Page 112 of Duty and Desire

Nick stared back at her. “You know who he is. Giovanni Colonna, aka G. Meyer, an American author.”

“That was not my meaning. Who is he to you? Because it is now clear to me the pair of you are not strangers as I was led to believe.”

He claimed my hand. “He’s the man I love.”

The way I felt right then, I could have conquered the world.

Nick squared his shoulders. “My cabinet may decree who I marry, but they can’t choose who I fall in love with. And before you say another word, let me assure you that with the exception of a couple of people, no one else knows about this.”

She frowned. “Unfortunately, that’s not true. Not anymore.” She held out a tablet.

Nick took it, and froze.

“What is it?” I demanded. I peered at the screen?—

To see photos of Nick, on the island. A stock photo of me.

And a headline.

King Nikolaus’s Secret Gay Relationship.

Chapter Thirty-Six

June 5

Nick

My heart sank. “Where was this published?” I scanned the page. Whoever had written it had outlined details of times Gio and I had been together—in bars, restaurants…

We didn’t hide a thing, did we?

We’d thought we were safe.

“I saw it ten minutes ago. So far it seems to have been posted on only one site.” She frowned. “I’ve already shown it to the Prime Minister. He and other members of your cabinet are waiting for you in the Council chamber.”

Cold spread through me. “Now? But the ball?—”

“We’ll make excuses for your absence, and I’ll see to it that there’s plenty of champagne for your guests. But we must deal with this immediately, Your Majesty. Because this could be disastrous.”

I gaped at her. “I think that’s a mild assessment of the situation, don’t you?”

And right then, wherever he was, my father was probably raging at me todosomething.

“The journalist… His name wouldn’t be Hans Hasler, would it?” Gio asked.

Daniela froze. “How do you know that?”

I jerked my head in his direction. “Youknowthis man?”

Gio nodded, his expression miserable. “He was sniffing around after you left, asking a lot of questions.”

“How much did he pay you for the story?” Daniela demanded.

I gave her a scornful glance. “Gio wouldneverbetray me in that way.”

I knew that with every cell, nerve, and fiber.

“Well, someone did. But this is not the place for such a discussion.” She gestured toward the palace. “Your Majesty.”

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