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“Is it that bad?”
“This is going to sound callous, but what is worse? Losing your father suddenly or knowing he is going to be gone soon.”
Guilt, pain, and sadness washed over me as I understood the reason behind his question. “Your father is dying?”
“His brain is,” he whispered back, looking down at his wine. “No one knows yet. The minute they do, he’s going to have to abdicate. My brother has been taking care of everything for months now anyway, so that is not the worst part. The worst is watching as his brain slowly disappears. It is a family trait.”
“Does that mean you...”
“Arthur and I do not show signs of it. My grandfather was married to his second cousin, which is why they believe he has it so quickly and so severe. Days are just rewinding in his mind.” He glanced over to me. “That was the biggest reason I agreed to marry you, to come here. He is the one who put us in debt.”
“How much?”
He shook his head. “Millions, Odette. Millions. I have thought about how that could be possible over and over again. How could he have done so much damage in such a short period of time? Then I realized it did not happen just overnight. He has been sick for years, and none of us really noticed until it became bad.”
“That isn’t your fault, though.”
“No, but...but I teased him.” He squeezed his glass, hanging his head. “Over the years, I would always tell him his brain was cluttered because he always forgot one thing or another. I just thought it was a quirk. He had been like that for as long as I could remember. I told you I blamed my brother for my mistakes. Well, there were times when I took things or lied, knowing my father would forget about it later, and now I know I used his illness against him all of my life without realizing.”
I reached over and grabbed his arm. “Gale, you were young. It wasn’t your fault.”
He met my eyes and put his hand on mine. “Maybe that’s true, but what about right now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I am here, enjoying my time with you, going to dinner, drinking wine, strolling through the park, while he is suffering. I am happy here. But I am also worried about when I go back. How much more of our time together has he lost? Before I left, he still thought I was in university.”
“I’m so sorry. Is there nothing that can be done?”
He shrugged and drank. “Everyone allows him to go to work. They are hoping it will snap it out of him, but that does not seem to be working anymore. Someone in the palace leaked today that he is ill. That is why my brother called me.”
“Does he want you to go back?”
“Not at all.” He laughed bitterly. “You are the higher priority for the crown, Odette. By any means necessary, I need to convince you to marry me. I need your money. The first time I said that I did not feel guilt over it. But now, now I do.”
“Why? You told me from the start.”
He shifted to face me, staring into my eyes before he pressed his hand to my cheek. “Because I like you, Odette. And no matter how much money you have, for a country, for my brother to use you as nothing more than an ATM feels insulting. Are you not insulted by it?”
I looked down at my glass. “When you are to inherit as much money as I am, everyone sees you as an ATM. So, you just get used to it and make sure the people who get the money are worth it.”
He played with one of the curls, twirling it in his hand. “That is tragic.”
“That’s my life,” I whispered back, reaching to toy with the medallion around his neck.
“My mom gave me this before I left, that and a wedding ring. The medallion for luck with you. The ring is also an heirloom, to bring many children.”
I sucked in air. “What?”
He laughed and kissed the top of my forehead. “I am not going to rush you, or what is going on between us, I promise. Only when you are comfortable with everything will we talk about it more.”
“But every day you are here, you are away from your father.” Only people who had lost their fathers understood how much time they had wasted. How much they could have said, could have done, how much everything meant.
“His memory is still fading, but he will still be there—”
“I can see it in your eyes—don’t,” he whispered, brushing his thumb over my lips. “Don’t worry about anyone else or anything else but yourself and what you want, Odette. Don’t burden yourself with my issues yet.”
The way he spoke, how I felt when I was with him right now...it was all really nice. Wonderfully nice.
