The King's Bride By Arrangement - Annie West Page 0,38

father had already spent. Had he also planned to ensure Eva wouldn’t be caught up in negative publicity around the St Ancillan royal family?

She opened her mouth to ask then shut it again. Maybe he simply didn’t want to marry her. Didn’t like her enough to spend the rest of his life with her. She felt bruised enough without making him say that to her face.

Eva shrugged. ‘I applaud what you’re doing, Paul. I’m impressed.’ Doubly so because, despite his talk of an international team, she guessed he was the one driving the process. A man who’d inherited the crown in his early twenties and who’d had to manage incredibly difficult challenges, learning as he went. He had enough to contend with.

‘But you don’t need this.’

‘No buts, Eva. We’re in this together. The worst, the absolute worst, thing we could do right now is end our engagement. People would think it confirmed the stories being circulated about you.’

‘What if I say I don’t care what people say? Bad publicity isn’t the end of the world.’

Paul reached out and took her hand. Funny, she hadn’t realised she was cold till she felt his warm fingers enfold hers. She didn’t even try to tug free. His touch was so comforting.

‘I’d say you haven’t thought through how bad it can be. That one photo can taint you for ever.’

His words shafted ice through her. Eva knew she could face what she had to, but it wouldn’t be pleasant. The idea of one incident being misinterpreted and haunting her for the rest of her days made her nauseous.

‘We stick together, Eva. We don’t give the story any oxygen. It’s the only way. Surely you see that?’

Still she hesitated. Instinct told her that, if she was going to break this engagement, the sooner the better. Her emotions were tangled enough already.

She shook her head. ‘It’s not up to us. The story will run, no matter what we do.’

His hand tightened on hers. ‘But it will run its course faster if you stay here in St Ancilla, at my side. If we’re seen spending time together, enjoying each other’s company.’

‘You mean, if you’re seen to trust me.’

‘Exactly.’ His expression grew more serious. ‘Please, Eva, let me do this for you.’

Eva sighed, her breath shuddering out as the fight finally left her.

She didn’t have a heavy schedule in Tarentia. She’d finished studying, had thought she’d be busy the next few months preparing for their wedding. A chill enveloped her.

She told herself this was the sensible option. But secretly she wondered if the real reason she wavered was because part of her still hadn’t got the message about cutting her ties with Paul.

He stood so near, she inhaled that reassuring scent of pine trees and the outdoors. And his touch, the feel of his fingers wrapped casually around her hand, evoked memories of other more intimate touches.

‘Eva?’ He bent closer, snagging her attention.

Expelling her breath in a sigh of acceptance, she inclined her head. ‘On two conditions.’

One black eyebrow arched high. ‘Go on.’

‘That this is time-limited.’ Stupidly, she felt her throat close on the last word, as if her subconscious didn’t want her to make the break from him.

‘Fair enough. We’ll review the situation in a couple of months.’

Eva frowned. ‘One.’

‘Not long enough. Two minimum.’ He read her expression. ‘If we separate too soon, it will have been for nothing. How about we regroup in six weeks and assess how things are? But in that time you stay here in St Ancilla.’

She hesitated. ‘Surely me staying here all that time will just raise false expectations?’

‘The whole point is for us to be seen as a caring couple, finally free to spend time together now you’ve finished your studies. What happens later...’ he shrugged ‘...well, that’s for later. The point is to show what happened hasn’t affected my feelings. That I trust your integrity.’

He was railroading her. Yet what were her options? She shrank from returning home with her tail between her legs, knowing her parents’ media advisers would be lumbered with responsibility for fixing this.

Again she told herself the publicity was no big deal. Yet in Tarentia it would be. As far as the public was concerned, she was a bit of a goody two-shoes. Always proper, never putting a foot out of line. Last night’s adventure would be fodder for press gossip for a long time to come, and the dissolution of her engagement on top of that... No, she couldn’t embarrass her family that way.

‘Okay. Agreed.’

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