She nodded. ‘I followed you to the end of the road,’ she whispered. ‘And hid in the neighbour’s garden until you turned the corner and were out of sight. It would have been so easy to run after you and just go. My passport was in my pocket. I had saved a little money in the bank. Yes. Of course I wanted to go with you. But …’
There was a deep sadness in those blue eyes which reached out and touched him at the very spot where a big black hole called Katie had used to live, and the tiny pilot light he had persuaded himself had been put out burst into action. A gentle orange flame flickered into life, warm and welcome and as unsettling as a forest fire.
So he had not imagined it after all. Their relationship had meant as much to her as it had to him.
Simon shuffled two steps closer to her, his eyes fixed on the table where they were standing. Anywhere but on her face. Her face would be too much.
‘Were you scared?’ he asked, in a low voice.
Her answer was a whisper. ‘Not for myself. I had survived a lot more than you knew to earn that place at university. I would have got by. But you hadn’t lived that life, Simon. You had grown up with more than enough money to do whatever and go wherever you wanted, and your parents were always there for you. Then suddenly your father was gone and you wouldn’t even talk to your mother. I was scared for you and what you were going to have to face alone out here. I was frightened for you. But I knew that I had to let you go. And that was so hard.’
‘Is that why you told me that you loved me?’ he asked. ‘To try and persuade me to change my mind about going? Or did you mean it?’
Kate’s fingers pressed against the back of his hand for a fleeting second, and she opened her mouth to answer—but before she could say the words there was a bustle of activity and lively chatter at the door to the boardroom, and Molly popped her head around the door with a broad grin.
‘Ah. There you are, Simon. The TV crew will be ready for you in a few minutes. Sorry to interrupt, Kate, but the star of the conference needs to make his first royal speech. See you in a few minutes.’ And with a small finger-wave she pulled the door closed.
Simon and Kate looked at each other for a few seconds before she took the initiative, reached out and straightened his tie.
‘Looks like it’s time to get out there and meet your public, Your Majesty. Your subjects await.’ With one final shake of the head Kate smiled warmly at him and said in a low, soft voice which thrilled him beyond belief, ‘Let’s go and tell them what you’ve been up to these last three years. Partner.’
Two hours later Kate collapsed down onto a hard chair in the huge ballroom which served as the main conference area and slipped off her shoes, rubbing her poor crushed toes back to life.
Frenzy had been just about right. As soon as Simon appeared he had practically been mobbed by three teams of TV reporters, all clamouring for interviews and the inside story on what it felt like to be the very first western Prince, soon to be King, of a tribal kingdom in rural Africa.
He had handled every one of the often daft questions about protocol and the best way to wear a toga with courtesy and style, while she and Molly had run themselves ragged handing out press releases and project reports on the company’s IT products and the current sponsorship programme in this part of Africa. It had almost been a relief that most of the questions had been aimed at the star of the day—all she’d had to do was stand next to Simon with Molly for the compulsory photo call.
When his arm had snaked behind her back, pressing her close to his side, her smile had become even more fixed and professional. No speaking part required, thank goodness.
Now the media crews had drifted into the dining room like locusts, for the free buffet lunch the company had provided, giving her a precious few moments to catch her breath before the official conference welcome session.
Shame that she was already exhausted and the real work had not