“A pleasure,” Javier said. “For I know full well how good it is to be able to share your country with the world after many years of it being on the brink of devastation. My own brother has just reformed our native land of Monte Blanco to a glorious state. And you are more than welcome to come for a visit.”
“I should like that,” Annick said. “I should love to speak to you about all the things that you have done to fix the...atrocities that were visited upon your people. I am working diligently to try and make right what has happened to mine. But it is not so simple always.”
“It never is.”
“Indeed not,” Violet chimed in. “Sometimes they must kidnap someone to accomplish their ends.”
“It makes for an interesting story at parties,” Annick said. “A slightly more interesting story about how we met than many others have, don’t you think?”
Violet laughed, and the rest of his family too. Clearly utterly charmed by this rather serene version of Annick that stood before them.
It was not a part she was playing. And yet she was also not the urchin he’d held in his arms the night before, who had told him dirty jokes, then happily ate pastries in bed and wiped her buttery fingers against his bare chest.
It was all of her, fused into one formidable being.
And it was a sight to behold.
“That is true.” Violet shrugged. “And I have the added bonus of being able to tell people that I was kidnapped specifically so that I could marry his brother. And ended up marrying him myself.”
“We’re interesting if nothing else,” Javier said.
“Quite,” Annick agreed.
“We shall have dinner,” Maximus said. “First, you may all find your bedrooms and put your things away.”
“Will you come with me?” Violet said, smiling. “It’s just that I have packed so many things, and I would hate to inconvenience your staff.”
“What about your husband?”
“Oh, I’ll inconvenience him plenty. It’s only that I still need more arms than that.”
Leave it to Violet to have packed an entire castle.
He followed his sister back out to the front of the palace, and she rounded on him.
“Are you in trouble? Blink twice if you need to leave.”
“It was my idea,” he said.
“Marriage was your idea?”
“Yes,” he said. “It was. She needs help. I’m not marrying her under sufferance.”
“Well, you can leave. We’ll get you diplomatic immunity. Whatever you need.”
“Whatever you need,” Javier agreed.
“I don’t need anything. I promise. Anyway, it’s entirely possible Annick is pregnant with my child. So I should probably stick around.” He knew the act he put on contributed to his family’s response to this. Had they truly known him, they wouldn’t have been half so worried.
“Oh, good God,” Violet said. “You are such a man whore that you had to have sex with the woman who kidnapped you?”
He looked pointedly at his sister’s baby bump. “What kind of person would do such a thing?”
“It’s different,” Violet said. “Isn’t it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you love her?”