The Royal House Of Karedes Collection Books 1-12. Кейт Хьюит
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SILENCE. Silence, silence and more silence.
Maybe he should have gone down on bended knee, Andreas thought as the silence stretched out. Maybe he should have handed over a diamond almost as big as the missing Stefani stone.
Or maybe not. He watched a host of emotions sweeping over Holly’s face and he thought no, he had to play this straight. And he had to stay up his end of the table. For there was anger—unmistakable wrath. He didn’t want to risk another slap.
‘This is a real proposal,’ he said as the silence stretched out and the tension became almost unbearable. ‘I’d marry you in all honour.’
‘Thank you,’ she said. The words had been meant to come out as bitter sarcasm, he thought, but they broke mid try and ended up almost a frightened squeak.
‘It’s the only solution.’
‘For who? There’s two people in this equation.’
‘I could settle your father’s debts. I know you’re feeling honour bound to meet them. I could remove that pressure and more.’
That was enough to take her breath away. She pushed herself back in her chair and gazed at him as if he’d produced a hand gun. ‘How do you know?’
‘I know all about you,’ he said, forcing his voice to be gentle in the face of what seemed almost to be terror. ‘From the time we had the whisper about the baby my brother’s had investigators working round the clock.’
‘Your brother.’
‘Sebastian. Heir to the throne of Aristo. If this blows up then he loses the throne.’
‘You all lose the throne,’ she whispered.
‘My siblings and I are mere princes and princesses.’
‘Mere,’ she said, mocking now. She pushed herself to her feet. ‘Don’t do this, Andreas. You can’t buy me.’
‘I knew ten years ago that I couldn’t buy you,’ he said ruefully. ‘Do you remember I asked you to continue to be my mistress?’
‘And do you remember my answer? I would have thought you could still feel it.’
‘I do,’ he said ruefully and touched his ear—an ear that many years ago had been soundly boxed. ‘But this isn’t then, Holly, and it’s not an affair I’m asking. I’m offering marriage.’
‘And I’m supposed to be flattered. You haul me here—’
‘Why don’t we forget about the kidnapping?’
‘Why don’t we?’ she jeered. ‘Four thugs drag me forcibly from my home and dump me here and then you calmly propose marriage… Yeah, forget the first bit, think, Ooh, the great Prince Andreas of Karedes has asked me to marry him, swoon, swoon, of course, Your Majesty, how could you ever think I could refuse?’
‘You don’t think that maybe you’re getting carried away here,’ he asked dryly. ‘It wouldn’t be that bad.’
‘Christina got out of the marriage pretty fast. How many women did you have on the side while you were married to her?’
‘These things are understood—’
‘In royal marriages,’ she snapped. ‘Not the marriages I know.’
‘What marriages? The one-sided affair your parents had? And you… How much experience have you had? And you’re hardly likely to marry for love now.’
Uh oh.
She’d moved behind her chair and was holding onto it as if she needed its support. Her knuckles were so stretched he could see the white of the bone under her taut skin. Maybe he’d gone too far…
‘So I’m an old maid as well as everything else,’ she hissed. ‘A fallen woman; a spinster past my use-by date. Expected to fall on my knees in gratitude at your very generous offer.’
‘Look,’ he said, trying hard to figure how to placate her. She was breathing too fast. Her breasts were heaving with indignation and her face was flushed with fury. How to really mess up a proposal… He had to get this back on track. ‘Holly, we really need it.’
‘You know, I can’t figure out even that,’ she said. ‘You took me to bed when I was seventeen and that can’t be changed by anything we do now.’
‘No, but I can be seen as honourable,’ he told her. ‘If it’s only a matter of time before reporters talk to your mother then it has to be a fait accompli. When the first accusation comes I need to be able to say yes, it’s a shock that I fathered a son. I can’t understand why Holly didn’t tell me. We were romantic kids. However now I’ve found out, of course I’ll do the honourable thing. Luckily I’m single again, so I can give her my hand in marriage.’
‘She doesn’t want it,’ she snapped.
‘Why not?’ It was a harsh, loaded question and it brought the silence back. She stared across the table at him as if he were an alien—as if she’d never seen him before in her life.
‘Because I’m free,’ she managed at last and it was such an unexpected response that it was his turn to stare.
‘Pardon?’
She closed her eyes. ‘Okay, Andreas. I’m trying to get my head round this. You need to do the honourable thing. Marry me. But that means I’d be in the royal fishbowl.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘You know, when you used to tell me about your life back here, the money you had at your disposal, every indulgence, parties, women, luxury beyond belief, I wasn’t even jealous. You know what I thought? I thought poor little rich boy. Maybe that was even why I fell into bed with you. I felt sorry for you.’
‘Sorry,’ he said, astounded.
‘I’ve seen what can happen to royalty,’ she said. ‘It gives me the horrors. I want to walk down the street and buy a can of baked beans and a packet of Tim Tams for dinner, any time I want.’
‘Baked beans?’ The conversation had suddenly headed at a tangent he couldn’t follow. Candlelight. Fireflies. A soft warm wind. A wedding proposal. And the talk had turned to baked beans.
‘What would happen if you want baked beans for dinner?’ she demanded.
‘I wouldn’t,’ he said, revolted.
‘We’re playing make-believe here. Indulge me.’
‘I’d ask Sophia…’
‘Right. You’d order baked beans from your domestic staff. And Sophia would raise her eyebrows and say “What does Prince Andreas want with baked beans?” But of course your wish is her command so she’d write the royal shopping list and servants would go to one of those shops with the fancy insignia saying Suppliers to Royalty. And the shop assistants would have a chat about why you want baked beans and what are Tim Tams anyway, and when they find out then they’d say why doesn’t Prince Andreas buy local food. Maybe Aristo produces excellent chocolate cookies, so why aren’t you supporting local industry? Maybe it’d even make the papers.’
‘You’ve thought this all through,’ he said, puzzled. ‘You’ve thought about your life as a royal bride. Does that mean you’ve thought of marrying me before?’
She stared across the table at him and her expression changed. The anger was replaced with confusion.
‘How dare you?’ she whispered at last.
‘You have thought of marrying me?’
‘I carried your child for nine