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He’d been proud to show her off. Proud that his family liked her. Touched that his mother had taken such an interest in her and could obviously see how important she was to him, thus welcoming her into the family.
If he’d thought this through, if he’d planned better, he would have spoken to palace advisors. He would have spoken to Arissa about her reluctance to be in the spotlight. He hadn’t understood what it meant to her.
And even though it was too late, now he did.
Arissa bowed her head.
‘Don’t go, Arissa. Not like this. I care about you.’ He stepped closer and said words that a few years ago he’d never thought he’d say again. ‘You mean too much to me.’
He could tell from the look in her eyes it wasn’t enough. The pictures continued to flash up on the screen behind her.
Pictures that captured for the whole world exactly how much he loved this woman.
But he didn’t need the pictures to tell him that. The way his heart was squeezing inside his chest told him all he needed to know.
After the longest time Arissa lifted her head. ‘I’ll stay until tomorrow. I’ll talk over the protocols with the staff at the fire and rescue station as the safe haven cot is being installed and make sure they’re clear what to do.’ She tilted her chin, her voice gaining an edge of determination. ‘But I want absolutely no publicity. I’m happy to help draft a statement for the media around the project but that’s it. After that I go.’
He’d pulled at her professional responsibilities. But he hadn’t pulled at her heartstrings.
He gave a nod of his head. Right now, he would agree to anything that meant he could hold onto her just a few moments longer.
‘I’m sorry about your patient. Our press advisors will contact the TV station and put in an official complaint, along with a warning about talking to any of your other patients.’ He meant it. He really did. She had a right to her privacy—as did her patients.
And it was up to him to sort this.
‘If we’re finished, I’d like to be alone now,’ Arissa said, her voice stoic.
He gave a brief nod. ‘Of course.’
He hated this. He hated every single part of it. He’d exposed the woman he loved to hurt and he wasn’t sure how he could fix this—if he could at all.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE ROOM WAS CLAUSTROPHOBIC. Even though it was beautiful, even though it had views of the expansive gardens, it still felt as if the walls were closing in around her. Every pore in her body right now wanted to get out of here.
But the work was important. They’d moved quickly in Corinez to accommodate the safe haven cot. It seemed that if an order came from a prince, things moved at lightning speed.
An older man knocked and came into the room. He was dressed impeccably in black and held out a hand. ‘Jacques Feraunt, Head of Security. I am so sorry, Dr Cotter. But, rest assured, we’ve discovered the leak.’
She pressed her lips together and tried to ignore the tears that were forming in her eyes. ‘You have?’
He nodded. ‘It seems that one of our members of staff had been hounded and offered a considerable amount of money to try and capture a photograph of you and the Prince.’ He shook his head. ‘Regrettably, even though all our waiting staff sign non-disclosure agreements, this individual felt unduly pressured. They had health issues for a family member at home and decided that the money could get them the help they needed.’ His face was serious. ‘They took the pictures on their mobile phone. We traced them this morning, and they’ve obviously been dismissed. We will be taking further legal action against them, and the newspapers involved.’
She felt numb. It was as if little creatures were crawling up her arms. She was angry, but the circumstances made her question things.
‘What kind of health problems?’ she asked.
Jacques looked a little surprised by her question. ‘Excuse me?’
‘What kind of health problems does the family member have?’
He cleared his throat. ‘I believe the member of staff’s younger sibling has a form of leukaemia.’
She stood up. ‘And they can’t get treatment?’
Jacques shifted on his feet. He was obviously trying to choose his words carefully. ‘Healthcare in Corinez is complicated, Dr Cotter. None of it is free. Everything has to be paid for.’
