20. Adrien
ADRIEN
“ A nd then she said it was too soon for all that,” Adrien said, sighing and shaking his head.
He’d sought refuge with Friedrich in his apartment away from the palace on the other side of Flandenne, confiding in him the truth about the baby, for there seemed little point in hiding it now.
Claire’s ultimatum had come as a shock. He’d thought it was going to be easy — telling her he loved her, asking her to marry him for real.
But to see the doubt in her face, and the obvious pain it was causing her, had cast a shadow over everything.
Adrien had never wanted to force Claire’s hand, but now it felt as though she was slipping through his fingers like sand on a beach.
Friedrich looked at him and shrugged. “Don’t you think you need to see it from her point of view?
You brought her here, you expected her to fit in, and now you’re expecting her to hide things away and not tell the truth about the baby.
It’s your world, and she has to do everything your way — or worse, your parents’ way. ”
Adrien was about to object — to argue it wasn’t like that at all — but in truth, Friedrich was right.
He’d taken Claire for granted and expected her to fit the mold he’d created.
On the yacht, they’d been free, and it was in that freedom he’d fallen for her.
Back in Flandenne, with all its rules and expectations, Claire had been held back, and Adrien was beginning to realize he was the one who’d held her back.
“Am I really that awful?” he asked.
Friedrich laughed. “I don’t think so. But I’m just like you, aren’t I?
We’re all the same — privileged and rich.
We take things for granted. We’re selfish and entitled.
You’ve been used to having whatever you wanted, and always on your own terms. And the people you’ve had on your own terms are just the same.
We’re all in it together. It’s just a game for us.
But Claire’s not like that, is she? I don’t know her, but that’s my impression. These things matter to her.”
“But I love her,” Adrien retorted.
He was growing angry now. Impassioned by the dismissive words of his friend, who appeared to see Claire as just another conquest — who didn’t understand what Adrien was going through.
“Then fight for her. Don’t just assume it’ll be as you want it to be.
If you think I’m being harsh, you’re right.
But grow up, Adrien. Do you know why the newspapers and tabloids write those things about you?
About you being the playboy prince? It’s because that’s how you behave.
It’s like the boy who cried wolf. Claire’s just hearing what you’ve said a thousand times before.
She doesn’t want to be mixed up in it. She doesn’t think you’re serious.
I’m not saying I’m any different. I’m just holding up the mirror. ”
Adrien swore under his breath. He was serious.
He’d never been more serious about anything else in his life.
He’d fallen in love with Claire, though it had taken the threat of her leaving to galvanize those feelings and make him realize just how strong they’d become.
But looking back, he knew he’d been selfish.
He had taken her for granted and led her along a path she hadn’t been ready for, and into an expectation of his own creation.
His parents hadn’t helped. But blaming them was hardly going to change matters.
His life wasn’t like that of other people, but if he wanted Claire to be part of it…
“But I am serious. The baby changes everything,” Adrien said.
“It shouldn’t, though. Whether she’s pregnant or not makes no difference. Do you love her?” Friedrich asked.
“I do,” Adrien replied, emphatically.
He loved her with or without the baby. He’d realized that now — that those feeling on the yacht had been real.
It was there he’d fallen for her. Amid the simplicity of meals shared together on the deck and nights spent together in his cabin.
She’d come to mean so much more than a ruse — to be with her, to see the way she behaved and comported herself.
It made Adrien so proud. It made him love her more each day.
“Then fight for her. And stop expecting her to be like all the rest. Most women would give anything to be in her position — marrying the crown prince of Flandenne. The fact she’s having doubts means she’s taking it seriously.”
Leaving Friedrich’s apartment, Adrien pondered his friend’s words.
He was right — Claire could so easily pretend differently.
Lots of women had pretended when it came to their feelings for Adrien.
It hadn’t mattered what sort of man he was, their judgement had been clouded by the fact he was the crown prince of Flandenne.
For Claire to see things differently meant she was different. She was worth fighting for.
Taking the car back to the palace, Adrien hurried to Claire’s apartment. He wanted to talk to her again. Not on his terms, but on hers. He wanted her to understand his feelings for her, even if her decision remained the same once he’d explained.
“Claire? It’s me. I need to talk to you,” Adrien called out, knocking at the door of the apartment, which was opened a moment later by Esme.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Miss Bellamy’s gone out. I don’t know when she’ll be back,” the maid said.
“Will you tell her I need to speak to her? I don’t want to call her. I have to see her. But, please, Esme, tell her it’s important,” he said.
The maid bobbed into a curtsey and nodded.
Adrien felt dejected. He needed a way of proving his sincerity — that he’d changed, and that things wouldn’t be like they’d been before.
He was determined to prove he was no longer the playboy prince, or the sort of man who played games.
He hadn’t meant it to be like this, but neither had he meant to fall in love, either.
It had all come so unexpectedly and had proved just how selfish he’d been in the past.
I can’t just let her walk out of my life. I promised her the restaurant. I promised her everything.
But the promise was only part of it. Behind everything was the simple fact of love.
Adrien’s love for Claire, and the love he longed to know she felt for him in return.
Hurrying back towards his own apartment, Adrien bumped into his mother.
The queen had taken it on herself to proceed with the wedding plans unaided, and, when he met her, she was engrossed in a conversation about flowers for the cathedral.
“Would it be gaudy to have them in the colors of the flag? Perhaps just white. Yes… white roses. Import them if you need to,” she was saying to her private secretary.
On noticing Adrien, she paused, and the secretary made a discreet exit, leaving the two of them alone in the corridor.
“Mother,” Adrien said, hoping the queen wouldn’t notice his obviously long face and sad demeanor.
“You should be the happiest man in Flandenne, Adrien. What’s wrong?” she asked, seeing through him immediately.
Adrien had no intention of telling her about the pregnancy. She’d be horrified and would only seek to bring the marriage forward even quicker.
“I… nothing. It’s just Claire. She’s… I think it’s all getting a bit much for her,” he said.
To his surprise, his mother appeared sympathetic.
“Yes, I was worried this would happen. She’s not grown up with it. If you were marrying the daughter of a royal house, or someone who’s been in the public eye, it would be different. She’s like a fish out of water.”
“I promised her it would be different. But it’s not. I think she’s really struggling, and I’m not sure how to make it right.”
“The fact you’re even saying as much means you want to make it so. Give her time. We’ve still got a few weeks. She could go to Meritoir. I could easily arrange it,” the queen said.
Meritoir was the family’s country retreat — a grand estate some fifty kilometers from the capital, and the place Adrien had spent most of his summers when he was back from school. But given the additional circumstances, Adrien didn’t think Claire would agree.
“I’ll ask her,” he said, though he was grateful to his mother for not belittling Claire or thinking less of her.
“Marrying into this house means shouldering a great responsibility. I did wonder if she was ready for it. It all happened so fast,” his mother replied, giving him a knowing look.
Adrien wondered if she suspected something — mothers could usually tell…
“It did. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love her. I don’t believe in putting limits on these things. I think I loved her from the first moment I laid eyes on her,” Adrien said.
It wasn’t entirely true, or perhaps it was.
Love at first sight seemed a somewhat idealized notion, and yet there’d been something about Claire from the start.
It was that difference that had first attracted him, and that difference had led to fascination and delight.
There was no doubt in Adrien’s mind as to his love for Claire — a love that would only grow stronger if it was allowed to.
“It makes me glad to hear you say that, Adrien. It’s what I always wanted for you. And I was starting to fear it wouldn’t happen. That’s why you’ve got to make sure it works — for her as well as for you.”
It was sage advice, and Adrien was grateful to his mother for her words, but still nothing had changed.
Claire’s mind was made up, or so it seemed, and no amount of flowers or romantic gestures could change that.
In that moment, Adrien realized nothing else mattered — not the trapping of his rank and privilege, nor what he could give her.
All that mattered was the heart — both their hearts — and if he was to win Claire back from her doubts, he had to prove his sincerity once and for all.
There wasn’t a moment to lose, and with his heart and mind resolved, Adrien was willing to do whatever it took.