Page 27 of Pregnant In The King's Palace

‘Yes. I have a team of people dedicated to ensuring that the bulk of my press stays favourable. I can do more good when I’m seen to be above reproach.’

She snorted inelegantly. ‘I get it. I do. But your relationship with me is never going to be above reproach.’

‘People accepted my infertility, my broken engagement and my desire not to marry. Not at first, this is true, but they’re coming around to realising that my will to serve my country remains true. If we—I—made a point of emphasising the real you, maybe they’d accept you too.’

‘You’d do all this groundwork for a fling?’

‘What fling?’ He might as well bury that notion along with every last remnant of his pride. ‘I don’t know about you, but this is the happiest I’ve ever been and it’s because you’re in my world. I want to continue with this...whatever it is that we’re doing—do we really need to define it? But whatever it is, it’s not a fling. You’re important to me. The way Thallasia sees you is important to me.’

Now would be the time for Angelique to say the same to him, but she said nothing. Instead she raised her glass to her lips, but she was still here and listening and he came by his reputation for strong powers of persuasion honestly. ‘To that end—

‘What are they saying about me today?’

It was the first time he’d been interrupted in...for ever, and the hint of a smile on her lips suggested she probably knew that already. He picked up the paper in front of him and made a great show of shaking it out. ‘You’re about to reveal the whereabouts of the secret love child you bore me all those years ago.’

‘I see.’ She lowered her glass but kept her fingers on the slender stem. ‘That’s a new one. They’re assuming your father wouldn’t have taken care of that in the most brutal way possible. You lot have very short memories.’ The minute she said it, her expression changed to one of contrition. ‘Sorry. That comment was out of line. I don’t equate your father with all Thallasians, you know. I don’t see him in you.’

‘Maybe that’s because I’ve spent a lot of time and effort stamping him out. He’s not a man I wish to emulate. His behaviour towards you all those years ago brought that home most vividly. Even so, I still see parts of him in me. My temper. My...arrogance. For all that I’m more aware of it than I once was, it still rises when I’m challenged.’

‘Doesn’t everyone’s?’

‘I would not know,’ he murmured. ‘People tend not to have temper tantrums when I’m around.’ People were deferential to him. It came with the king thing and probably did him no favours at all. ‘I don’t need that from you. I like when we talk like this, when you interrupt my pontificating.’ Hell yes, she had known exactly how that might wind him up, her smirk said as much. ‘I need you to be able to speak your truth and not apologise for it—even if you’re speaking ill of my father.’

She tossed her raven mane and fixed him with a haughty stare. ‘I’ll apologise if I want to, and don’t you forget it. And now...’ She flicked a quick glance at the tabloid on the table before pushing the mess aside and planting her pert behind in its place. ‘If we’ve finished examining my press for the day, perhaps we might move on to other, more important matters. You could stop looking at the newspapers and destress instead.’ A kiss for the edge of his lips, undemanding as far as kisses went, but with the promise of more if he wanted it. ‘Would you like me to help you with that?’

‘Absolutely, by all means, help me destress.’

Everything Angelique offered only served to make him hungrier for more of her. He resented having to parcel out his time with her like a miser, having to carefully vet where he could be seen with her, and even then the ludicrous articles about her just kept coming...

‘But first I want you to consider doing an interview about literacy, about the languages you do speak, about the fact that you’re unapologetically learning to read and write Thallasian. You can do it here, but the palace will style you and organise the interview.’

‘About that arrogance,’ she murmured, but he silenced her with a kiss.

‘Please.’ He who so rarely had to justify his demands.

‘Why feed the beast? That article about me being dim will be forgotten soon enough. As for styling me, you need to stop thinking of my looks as something to be harnessed and used to make people like me. It doesn’t work like that. Usually, it makes others wary or resentful.’

‘A statement from you, then.’ He could be flexible. ‘The palace will release it.’

She ‘hmm-ed’ against his cheek. ‘How about, “I’m working hard to improve my verbal and written Thallasian, and have already started using the learning strategies shared by the adult literacy teachers and students of Loannault Community House. Next time I attend, I hope they’ll see an improvement.” Will that do?’

‘You’re good at this.’

‘For what? Staying on message?’

‘For putting up with everything that comes of being seen with me.’ He pulled away a little, the better to see her eyes. How could she stay so serene when strangers made it their mission to pick her apart in order to score a headline? But she didn’t look stressed or indignant. She looked as if she’d put it out of her head altogether and moved on to contemplating far more favourable things.

Namely him.

One elegant eyebrow rose and her lips curved in a satisfied smile.

Definitely him. ‘Am I wearing too many clothes?’ he asked.

‘In my considered opinion, always.’

She made him laugh, this woman others thought so far beneath him. She made him think there could be a safe place for him far away from palace doors, and he’d never thought that before.

‘Shirt buttons. Hurry up.’ She reached for the top one and set it free. ‘Must I do everything?’

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