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He slipped an arm around her shoulders. ‘It doesn’t sound silly at all. I’d be honoured.’
‘Oh,’ she remembered. ‘I have something for you too. I was going to ask Henri to give it to you.’ She felt in her pocket and brought out the paper bag. ‘I bought it the day we first went on the boat, with matching bracelets for Rosy and me. My mother loved trees the way I love the sea. She always wore nature-inspired things but trees were extra special to her. The very first campaign I remember was her trying to save an old oak from demolition and she got involved with at least two bypass protests—chained herself onto branches and everything. At the time I thought it was totally embarrassing and wished she could just be normal, now I’d give anything to chain myself up next to her. Anyway, I saw these and thought of her.’ She handed him the bag and said shyly, ‘If you don’t like them...’
‘I love them.’ He held up the delicate cufflinks. ‘I’ll wear them to the Senate and let myself be inspired by your mother.’
‘Be careful, who knows what she’ll make you vote for?’
‘She raised you, didn’t she? I trust her instincts.’
‘I think she would like you, Akil Ortiz.’ Clem pressed herself close and kissed him, luxuriating in the feel and taste and solidity of him. This wasn’t just a fling, this was real, as real as she wanted it to be. She was no fool. She knew relationships needed work and compromise, but she also knew this man was worth it.
‘I know it’s too early,’ he said at last. ‘But I want you to know that at some point this year I am going to ask you to marry me. There’s a lot to work out, where we’ll live, what path we’ll take, but as long as we’re together we can do it.’
‘And I want you to know that I will say yes,’ she told him, blinking back happy tears. ‘That my home is where you are. I do have one condition...’
‘Anything.’
‘That once a month we sail away and for at least one night.’
‘I’ll build it into our marriage vows,’ he promised, and she laughed.
‘I love you, Akil. Thank you for giving me the space to figure out who I am and what I want, thank you for believing in me. Thank you for loving me.’
‘That’s the easy part,’ he told her and then he kissed her again until she was lost in him. She didn’t need a stage or an audience to feel validated any more; she wasn’t lost. Thanks to Akil she knew exactly who she was and what she wanted.
‘I love you,’ she whispered against his mouth and felt him smile.
‘And I love you, and I am more than ready to demonstrate how much. Let’s go and let your father know that, thank you, but you won’t be returning to Cornwall just yet, and then I suggest a few nights at sea, while we get used to this for ever thing.’
‘That sounds perfect.’ She kissed him again and then, his hand clasping hers, turned towards the harbour. Akil was by her side and had vowed to stay there; she wasn’t alone any more. She had a family: a sister and this man. She had a place. She looked up at the late afternoon sky, the sun still beating down, and raised her face to the warmth, sending a moment of love towards her mother, wherever she was, before allowing Akil to tug her towards the harbour. Towards their life together. Their future. She couldn’t wait.
Princess Arrosa
Jessica Gilmore
The Princess Sister Swap
Clem Beaumont and Princess Arrosa Artega, half sisters united by a strong and loving bond but kept apart by circumstances beyond their control. With pressure growing on Arrosa to marry, Clem hatches an audacious plan to temporarily swap their lives, giving Arrosa one final summer of freedom in Cornwall and allowing Clem to spend time in the beautiful country of Asturia, a place denied to her all of her life!
But their simple—if risky—plan begins to unravel when Arrosa and Clem unexpectedly meet the men of their dreams...
Dear Reader,
Welcome to part two of The Princess Sister Swap.
One of my favorite films isRoman Holiday, not just because Gregory Peck is gorgeous and Audrey Hepburn utterly beautiful, but because it’s so bittersweet. Much as Audrey Hepburn’s princess adores every moment of her escape into Rome, she knows that duty calls in the end. And that’s how it is for Arrosa, the heroine of the second book in this series. She is loving her time in Cornwall masquerading as Clem’s cousin Rosy, and she’s enjoying getting to spend time with handsome tycoon Jack Treloar and his two adorable daughters, but she knows that eventually she has to go back to Asturia and take up her role as the Crown Princess.
I loved revisiting Clem, Arrosa and Asturia, exploring what happened when Arrosa was in Cornwall, and peeking into Clem and Akil’s future, and it’s always a joy to spend time in Cornwall, even if it is in my imagination. I hope you enjoy Arrosa and Jack’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Love,
Jessica
This book is for everyone who has been able to escape from the trials of the last couple of years through reading romance. Here’s to escapism and brighter days.
Praise for Jessica Gilmore
“Totally loved every page. I was hooked right into the story, reading every single word. This book has to be my new favourite. Honestly this book is most entertaining.”
