‘How on earth did you get it at such short notice?’
‘It was closed for maintenance—I made it worth the owners’ while to postpone the work.’
A woman walked towards them, a smile on her face, her white and green sari very much in keeping with the verdant backdrop.
‘Your Highness. Welcome. I am Deepali and I will be looking after you during your stay. Your staff have been settled in and your suites are ready, if you will follow me. I will show you your rooms and then I thought you may wish to have an evening drink by the pool before dinner. There are menus in your rooms—just call through when you are ready.’
‘That sounds wonderful,’ Sunita said. ‘And thank you so much for making this available at such short notice.’
Minutes later she was looking around a sumptuous suite. ‘It’s beautiful...’
But it was more than that—it was quirky and cosy, with its warm aura countered by the cool of the tiled floor. The sitting area boasted comfy overstuffed armchairs, where she could imagine curling up with a book and a cup of coffee, or simply gazing at the courtyard outside, resplendent with shrubbery. Two steps led down to the bedroom, where a luxurious wooden bed sprawled against decadent red walls.
Her suitcases had been deposited by a large lacquered wardrobe and she opened one, needing the confidence fresh clothes would give her. A floaty dress with a vivid bird print gave her instant cheer, and as she made her way out to the courtyard she allowed herself to revel in the sound of kingfishers and the sight and scent of the opulent lilies in the ornate pond.
Frederick sat on a recliner chair, a frosted beer bottle on the small table behind him and his blond head slightly tipped back to absorb the rays of the evening sun. Her breath caught as her gaze snagged on the strong line of his throat, the strength of his jaw—Adonis could eat his heart out.
But enough voyeurism...
He turned as she approached and smiled, and for a moment the clock turned back, transported her to two years before, when that smile had quite literally bewitched her, causing her to forget common sense and every promise she’d made herself.
Not this time. This time she had her sensible head on.
So she forced her toes to uncurl and sat down next to him, stretched her legs out and exhaled. ‘This is a fabulous place.’ She swiped a sideways glance at him. ‘And you’ve surprised me.’ Again.
‘Why?’
‘It’s not what I expected.’
‘What did you expect?’
‘Something busier—a five-star hotel on the beach, with a nightclub.’
‘Is that what you wanted?’
‘No.’
‘I told you, Sunita, I’ve changed. Plus, this time needs to be for you and me. No distractions. You wanted to get to know me better. Here I am.’
So he was—and the thought had her reaching for the lime drink she’d ordered.
She needed to focus on the practical—on need-to-know, real-life information.
‘I need to know what our marriage would mean on a day-to-day level for Amil. What it will be like for him to grow up in a palace, as a Lycander prince. Right now it feels surreal.’
‘The state apartments are a bit more opulent than your average home, I suppose, but otherwise his childhood will be what we make it.’
‘Will he go to a nursery?’
‘I don’t see why not—there will be a certain level of security arrangements, but I can’t see a problem with that.’
‘And he’ll have friends round to play?’
How she’d craved friendship as a child—but there had been no one. Her mixed race heritage, the fact that she was illegitimate, the fact that her mother was a model, had all combined to make school a miserable place of isolation for her. She knew exactly what a solitary childhood could be like, and she didn’t want that for her son.
‘Yup. Again, subject to security vetting.’
‘Is that how it worked for you?’
She sensed the tension in his body.
‘It isn’t relevant how it was for me,’ he said.
He had to be kidding. ‘Of course it is. You are a prince who grew up in a palace. You want Amil to do the same. So, did you make friends, have kids round to play? Were you treated differently?’
Discomfort showed as he shifted on his seat, picked his beer up and put it down again without even taking a sip. ‘My life...my younger brothers’ lives...weren’t as straightforward as I hope Amil’s will be. There weren’t that many opportunities for us to make normal friends. It was better for Axel, because my father sent him to boarding school, and—’
Whoa! ‘That is not happening to Amil. I will not send him away.’
‘I won’t rule that out.’
‘Yes, you will. I don’t care if every Crown Prince since the Conquest was sent to boarding school. Amil isn’t going.’
‘That is not why I would do it.’ Frustration seeped into his tone. ‘In fact, I didn’t say I would do it. It is simply a possibility I will consider in the future.’
‘No.’
His voice tightened. ‘Different children thrive in different conditions. Axel was educated at boarding school and it didn’t do him any harm. I spent a term there and I loved it.’
‘In which case, why did you leave?’
‘Because my father changed his mind.’
‘He must have had a reason.’
‘I’m sure he did.’
Despite the even tone of his voice she could sense evasion.
‘Do you know what it was?’
‘My father’s attitude to my education was a little hit and miss. Axel went to boarding school, but the rest of us... We had tutors some of the time, attended a term of local school here and there, or we ran wild. For my father, education wasn’t a priority—in the palace or in the principality as a whole. I will change that, but it will take time—that’s why I won’t rule out boarding school if it is right for Amil.’
‘That is my decision.’
‘Amil is our son. We will make decisions about his future. Not you or me. Us—together.’
‘And what happens if we don’t agree?’
‘Then we find a compromise.’
‘There is no compromise between boarding school and not boarding school.
