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Her smile was bright and contagious, and for an instant he could picture her, eyes wide, intent on watching the traditional ceremony.
She shook her head. ‘Sorry—I must sound so gauche. It’s my first time away from Lycander and I decided to...’
‘Make the most of it?’
‘Explore as much as I could. But I’ve also discovered lots of amazing quirky places, and the Physic Garden is one of them.’
So five minutes later they headed across the marble lobby, through the sleek glass revolving doors and out onto the cold but sunny autumn street. Russet leaves fluttered past in the breeze and the sun shone down from a cloudless sky.
They walked briskly. Holly made no attempt to make conversation and yet the silence felt comfortable rather than awkward. For him it was a much-needed buffer until they sat down to negotiate exactly how their marriage would work.
Fifteen minutes and a café stop brought them to the gardens, with bacon and avocado sandwiches and take-away coffees in hand. As they wended their way through he looked around, feeling a sense of tranquillity and awe at the number of different plants on show and their medicinal properties.
‘We’ll walk through the rock garden, if you like?’ Holly offered. ‘It’s the oldest rock garden in the world, partly made with stones from the Tower of London and also Icelandic lava that was brought over here in 1772.’
Her face was animated as she spoke, and for an instant he wished that they could simply wander around and explore this place she clearly loved. That there was no agenda.
‘Once we get through here, and then go round a bit, there is a secluded part where we can sit.’
Different scents wafted through the air, and soon they arrived at a pretty walled area and settled onto a bench.
Once seated, he unwrapped his sandwich and turned to face her. He waited until she’d taken her first appreciative bite and figured it was as good a time as any.
‘So the wedding—there’s been a change of plan. I’ve decided to go public with our engagement.’
She stilled, her sandwich halfway to her mouth.
‘This is a good time for the exiled Prince to return to Lycander—I want to use our wedding as a publicity stunt to smooth that return.’
Lowering the sandwich, she opted for a gulp of coffee. ‘When exactly did you decide that? You didn’t mention any return over dinner. Or when you “proposed”.’ She tilted her head to one side, her blonde hair rippling in the breeze as she studied his expression, her blue eyes now wary, as if in search of a trap.
‘I spoke with Marcus Alriksson last night. Lycander’s—’
‘Chief Advisor. I know who Marcus Alriksson is.’
‘And we agreed that this is an optimum moment for my return.’
‘Because Crown Prince Frederick could do with some family support,’ Holly agreed, and suddenly there was that smile again. ‘I knew you couldn’t be as indifferent about Lycander as you made out yesterday.’
For a daft second Stefan wished he deserved the approval that radiated from her—but he didn’t, and he wouldn’t let her cast him in family-man mode, nor as a knight in shining armour.
‘That is not my motivation. Marcus and I have made a deal. If he can convince me that Frederick is genuine about reform in Lycander then, yes, I will offer my support—in return for the lands my father took from me. No land, no support, no return.’
Careful here. He had no intention of sharing all the details of the deal he’d made, and he didn’t want to bring up Eloise.
He forced himself to hold Holly’s gaze, saw the flash of disappointment and steeled himself not to give a damn. He owed Frederick nothing. The whole point of severing family ties was the fact that they no longer existed—couldn’t be used to push or pull.
‘But my motivation is beside the point. The point is that it does change the parameters of our marriage. The wedding will now be a grand spectacle, acted out on the global stage, and our marriage will be under public scrutiny. In order to be able to offer Frederick support I need the Lycandrian public to accept me—and you would be a key player in that. I would want you to be in charge of “branding” us as well, of course, as being part of that brand. I will pay you a generous salary for that.’
That was the bunch of carrots. Now for the stick...
‘However, if this is too much for you take on board, I understand. We can abandon our
marriage plan and go back to the marriage race. But I think it’s fair to tell you that Marcus has a bride lined up for me.’
There was silence as she thought, her hands cupped tightly around her coffee cup. He realised he was holding his breath, his whole body tense as he awaited her decision. Relax. Worst-case scenario: he’d marry Marcus’s choice of bride. Not his preferred option, but not the end of the world either.
Turning, she looked at him. ‘I accept your offer—but I have an additional condition.’
