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‘I didn’t know that Fjernland had its own military.’
‘We work in conjunction with the Danish armed forces. As a matter of fact, I earned the medals I’m wearing when I served as a naval officer for four years. For some of that time I was based on a patrol ship in the Arctic, and my unit was involved with monitoring pollutants including plastic waste on Arctic ecosystems. It was what led me to establish the Fjernland Marine Research Institute, to try to protect the oceans.’
‘When you become the Reigning Sovereign you will be able to focus on issues that you believe are important and introduce changes if you deem them necessary for the good of the country.’ Arielle wondered if Eirik was aware that there was pride in his voice whenever he mentioned Fjernland. He cared about the principality and the people he would rule. ‘Maybe being the monarch won’t be as bad as you think.’
He stared at her. ‘Maybe not,’ he said gruffly. ‘Arielle...’
‘We are two stars on different trajectories.’ She remembered what he had said at the cottage in Penash, a lifetime ago it seemed. ‘For what it’s worth I think you will be a great Sovereign.’
He took a step towards her and swore when there was a knock on the outer door of the suite. Pulling back the sleeve of his jacket to check his watch, he said in a frustrated voice, ‘I have to leave, or I will be late for the ceremony.’ Eirik strode over to the door and halted. He turned around and even across the distance of the bedroom Arielle felt the heat of his gaze. ‘I am not ready for this, us, to end,’ he growled.
He was killing her. Arielle’s heart missed a beat atus. But she reminded herself that all Eirik wanted was sex, while she was in imminent danger of falling in love with him. ‘It must end,’ she said quietly. ‘You know it must. I can never be part of your world.’
‘Good morning, Miss Tremain.’ Gustav stood up when Arielle walked into the sitting room. He studied her skinny jeans and oversized jumper that had a habit of slipping off her shoulder and Arielle wondered if he was comparing her to elegant Ida Lundberg. She felt his sharp gaze on her pink-rimmed eyes and told herself she did not care what Eirik’s private secretary thought of her.
‘I’m ready to leave,’ she said stiffly.
Gustav escorted her along numerous corridors that Arielle guessed were for the staff’s use, and they left the palace unnoticed via a back door. Clearly Eirik did not want anyone other than his most trusted servant to know that he had spent the night with a commoner, she thought dismally.
Eirik’s dog bounded up and pushed his nose into her hand. ‘Goodbye, Maks,’ she said in a choked voice, stroking his golden head. Gustav had put her bag in the boot of the car, and now he was talking on his phone. He spoke in Fjernlandic and glanced at Arielle a couple of times. She climbed onto the back seat and shook her head at Maks when he leapt into the car. ‘I’d love to take you with me, but I’m afraid I can’t.’
‘Maks can come along for the ride,’ Gustav said as he slid behind the wheel.
The big dog rested his head on Arielle’s knee, and she was glad of his company. She closed her eyes as the smooth motion of the car had a soporific effect on her after her energetic night, memories of which brought a flush to her cheeks. Maybe she would get a dog when she settled somewhere, she mused. She had decided not to extend her contract at the Fjernland Marine Research Institute after her six months was up. Eirik would no doubt have married by then and seeing news coverage of him with his wife would be painful. But she had more confidence to look for another marine conservation job now. Valdemar was impressed with her work and would give her a good reference.
Arielle wondered if Frida had had the baby. The last message she’d received from Valdemar had said that it might be necessary to induce the birth earlier than Frida’s due date. Hopefully she would find out more when she returned to the marine institute, Arielle thought. But when she looked out of the car window, she was surprised to see that the road was climbing higher, and the snow-capped mountains seemed closer.
Gustav drove along a track that ran beside a turquoise lake. The skyline was dominated by a towering mountain. The snow on the summit sparkled in the sunshine, but, lower down, the green meadows were filled with bright spring flowers. Standing on the shore of the lake was a picturesque wooden cabin and Gustav parked in front of it.
‘Where are we? Why have you brought me here?’ Arielle asked when he opened the door and she got out of the car, followed by Maks.
‘Prince Eirik instructed me to drive you to his mountain lodge. It is his private retreat, and he will join you later.’
‘But I don’t want to stay here.’ She followed Gustav inside and tried not to fall in love with the cabin’s rustic charm. Colourful rugs on the floors and cosy throws and overstuffed cushions on the sofas gave a homely feel to the place. She poked her head round a door and discovered a bright kitchen with a sturdy-looking oak table.
‘I follow the Prince’s orders,’ Gustav told her. ‘The lodge is fully equipped with everything you might need, and there is food in the larder and freezer. Maks will stay with you.’
‘I want to speak to Prince Eirik.’ Arielle took her phone out of her bag. ‘Will you give me his phone number?’
‘The Prince cannot be disturbed while he is carrying out royal duties.’ Gustav sounded shocked. ‘Unfortunately, the mobile phone signal is poor up here.’
Gustav was right, Arielle discovered when she walked around the cabin, trying to get a connection. She heard the car’s engine and ran outside to see Eirik’s private secretary driving away.
It was not the worst place to be stranded, she conceded when she wandered down to the lake, accompanied by the faithful Maks. The lake was not heated by geothermal activity and was too cold to swim in without a wetsuit. The mountain scenery was breathtaking, but the idea of Eirik spending time in this remote and tranquil place where there wasn’t a nightclub or casino anywhere nearby did not fit with his image in the media of a playboy prince.
After a while, Arielle returned to the cabin and rooted through the well-stocked freezer for something to defrost for dinner. Although she hoped Eirik would arrive soon, and she’d insist that he took her back to her flat at the institute. She could not understand why he had sent her to the mountains. Recalling that he had said he wasn’t ready to end whatever was between them made her wonder if he wanted to spend another night with her. She bit her lip. Sex with him had been earth-shattering, but while Eirik might not have a problem separating lust from deeper feelings, Arielle wasn’t confident that she could do the same.
Lunch was crackers and dried apricots from the larder, and she opened a tin of dog food for Maks. Eirik kept a good selection of books at the cabin. She chose a thriller that had earned rave reviews and quickly became absorbed in the plot. When the sun slipped behind the mountain and the temperature dropped, she lit the log burner. Another hour passed and there was still no word from Eirik. Even if he had sent her a message, the lack of phone signal meant that she hadn’t received it.
How dared he abandon her miles from civilisation? Arielle felt powerless, and it was a painful reminder of how she had felt growing up under her father’s control. As a child and even when she’d become an adult, she had felt voiceless. Her father had treated her like a skivvy, and at school her shyness had meant that she had been mostly unnoticed by the teachers.
Now Eirik had taken control of her life. She had no way of leaving his mountain retreat and she was effectively a prisoner until he decided to release her. Even if she shouted at the top of her voice, there was no one around to hear her. Growing more furious by the minute, Arielle yanked open the front door and stepped outside. The moon was hidden behind clouds and the darkness was impenetrable.
‘Can anyone hear me?’ she yelled.
The silence reinforced her sense of unimportance. Blinking back tears, she went back inside. At least nobody had witnessed her being a self-pitying idiot, she told Maks when he nudged her with his damp nose.
Another few hours passed, and she guessed that Eirik was not going to arrive, and she would be spending the night in the cabin with only his dog for company. Deciding that she might as well try to sleep, she changed into her nightdress. The vintage cotton chemise was pretty but impractical on a chilly night, and she wrapped a soft woollen blanket around her before curling up on the sofa in front of the fire.
