The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain

“I told him you would go as well.”

“I would rather stay here.”

“That is my place.”

“It is mine, too.”

“Not after tonight.”

She felt like he’d slapped her. “I love King Vincente. You know that. I want to stay here with you.”

“You need your rest,” Claudio replied, about as movable as a rock wall.

“I won’t sleep. I couldn’t.”

“Do not be a fool, child. Go home and come back in the morning.” The raspy voice came from the bed and Therese’s knees almost buckled when she heard it.

She crossed the floor in a rush and took the hand that did not have an IV in it in her own. “King Vincente…”

“How many times…” He paused, taking a couple of shallow breaths. “Told you to call me Papa.”

“I—”

“Surely that is not too much to ask,” Claudio said in a controlled voice she knew masked an anger he did not want his father to guess at.

She’d never felt comfortable calling the older man Papa, but now even more than before…it would feel wrong. Soon she would be gone from their family completely.

Yet, how could she deny him such a simple request? The answer was: she couldn’t. “I’m sorry, Papa, but I want to stay with you.”

“You need your rest.”

“I need to stay with you.”

“Do not argue with him, he is sick.”

“I know that, but I also know you’re only bringing it up to get your own way,” she accused her stubborn husband.

King Vincente laughed weakly, his blue eyes dulled by fatigue. “That is my daughter-in-law. She is a perfect match for my son.”

The words hurt because according to Claudio, she was no match at all, but Therese forced a smile. “Please, won’t you let me stay with you?”

“There are things my son and I must discuss. Just in case. I will not rest afterward if I am worried about you not getting your rest.”

“Don’t talk like you are going to die, please.”

“We must all face death sooner, or later, child.”

“But I want it to be later. Tomasso said you will be fine. The doctors said so.”

The king shrugged, the casually confident movement at odds with his frail appearance. “The surgery has a very high success rate, but there is always a risk in things like this. It will be as God wills.”

“I don’t believe it is your time.”

“Neither do I, cara, but it would be remiss of me not to settle last minute issues with my heir.”

Therese looked to Claudio. She did not know why. He was no longer her champion…if he ever had been. Certainly she could not expect any sort of comfort from that direction, but she’d gotten used to relying on him.

Their eyes met and his dark gaze held…nothing. She blinked and turned her head, unable to deal with that as she all at once realized that while their marriage had not been the love match of the century, there had been intimacy. She recognized it only now that it was gone.

Always before when their gazes met, she had seen a recognition of herself and her place in his life in his eyes. To see nothing of the kind now made her realize that perhaps there had been more to her marriage than she had thought, but whatever there had been—it was gone now.

“Go home and rest. I will it,” King Vincente said, managing to sound arrogant and in charge even in his weakened state.

She had no trouble seeing how he had kept news of his heart attack from his sons until he desired it to reach them.

“I will leave,” she said, knowing he would take the words for acquiescence. But she’d lived enough years around politicians to know how to appear to make a promise without doing anything of the kind.

She would leave…the hospital room.

“Good.”

She leaned down and kissed both his cheeks. “Be well, Papa. For all our sakes.”

“I will do my best.”

She forced another smile. “I’m sure you will.”

She could not make herself meet Claudio’s gaze again. “See you later,” she said in his direction and walked from the room.

She went directly to the waiting room where she knew she would find the others and she sent Tomasso and Maggie on their way. Maggie was dead on her feet and it didn’t take much persuasion to get Tomasso to leave so his pregnant wife could be put to bed.

Therese took up residence in the waiting room, having the small comfort that if King Vincente took a turn for the worse, this time she would be on the spot. She curled up on the sofa and watched the television sightlessly as it created a sort of white noise to the background of her unhappy thoughts.

She woke up to the sound of voices. Claudio, his brother Marcello, his wife Danette and Flavia were talking in hushed tones as if trying not to wake her.