Page 47 of Pregnant In The King's Palace

‘Yesterday.’

‘And who took the photo?’

His secretary grimaced. ‘One of our security personnel. They’ve been relieved of their post, Your Majesty.’

Betrayed by someone whose job it had been to protect him and Angelique. It had happened to him before and would happen again. Never got any easier to bear. ‘Good. Cancel my conference duties and tell my driver I’m going to see Angelique this morning.’

‘Your Majesty, shall I alert Ms Cordova as to your imminent arrival?’

‘No.’

‘I can accompany you,’ his sister began.

‘No.’

‘But—’

‘I’m not angry.’ He spoke true. ‘I’m disappointed by the gross invasion of privacy, but it happens. People get greedy. As for the insinuation that I’m not the one who is the father, those rumours have been circulating since the beginning.’ He waved his hand towards the paper. ‘Take it away. There’s nothing new to see.’ Except Angelique’s spectacularly bad judgment and choice of friends to snuggle into, a little voice inside his head suggested helpfully. And the jealousy threatening to cloud his eyesight with a blood-red haze if he had to look at the picture for one more second.

His secretary beat a hasty retreat. His sister stayed, her gaze concerned. ‘Do I have to remind you that our father’s temper was not his best feature?’ she asked, and that itself was warning enough.

‘Do you see me frothing at the mouth?’

‘No, but I see the look in your eyes. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather cool down before you speak with Angelique?’

Go take yet another dip in surging, freezing cold water in an attempt to get a handle on his emotions? He wasn’t angry. Not in the hot-headed way that usually assailed him. This anger was cold and patient and aimed directly at those who would destroy the best thing that had ever happened to him. ‘No.’

‘Should I come with you?’

‘To see my beloved?’ That earned him a hard glare. ‘No.’

‘Just don’t say anything you’re going to regret.’

‘You mean like ask why she placed herself in such a compromising position in the first place?’ He mirrored his sister’s dark glare right back at her. ‘She doesn’t know life beneath the microscope yet. As you say...she’ll learn.’

Angelique was sitting at her dressing table of her small side bedroom when he arrived, and he stood in the doorway a moment and watched as she played with the engagement ring he’d given her weeks ago. She looked as beautiful as he’d ever seen her, all soft femininity and flawless features. Beautiful and unutterably sad at the sight of his ring.

Any small sliver of anger at the thought of her hugging the polo player evaporated, replaced by concern for her well-being. If she’d seen this morning’s paper she already knew what her unscripted hug had cost them.

He watched as her gaze found his in the mirror, full of misery and wordless apology.

Guess she had seen it.

‘Put it on,’ he said, and she shook her head as if she would deny him.

He softened his voice and vowed to keep his cool. ‘Put it on and tell me what happened, and if I can fix it, I will.’

‘You can’t fix it. You’d have to fix me.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘I didn’t mean to get so upset that Enrique felt he had to comfort me.’ She still hadn’t put the ring on. ‘He’s a good player. With them, he’ll be the best. They couldn’t have gone to a better home.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I sold my polo ponies.’

He didn’t understand.

‘Didn’t make sense to keep them.’ Her smile wobbled. ‘I’m pregnant. I’m going to be something else from now on. What use did I have for them? I just didn’t think it’d be so hard. I was there when every one of them were born. I delivered half of them, nurtured them. All my father’s knowledge and mine went into selecting them to keep. They were my companions and my confidants. My identity. Mine. All gone. Paid for in cash by the highest suitable bidder.’

Her sacrifice threatened to split him open with the force of his feelings. She’d given up everything for him, to be with him, even her beloved horses, and his people had repaid her with slander and rejection. ‘You didn’t have to sell them.’

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