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‘Good morning, Maddie. Did you sleep well?’ he enquired tonelessly.
She forced a shrug. ‘I slept. Let’s leave it at that.’
His gaze flickered, but he remained silent as a fully uniformed butler approached. She knew she’d meet the same resistance if she attempted a discussion on an empty stomach, so she forced herself to eat a slice of toast and scrambled eggs, washed down with a cup of tea.
The moment she set her cutlery down Remi rose. ‘We’ll talk in my study,’ he stated.
Her heart hollowed as she followed him down several magnificently decorated hallways and into a room decked out on three sides with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, some holding first edition books.
But she wasn’t there to gawp at the contents of Remi’s ancestral library. She was there to discuss—perhaps even battle for—her marriage.
She hid her flinch when he shut the door and paced steadily to the window, looking out for a moment before facing her.
‘What happened last night can never happen again.’
The heart dropped to her stomach and she sank into the nearest seat. ‘It’s too late to seek an annulment, Remi,’ she replied, striving for a jovial tone that fell far short.
His lips firmed. ‘That isn’t quite the course of action I intend to take.’
‘Then by all means enlighten me.’
‘I’m aware that you were thrown into the deep end with the expediency of our wedding preparations. Now that it’s over we can throttle things down a notch.’
‘Isn’t that what a honeymoon is for?’
He gave a half-nod. ‘I’m proposing you extend that for longer, if you wish, by remaining here at the Amber Palace. It’s not exactly a new concept. My mother stayed here when she was pregnant with me.’
‘You mean stay here on my own...when you return to the Grand Palace?’ she asked, sick premonition crawling over her skin.
There was a tight clench of his jaw. ‘Yes,’ he replied.
‘We haven’t been married for even twenty-four hours and already you want a separation? Because, let’s face it, that’s what you’re proposing, isn’t it?’
‘Madeleine—’
She held up a staying hand. ‘Don’t try and couch it in diplomatic terms. We made love without protection and now you’re freaking out.’
He drew in a long, harsh breath, his chest expanding along with his aura until she could see nothing, feel nothing but his overwhelming presence.
‘I’m putting safeguards in place.’
‘By banishing me?’ she asked shakily.
A shadow passed over his face but his iron will held. ‘We will continue to see each other. We just won’t live under the same roof.’
She jumped up, unable to sit still any longer. ‘What the hell are you so afraid of, Remi?’ she demanded through a throat dry with panic.
For the longest time he remained silent. Then he exhaled. ‘What happened to Celeste was my fault,’ he confessed, in a voice devoid of any emotion.
‘How?’
‘She’d been suffering from migraines in the months before our wedding. Doctors had recommended tests but she’d pleaded with me to take her on a business trip. I was reluctant, but she talked me into it and I went against her doctors’ advice. The headaches got worse when we were aw
ay. She suffered an aneurysm mid-flight on her way back home. If she’d stayed at home, or even returned a day earlier, the doctors might’ve saved her.’
‘How can you blame yourself for that? You couldn’t have known what would happen. And would she really want you to live in never-ending hell because she died?’
‘What’s the point of going through hell if you don’t learn from it?’ he bit out tersely.
