Vows to Save His Crown

She shook her head slowly. ‘Did you have security all the time in Cambridge? Was I just completely blind?’

‘No, I didn’t. I chose not to. As the third in line to the throne, I had that freedom.’

‘But you don’t any more.’

His lips and gut both tightened. ‘No.’

* * *

Rachel watched Mateo’s expression shutter with a flicker of curiosity, and a deeper ripple of compassion. ‘Do you want to be king?’ she asked and he stiffened, the shutter coming down even more.

‘It’s not a question of want. It’s my duty.’

‘You didn’t actually answer me.’

His mouth thinned as he inclined his head. ‘Very well. I want to do my duty.’

Which sounded rather grim. Rachel took a forkful of risotto and chewed slowly. It was delicious, rich and creamy, but she barely registered the flavour as her mind whirled. Was she really thinking seriously about saying yes to Mateo’s shocking proposal?

It had struck her, as she’d stormed away from the restaurant and got soaked in the process, that she was a little too outraged. It was easier to feel outraged, to wrap herself in it like a cloak of armour, than to think seriously about what Mateo was suggesting.

And yet the farther she’d walked, the more she’d realised she had to be sensible about this. She had to be the scientist she’d always been. She couldn’t sail on the high tide of emotion, not for long. It simply wasn’t in her nature.

And so she’d gone back, and now she was here, thinking seriously about saying yes.

‘So what would a marriage between us look like?’ she asked. ‘On a day-to-day basis?’

‘We’d live in the royal palace in Constanza,’ Mateo answered with calm swiftness. ‘It is a beautiful place, built five hundred years ago, right on the sea.’

‘Okay...’

‘As I said before, you could choose your involvement in various charities and initiatives. Admittedly, there would be a fair amount of ribbon cutting and clapping, that sort of thing. It’s unavoidable, I’m afraid.’

‘I don’t mind that. But I don’t exactly look the part, do I?’ She had to say it.

Mateo looked distinctly nonplussed. ‘So you’ve intimated before. If you mean clothes, I assure you, you will be provided with a complete wardrobe of your choice, along with personal stylists and hairdressers as you wish.’

‘So like Cinderella.’ She didn’t know how she felt about that. A little excited? A little insulted? A little afraid? All three, and more than a little.

Mateo shrugged. ‘Like any royal princess—or queen.’

‘A

nd what about children?’ Rachel asked. Her stomach quivered at the thought. ‘You mentioned needing an heir as soon as possible.’

‘Yes.’

‘That’s kind of a big thing, Mateo.’

‘I agree.’

‘You don’t even know if I want children.’

‘I assume we would not be having this discussion if you were completely averse to the idea.’

Rachel sighed and laid down her fork. Her stomach was churning too much to eat. ‘I don’t even know,’ she admitted. ‘I haven’t let myself think about it.’

Mateo frowned, his gaze searching her face. ‘Let yourself?’