Caius made a face. ‘That’s a bit of a stretch. I can do a few basics, steak being one. And I’m a whizz at heating stuff up. Chef was kind enough to leave some ingredients. I’ve never particularly enjoyed being waited on.’
‘Me too,’ she admitted. ‘I was always so conscious that staff probably wanted to be anywhere else than watching me.’
Poppy couldn’t believe she’d let that slip out. Before Caius might reflect on it she jumped up and said, ‘Shall I set the table?’
‘Be my guest, you probably know where everything is.’
Poppy started to search for cutlery and napkins, saying, ‘Actually, I don’t. I used to come with my nanny when I was small. I think she was in love with someone working here and used me as an excuse to visit. But I haven’t been here in years.’
She didn’t say that she used to look out of the windows back towards the palace on the mainland and imagine that her parents were together and in love and that they were a real family.
‘So your parents didn’t use it as a love nest?’
Poppy let out an inadvertent laugh at that and pulled a couple of napkins out of a drawer. She glanced at Caius. He was staring at her, waiting for her response. She sobered. ‘Not that you need to have your cynicism boosted in any way, but no, they weren’t in love.’
‘So why were they together? She wasn’t royal?’
Poppy shook her head. ‘No, she wasn’t. She’s from America’s Midwest. An aspiring actress and a model. My father saw her as some kind of a status symbol and I think my mother fancied herself as a Grace Kelly figure. My father was trying to make Valdere more glamorous.’
‘I met a few women like that,’ Caius said dryly.
‘You were never tempted?’ Poppy asked casually as she put the cutlery on the table and got some plates.
Caius was plating up the steaks and brought them over to the table. They looked and smelled delicious. He brought over sauce, salad and French fries. Wine for him, water for Poppy.
When he sat down Poppy said, ‘This looks fantastic, thank you.’
He said, ‘Your steak is well done. I checked to see what was safe.’
Poppy’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth. ‘Safe?’
He glanced down at her midriff. ‘For the baby.’
Poppy gulped. ‘Thanks, yes, it should be fine.’ She was a little stunned that Caius had taken that into consideration. She took a bite of steak with sauce and it was unbelievably succulent and tasty. She groaned a little. ‘This is so good, thank you. I was starving.’
Caius looked at her, eyes glinting. ‘Me too.’
Poppy fought off a blush. Had they really just spent most of the day in bed together? The tenderness between her thighs was her answer.
When she’d swallowed a few more mouthfuls she said, ‘You didn’t answer me.’
Caius popped a French fry into his mouth and then said, ‘About what?’ But the innocence in his expression gave him away. She rolled her eyes.
‘I asked if you weren’t ever tempted to choose a wife—it’s not as if you haven’t had a lot of choice.’
She winced when she heard how that sounded. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.’
‘Don’t worry, it takes a lot more than that to offend me.’ He shook his head. ‘And the answer is no. No one ever made me think about actually wanting a marriage outside what was required of me.’
Certainly not Poppy. As if she needed that reminder.
‘But then,’ he went on, ‘I never really gave anyone a chance. I knew I didn’t want to repeat my parents’ mistakes and so I kept lovers at a distance. It was something I’d think about when I became king…but then a certain crown princess turned me down.’
He looked at her expressively and Poppy snorted a little. ‘As if you expect me to believe I was the only princess you were in talks with.’
‘Why did you turn me down?’ Caius took a sip of wine, totally relaxed and looking unconcerned, but Poppy sensed a little tension.
‘It was that conversation I heard you have with your advisors…when you spoke about having children and leaving me to live separately while you got on with your life…’
