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Arthur spun her into his arms, standing uncomfortably close. Nyssa pulled back far enough to put a polite distance between them as they twirled to the music. She spotted John talking with Arabella, and then her friend looked over to where Nyssa danced with Arthur. Arabella frowned as John whispered something inher ear, and then she stepped onto the dance floor with him, her hand in his.
“Staring at your bodyguard?”
Arthur’s question interrupted her train of thought. “No. I was trying to find Arabella, but it seems John has located her for me.” As hard as it was, she focused on the man she was dancing with, asking after his family and his work. She knew he was based in London and his work involved stocks or shares or something along that line, but she didn’t know the details and didn’t really care to.
“How old are you now, Nyssa?”
His question threw her. “Twenty-nine.”
He appeared to be thinking her answer over. “So you’ll be thirty in October?”
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure whether to be concerned he remembered her birth month or not. “Why do you ask?”
He gave her a wide grin. “Just thinking ahead. How about a Christmas wedding?”
The song stopped, and couples separated as they clapped politely. But Nyssa tuned everyone out as she stared at the man in front of her. Pulling her hand out of his and putting some space between them, her brows furrowed. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“I thought you’d like the idea of a Christmas wedding, but I suppose we can wait until next year to marry. I would rather do it sooner than later though, because I plan to get you pregnant as soon as possible.”
Her eyes widened so much she was surprised they didn’t fall out of her head. “Are you well, Arthur?”
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? I can’t wait to marry you.”
“Marry me?” She took a step back and gazed at him in dismay. “There’s never going to be a marriage between us. Are you insane?”
Arthur frowned, then cocked his head and gazed at her. “You don’t know, do you?”
Nyssa balled her hands into fists at her side. “Know what?”
“That we were betrothed by our fathers as children. If neither of us were married by the time we both reached the age of thirty, then we would marry and join our royal families together.”
Acid burned her throat as she struggled not to throw up. “I—” She was horrified to find herself suddenly blinking back tears.
Arthur’s brows furrowed as realization dawned. “You really don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”
Nyssa shook her head. “No, I really don’t.”
“Come with me and I’ll explain somewhere privately.” He held out a hand to her, and after a few moments of hesitation she took it. Despite his somewhat stuffy public persona, she’d known him long enough to know he had a good heart and wouldn’t lie to her about something so important.
He led her through the ballroom full of guests, stopping to exchange a few words of greeting when necessary. Nyssa looked around and saw John was following them, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.
Finally, they made it out of the room. Arthur stopped in the long hallway outside, looking both ways. Guests obviously attending the ball judging by their attire milled around, perhaps needing to catch their breath or get out of the crowd.
“Over here.” Arthur pushed open a small door out of the way of prying eyes and flicked on the light. It appeared to be a small storage room; tables were stacked two high against the three surrounding walls, with rows of chairs in between. There was more than enough room for them to stand and talk, however.
John followed them both into the room, and then a few moments later the door opened once more to reveal Erik hot on their heels. The two men moved to flank Nyssa on either side, and she was grateful for their calming presence because she was nervous about the conversation she was about to have.
Arthur glowered at both men. “Do you mind? This is a private conversation between me and Nyssa.”
Erik merely raised an eyebrow. “Anything you have to say to my sister you can say in front of me, Arthur.”
The other man sighed, then looked over at John. “I don’t suppose you’re leaving, either?”
Nyssa felt her lover’s hand on the small of her back. “No.”
“Fine!” Arthur’s exasperation was evident. “Let’s just get this over with. Nyssa, our parents came to an agreement when we were younger to state that if neither of us were married by the age of thirty, we would marry each other to strengthen the ties between our two countries.”
She couldn’t stop the gasp escaping her lips, and when she looked at her brother, his expression told her he was just as surprised as she was. There was no way Erik knew anything about such an agreement because he would never have kept it secret from her.
