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She paused and he heard her inhale. ‘Look, Akil, I think I owe you an apology...’
And there it was, his get-out-of-becoming-royalty card. The relief that filled him was surprisingly overwhelming. ‘You don’t need to say anything,’ he said. ‘Let’s just pretend that the end of that last conversation never happened.’
‘I shouldn’t have said anything. I was tired and honestly a little scared of what’s happening this year...’
‘Listen, I’m flattered, but Clem’s right. You deserve more.’
‘She said that?’
‘And the rest. Arrosa, I hope it goes without saying that I will continue to do all I can to support you, and I hope we can work together for many years. More than that, I hope that we can become friends, real friends.’
‘I’d like that. Friends sounds good.’
‘In that case, Arrosa, as your friend, can I ask if you’re okay?’
She paused again and when she spoke her voice broke a little. ‘Yes, in some ways I’m more okay than I have been for a long time. And with Clem covering for me I’m perfectly safe. Life in Asturia can be very suffocating. I am appreciating having the chance to breathe.’
‘That’s good.’
‘It really is. Although I feel guilty that Clem must now be feeling hemmed in, especially as she can’t really go out and meet people. So thank you for taking her out, for giving her a chance to see something of the country. I really appreciate it.’
It seemed wrong to be thanked for one of the most enjoyable afternoons he’d had in a long time. ‘You don’t need to thank me. Your sister’s an interesting woman. I enjoyed her company very much—and it strikes me that she knows exactly what she signed up for and is determined to see it through.’
‘I offered to swap back, but she won’t hear of it.’ The relief in Arrosa’s voice was palpable; no wonder Clem had insisted on maintaining the charade a little bit longer. Admiration for the Englishwoman filled him. He knew it wasn’t easy for her trapped alone in the villa, no matter how beautiful the outlook and luxurious the furnishings.
‘I think she’s made up her mind to make sure you get a good long break. It’s an honourable thing she’s doing. She has integrity.’
‘She’s the best sister I could have. I just wish I could tell the whole world who she is, that she could be part of my life openly. I hope she’s not too bored. I know she won’t tell me if she is. Life at the estate can be confining, even though I insisted on moving out of the palais into the lake house, and of course she doesn’t have work to keep her occupied. She says she’s fine and it’s a change of scene, but six weeks is a long time to be stuck in one place and alone.’
‘I could pop in and check on her, if you want.’ Akil’s tone was nonchalant but he could feel his pulse speed up at the thought.
‘That would be really kind. I would really appreciate it.’ Was that amusement in Arrosa’s voice?
‘I’ll see if I can spare the time.’
‘Thank you, Akil. For everything.’
‘Enjoy your break.’ As Akil ended the call he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d been set up in some way.
Maybe checking on Clem wasn’t such a good idea. He couldn’t deny that he was attracted to her, was intrigued by her, but she was only here for a short while and he had too much going on to invite the kind of complications she posed further into his life. Better to leave her as a memorable momentary encounter.
It was definitely safer and wiser that way.
But he couldn’t help wishing that she had been someone else.
For the next few days Akil kept himself too busy to dwell on might-have-beens and if-onlys. It was the parliamentary summer recess and, although there were always briefing notes to read and events to react to, it gave him more time to do the things he truly loved. His dream of being a doctor might have died the day his father had collapsed with a heart attack, but his desire to help, be part of and reform the creaky, unequal health system in Asturia hadn’t and he had undertaken mountain rescue training and now volunteered whenever he could. It wasn’t what he’d once hoped for, but it was better than nothing and the insight the volunteering gave him helped him push for the reforms the country needed. Even his father approved—a politician who got involved with mountain rescue played well in the polls. Now it was early summer there were plenty of inexperienced hikers walking Asturia’s famous mountain trails spraining ankles and getting lost and Akil could easily spend twelve hours a day either coordinating searches or out himself. By the time he got in most evenings he was no good for anything but feeding his cat, grabbing a beer and a sandwich and collapsing on the sofa.
One night he had ended up being called out late to help locate a missing couple who had gone out to look at the stars and not returned and it was the early hours before he got back in. Too wired to sleep, he didn’t get to bed until it was almost dawn, sleeping in until noon, almost unheard of with his busy schedule. Looking around, he realised the toll the last few days had taken: he had little food in and his usually neat apartment felt both untidy and unlived in, his cat grumpy and aloof as if indignant at being left alone for so long.
After toasting the end of the loaf and whisking up his last two eggs, he sank onto the sofa and switched on the TV to catch the news. His counterpart had made an announcement about a new security law, and although Akil had read some of the online reactions he was interested to see what the state TV news would say. It was the lead item, and once it was finished he fumbled for the remote to switch over to the sports channel when the sight of a familiar profile made him pause.
To any casual onlooker the profile through the tinted window looked enough like Arrosa for there to be no doubt that this was the Princess being driven back to her home from the capital city. Huge sunglasses shielded most of her face, but the features were familiar, her hair was up in the kind of complicated knot Arrosa favoured and her posture and half-smile were so like Arrosa’s own he’d have been fooled himself if he hadn’t known better. Warmth filled him as he watched the brief clip of Clem doing what she’d come here to do: fool the press into thinking Arrosa was safe in Asturia.
Warmth that soon faded as he remembered his unfulfilled promise. What had she been doing for the last four days? Had her father come to see her? He doubted it. She was probably all alone.
But she shouldn’t be because he’d promised Arrosa he’d look in on her and, unlike many other politicians, he prided himself on keeping his promises. It was wrong of him to stay away just because he was attracted to her—after all, he’d been attracted to lots of women in his life and been perfectly capable of spending time with them.
Before he could think better of it, he quickly texted Arrosa and asked for Clem’s number. The reply came back lightning quick, as if Arrosa had been waiting for the question. Akil saved the number and sent a quick exploratory message. There, it was up to her now. He didn’t mind either way.
