Page 36 of Royal Darling
She tosses her napkin down, turns, and marches toward the stairs. “Jackson stays and so am I!”
All eyes turn to me.
The woman gives me no choice with that dramatic exit. I can’t let her down. “Right then, I’m staying.”
My gaze locks with Emma’s for an intense moment, and then the doorbell chimes, breaking the spell. Her family exchange worried looks. This place is too remote for a random stranger to show up.
Viktor rushes to the door, one guard goes to the king and queen, and the other guard to Emma. Oliver must still be outside.
Viktor steps into the dining room a few minutes later and says to Gabriel, “Your Majesty, Crown Prince Abdul is here. He’s left his guards in the car and is unarmed. He would like a private word with Emma.”
The color drains from Emma’s face.
10
Emma
My anger at my overbearing family, the brief joy of knowing Jackson wants to stay with me, all of that tangled emotion leaves me in a rush, replaced with sheer panic. My breathing accelerates, my legs tingling with the need to flee. I must calm. I must deal with Abdul. I had planned on working out a formal apology with just the right words to save face for Abdul and his family. There’s no time. I glance at Jackson still seated at the dining room table. He jerks his chin at me, his eyes sympathetic.
Gabriel rises from his seat, his jaw rigid. “Did he follow us here? How did he know our destination?”
Viktor replies simply, “He greased some palms, sir.”
Gabriel slams his hands on his hips. “How secure can we feel when there are people in our inner circle willing to divulge information in exchange for cash?”
“It was low-level employees at both the French and Italian airports, sir,” Viktor says. “Not a staff member. This is why we have a personal security detail as well, sir.”
“Is it safe for Emma to speak to him privately?” Anna asks Viktor.
Viktor nods once. “I will be in the room, Your Majesty. I suggest you finish your dinner in the kitchen. It’s the safest place in the house on the remote chance that his guards decide to leave their post in the car and take action. Oliver is with them now.”
All eyes turn to me. I need to do this. Abdul deserves as much and I need to prove to my family that I can handle myself.
I take a deep breath. “Please show him in. I will speak with him in the living room.”
“Ma’am, the entryway is the preferred safe location,” Viktor says.
“I’m not going to force the man to stand in the entryway,” I snap. “I have wronged him and the least I can do is offer him a comfortable seat.”
Viktor inclines his head. “You must sit away from the windows.”
“That is fine. Please show him in.”
My family sends me a mixture of worried and sympathetic looks before gathering their plates and heading for the kitchen. Jackson goes with them.
I go to the living room and wait by the chair furthest from the window. A moment later, Abdul strides in with Viktor by his side. Abdul’s expression is strained but not furious. His normally neatly parted dark brown hair is disheveled like he ran his fingers through it, and there’s stubble on his face. I fear he’s taken our parting to heart.
I close the distance between us. “Hello, Abdul, I’m glad you came. Please have a seat in the living room with me. Would you like a drink?”
“No, thank you,” he bites out.
I turn and head for the chair I’d chosen earlier and indicate the adjacent sofa for him. Viktor stands next to my chair, his gaze averted. He’s tuned in while giving us privacy.
“Must we have your guard?” Abdul asks. “This is a private conversation.”
“I’m afraid your unexpected arrival has put my guards on alert. Please know that he is most discreet and would never reveal anything said between us unless I was in danger.”
Abdul exhales sharply, glaring at Viktor.
