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‘Thank you.’ Arrosa had had no idea that her mother had noticed that she was run-down. Arrosa could feel her cheeks heating as memories of the summer—of Jack—flooded her senses. ‘I understand why you always needed your summer retreats now. Time away from the public eye.’
‘I accepted a role with certain expectations. I can’t complain when those expectations get too much, but a month away every summer ensures I never get overwhelmed by the pressures of my life. And I hope you will always make sure you have time to recharge.
‘Things have changed, Arrosa, your new role is testament to that. You don’t have to follow the same path your father and I tread; you will be a new kind of monarch in a new Asturia.’ Her mother looked over at Clem, who stood in the opposite corner, unusually smart in a blue dress and matching jacket, looking up at Akil with a trust and love that took Arrosa’s breath away. ‘Your sister’s life is about to alter irrevocably but she has you and the Ortiz heir by her side. And after today she can be publicly in your life as you take on your new duties. I know you’ll need that support in the years ahead.’
Was that why her mother was agreeing to stand by her husband’s side when he announced the existence of a child who wasn’t hers, for Arrosa’s sake? Arrosa knew her mother loved her, but she was always so hands-off, the thought of her making such a personal sacrifice for her was almost overwhelming. Maybe they could have a warmer, more intimate relationship, maybe it wasn’t too late.
‘I know the next few weeks will be difficult for us all, especially Clem, but I have to admit I’m happy we won’t have to hide any more—and you’re right. Having her here in Asturia and openly part of my life will make everything easier.’
‘I hope that you will find a different kind of support too, Arrosa. That you will meet a man who looks at you the way Akil Ortiz looks at your sister, who will support you the way he supports her. Being a monarch can be a lonely job but with the right people around you it doesn’t have to be that way. Ah, your father is ready. It’s time.’
Without a backward glance her mother glided over to Arrosa’s father and laid a hand on his arm, her expression calm and inscrutable as ever. Arrosa took a deep breath as she joined her sister, falling in behind her parents and, with a reassuring squeeze of Clem’s hand, the four of them made their way out to face the awaiting press.
As expected, the news of Clem’s parentage made headline news across the globe. It had, Akil noted wryly, all the ingredients any good royal scandal needed: a secret love affair, an illegitimate child, a wronged wife standing by her husband’s side and two beautiful young women, one a Crown Princess. Any hope that the scandal would be a twenty-four-hour wonder soon disappeared as the world’s press descended on Asturia, desperate for a new angle on the story. Descended on AsturiaandPolhallow, where the cottage was besieged by photographers despite nobody living there, Gus having accompanied Arrosa to Asturia, where he’d promptly taken up residence in her villa.
Arrosa should have foreseen that it was only a matter of time before someone put two and two together and realised that Clem’s French cousin Rosy and her royal half-sister were one and the same. Sure enough, a few weeks later, just as the original scandal started to abate, the connection was made, creating a flurry of new headlines and speculation. Sally’s family’s café was surrounded by reporters wanting the inside scoop on her friendship with both the Princess and Clem, and worse, someone mentioned ‘Rosy’s’ friendship with Jack to one reporter, who immediately splashed the story with suitably salacious headlines.
‘Look at this.’ Arrosa pushed her tablet over to Clem, her chest tight with anxiety.
‘You shouldn’t read this stuff, any of it,’ Clem said staunchly, but her sister was pale and Arrosa felt a stab of guilt at the world she’d been catapulted into. Adverts Clem had starred in were all over social media, a love scene from a daytime TV show replayed endlessly, her headshots reproduced over and over.
‘It’s not about me or you. It’s Jack.’
‘Jack?’ Clem’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Jack Treloar?’
Arrosa had always been able to tell her sister anything, but somehow she’d not found the words to talk about Jack. The memories were too raw, too recent to share, her own feelings so mixed up, especially when Clem and Akil were obviously falling deeper in love every day.
‘Yes, we were...friendly.’
‘Friendly?’ Clem reached over for the tablet. ‘How friendly?’ She started to read out loud. ‘Princess’s Summer Fling with Local Bad Boy—honestly, you babysat for him a couple of times and they turn it into some kind of torrid romance. Listen to this:‘Princess Arrosa enjoyed more than a secret Cornish getaway this summer. We can exclusively reveal that the twenty-six-year-old heir to the Asturian throne enjoyed a summer fling with local self-made millionaire Jack Treloar. Jack, thirty, was married to tragic socialite Lily Fforde-Browne, who overdosed two years ago, leaving two daughters. Now it seems the not-so-grieving widower has moved onwards and upwards. Treloar’s teenage marriage to Fforde-Browne raised eyebrows amongst her friends at the time, thanks to his reputation as the town troublemaker, but Treloar put his past behind him, founding Treloar Capital Investments and buying a mansion in London’s exclusive Primrose Hill, before moving his family back to Cornwall where they live in a stunning Art Deco house, last valued at a cool three million pounds. The Princess and the rebel are reported to have sneaked away for a romantic getaway on the Isles of Scilly. “They seemed very much in love,” said fellow tourist, Lucy Christie. “They couldn’t keep their hands off each other.”Honestly, the things they make up!’
Arrosa couldn’t answer, her cheeks hot, and Clem narrowed her eyes. ‘Not made up? You and Jack Treloar? It’s true? Why didn’t you say anything?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said miserably. ‘I was going to but there’s so much going on it just never seemed relevant.’
‘Relevant? You’re my sister. What hurts you hurts me. Was it serious?’
‘How could it be? You know my life! Jack’s so private, he would hate my world.’
‘Well, that’s unfortunate because right now he’s right in the middle of it.’
Clem’s words were bracing but her tone sympathetic as Arrosa took the tablet back and read through the article again, cringing at every word. ‘So hateful, implying he’s some kind of social climber—and mentioning Lily as well. I knew I should have stayed away from him. That there was only one way this could end.’
‘In that case why didn’t you?’
‘I thought that nobody would find out. I thought I deserved the chance to grab some happiness before everything changed. Truth is, Clem, I couldn’t help it. Jack’s not the man in this article, he’s kind and principled and...’
‘And drop-dead gorgeous?’ her sister helpfully supplied.
Arrosa groaned. ‘So gorgeous. I have never in my life wanted anyone the way I wanted Jack. You know, at times I thought there might be something wrong with me. It was so easy to behave like the proper Princess I was expected to be, I was never truly tempted by any man, not enough to let my guard down. And then there was Jack, and it was likeboom! I couldn’t have resisted him if I’d tried—and I didn’t try very hard.’
Clem reached over and took her hand. ‘You’re allowed to be normal, you know. You’re allowed to fancy someone, to date, to have romantic getaways.’
‘They make it sound so sordid and it wasn’t. It was beautiful, Clem.’
‘Are you still in touch?’
She shook her head. ‘We said we’d try and stay friends but it was too difficult, I couldn’t see how to do it. The girls didn’t know who I was, although I guess they do now. And the way my life is, it was easier to make a clean break. It was meant to be easier anyway.’
