of people,’ Augustus said next. ‘He always knows. He can describe whatever it is you’re wearing.’
‘So he’s observant.’
‘It’s more than that.’
‘I disagree. Maybe he’s wanted me a time or two, I’ll give him that. But only for sport, and only because he couldn’t have me.’ She plucked the form letter from the desk and folded it so that the offending words were hidden. ‘No, Augustus. It’s a smart offer. Theo’s a smart man. I can see exactly what kind of political gain is in it for him. But there’s nothing in it for me. Nothing I want.’
‘I hear you,’ Augustus replied quietly.
‘Good.’ She sent her brother a tight smile. ‘Maybe I’ll send a form letter refusal. Dear Applicant, After careful consideration I regret to inform you that your proposal has been unsuccessful. Better luck next time.’
‘That would be inviting him to try again. This is Theo, remember?’
‘You’re right.’ Moriana reconsidered her words. ‘Better luck elsewhere?’
‘Yes.’ Her brother smiled but his eyes remained clouded with concern. ‘Moriana—’
‘Don’t,’ she snapped. ‘Don’t you try and guilt me into doing this.’
‘I’m not. You’re free to choose. Free to be. Free to discover who and what makes you happy.’
‘Good. Good chat. I should bare my soul to you more often.’
Augustus shuddered.
Moriana rounded her brother’s imposing desk and kissed the top of his head, mainly because she knew such a blatant display of affection would irritate him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I like what Theo’s doing for his country. I applaud the progress and stability he’s bringing to the region and I want it to continue. There’s plenty to admire about him these days, and if I thought he actually liked me or that there was any chance he could meet my needs I’d marry him and make the most of it. I don’t need to be swept off my feet. But this time I do want attention and affection and fidelity in return for my service. Love even, heaven forbid. And that’s not Theo’s wheelhouse.’
Augustus, reigning King of Arun and brother to Moriana the Red, watched as his sister turned on her boot heel and headed for the door.
‘Moriana.’ It was easier to talk to her retreating form than say it to her face. ‘I do love you, you know. I want you to be happy.’
Her step faltered, but she didn’t look back as she closed the door behind her.
Augustus, worst brother in the world, put his hands to his face and breathed deeply before reaching for the phone on his desk.
He didn’t know, he couldn’t be sure if Theo had stayed on the line or not, but still...the option to do so had been there.
Mistake.
He picked up the phone and listened for a moment but there was only silence. ‘You still there?’ he asked finally.
‘Yes.’
Damn. ‘I wish you hadn’t heard that.’
‘She’s magnificent.’ A thousand miles away, King Theodosius of Liesendaach let out a breath and ran a hand through his short-cropped hair. He had the fair hair and blue-grey eyes of his forefathers, the build of a warrior and no woman had ever refused him. Until now. He didn’t know whether to be insulted or to applaud. ‘The stable boy? Really?’
‘I wish I hadn’t heard that.’ Augustus sounded weary. ‘What the hell are you doing, sending her a form letter marriage proposal? I thought you wanted her co-operation.’
‘I do want her co-operation. I will confess, I wasn’t expecting quite that much no in response.’
‘You thought she’d fall all over the offer.’
‘I thought she’d at least consider it.’
‘She did.’ Augustus’s tone was dry—very dry. ‘When’s the petition for your removal from the throne being tabled?’
‘Week after next, assuming my uncle gets the support he needs. He’s close.’ The petition was based on a clause in Liesendaach’s constitution that enabled a monarch who had no intention of marrying and producing an heir to be removed from the throne. The clause hadn’t been enforced in over three hundred years.
‘You need a plan B,’ said Augustus.
‘I have a plan B. It involves talking to your sister in person.’
‘You heard her. She’s not interested.’
‘Stable boy,’ Theo grated. ‘Dissolute film star. Would you rather she took up with them?’
‘Why are you any more worthy? A damn form letter, Theo.’ Augustus appeared to be working up to a snit of his own. ‘Couldn’t you have at least shown up? I thought you cared for her. I honestly thought you cared for her more than you ever let on, otherwise I would have never encouraged this.’
‘I do care for her.’ She was everything a future queen of Liesendaach should be. Poised, competent, politically aware and beautiful. Very, very beautiful. He’d dragged his heels for years when it came to providing Liesendaach with a queen.
And now Moriana, Princess of Arun, was free.
Her anger at her current situation had nothing on Theo’s when he thought of how much time they’d wasted. ‘Your sister put herself on hold for a man who didn’t want her, and you—first as her brother, and then as her King—did nothing to either expedite or dissolve that commitment. All those years she spent sidelined and waiting. All her hard-won self-confidence dashed by polite indifference. Do you care for her? Has Casimir ever given a damn? Because from where I sit, neither of you could have cared for her any less. I may not love her the way she wants to be loved. Frankly, I don’t love anyone like that and never have. But at least I notice her existence.’
Silence from the King of Arun.
‘You miscalculated with the form letter,’ Augustus said finally.
‘So it would seem,’ Theo gritted out.
‘I advise you to let her cool down before you initiate any further contact.’
‘No. Why do you never let your sister run hot?’ Even as a child he’d hated seeing Moriana’s fiery spirit squashed beneath the weight of royal expectations. And, later, it was one of the reasons he fought with her so much. Not the only one—sexual frustration had also played its part. But when he and Moriana clashed, her fire stayed lit. He liked that.
‘I need to see her.’ Theo ran a hand through his already untidy hair. ‘I’m not asking you to speak with her on my behalf. I’ve already heard you do exactly that and, by the way, thanks for nothing. What kind of diplomat are you? Yes, I’m being pressured to marry and produce heirs. That’s not an argument I would have led with.’
‘I didn’t lead with it. I mentioned it in passing.
