‘Well, sir, they’d like to know when you plan to release it to the media?’
Jag swivelled his chair to stare out at the dusky night sky. It was orange and mauve, almost a replica of the night he’d lain with Regan by the side of the lagoon. ‘When I’m ready. I’m still not happy with the wording.’
‘The wording, sir?’
‘I don’t want there to be any fallout for Miss James. I want the responsibility for what has happened to fall on my shoulders, not hers.’
‘Admirable, Your Majesty, but it’s a bit late for that.’
Jag’s eyes narrowed as he studied his trusted aide. ‘What are you talking about?’ he asked, as fingers of unease whispered across the nape of his neck.
‘The Press have been hounding Miss James ever since she returned to America, sir. I thought that, with the release of the statement ending your engagement, that might ease up for her.’
‘What do you mean, the Press have been hounding her? I organised a full security detail to accompany Regan on the jet home. They were to keep the Press at bay for as long as necessary once she got there.’
‘Miss James took a commercial flight home, sir.’
Jag surged to his feet, every muscle in his body tight. ‘Why wasn’t I told about this?’ he asked with a deadly sense of calm.
‘Because the staff are too afraid to mention her name around you, Your Majesty.’
‘You’re not.’
‘Actually I...’ His aide flushed. ‘After I returned the ring to you I dared not saying anything again. But if you don’t mind me asking, sir, why did you let her go? I thought she was wonderful for you. All the staff did.’
Why had he let her go?
Because he hadn’t had any choice. He’d wronged her. A woman whose company he enjoyed. A woman he had come to respect abo
ve all others. A woman he had... A rush of emotion threatened to overtake him and he ruthlessly drove it back. This time, though, his formidable mind failed him. This time the emotions kept surging.
‘The heart knows what the heart wants.’
Was it possible? Had he fallen in love with Regan? Logic told him that he hadn’t spent enough time with her for that to happen but his heart wasn’t listening.
He stared at his aide as all the pieces finally fell into place. ‘Fear,’ he enunciated succinctly, reefing his jacket from the hanger near his door and striding out of his office. ‘Nothing but fear.’
* * *
‘Are they still outside?’
‘Still outside?’ Penny turned from glancing out of the sitting-room window of Regan’s apartment. ‘They’re outside, up the street, and in the trees. In fact I think there are more of them today than yesterday.’
Regan sighed. ‘I was hoping they’d have started to lose interest by now.’
‘This is ridiculous, Regan,’ Penny snapped. ‘You have to do something about it. They’ve been chasing after you like you’re an animal. It’s terrible.’
‘I know. But what can I do? I told them I wasn’t with the King any more but they don’t believe me.’
Penny pulled a face. ‘Once you become mistress to the King—voila, instant celebrity as far as the Press is concerned.’
‘Who would want it?’ Regan groaned into her hands. ‘And I wasn’t his mistress.’
‘You did say you slept with him.’
‘One night. That hardly makes me his mistress.’
‘You know you blush every time you mention him, don’t you? Was the sex that good?’