Page 29 of The Duke's Virgin

“I only got her first name, Geraint. I don’t know anything more about her than the fact that she’s American and visiting Monaco on vacation.” Part of me felt bad for lying to him, but I’d made a big enough mistake sleeping with somebody who had even a tangential connection to the royal family of Monaco.

I didn’t need Geraint to point my mistake out as well.

I picked up my fork to focus on my plate. “She has no idea who I am, either. We’ll never see each other again.”

Geraint’s brows shot up.

Before he could form a question, our father strode in.

I started to rise, but he waved me back into my seat.

One of the servants rushed to the table, pulling out a seat while another set a place for him. “Would you care for a plate, Your Highness?”

“Just coffee, thank you.” He smiled and nodded, and once we were alone, he looked me over. “I hear your car did well in the race.”

“Yes.” I allowed a pleased smile.

“Your mother watched.” He had a bemused look on his face. “She’s developing a small obsession with the sport.”

“I’ll have to ask her to join me some weekend.”

Now the bemusement melted away into a faint smile, and Gottfried Hahn, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg nodded. “She’d enjoy that. Did you spend much time talking with Prince Aeric?”

My mind immediately went to Stacia. Taking a sip of water, I said, “I talked to him a bit, but you know how those parties are, Papa. He was very much in demand.”

“Of course.” He grimaced. “I can’t say I’m sorry your mother and I no longer attend the more…rambunctious social functions.”

“Does that mean I have to have a staid and low-key wedding reception?”

The Grand Duke flicked a look at his youngest son. To my surprise, he chuckled. “I’ve come to know your young fiancée well enough to understand that she won’t toleratestaidanything, Geraint.”

I had to agree. It wouldn’t necessarily even be by design. Katrina Von Brandt simply brought the world around her to life.

Geraint smiled at our father, looking pleased.

A cup of coffee was placed at the duke’s elbow, and he took a sip before shifting his attention back to me. “You know we’ve been seeking to strengthen trade with other countries, particularly Liechtenstein and Monaco. With the upcoming marriage…” He lifted his cup toward Geraint before looking back to me. “And your friendship with Prince Aeric, it seems like the best time to move forward with the plans. I’m hosting a dinner on Friday that you’ll both need to attend. Prince Aeric and others from Monaco will be there, as well as the royal family from Liechtenstein.”

“Understood, Papa.” I waited, wondering if he had anything in mind he wanted me to do to prepare.

But he pushed back from the table and rose, taking his coffee with him.

Once he was well out of ear range, I looked at Geraint. “I can’t bethatdistracted. Our father didn’t even notice.”

“Like that means anything.” He gave me a sardonic smile. “He loves us, of course, but we’d have to be bleeding, have severely disfiguring injuries, or be on fire for him to notice something was off. Distracted because of a woman? Never going to happen.”

There was no point in arguing that. He was right.

Nine

Stacia

No matterhow often I traveled, I could never manage to pack in such a way that left plenty of room for all the stuff I bought. I’d even brought along anemptysuitcase—a packed carry-on tucked in the larger, matching full-sized piece of luggage. But was that piece enough?

Of course not.

A knock at my door interrupted my mental calculations, and I glanced over to see Aeric standing there.

He cocked a brow and looked around. “Are you having trouble?”

---