AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Only it was proving impossible. She was faced with the immaculate Prince, with his freshly cut hair, his nails buffed... Whoever had shaved him had slapped on way too much cologne. No, not quite immaculate, she was faced with the restless Prince. He had removed his jacket and loosened his tie and, presumably because of the hour, his shirt was untucked and he wore no shoes or socks.
He had never looked more incredible than he did right now. And for a man who always looked amazing, that was saying something.
Even hisfeetwere attractive, Beatrice reluctantly noted.
The silence was an uncomfortable one—or was she simply upset? Ready to go home?
These feelings that were currently being squeezed out of the stone that beat in her chest hurt just as much as bottling them all up and ignoring them.
She attempted normality and passed on the messages Jordan had left, and then she got to the last one: ‘Queen Teiria has asked that you speak with her before you leave.’
‘Done.’ He nodded. ‘Thank you.’
‘Are you packed?’ Beatrice attempted to make polite conversation.
‘I just have to polish my boots...’ he said. ‘They really need to shine for Horon tomorrow night.’
‘Better get to it, then,’ she said, and looked back to her screen. Then she realised she was again a beat too late to catch a joke. ‘You’re not in there polishing your boots, are you?’
‘Correct.’
‘Or packing?’
‘Nope,’ he said, taking the top off the decanter and splashing whisky into a heavy glass.
Julius glanced over to where Beatrice sat at Jordan’s desk. Her hair was beginning to fall down, but it looked charmingly dishevelled rather than messy.
There was something else about her that was different too.
Just a slight sense of disarray that he could not articulate.
She wore grey, but that was all she ever wore. As if a sad cloud hung over her wardrobe, so it produced grey after grey after grey...
No jewellery, as usual.
Her slick of neutral lipstick was in place.
She just looked different.
‘Did Jordan speak with you?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ Beatrice nodded. ‘She asked me to work up here for the remainder of the day. If I’m in the way I can move down to my own office—’
‘I meant,’ he interrupted tartly, ‘did she speak to you about coming on board?’
He added ice to his whisky, heard two chinks as the cubes clattered into his glass. He did not offer her one tonight.
‘She did.’ Beatrice looked back to the screen. ‘I really think you should do this interview. Just puppies and ponies—’
‘What interview?’
‘I told you about it last week. You agreed.’
‘Why would I when I don’t have any puppies and I grew out of ponies more than twenty years ago?’
‘It’s for your new wholesome image.’
Julius did not want to discuss puppies or ponies. He wanted to know what his sullen, moody liaison aide was thinking.
