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But he did not get up and he did not leave. ‘They’re going to keep serving this stuff up,’ he said.
‘The press?’
‘Whoever... The longer I leave it, the more this stuff will appear to undermine me.’
‘Undermine?’ Beatrice frowned. ‘No...’
Oh, no! Undermine? Underhim, more likely! That would probably be the thought flickering across minds this morning. But, no, this photo wouldn’t damage Julius, if that was their game.
‘I don’t think you have to worry about that.’
‘Well, you can expect a lot of this kind of stuff to keep appearing until I sign the Document of Intent.’ He inhaled and closed his eyes. ‘Or the Point of No Return...’ He looked over and gave a half-smile. ‘Joking.’
But he had not been joking. His mask, too, had briefly slipped. It was the first time he had spoken of his destined future with anything other than crisp certainty.
‘What happens then?’ Beatrice asked, as if she were mildly curious instead of completely relieved that she hadn’t found out and wouldn’t, given that her contract was soon to expire. ‘It was all supposed to be happening before I left, but...’
‘I sign the Document of Intent, it goes to counsel, and after about a month or so I find out who they’ve chosen.’
‘Do you have any idea who?’
‘None.’
‘None?’
‘It could be someone from a country we’re aligned with, or one with whom we need to broker better relations. My parents’ union was heralded as one of the country’s greatest, even if no one here had heard of her country prior to the marriage. My mother is the most esteemed queen consort in centuries... So who knows?’ Julius shrugged. ‘And then, once the decision is made, the marriage will take place within a month, assuming all parties are agreed.’
‘Do you get to meet each other beforehand?’
‘Of course. The families will dine together a week before...’ He put up a hand to show it wasn’t a certain thing. ‘Depending on her country and their traditions, of course.’
‘You’ll speak the same language?’
‘Not necessarily. My parents didn’t. Hey, there might be a position for a translator when your contract...’ He halted, just for a fraction of a second, but then shrugged. ‘Well, given your skill set...’
Sometimes she thought she was imagining things, but that little pause had felt as if it contained a wealth of information. That he might find the idea of Beatrice joining him on his honeymoon as an appalling thought as she did.
It was by far more sensible not to dwell on it.
‘My mother spoke only Romeyka when they were first married, and my father’s never quite mastered it. Nor me. And I’m supposed to be addressing her family at the end of the week, when I visit.’
‘Well, if you need to practise I’m good with languages. Not that one, but I know some of the sounds.’
‘I’ll be fine.’ He rejected her offer to assist and got back to the question. ‘After the wedding, there’ll be a month on Regalsi, so we can get to know each other...’ He must have seen her frown. ‘It’s one of the tiny islands—just for royals.’
‘What’s it like?’
‘I’ve never been. It’s for honeymoons and hetaerae and such...’
‘Mistresses?’
‘We don’t use that word here,’ he warned with a shush and a smile. ‘Regalsi’s a place for serious relationships—andthat’swhy I’ve never been.’
It bemused her a little. Julius, from all she could see, had had longer term relationships, but though he spoke of his exes politely, even fondly, there had never been one considered serious enough to join him at formal functions, nor, it would seem, to take to Regalsi.
Julius interrupted her thoughts. ‘I have to say, with the way my schedule is, an entire month off is starting to sound tempting.’
‘That’s not very romantic.’
