Page 24 of Royal Bastard

I felt his nervousness when his leg began to bounce against mine. When I stole a glance at his face I knew it was anger and not nervousness that made him restless. His father might be a king, which I could still not believe, but he was also the man who abandoned Henry and his mother over thirty-five years ago. Henry was not happy to be here.

“I did.” The king said decisively and with a shake of his head. “I married a woman who was deemed suitable and after I came to know her, I loved her in my own way. She knew about you and she knew about your mother.”

I sucked in a breath of surprise. That must have been a shock for her, as much of a shock as it was for me to know that she knew about Henry. Henry had shown no surprise, however, and stared blankly at his father.

“Over the years we became very good friends and were quite fond of each other. Sophie was quite a progressive thinker and wanted one thing from me before she passed away two years ago.” Edwin pushed the book across the table to Henry. The pages were open, and Edwin tapped at one line.

My jaw dropped open as I read it to myself. “On the rules and laws concerning the matters of succession by choice.”

What they hell was going on? I looked between the two men and saw expectation and glee on the face of the king. Henry, on the other hand, looked as if he was about to bite his own thumb off. He had the digit between his teeth and stared at the page as though he wanted it to catch fire.

“What does this mean?” His voice was rough and sounded strangled.

“It means, my son, that you will one day be king. On my death or abdication, you are the next in line.”

I could have fallen in the floor at that point. “Queen Sophie wanted this?”

“I told you she was progressive. She knew that by rights, I should have married Angela and that Henry should be next in line. I have researched the matter and have come to the conclusion that I get to choose who I want to be my successor. She wanted me to acknowledge Henry and make him the legitimate heir.”

We both stared at Edwin, lost for words for different reasons. Henry had just had his life changed and by extension, I had well. I gripped his leg beneath the table and stared at the king in horror. If he couldn’t marry Henry’s mother, then that meant as a divorced mother with a psychiatric record, I wouldn’t be suitable for his son.

Whatever life we’d planned to build had just crumbled.

“From what my investigators have learned about you two, I expect you are thinking of marriage. I have to warn you now my next words are not going to be easy to hear. Henry, I can offer you more money, power, and prestige than you’ve ever dreamed of. I would pay back all of those years of neglect with this, if it was possible. If you accept, you will be the next king.”

Henry had still not said a word. He sat as if he awaited the collapse of the ceiling. He was like a stone, silent and motionless.

“Now, this is the part that might sting a bit too much. Evie, my dear, you’ve had an awful life, one that I wish I’d known about. In the end, it works in my favor. You see, my dear girl, you are not suitable to be Henry’s bride. He will need a bride, but it cannot be you.”

There it was. That knife in the heart we’d both been waiting on.

“No. I don’t want it.” Henry had finally moved, he’d finally said something. In an explosion of movement his chair flew back, and his voice rang through the room as he shouted out his answer.

“Wait, son. Let me speak to Evie alone. Go downstairs. Just give me a moment. Please?” The man had a really bad sense of what was fair, I knew that much about him.

Asking his son for a moment with me, to destroy our lives further, was quite cheeky.

“Do not call me ‘son’.” Ah, the son had just as much cheek then. Then he made it worse by an addition of more words. “I have never been your son, you were just a sperm donor.”

He went downstairs without a word. I made to follow him, but Edwin stopped me.

“Your girls, Evie. Would you want full-custody of them, by any chance? I know you’ve sued for visitation rights to be reinstated, but what if I offered you full custody of your girls without an option to appeal for your husband?” I saw the calculation in his eyes, the way he watched me, and knew he wanted to see my weakness.

“Then I would take my daughters, your highness. I love your son, I would give the world to have him, king or not, but my daughters are my heart and soul. Without them I don’t feel like I’m really alive.”

“That’s all I needed to know. Please go now. You’ll have your papers by the end of the week. Please send Henry up. I’ll have my guard drive you home. You won’t be seeing Henry anymore. Thank you, Evie, you’ve made the right choice.”

I was too stunned to speak. I’d just traded Henry for my daughters? I blinked at him, lost, broke, but at the same time not so numb that I couldn’t realize what this meant. My girls would be mine again. I just couldn’t feel overly excited about that.

I walked down the stairs, my head bowed, my spirit crushed.

“Evie, baby, I don’t want this, I want you. Please?” Henry stopped when I wouldn’t raise my head.

“He wants to see you now.” I walked away, too broken to say anything else, even goodbye.

I’d have my girls, but the price was my own happiness. And Henry’s.