Playing the Royal Game

‘Mi dispiace.’ A mother dashed over to stop her daughter, who had taken the flowers out of the vase on their table and was now offering them to Allegra. ‘I am sorry,’ the woman said, ‘of course you want privacy.’

‘They’re lovely...’ Allegra took the bunch. ‘Grazia.’ She spoke her first public word in Italian.

‘We will leave you to enjoy your space,’ the woman spoke in faltering English, ‘but we are so happy to see you here, to have you amongst us.’

‘I’m happy to be here too.’

Allegra really was—those fifty-eight minutes of freedom were the absolute sweetest she had known in weeks, though Allegra knew it could not last. She could only imagine the chaos she must have caused back at the palace when the driver informed them what she had done, so she was actually expecting the huge black car that slid beside her as she walked along the cobbled streets, bags in hand. She even managed a smile as the window opened and a boot-faced Alex issued extremely clear orders.

‘Get in.’

‘Pardon?’ Allegra said sweetly.

‘Don’t make a scene, Allegra.’ He had a smile plastered on his face as he pulled over and parked, and when she did not get in, just carried on walking, he opened the door and stepped out, taking her in his arms. She got a very brief taste of the mouth that she had craved, but it was cold and hard and his voice was stern as he spoke in her ear. ‘Get in the car this minute. I’ll speak to you when we are back at the palace.’

‘I don’t want to go back to the palace.’ He looked down at her, chin set in defiance, eyes glittering with rage, her anger barely contained, and was reminded of the night of their engagement—the little spitfire he had hushed with his mouth. But that was impossible now—there were people gathering, astonished to see their prince and his fiancée in deep conversation. ‘I want to walk—’

‘You can’t walk here. We can walk back at the palace.’

‘I’m sick of being cooped up.’

She was going to storm off; he knew it. Was this what the future held for the royals? Public rows on the street, drama played out wherever it suited? This mistake of his own making stared back at him. She would do it, he knew, would storm off if he insisted she return, and though he would far rather drag her into the car, he sought a rapid solution; the black moons were rising in her eyes but her pupils were dilated for battle rather than in lust this time.

‘We will walk.’ He had never been challenged like this, had never had anyone defy him so. He could lead an army, yet could not get her back to the car. As they stared, locked in silent battle but still smiling, he saw not just the black but the green in her eyes, and the shimmer of tears like dew in the morning and he knew where to take her. ‘We will go to verde bosco....’

‘Is that a village?’ Allegra asked.

‘It’s not a place—’ he actually smiled ‘—it is a forest, the foothills—it is where I go,’ Alex said, and he saw her slight frown. ‘When I need to get away. Verde bosco is where I go.’

It was the closest he’d come to admitting that at times perhaps he felt it too.

And also the reason she got in the car.

CHAPTER NINE

‘WHAT the hell were you thinking?’ So angry was he that for a while he said nothing else. The people watched as the couple got into the car, expecting him to turn around and speed back to the palace, sharing smiles instead when his silver car headed for the hills.

They saw it often when Alessandro was here, the low silver vehicle hugging the bends in the road—and they knew, too, that he used to ride there for hours in the rugged woods. It just hadn’t happened in a long time—but now their prince was back, sharing the land he loved with his future bride.

‘What were you thinking?’ he demanded again.

‘That I am being ignored, that I’m stuck locked away and that I wanted a few hours—’

‘You are engaged to me,’ Alessandro roared. ‘I told you this morning that you do not just pop out, you do not go walking....’ He halted then; it was safer for now to concentrate on the road, which he did, and when he heard her rapid inhale at a couple of sharper bends, he turned briefly and saw she was scared. ‘I am not driving in anger,’ he explained. ‘I know this road well.’