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‘You wouldn’t have to be alone,’ she whispered. ‘Any time you change your mind and decide to be my prince—’
‘It isn’t going to happen,’ he said, cutting her off. But there was no malice in his voice, just a simple matter-of-factness with a tinge of ruefulness in it.
‘I know.’
‘I will not be your prince but I will be your husband.’
She nodded, almost too choked to speak, but she forced herself to say what was on her mind and in her heart. ‘I’d love for you to be my prince, I really would.’
Carefully placing her feet back on the floor, Gabriel gripped the sides of her chair and pulled her to him. Once their knees were touching, he ran his fingers through her hair, then gently rubbed his thumb under her chin. ‘I know our marriage is not what you grew up expecting your marriage to be. It isn’t what I wanted or expected of a marriage either, but we can make it work and we can be happy.’
‘I want to believe that.’
Palming her cheeks, a fervour came into his voice. ‘Think about it, Lessie. When we move into the stables, we can make it a real home, a real distinction between the princess and the woman. We can make it a home without any intrusion from royal life and all its demands, and our child can have the semblance of a normal life. And so can we.’
The following weekend, Alessia walked out of the bathroom after her shower with the robe wrapped around her, and stepped into the dressing room, where Gabriel had made space for her clothes. He was taking her out, something that thrilled her, just as it thrilled her to be back in his arms after five nights apart. She’d arrived in Madrid late last night and they’d gone straight to bed, making love until the sun had come up. Only when they’d finally woken at midday did he lazily announce that he would be taking her out that night. She’d assumed his aversion to publicity meant she would spend her entire marriage without a single date with her husband.
She wished she dared hope that he would one day change his mind and be her prince as well as her husband, even if it was only for those important family occasions like Amadeo’s wedding. She wished so hard he would come with her, a wish that no longer had anything to do with not wanting to be humiliated. Alessia just wanted the man she was falling in love with to be a real part of her family, not the royal side of it but the human side, and to hold her hand and create the same memories of those special occasions together.
But it wasn’t going to happen and there was no point upsetting herself over it. Their time together was short and she didn’t want to waste it by moping.
Choosing a white, strapless jumpsuit, she happily dressed and set to work on her hair and face. It felt strange to be doing her own beauty care for a night out. Normally the castle beauty team would set to work and turn her into the princess the world expected to see. Gabriel had offered to bring in Madrid’s top beautician and hair stylist for her but she’d wanted to try it herself. Here, in Madrid, she could just be Alessia, and it was a novelty that showed no sign of abating.
The thought of returning to the castle without him again sent an even stronger pang through her than it had last weekend.
The five days without him had passed quickly and yet somehow with excruciating slowness. She’d had a couple of engagements each day and one on Wednesday evening, so in that respect, the time had flown, and yet, every time she’d sneaked a peek at her watch, she’d found the time until seeing Gabriel again still very far away.
Never mind, she told herself brightly. She was here now. Make the most of the time with him while she had him, and as she thought that, he strolled into the bedroom.
She beamed, unable and unwilling to contain her delight even though it had been less than an hour since he’d crawled out of bed after making love to her again. ‘How’s your sister?’ she asked.
Gabriel, who’d just spent an hour on the phone to Mariella, tugged his T-shirt up. ‘She’s doing great. She’ll be back next week.’ He whipped the T-shirt over his head. Mariella was currently doing a sightseeing tour of Japan with her on-off lover. ‘It’s her birthday next Saturday so I’ve invited her to join us for dinner to celebrate.’
About to drop his shorts, he noticed Alessia’s falling face in her reflection at the dressing table.
‘What’s wrong?’ He’d thought Alessia liked his sister. Not that she knew her properly yet, but he wanted her to. Nothing would make him happier than for his wife and his sister to get along and enjoy each other’s company.
‘I don’t think I’ll be here next weekend,’ she said, reaching for her phone. Swiping, she began to type, saying, ‘I’m sure I’ve got an engagement next Saturday night at the royal theatre. It’s an annual variety night raising money for cancer research. I’m just checking now, but I’m sure it’s next weekend.’
‘If you’ve got an engagement then you’ve got an engagement,’ he said evenly, even though his heart had sunk at the news. It meant he would have to spend the weekend at the castle, and without Alessia for a large chunk of it. ‘It can’t be helped.’ Striding over to her, he dropped a kiss into her neck. ‘I’m going to take a shower and have a shave.’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Club Giroud.’
‘The private members’ club?’
‘You’ve been?’
‘Not to the one in Madrid, but some friends and I went to the one in Rome last year... You do know it’s owned by King Dominic’s brother-in-law?’
‘I’ve known Nathaniel Giroud for years.’
She blinked her shock. ‘You’ve never mentioned it.’
He shrugged. ‘We’re acquaintances. His clubs are a good place to do business.’
Her phone buzzed. She swiped again then lifted her stare back to him and shrugged apologetically. ‘Sorry. The theatre engagement is next Saturday.’
