Page 95 of Duty and Desire

At last he sighed. “What we had was real. I know that now.”

His use of the past tense was the final nail to be hammered home.

“But I still say you can’t marry this Princess Karoline.” He bit his lip. “I asked Claudia what she was like.”

“You’ll be able to judge for yourself. She arrived yesterday, although I don’t think your paths will cross much.”

I’d see to that.

He stilled. “I’m not sure I want to meet her.”

“There’s going to be a ball here next week. Karoline is the guest of honor. Claudia will be invited. I can invite you too.”

“I’ll think about it.” He paused. “Can I attend the funeral? I know I never met them, but that isn’t why I’ll be there.”

“Then why?”

He smiled. “To support you. So you’ll know someone in the crowd of mourners cares for you.”

I ached to touch him, to kiss him, to be held by him.

“I think that would make me happy.” I let out a sigh. “And now we’d better go back inside. Any longer, and tongues will wag.”

And word will get back to Karoline.

“You’re okay with me staying here?”

I smiled. “Yes.”

Even if your room is far from mine, I can’t spend a single night with you, or look at you the way I want…

Maybe that was for the best.

I needed to get used to my new reality.

Chapter Thirty-One

May 26

Gio

The hardest part about staying in the palace?

Pretending not to know Nick as intimately as I did.

I sat through dinner, just the three of us, but the conversation felt stilted, as though each of us was wary of being overheard. I was dying to ask where his bride-to-be was, but I didn’t dare.

I still wasn’t sure I wanted to meet her.

There was an atmosphere, nothing I could put my finger on, but I felt it everywhere, a weight on my shoulders I couldn’t get rid of, no matter how much I tried to shake it off.

Nick was quiet, and I told myself that was because of the funeral the following day. When the meal was over, and coffee appeared, Claudia leaned back in her chair.

“This ball I’m invited to next week… Will I need to go shopping for a new dress?”

Nick managed a smile. “Wear the one you wore when Rudolf became Crown Prince. It was a beautiful shade of teal, I recall.”

She gave a mock gasp. “Half the fun of attending a ball is shopping for it. Would you deprive me of that? And besides, you speak as though I brought it with me. It’s hanging in my closet in the US.”

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