Page 72 of Wicked Queen

Outside the door I leaned against the wall, already feeling more empowered. It had been the right choice and the hardest, but wasn’t that the way of it? My eyes landed on the door across the hall. If it was Clara’s nap time, it would be Elizabeth’s.

Peeking my head inside, I startled Penny who was devouring a romance novel.

“Sir?” she whispered.

“I wanted to hold my daughter.” I didn’t owe her an explanation, and she didn’t ask for more. She took her leave, telling me to find her later. Going to the crib, I realized Elizabeth needed a new bed. She wasn’t a baby anymore. A bittersweet sadness filled me. I had so much of her life to look forward to, but it was passing too quickly.

How much longer would I be able to hold her in my arms? How much longer would she climb into my lap or reach for my hand?

I lifted her and her body flailed, instantly calming when I cradled her to me. Carrying her to a chair, I sat and rocked her slowly.

I’d always questioned if I could make a bit of difference in the world. She was my answer. There had been a time when I’d thought I could never love. Clara had proven me wrong, and then she’d given me this beautiful gift of pure love.

I had no idea how long I sat there. My time with her would never be long enough. When she finally stirred, a tiny hand, warm from sleep, pressed to my cheek.

“Daddy,” she blubbered before burrowing her head against my chest, frustrated to be neither awake nor asleep.

“Wake up, beautiful girl, the world is waiting for you,” I called.

She peeked up at me and giggled. The sound of it supplanted the last anger inside me. There was no room for it when I was filled with this much love.

We found Penny in the parlour, and the two went off to find a snack.

Returning to my bedroom, I knocked gently, not wanting to wake Clara if she was still resting. She opened the door a moment later.

“There you are,” she murmured. Moving to the side she opened the door to our room and my eyes fell on the rope she’d placed carefully at the foot of the bed. “Let’s forget for a moment together.”

Chapter 23

Clara

Mistakes became insanity when you kept making the same ones. After the initial shock had worn off and Anders stayed out of the spotlight, interest died down enough that Alexander convinced him to come to us. We waited for a midweek afternoon to bring him when tourists were at the lowest numbers and most Londoners were at work.

None of the precaution mattered, judging from the scowl Anders wore as he waltzed into the ambassador’s entrance. I’d gone down to meet him, Alexander refusing flatly to come along. I’d planned to go outside but thought better of it when I saw the mass of people pressing the barricades outside the gates. So much for the best laid plans.

“Are you the welcoming committee?” he asked, the scowl transitioning to a smile. It was the kind of greeting most women fantasized about. Certainly, most women would find Anders drool-worthy, especially now in his black jeans and leather jacket. If he’d wanted to play down the situation, he shouldn’t have dressed as the Royal black sheep.

“I have Georgia guarding Sarah in her room,” I informed him in a clipped, professional tone. “Edward and Alexander are waiting in his office.”

“And they sent you?” This time he didn’t sound as happy about it.

I hated that it came to this—constantly reinforcing a sense of distance between us. I genuinely liked Anders but I would never feel that way about him.

“I offered.” I had been the one to convince all parties to agree to this meeting.

“So this bitch sister of his…”

I cleared my throat.

“So this bitch sister of ours,” he corrected himself. It wasn’t what I’d meant, but it would do. “Will she be there?”

“No,” I said resolutely. Sarah was still in the Belgian Suite. We’d probably have to burn it with fire to make it hospitable after she finally vacated it, but we’d all agreed that including her was a very, bad idea. “She’s preparing to move out.”

“Didn’t she just move in?” He tilted his head like he was trying to shake loose enough brain power to understand how this family worked.

“And it’s going so well.” I reached for the door leading into the North Wing, but he jumped in front of me to hold it open. I pressed my lips into a thin smile. “Thank you.”

“So what are we going to talk about? Do I have to learn Royal protocol or some shit?” He raked a hand through his mess of blond hair.