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‘Not for a while. I’m house-sitting for her.’ Did princesses who lived on their family estate surrounded by servants need house-sitters? Judging by the way Akil’s eyes narrowed, he didn’t think so. ‘I needed a place for a while,’ she added hurriedly. ‘Really she’s the one doing me the favour.’
‘And you are?’
‘Clem, Clemence Beaumont.’ Surely knowing her name wouldn’t do any harm? She wasn’t linked anywhere with her father and sister. If he searched for her online all Akil would find would be some reviews of plays, her profile on her agent’s website and her mother’s obituary where Clem was buried beneath all the causes Simone had supported. ‘I can let Arrosa know you dropped by, or you could tell her yourself, of course.’
‘She didn’t tell me she was going away.’
‘It was all very sudden. And she doesn’t want it to be common knowledge so please don’t tell anyone.’ She took a step forward but he didn’t move. The only way past meant either brushing past him or going into the water and neither appealed. ‘I’m sorry you had a wasted journey, but it was really nice to meet you,’ she said pointedly. ‘I’d offer you a coffee, but I really have to get on.’
If only that were true. Now she was here, Clem had no idea what to do next. Arrosa had promised to contact their father straight away to let him know what they were doing and she was anxiously hoping to hear from him. In the meantime her plans to explore had been thwarted by the realisation that Arrosa didn’t have her own car and that she was driven everywhere by Henri. That was fine for the times she planned to dress as the Princess and be driven somewhere in order to make it seem as if Arrosa were here in Asturia, but the bulletproof limousine was far too conspicuous for her to use to be a tourist. Lovely as the villa was and inviting as the lake was, she didn’t want to spend six weeks alone with nothing to do. She could do that back in Cornwall.
‘You didn’t say how you know Arrosa.’ He clearly wasn’t shifting. Maybe it was a good sign, this protectiveness. Although Arrosa already had a bodyguard watching her every move.
‘No,’ she said lightly. ‘I didn’t. Now if you’ll excuse me.’ He moved then, slowly and clearly reluctantly, and she slipped past him. ‘I’m sure you can see your own way out. After all, you found your own way in.’ She didn’t look back as she headed up the path but she could feel his gaze boring into her as if he were trying to strip her secrets from her.
The garden was split onto three terraces. Lawn abutted the lake, then steps led up to a colourful flower-filled area, alive with bees and butterflies. The third terrace was paved with pots of plants providing shade and colour, an outdoor sofa and chairs on one side and a dining table and chairs on the other. It seemed to take an age to get to the French doors that led into the house and safety, and it wasn’t until her hand was finally on the handle when he spoke.
‘Wait.’
Reluctantly Clem turned. Akil had followed her onto the top terrace and he stood by the table, hands clenched.
‘Just tell me, is Arrosa all right?’
Clem paused, trying to read him. Did he care about her sister as a person, or was he thinking about the power and influence she could give him?
But Arrosa had said that he was a good man and she was a shrewd judge of character. She’d had to be. And Clem had overheard words never meant for her ears after all. Words which, although she still wanted a lot more for her sister than a diplomatic convenient marriage, had gone a long way towards reassuring her that Akil wouldn’t take advantage of her sister.
‘She’s fine.’
‘Is there anything I can do to help? I got the impression the other day that she needed a friend. I hope she knows she can come to me if she’s in trouble.’
It clearly cost him to ask the question, to look that vulnerable in front of a stranger, a stranger who he had already inadvertently spilled secrets to. The situation needed rebalancing. He deserved some truth from her. And this was a good chance for her to evaluate the man her sister definitely didn’t love but thought of highly enough to consider entrusting her future happiness to.
‘Maybe I do have time for a coffee after all,’ she said. ‘Do you?’
Clem still didn’t know her way around her sister’s well-appointed kitchen and it took some time to locate everything she needed and to load it onto a tray and carry it to the outside table where Akil awaited her. Despite her invitation, Akil hadn’t sat; instead he stood at the edge of the terrace gazing out towards the lake. As Clem exited the house, he turned and quickly strode towards her, relieving her of the tray despite her protestations and setting it onto the wooden table. Clem followed him and took a seat, reaching for the cafetière gratefully. She was definitely in need of caffeine.
There was something peculiarly intimate about sitting opposite someone, asking them how they took their coffee, pouring it and adding the milk. Intimate and yet distancing, the lack of knowledge a sign that they were strangers. Although here at least she had the advantage. She knew who Akil was; he had no idea she even existed.
He accepted the coffee but made no move to drink it, instead setting the cup onto the table and looking at her with a frown. ‘I spoke to Arrosa just two days ago and she made no mention of going away. The ratification is in just a couple of months’ time. This is no time for her to disappear. What’s going on?’
Clem sat back and regarded him steadily. ‘Once the law has been ratified and Arrosa is officially the Crown Princess, how much time will she have to go away? How much privacy? She’s already constrained in so many ways, guarded at all times, and it’s only going to get worse. This is a perfect time for her to have some space. Maybe the last chance she has.’
He inclined his head briefly as if acknowledging her point. ‘But that doesn’t explain what you’re doing here or who you are, Clemence Beaumont. I don’t believe I’ve heard Arrosa mention you before.’
‘Does Arrosa know all your friends?’ Clem asked sweetly and only the slightest narrowing of his eyes showed his displeasure with her answer.
‘Your resemblance to her is quite startling, too startling for it to be a coincidence although Beaumont is not an Asturian name. You must be related, but I know all her relatives around your age and you’re not one of them.’
‘You’ve done quite the study on her genealogy.’
To her surprise Akil laughed, transforming his face from an austere, remote handsomeness to something warmer—and dangerously attractive. ‘Asturia is a small country and everybody knows everybody. AndIknow that I’ve never seen you before and I’ve not heard your name and so I’m wondering why someone who looks so like the Crown Princess is living in her house when the Crown Princess has unexpectedly disappeared.’
‘You have a vivid imagination. You should write crime books.’ Clem took a sip of coffee and smiled. ‘But there’s no mystery here. Text Arrosa, she will tell you that she is fine.’
‘It just seems a strange coincidence that just a couple of days after our conversation she disappears.’ He stopped then, his mouth tightening as if he’d realised that he’d said too much. But it was a little bit too late to pretend ignorance about the possible match between her sister and this disturbing man when she’d heard his opening speech.
‘Look,’ she said, setting her cup onto the table. ‘I can’t pretend I didn’t hear what you said earlier, and I can’t pretend that I don’t know what you’re talking about. I also can’t comment on where Arrosa is or why she’s there. That’s her personal business and if you need to know more than that you should ask her. She has her phone. I spoke to her this morning. As for me, I’m here partly because, like Arrosa, I could do with some time away from my life, but mainly to give her this time. You know how hard it is for her to have any peace. As you said, we look alike, and from a distance, with the right hair and make-up, through the windows of her car most people would mistake me for her. If I make sure I’m seen dressed as her two or three times a week from a distance, then nobody will think to go looking for her. I’m giving her the space she needs. Nothing more sinister than that.’
