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His fingers felt cold. Everything felt cold.
Abruptly the door opened, and his heart leapt, but when he turned from his contemplation of the empty fireplace it was to see Augustine stride in with Khalil close behind him.
Of course, he’d invited the pair of them, but they should be in the ballroom with the rest of the guests.
Galen told himself he wasn’t disappointed and frowned as Khalil shut the door firmly. ‘You two shouldn’t be in here.’
Augustine shrugged. ‘You know I’m always where I shouldn’t be.’
‘And I don’t take orders,’ Khalil added casually.
‘Also...’ Augustine strolled over to the fireplace where Galen stood ‘...where is the welcome, lovely to see you and thanks for coming?’
Galen stared coldly at them. ‘You should be with the guests in the ballroom. I’m waiting here for my fiancée.’
‘Ah yes,’ Augustine murmured. ‘The fiancée you neglected to tell us about.’
Khalil came up to stand on Galen’s other side, giving him an enigmatic glance. ‘You don’t look like a man about to get married,’ he observed.
‘And what does that look like?’ Acid had crept into his tone and he didn’t wait for Khalil to reply. ‘It’s a royal marriage, what do you expect?’ He glanced at Augustine. ‘She’s the daughter of a perfectly respectable—’
‘She is not,’ Khalil interrupted in his cool way. ‘Do not bother with the palace lies. We know the truth.’
‘Indeed, we do,’ Augustine agreed. ‘Though it’s exceptionally irritating to have to find out all of this ourselves since our supposed friend neglected to tell us.’
There was a stunned silence.
He hadn’t told his friends, not the truth about Leo’s origins and not about Solace. It had felt too complicated, and it led too close to his own secret, and both men were far too sharp to be fobbed off with the same lies. It was easier to not bring it up at all.
Galen turned to face the empty fireplace, putting his hands on the white marble mantelpiece and leaning against it. He said nothing. What could he say? If they knew everything?
‘Why are you marrying her?’ Augustine asked, his tone absolutely neutral.
‘Because she had my child,’ Galen bit out. ‘And I need a wife. And she’s—’
Fierce and brave and beautiful. Sharp and cool on the outside, but so soft and hot on the inside. Honest and determined and resourceful...
‘I think you do not want to marry her,’ Khalil said. ‘I think you—’
‘I’m marrying her,’ Galen growled and shoved himself away from the mantelpiece, giving his friends a furious look. ‘I promised her I would and so I am.’
‘And you’re obviously very happy about it,’ Augustine observed. ‘Congratulations?’
‘It wasn’t supposed to be about emotion,’ Galen said, not even realising he’d been going to speak until it came out. ‘It’s a royal marriage. No feelings should be involved.’
‘No,’ Augustine murmured soothingly. ‘Of course not.’
Khalil watched him with enigmatic dark eyes. ‘Then why are you so angry about it?’
‘Because she deserves more than I can give her,’ he snapped. ‘I promised her I’d marry her, and I don’t want to break my word, but I’m condemning her to a loveless marriage and she needs more from me than that.’
Augustine and Khalil stared at him.
‘But you do not love her,’ Khalil said.
‘No, but—’
‘Why not?’ Khalil tilted his head like a bird of prey, eyeing him. ‘Is she somehow unlovable?’
