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jagged splinter that she could not ignore or remove.
She felt the tension snap through the air as soon as she entered the palazzo. One of her mother’s staff swooped down on her as soon as she arrived, informing her that Queen Zoe requested her presence immediately.
Natalia hurried to her bedroom and changed into a mint-green linen dress and matching high-heeled espadrilles. She could hardly face her mother in Ben’s T-shirt and shorts…even if she couldn’t resist pressing them to her face, as if she could still catch the faint scent of him, before dropping them determinedly in the corner of the room.
‘Where have you been?’ Queen Zoe demanded icily as Natalia entered her room.
‘I’m sure Enrico told you,’ Natalia replied. She was surprised at how calm she felt. Her confrontation with Ben had sapped all of her emotional reserves. He’d taken everything.
‘He said,’ Zoe informed her, ‘that he drove you to Mr Jackson’s house.’
‘Yes.’
‘And you returned to the palazzo this morning.’
Natalia met her mother’s narrowed gaze evenly. ‘Yes.’
‘Natalia, this behaviour…’ Her mother shook her head, her outrage turning to genuine distress. ‘It must stop.’
‘It has,’ Natalia said, even though she knew she and her mother were really talking about completely different things. ‘It’s over.’
‘Because,’ Queen Zoe continued, her voice hardening once more, ‘the Sheikh Prince of Qadirah has made an official offer. He is arriving this week to arrange the contractual details. As soon as those are settled, your marriage will be announced.’
* * *
Somehow Natalia dragged herself through the next few days. She kept mostly to her room, avoiding the flurry of activity the imminent arrival of the Prince of Qadirah seemed to cause. She tried not to think of Ben, but her mind—and body—betrayed her, both remembering how sweetly he had kissed her. Loved her.
And if she’d only had a little more courage she could have stayed. She’d have told him everything, and maybe…maybe they could have worked something out.
She knew the thought was foolish, the hope vain. She was about to be married. Even if she’d stayed, even if she’d trusted Ben, they would only have had a few more hours at best. A single morning. And maybe not even that.
Even if she wasn’t getting married, Natalia reminded herself, Ben had never actually said he’d loved her. I recognise that we have something between us—something I’ve never had with anyone else—and I’m willing to keep at it, see if it works. Not exactly a promise to build a dream on. A life on. What if he had decided it wasn’t working? What if this time he didn’t push her off his lap, but out of his life?
Perhaps, Natalia told herself as she prepared to go to camp on Monday morning, this was better. It was certainly safer. A marriage with the Sheikh of Qadirah would be cordial, convivial perhaps, but they would essentially lead separate lives, especially once she’d provided an heir. That much had been made clear to her by the ambassador. There would be no intimacy, no vulnerability, no knowing. And that, she told herself resolutely, was a good thing. Even if it didn’t feel like it was.
By the time Natalia arrived at camp a few days later she’d pushed all these thoughts away, had blanked her mind and her heart. It was surely the only way to get through the day.
Ben was busy on the pitch when Natalia arrived at the stadium. She made sure to keep away from him, helping out at the registration table, not looking at him as he issued orders. Perhaps she could get through this day without actually talking to him. The thought brought both sorrow and relief.
Of course she should have known Ben would never let her off so easily. He called her to him at the centre of the pitch late in the morning, the children gathered all around.
‘Princess Natalia and I will demonstrate how to guard the goal,’ Ben said in his careful Italian, a football in his hands. ‘An important skill, no matter what position you are playing. Sometimes in a match the goalkeeper is injured and another player has to substitute, so it’s always worth knowing how to do it.’ He nodded towards Natalia. ‘Princess Natalia will act as goalkeeper first.’
Fabulous. Just about the last thing she wanted was Ben kicking the football straight at her. Her head held high, Natalia marched towards the goal area and turned to face Ben. His face was grimly set, his eyes blazing determination, and she braced herself for a hard kick aimed at her head.
She should have known better than that. She should have known Ben better than that. He punted a soft kick straight to her feet, ridiculously simple for even her to trap.
