of her father, family and country had been worth it. Her tongue felt thick, heavy, so she nodded.
“A lesser man might not have recovered from such a tragedy,” Enrique continued.
She appreciated the admiration in his words. “My father is a king. He is a strong man. He mourned my mother’s death, but he remarried less than a year later. He needed a male heir. I was a young child who needed a mother.”
“Understandable.”
Jules wondered if that meant Enrique would do the same should she die. Probably. “La Isla de la Aurora seems more progressive than Aliestle.”
“It is, though we are a little old-fashioned about a few things,” Enrique said. “Do not worry. I intend to make sure you like it here, Julianna.
His words fed her growing hopes. She gathered her courage. “My father said you would decide whether I could sail on the ocean after we are married. You told Alejandro we couldn’t sail right now. Does that mean you’ve given some thought to my sailing after our wedding?”
“Your father also discussed this with me. I’ve already made my decision.”
Her heart raced. She held her breath.
Please, oh, please. Say yes.
Enrique squeezed her hand again. “Sailing on the sea is too dangerous.”
Jules felt as if someone had wrapped a line around her heart and pulled hard. She had to make him understand, to see how important this was to her. “I am a careful sailor. I would never take undue risks.”
“You are on the ocean. Weather can change. No one, not even the best sailors in the world, can remove all the risk.”
She understood that. She wasn’t a complete idiot.
Desperate to make this work she sought another test. “Sailing is a pleasurable leisure activity. Something we could do together in our free time.”
“I don’t have a lot of free time.”
“It wouldn’t have to be that often. Only once in a while.”
“We may have just met, but I must admit I understand your father’s concerns.” Enrique spoke to her as if she were a child. “You are to be the mother of my children, my wife, my queen. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you as it did your mother.”
Disappointment settled in the center of Jules’s chest, but she didn’t allow her shoulders to slump. Being here was still better than Aliestle. “So I’m only allowed to sail on lakes and rivers?”
“I’ve seen what sailing has done to my brother. The sport killed your mother. Once we are married, I do not want you to sail again.”
The air rushed from Jules lungs. Tears stung her eyes. She clutched the railing. “But I’ve always been able to sail. Just not on the ocean.”
“That was your father’s decision. This is mine.”
No! Her chest tightened. This was so much worse than she imagined. It wasn’t only the sailing. The tone of Enrique’s voice told her she would be exchanging her controlling father for a controlling husband. Her freedom would be curtailed here, too.
“Don’t look so disappointed,” Enrique chided. “This isn’t personal. I’m not trying to be cruel.”
“What are you trying to do then?”
“Be honest and help you,” he said. “It’s time for you to grow up and put childish things aside, Julianna. You may believe sailing is good for you, but it’s been brought to my attention that sailing brings out a wilder side in you.”
She drew back. “What have I done?”
“Kissed Prince Niko.”
“One kiss. We were engaged at the time.”
“There have been other reports,” Enrique said calmly, as if they were discussing business and not her life. “Such a pursuit is inappropriate for a future queen. You must embrace the bigger duty you’ll now have.”
Jules forced herself to breathe. Carving a new life for herself and helping Aliestle would be an uphill battle. She would be constrained here on the island, too. “What is to be my role here? My bigger duty?”
“You are to be my wife. You will provide me with heirs.”
Both of those things she’d known about. Accepted. But she doubted that was all Enrique would want from her. “And?”
“You will be a conventional princess and queen the people can respect. It’s in your best interest to do what I say and not bring any embarrassment to our name.”
Her best interest? What about their best interest? Enrique seemed to want to tell her what to do, not have a real relationship with her. How could love grow out of that?
Emotion clogged her throat.
What was she going to do?
Returning to Aliestle in disgrace and marrying a nobleman would be the worst choice for her, Brandt, her country and her future children. Doing something more drastic didn’t appeal to her, either.
Other women might run away. But if she turned her back on her responsibilities she would be exiled. Her father would keep her brothers from seeing her. Not only that, her father would also denounce her. Conditions would worsen for the women in her country. She couldn’t give up on everything she’d sacrificed her whole life for and her family.
That left one choice—going through with the wedding. Her stomach churned.
Think of the bigger picture, the future, others.
Jules would be able to help Brandt and Aliestle. Her children would have a better life and more choices on the island. Those things would make up for everything she was giving up. In time, Jules would see she made the right decision.
But right now, it still … hurt.
In an apartment on the ground floor, Alejandro tried to relax. But being back at the palace made him antsy. So did something else. Someone else …
Julianna.
Maybe she wasn’t as bad as he originally thought. She seemed different tonight, warmer and more genuine. But if that were the case, he couldn’t understand her icy facade earlier.
Not that he should be thinking about his brother’s fiancée at all.
Alejandro sat on the floor and used a laser pointer to play with the kitten. This was the same room he’d had as a teenager, though the furniture had been replaced, the floors refinished and the walls painted. The decor wasn’t the only change. Back when he’d been a teenager, a guard had always been stationed outside the back door that led to the beach path to keep him from running away. Not that a guard had been able to stop him. At least his father hadn’t posted anyone there tonight.
The kitten sprinted across the hardwood floor
