wondering if she had heard his question. The only time he had been able to hold her was when they’d been required to perform the bridal waltz. He had been surprised at how fragile she had felt in his arms and how narrow her waist was as she had danced holding herself stiffly away from him. She had lost weight over the past weeks and a raw edge of concern worried at his gut.
“Lara? I think we can safely leave now,” he said, moving his head closer to hers.
“Yes. I think so,” she responded, her voice dull and lifeless.
He frowned. Is this what it’s going to be like? I have married this lovely creature only to have her transformed into the unhappiest woman on earth. Have I made such a terrible mistake? He didn’t think so but…
It took another half an hour to say their goodbyes before they could finally escape. Tomorrow they would fly to Australia but he puzzled as to whether she would want to go, the way she suddenly clung to her mother.
The bridal suite within the palace was warm and inviting. An open fire roared in the huge fireplace taking the chill from the cold evening. There was a magnificent four-poster bed with soft, subtle drapes surrounding it and beyond the bedroom, the suite expanded into a lounge plus two adjoining bathrooms and walk-in robes.
“This is normally kept for visiting royalty,” she remarked as she tossed her tiny jeweled bag on to the bed.
“Well, you are visiting royalty.” Jack smiled at her as he loosened his tie. “God, I’ll be glad to get out of this suit.”
Lara stood silently in the middle of the room as he checked out the bottle of champagne set in a silver ice bucket on a side table together with a plate of beautifully arranged strawberries.
“Would you like a glass of champagne?”
“No, thank you.”
He turned to stare at her. She appeared to be frozen in time. His Ice Princess. Was she afraid of him and if so, why? What had changed so much? Sure, it had been a rough few days—well, even weeks he conceded, but they were married now. He decided attack might be the best method to jolt her out of this strange mood.
“What’s the matter? We can legally have sex now, Lara. I though you would be leaping into bed waiting for me.”
Faint color rose in her pale cheeks but her words were cutting when she replied, “You’d better get on with it then. The sooner you impregnate me and we produce an heir, the sooner we can separate.”
Eleven
Lara bit her lip at the expression on Jack’s face. He was shocked. She had horrified him by her rude and callous remark. Oh, Jack, I didn’t mean it. I only want you to love me…just a little. Say you love me.
“I think we’ll forget you ever said that,” he replied at last, moving toward her. “Are you tired?”
“Yes.”
He touched her arm and she flinched, immediately regretting her action when she saw the fleeting hurt in his eyes.
“Lara, we are both exhausted. It’s been a long and nerve-racking day. How about we just go to bed…to sleep.”
Almost sagging with relief, she nodded. He was right, as usual. She was exhausted. Every muscle ached with tiredness and tension. She would have a shower and lie in that bed and sleep. Glancing at the bed, she saw her nightdress, all lace and frills, arranged carefully across her pillow. It was a huge bed. They could sleep without touching. Besides, she could see her tiredness mirrored in his drawn face.
If she had found the day a trial, then what must it have been like for him a straight forward man who, today, had faced every royal protocol imaginable, plus meeting hundreds of strangers all of whom would have been surreptitiously analyzing him. He had handled everything with eloquence and dignity. She had been so proud of him, the handsome man who was now her husband.
“I can’t undo my dress. I’ll need to ring for a maid,” she said, reaching to pick up the telephone.
He placed a hand over hers, stopping the action. “No. You don’t need a maid, Your Highness. I’m quite capable of undoing a few buttons. Turn around.”
Obediently turning her back toward him, she closed her eyes at the light touch of his fingers against her neck as he undid the tiny pearl buttons.
“When we’re in Australia, you won’t have a personal maid waiting on you hand and foot, Lara.”
Was she