Casimir sighed heavily.
‘Casimir, what are you doing?’ Ana asked almost helplessly. ‘You’re running roughshod over people! Including me! You can’t force people to do what you want them to do.’ She put her hands to her cheeks. Then she crossed her arms in front of her defensively and tucked her hands beneath her armpits. ‘I’m not marrying you within a year.’
This really wasn’t going according to plan. ‘But you will if I fall in love with you. I’m already halfway there.’
‘You are nowhere near there!’
He ventured closer, stopping only when he stood in front of her. Close enough to see the sweep of individual eyelashes and the panic in her eyes. ‘Hand,’ he said and took her fingers in his and raised her knuckles to his lips. She stared daggers at him but she let him do it.
He turned her hand over and placed his lips to her palm before placing his grandmother’s ring in it and closing her fingers over it. ‘Keep it,’ he said. ‘It’s yours now. Whether you wear it or not.’
‘I’m not wearing it.’
‘Have a little faith in me,’ he said. ‘You were right when you said I can’t afford any more loss. I’m not losing you again. Therefore I’m going to love you the way you want to be loved.’
‘I admire your resolve, Casimir. It’s outstanding. But let me repeat something I said to you before. Love is not an intellectual puzzle!’
A brief knock on the door announced the arrival of Rudolpho, phone in hand. The chief advisor’s gaze swept over them, sharp eyes missing nothing. ‘You’re not engaged yet,’ he said flatly.
‘Not yet,’ Casimir said blandly. ‘But I did give her the ring, should she ever wish to wear it.’
‘Excellent, Your Majesty. No engagement and a royal heirloom worth millions lost to a foreigner.’
‘Who’s on the phone?’
‘His Majesty Theodosius of Liesendaach requests that you take his call,’ Rudolpho said, heavy on the pomp and ceremony. ‘His Majesty Theodosius said, and I quote, “Put that moron who just screwed Moriana over and stole my bad-boy crown on the phone.”’ Rudolpho relayed the message with unadulterated pleasure. ‘I gather he watched the live broadcast.’
Cas smiled fierce and free. ‘Excellent.’ It wasn’t the response either Rudolpho or Ana had been expecting if the worried glance they shared with each other was any indication. ‘Rudolpho, see to it that Anastasia gets back to the winter fortress this afternoon. She’s had enough.’ Cas turned to Ana next. ‘Unless, of course, you need more time for wardrobe meetings. How did that go?’
‘Badly,’ she said. ‘Thank you for asking.’
‘I’ve arranged a secretary for her,’ Rudolpho said. ‘One of my best.’ You owe me, the older man’s tone suggested.
‘I also gave her the dower house,’ Cas said. ‘It’ll need to be staffed and made habitable.’
‘Of course, Your Majesty.’ A muscle in Rudolpho’s jaw twitched. ‘Anything else you’d like to give her? Your kingdom? Saturn? Or may I get back to putting out all the other fires you’ve lit?’
‘By all means, put them out. I’ll even help.’ He turned to Ana. ‘I’ll find you later.’
She glared at him. ‘And Rudolpho and I will find you a therapist.’
