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‘Yes.’
‘Was Reverend Mother strict?’
‘She was nice.’ Beatrice shrugged. ‘She knew everything—well, we thought she did.’
‘Were the other nuns strict?’
‘Sister Josephine had it in for Alicia.’ She looked up. ‘Thankfully, I left before Alicia hit puberty...’
Please leave it, she begged. Her cold, cold heart was slowly filling up and she didn’t know what to do about it.Please hurry up in there...
‘You left...?’ he asked.
‘I got a scholarship. Languages.’ She revealed nothing that wasn’t on her résumé, but she did add a slight personal touch. ‘I loved Latin.’
‘Yuck,’ Julius said. ‘Were you the teacher’s pet?’
‘Sister Catherine didn’t have favourites.’
The feeling in her heart was getting painful now, and she wished he would stop.
‘I can find you a word game on my tablet if you’re bored...’
‘I’m not bored. Just curious. Taylor...’ he mused. ‘That doesn’t sound very Italian.’
‘No.’
‘What would that be in Sicilian?’ Julius thought for a moment. ‘Tagghiari?’ he offered. ‘Or Sarto?’ He said the Italian word for tailor and when she still gave no response, he moved on. ‘So, your parents...?’
‘I really don’t discuss my private life, sir.’
‘No, you don’t, do you?’ Julius said. ‘Yet you get a front row seat to mine.’
‘It’s my job,’ she retorted, simultaneously regretting her standoffish tone. It was what she was always like. Not just with Julius, but with everyone.
It wasn’t working today, though.
Despite what he’d said at the interview, itwasa game, Beatrice realised. Just not one she’d thought she’d ever play. It was a grown-up game, and the exchanges were little slivers of personal information. Tiny pieces that built up with each little reveal—and her pile was building.
Memories.
Opinions.
Private thoughts.
Despite her constraints, each day he brought a little more of himself to the table, and she scooped it up while putting little down herself.
Yet, she’d just told him about Alicia, and that felt like an awful lot.
‘Sir...’
He shook his head and got to his feet. ‘Here we go.’
‘I apologise for keeping you waiting, Your Highness.’ Phillipe, Head of Palace Protocol welcomed the Prince. ‘Everything is in place.’
There was a table of grim faces, and the men all stood as they entered. Beatrice took her place amongst them and looked down at the folder containing the agenda, waiting for Julius to take his seat so she could read it...
But Julius did not take a seat.
