AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pink inched up from her throat to her cheeks. “Thank you.”
I leaned forward and lowered my voice because some things the staff here didn’t need to know. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I wanted you.” Truth be told, I still wanted her. The last few hours apart when sleep should’ve deadened the need had done nothing to make me want her less. “But, Erin, if anything were ever to happen between us, I’d need us to both be sober and willing.”
She nodded and reached for a piece of toast. “Sober, it is.”
I ate slowly, wishing and hoping, wondering and considering, but it could never happen for us. My life was an obstacle. My status. The fact I was promised to someone else.
Francis walked into the dining room, clipboard in hand. It was time to start my official day and that always began with the official briefing of my schedule. “Your... Henryk.” He coughed loudly to cover his slip.
I wanted to laugh at him but it had been Francis’ idea to pretend I wasn’t royalty, which meant everyone had to refer to me by my first name. Protocol suffered, but for the sake of national security, it could be ignored.
“Good morning, Francis.” Protocol be damned but there was no reason to be less than courteous.
“Good morning.” He tilted his head and bowed in my direction. “Your meeting starts in fifteen minutes.”
I stood and buttoned my jacket. “Thank you, Francis. I’ll leave now. Have Davis bring the car around.” He was my morning driver. “Will you be available to help Erin this morning?”
Francis nodded, his lips twisted with annoyance. His job as my assistant was to deal with whatever situation arose or whatever detail I needed handled. Erin was such a detail, even though Francis generally found the female situations distasteful. But he would do what I asked simply because I asked it.
“Yes,” he said, his tone clipped. “I will stay with her and arrange travel plans while we wait for the arrival of the other two Americans.”
Erin stood. “Oh, that’s right! Viktor and Silas arrive today, don’t they?” I hadn’t seen them since that day in the park, but I didn’t know if Erin had or not. “Can I ride to the airport to pick them up?”
A jolt of jealousy shot through me, unexpected, and annoying. I looked at Francis. I didn’t even know what time the flight was to arrive.
“Raymond has already departed to pick them up,” Francis said calmly, but he was lying and I wondered why. “We can arrange for your continued travel while you wait for them to arrive.” Francis didn’t leave room for negotiation.
Erin nodded and sat down again.
“I’ll return in a few hours,” I informed. “We can sign the papers then and you can all be on your way.” It sounded brusque, but I was smarting with jealousy. I walked away though I would rather have stayed with her.
The amount of effort it took to leave her surprised me. I stopped at the bottom of the steps before I climbed into the car. Then, at the edge of the drive, I asked Davis to wait a moment. When I couldn’t justify going back for her, I had him drive on. Duty called, as it always did. And I was nothing if not dutiful.
***
ERIN
As I watched Henryk walk away, a cold sadness seeped into my soul. When he left, it was like he took the warmth with him. I couldn’t explain it clearly. I doubt if it was able to be explained. I’d only known him—not counting a day when I was a child—one day. Less, actually. But I was affected, and it was his fault.
I shivered and pulled my sweater tighter around me as we walked into what could only have been Francis’s office. It was elegant with a chandelier in the center of the room, a desk that was a thousand years old if it was a day but still gleamed like it had only just been polished. His chair was one of those fancy modern ones with lumbar support and crazy gold armrests. Nearer to the door was a sofa flanked on each end by chairs that faced one another while the sofa faced a fireplace.
“Would you like a fire?” He nodded to the stone hearth.
I shivered again. “Yes, please.”
He snapped his fingers and a manservant moved forward.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to create more work for anyone.”
Francis sat down in the chair opposite me and pulled a pen from his inner breast pocket. He smiled, poised to write on a pad of paper beside his computer keyboard. “Not at all. Now, let’s talk about your planned travels while in Europe.”
I nodded and took another sip of coffee, not asking for the Advil I so desperately needed for my pounding head. “Okay.” I wasn’t sure if I liked Francis. He was a little pompous for my taste, and wore a faint sneer on his face every time he looked at me. I was glad I didn’t have to work with him long-term. He was one of those people who seemed to suck the joy out of living. All I could think was,poor Henryk.
But he was obviously here to help me now, so I smiled at him and tried to ignore his attitude. “Thank you for assisting me, Francis.”
“Quite. So, you mentioned Spain, and I took the liberty of researching some accommodations for you.” He opened his padfolio and began pulling out pamphlets.
I took one, my jaw dropping. “This isn’t the sort of place I planned to stay.” Five-star accommodations with gourmet dining. First, I couldn’t afford that kind of place, and even if Henryk was footing the bill, I couldn’t ask that.
