Page 59 of Stolen Princess's Secret

He looked to Cas. Tomas had no intention of giving up his place for the other man but, y’know... King. ‘I’ll tell her you’re here. I’ll tell her you’re all here.’

‘Go,’ said Cas. ‘Get in there.’

Everything was so white when it came to hospital rooms and beds. It wasn’t soothing, thought Claudia. It wasn’t soothing at all, but she was in good hands, the doctor kept telling her. The best hands in the country were here and if she could stay put for even one more week, with her baby in her belly, the baby would benefit. Partial placental abruption was manageable. In her case, continuous external foetal monitoring of the foetal heartbeat was recommended.

No problem.

Whatever she had to do, she’d do it.

The door opened and Tomas stepped in and she willed her heart to stop beating faster at the sight of him. He looked at the machines she was hooked up to, paying particular attention to the heartbeat monitor.

‘That’s our baby’s heartbeat,’ she told him. ‘She’s okay for now.’

‘She?’

‘Oh. I actually don’t know. The technician who did the ultrasound absolutely knows but I didn’t ask. She, he, either way, I’ll be happy and grateful.’

‘I love you,’ he said. ‘I’ll be saying that more often.’

Brilliant.

‘I’ll be staying here until this baby is born,’ she said. ‘Doctor’s orders.’

Her favourite falconer in the whole wide world digested that news with the shrug of his very capable shoulders. ‘Makes two of us. I’ll be here when you go to sleep of a night and I’ll be here when you wake up each morning. You don’t like waking up alone in strange places.’

She looked to the doctor. ‘Can that...?’

‘Be arranged? Of course. We can move you to a double room with a window view. Of course, there should be no intercourse between now and the birth.’ Tomas looked scandalised. The doctor looked apologetic but resolute. ‘It is my duty to state that.’

Rock-solid Tomas said, ‘Thank you, Doctor,’ and looked to Claudia. ‘I love you and you need me. Which is the only reason I haven’t completely lost my mind yet.’

‘I will always need you,’ she said.

‘Thank you,’ he said again. ‘That’s very useful.’

He was so delicious. ‘I’m confident this is going to end well for us.’

‘I love you,’ he said again. ‘It bears repeating. Repetition is very effective in a learning environment.’

‘You’re the falconer,’ she murmured. ‘By all means, prime me to fly into your arms. You probably don’t even need to use food.’

The doctor snorted and the attendant who’d done the ultrasound covered her smile by way of rubbing her hand across the lower half of her face.

‘Moving on,’ said the doctor. ‘I’ll go and brief the King and Queen and the northern lord who’s out there in the waiting room with them and then see about a room change, and someone will arrive in due course to take down your dietary requirements.’

‘No hospital food will be necessary,’ said Tomas. ‘The palace considers poisoning a high risk. There will be guards. There will be food coming in from outside. You’ll meet Rudolpho. He’ll organise everything and you will endure.’

‘Because they love me to bits.’ Saved Tomas having to say it, but he was nodding most seriously.

‘Yes. Yes, we do. Isn’t it obvious?’

‘Very,’ said the doctor with a wink in Claudia’s direction. ‘Claudia, I’ll leave it to you to keep your loved ones in check. May I suggest no falcons, no parades, no dinner parties in your room and no press? If you think of anything else I need to ban, let me know.’

‘Thank you, Doctor.’

And then it was just her and Tomas, with his mighty heart packed full of love to give. ‘You don’t really have to stay here with me until I have this baby, you realise. At some point I fully expect you to come to your senses.’

‘I don’t think so.’ Gently implacable was his stance.

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