And as if he too realised that, Frederick smiled.
But the smile didn’t reach his eyes and Kaitlin, a connoisseur of smiles, recognised its stoic element. He took another step forward, so he was near enough to take her hand, though of course he didn’t.
‘Thank you for seeing me. I assume you know why we are here?’
‘Yes.’
Don’t enter a gilded cage unless you have the means to leave.
Daniel’s words rang in her brain. Stupid. A man she barely knew. Yet a man she had trusted with not only her own name but that of the House of Lycander. A house that had been plagued with scandal enough to rock the throne with sufficient force to require the Prince to seek a marriage that would prove to his people that their sovereign cared. For that Prince Frederick needed a bride untainted by even the smallest germ of scandal.
Realisation weighted her tummy—she’d had no right to place her blind trust in a veritable stranger...to gamble with Prince Frederick’s name without his knowledge.
‘Wait.’ Kaitlin raised a hand. ‘There is something I need to tell you.’
Dread tightened her chest as she braced herself for the storm about to break.
* * *
‘What the...?’ Daniel stared down at the headline that confronted him from the top of his newly cleared desk.
‘I thought you might be interested,’ his PA explained, her voice carefully devoid of emotion. ‘As you attended the Earl’s wedding and...’
Daniel wrenched his gaze away from the laptop screen that displayed a website devoted to celebrity gossip and eyed Caroline, who returned his gaze expressionlessly.
Caroline Winterbourne looked as cool, collected and indifferent as ever, but Daniel knew differently. He’d given her a chance, despite her prison record, and in return she offered unassailable loyalty.
‘I’ll leave you to it.’
Daniel returned his attention to the article and an expletive dropped from his lips as the words slammed into his retinas.
Lycander Split: It’s All Off!
Lady Kaitlin Derwent and Prince Frederick of Lycander have announced the end of their relationship after ‘mutual agreement’. Neither side is willing to elaborate, but friends and acquaintances have declared shock and surprise.
The couple have been seen together for months and the world had awaited the announcement of an engagement—not a break-up. However, the ex-couple insist they will remain friends.
Watch this space as we try to discover the real reason behind the surprise split...
His intercom buzzed. ‘Daniel, I have an April Fotherington on the line. She’s a celebrity reporter. Shall I get rid of her?’
Caroline’s tone suggested she’d be happy to bury the body as well.
‘No. I’ll talk to her.’ There was a click and then he said, ‘Daniel Harrington speaking.’
‘Mr Harrington. Thank you for speaking with me. I wanted to get your reaction to the break-up between Lady Kaitlin Derwent and Prince Frederick.’
‘I don’t have a reaction. Am I supposed to?’
‘My sources inform me that you and Lady Kaitlin were spotted deep in private conversation at the Earl of Wycliffe’s wedding recently.’
‘That is hardly a basis for me to have formed any opinion on Lady Kaitlin’s relationship with Prince Frederick.’
‘Hmm...’ The reporter’s tone was heavy with scepticism. ‘Thank you for your time. Maybe we’ll speak again soon.’
Daniel put down the phone and cursed under his breath. He drummed his fingers on the desk and then picked up the phone. ‘Caroline, please can you get me Lady Kaitlin Derwent’s number?’
‘Leave it with me.’