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‘Why?’
His eyes probed hers, his hesitation only short. ‘My sister is pregnant.’
Surprise shifted Lucinda’s features into a broad smile. ‘That’s lovely news.’
He dipped his head in casual agreement. ‘Her fiancé’s a prince—albeit fourth in line—to a conservative country. Being visibly pregnant on her wedding day would draw the wrong kind of attention. They’d prefer to marry now.’
‘I see.’ Lucinda nodded thoughtfully, the change of date a hurdle she hadn’t anticipated. ‘How far along is she?’
‘Six weeks.’
Lucinda nodded. ‘Which gives us, perhaps, another six weeks.’
‘Four, to be safe.’
Her eyes widened, then dropped to the comprehensive plan. It was an ambitious event. Not since her father had been at the helm had the company attempted such a thing. But this was what Lucinda wanted to do with her life, and, deep down, she knew she could pull it off—even with that tight deadline.
‘Okay,’ she said quietly, steeling herself for weeks of sleepless nights.
‘You have asked, numerous times, why my sister asked me to organise the wedding for her. This is your answer.’
Lucinda blinked back up at Thirio’s face, her heart tripping in her chest.
‘She has been very sick. The pregnancy has her in bed, most days. The wedding must take place within a month, which left me to arrange it.’
Lucinda nodded slowly. ‘But her husband’s family? Surely they would want some say—’
‘They haven’t told the royal family that they’re pregnant. Apparently, Erik’s parents would not approve.’
Lucinda’s jaw dropped in surprise and pique. ‘What? How absurd. This is the twenty-first century.’
‘Yes.’ Thirio’s eyes warred with Lucinda’s. ‘But they live by a different set of rules, according to my sister.’ He placed a palm on the planning document, then slid it across the table to Lucinda, slowly and purposefully, but with a hint of dread, as though he were resisting what he was doing. ‘I am the only person Lucinda could trust to manage the wedding planning and keep her confidence. No one can know about the baby. Understood?’
‘You think I’m going to sell the secret to some tabloid or something?’ she responded with a hurt grimace.
‘No. But your company—’
‘My stepmother,’ Lucinda surmised. ‘Don’t worry. I don’t plan on telling her about this wedding until it’s over.’
Thirio considered that. ‘Will that be possible?’
‘Maybe not. But none of that is your problem. I will manage my stepmother, and the wedding, and I promise I’ll keep Evie’s secret. You need only provide the venue, Thirio. I won’t bother you again.’
The words hung between them, their finality undeniable. Lucinda’s stomach twisted into a billion knots, her blood gushing through her body so hard she could hear it washing inside her ears.
‘If only that were true,’ he responded darkly.
Hurt cascaded through her. Rejection was a blade, pressed to her side.
‘It’s clear that you will need to tour the castle properly, to finalise these plans. The logistics can’t be organised from a distance. I’m afraid there’s no alternative: you will need to return to Castile di Neve.’
