Chapter Ten
Gabriel was not surprised to be summoned to Alexandre’s office before the sun was up the next morning. He was already out of bed, watching Evelyne sleep, when the tap at the door came.
He could not come to grips with his next steps. So much of what she said made sense—they enjoyed each other, they were married, she was already pregnant, why not have sex? Why not share this bed and this room and behave in all the ways a married couple expecting their first child should?
But he knew the answer. Because he could not trust himself.
The darkness of this obsession would only sink deeper and deeper until it damaged something.
He didn’t know what yet, but it didn’t matter.
The fact she even threatened the surface way he’d moved through life proved to him he could not be trusted.
But there was a child now. An undeniable fact. Staying away from her was not the answer, but what the hell was?
He had to find a way to…fix it. But he had time. He had three months to figure out how to navigate this before their child arrived. That was his deadline.
He would never remind her of her father. He would never give his child a reason to fear. There had to be some alternative.
When Gabriel walked into Alexandre’s office, he found him seated behind the desk waiting for him. He had not taken over King Enzo’s gilt, over-the-top office, but had instead continued to use his own. Minimalist and stark, no doubt in direct response to his father.
Still, this was not a welcoming environment. Gabriel was not surprised there was no evidence of any place for him to sit.
This was to be an interrogation. One he undoubtedly deserved.
“Good morning, Your Majesty.” Gabriel greeted Alexandre with as much royal reverence as a man who did not particularly believe in kings could manage, even for his best friend.
Alex did not return the greeting. “Please explain to me how you have come to be secretly married to my sister. How she is with child, and how I clearly would not have been privy to either piece of information if my father had not died unexpectedly and I demanded you bring her home.”
Gabriel had to work not to scowl, because it reminded him that he would also not have known if not for that. And blame or anger or hurt had no place inside him if he was to make the appropriate plans for Evelyne and their child.
“Perhaps we should toast to Enzo’s gift to us?”
“Answer me, Gabriel.”
Gabriel didn’t sigh, though he wanted to. He stood, hands clasped behind his back, searching for some explanation that was the truth because he did not wish to lie to Alexandre. But there were certain lies that must be told.
“Evelyne and I…” He struggled against the need to rub his hands over his face. Evelyne and I. Parents. Married. “She is an intelligent, witty, beautiful woman, and while I certainly didn’t expect to…be so taken with her, it became undeniable.”
“She may be all those things, but you took her away at my bequest—young, alone in a strange place, bereft, and dependent wholly on you.”
Because those things were all technically correct, except maybe the bereft part, and yet didn’t take into account the scope of Evelyne and all she was capable of, Gabriel stiffened.
“I do not take advantage of women, if that’s what you’re accusing me of.
I would never take advantage of Evelyne.
Perhaps she is stronger than you give her credit for. ”
“You do not take advantage of women, agreed, but ever since…” Alexandre let the silence stretch out between them. Long and meaningful. Meant to be heavy and perhaps even a little cruel. A reminder of Gia, and what he’d been willing to do to save her.
Gabriel could not deny he deserved the stark reminder.
“You have not been serious about anyone since then,” Alexandre continued.
“I’m not sure you’ve been serious about anything, except maybe your work and even then, there’s a certain casualness to your success there.
And now you have married and impregnated my sister, two very serious and permanent steps. You can understand my concern.”
“Yes, I can. It…was not planned. It came as a surprise, these…feelings for her.” He sought to find some fine line of truth inside the lie, sought to not wince at the word feelings.
He had to walk this line, between convincing Alexandre he could handle this without diving into obsession and violence, but that he was also not flippant about the situation, or Evelyne.
“I tried to maintain a certain superficial distance, but it became impossible. She is…unique. It pains me not to give her what she wishes.” Truth enough.
“And what do you wish, Gabriel?”
Hell if he knew. But he met Alex’s hard gaze. “I shall endeavor to make them both happy.”
“Endeavor,” Alexandre scoffed. “Such a bland word.”
“What would you prefer?”
“Ensure.”
“Very well, I will ensure they are both happy.” He did not know how he could possibly ensure such a thing, but he supposed he had no choice now.
Alexandre narrowed his eyes, studied Gabriel with that quiet, stoic intensity he had employed even as a boy. Like he’d been born with such abilities. Born to be a king.
“You are my best friend. I respect the man you have built yourself into. And while I know you do, I do not hold your youthful indiscretions and Gia’s influence against you.
We all have crises of self and fate, particularly at eighteen.
It is not the crises that define us, but the choices we make in the face of them. ”
Gabriel felt as though he was a young man getting a lecture from a much older person. Perhaps his own father. Someone he’d also have to tell about this, but he wasn’t ready to consider his parents just yet.
“My sister is now the mother of the future monarch. Your life will change. You did not know that going in. You thought, like I did I would imagine, that my father would hold on to life and the crown for quite some time. But these facts change things.”
“I am aware.”
“Are you?” Alexandre replied, quite royally. He stood now but stayed behind his desk. “You will be given a title. We will have a royal wedding ceremony of some sort. Your child will be the future king or queen of Alis.”
It was…too much. Too many things to fully engage with. He wanted none of those things, but he could hardly deny them. The child existed. He would be an heir. He would be… “Future king. It is…a boy.”
“A boy,” Alex repeated.
And they stood there staring at each other, that fact between them, both perhaps feeling like they were children again, wondering how the years had zoomed ahead to the point where they were the ones having children.
“Evelyne has not had an easy life. I know on the surface it is all privilege, but surely you understand just how…ugly things have been for her.”
“Yes.” Gabriel gave Alexandre the only truth he had in him now. “I will do everything in my power to shield her from all the ugly from here on out.”
Even if the ugly was him.
Evelyne was starving when she woke up. When she glanced at the clock, she couldn’t be surprised Gabriel was not in bed. She’d nearly slept the morning away.
“All the books say to enjoy that now,” she said, running a hand over her stomach. “That you will be keeping me up at all hours of every night soon enough. You wouldn’t do that to me, my darling, would you?”
She got out of bed and moved into the closet. She frowned at her options. Since she hadn’t had a chance to pack her maternity clothes, she only had items that suited a much thinner and different woman.
“What I have back in Maine will be suitable sometimes, but I will need an entirely new maternity wardrobe for royal events and the like, if your Uncle Alexandre has any plans to announce my marriage and pregnancy to the public.”
She smiled at the idea of Uncle Alex as she found a pair of soft, stretchy pants that were a bit tight as such, but she rolled the waistband down under her stomach. What had once been a dress now fit like a somewhat odd tunic. She studied herself in the mirror, chuckled in spite of herself.
“Not very princessly, I must say.”
“Who are you talking to?”
She glanced up at Gabriel. She hadn’t heard him come in, and now he stood in the entrance to her closet. “The baby.”
He looked dubiously at her stomach.
“You should give it a try.”
He did not respond to that invitation. “Alexandre has requested our attendance at lunch since you slept through breakfast.”
“Good. I’m starving.”
She slipped on the sneakers she’d worn yesterday, which made her clothes look even more ridiculous. Then followed Gabriel out into the hall. She tucked her arm into his. He stiffened, though he didn’t pull away.
“Are you afraid you’ll lose all control and take me on the table in front of my brother and sister-in-law if we touch arms on the way?” she asked him lightly.
“You are such a comedian, Evelyne.”
She laughed in spite of herself at the disgusted note to his tone, but then she was distracted by her surroundings. She came to a stop in the hall, stood there for a moment, absorbing all the details that remained the same despite her father’s absence in the light of day.
“Is everything all right?”
She looked up at Gabriel. “Yes. Better than. I was just thinking how it’s all the same even without Father here, and yet…it feels different. Lighter. Like I can breathe.”
“Strange how a lack of threats of beatings might allow a person to breathe.”
Before she could decide how to respond to that, she heard her name being called. She turned and saw Ines bustling toward them.
Ines smiled brightly at her and greeted her with a light kiss on Evelyne’s cheek. “It is so good to have you back. My world has been very masculine since you left.” She held Evelyne at arm’s length. “And look how pretty you are. Glowing.”
“I don’t know about all that. The wardrobe certainly leaves something to be desired.”
“Excuse me, ladies. I have a quick call to make. I’ll meet you in the dining room.”
They nodded as Gabriel took his exit and the women tucked their arms into each other’s as they walked down the hall to the dining room.
“I told Alexandre already, but I did want to apologize. It never occurred to me that… Well, I wasn’t thinking about heirs and such. Especially all the way over in America. It was not my intention to take this from you and Alex.”
“Of course not,” Ines soothed.
“I’m sure Alexandre could change the law!” She grabbed on to Ines’s arm, because the truth of that occurred to her. “Oh, that’s it! It’s so hard to believe he’s king now, but since he is, he can change anything he wishes. He can certainly make your future baby the heir instead.”
Ines smiled tightly and said nothing, which made Evelyne realize she was being…horribly insensitive. Alexandre and Ines had been married for nine months now, and there was no discussion of a pregnancy.
“I’m sorry. I…” She shook her head, squeezed Ines’s arm. “I’ve read so many different women’s accounts, it should have dawned on me that it might not be… That this may be a delicate subject for you. I’m so sorry, Ines. Tell me to shut up.”
Ines shook her head. “You have nothing to apologize for. According to the doctors, everything is fine. No fertility issues, for either of us. It simply hasn’t happened yet.
They’ve encouraged us to be patient. Alexandre and I have not discussed it yet, but for me, I do not care if our child…
should we have one, is heir or not. I know it is why Alexandre married me.
To have an heir.” Ines swallowed, but though she was friendly toward her sister-in-law there was a careful wall between them. They were not real friends.
Evelyne hoped someday they could be.
“Everything will be just fine.” Ines patted her arm and led her into the dining room. “Alexandre will handle it as always. You don’t need to worry at all. Now, let’s eat.”
Alexandre was already there, and they exchanged pleasantries, sitting down. Gabriel came in as the food was being put out. The conversation was superficial, friendly and weird.
Evelyne kept expecting her father to come storming in. Any time the door opened—whether it be someone to bring in more food, take away dishes, or bring Alex a message—she flinched.
She hoped it wasn’t noticeable, but knew it was when Gabriel put a hand on her leg. He would not offer comfort unless she was very obviously doing a bad job.
“I suppose we must have some formal ceremony for Father,” Alexandre said as the meal wound down.
“Must we?” Evelyne muttered, earning a bit of a chuckle from Ines. When Alex gave them both a cool, kingly glare, they sobered.
“Why not tell the truth?” Evelyne suggested. “He was an awful man, and we do not mourn him, and they shouldn’t either. They’ve lived under his reign. I’m not sure anyone would be surprised to find their war-mongering king a violent and vicious man everyone is glad is dead.”
“What does the truth get us, Evelyne? I am afraid all it does is make us look complicit. Which isn’t wrong, but I’d rather not advertise it.”
“It is wrong. What were we supposed to do? Foment a bloody coup?”
“Instead, we did not rock the boat and people suffered. It is not so simple.”
There was that word again. Simple. No, nothing was simple. People had suffered. She and Alex had suffered. Suffering seemed to be the theme.
She glanced at Ines and Alexandre. They did not look at each other, regard each other, or seem to connect in any way. Did they suffer too, in this marriage they had not wanted?
The thought depressed her.
“Perhaps we can do a three for one. Coronation-funeral-royal wedding ceremony,” Evelyne said on a hefty sigh.
Alex tried to keep his frown in place. She watched his lip twitch ever so slightly though. She’d amused him in spite of himself.
And that’s how she knew she was finally, really home.