Chapter 2
Sebastian
Sebastian stared at the nearly dead phone in his hand until a single knock on the door interrupted. Slotting it onto a charger, he slid it into the drawer. “Enter.”
His brother’s secretary, opened the door and curtseyed politely. “Excuse me, Prince Sebastian, but His Highness requests you join him in his office.”
“I will be along directly. Thank you, Gretchen.” He turned his attention back to the window and the sprawl of the city below once she’d closed the door. Though he’d expected a summons from Armand, he needed his mask firmly in place before he spoke to his brother.
Another knock announced a new arrival. Discipline schooling his features, he turned. “Enter.”
Eduard Vidal stepped in and closed the door behind him. “O’Connor has Miss Blake under observation, sir. I’ve booked him for the full week and instructed him to keep a twenty-four hour detail for the foreseeable future. He has two men he trusts on rotation for when Miss Blake returns to her home.”
So, she wouldn’t be alone and someone would be looking out for her. The thought provided a small measure of comfort.
“However,” Vidal was not finished. “O’Connor stated that if Miss Blake refuses protection, beyond reasonable measure, he cannot legally force it on her.”
“The man can’t follow instructions?” The last thing Sebastian needed was for Meredith to break away from her protection.
Unmoved by his annoyance, Vidal shrugged. “Your Highness, without her permission, it becomes stalking. As of yet, Miss Blake has not asked O’Connor to vacate, but it is a possibility.”
Fine. He would simply have to deal with it before the idea occurred to her. Meredith had never shown any sign of rebelling against his need to see her safe before. Of course, she’d never told him they were over nor refused his calls before either.
Infuriated, he fought to control his breathing and lock down his reaction. “Understood. Please inform O’Connor I would be grateful if he would maintain his position for as long as possible.”
“Do you still want me to make arrangements to send the plane?” Vidal’s tone was careful, but beneath it lurked doubt. Sebastian couldn’t really blame him for the question.
“Have it on standby. I don’t want it going anywhere.
Also, inform the staff on St. Christos to ready the house.
” What he and Meredith needed was time away from it all.
Together. If she felt neglected and underappreciated, then it was on him to fix it.
“Please make sure no one else is there.” The family’s private island was one of the few carefully kept secrets guarded against the press and other interlopers.
He’d never taken Meredith there, unwilling to share her with anything in his public life, but the only people who lived at St. Christos were trusted members of the staff, making it an utterly private paradise.
Vidal nodded. “I’ll see to it.”
Wishing he could already be aboard his plane or, better still, be in Boston, Sebastian made his way to the end of the long, cream carpeted hallway to Armand’s office.
His eldest brother of late eschewed their New York, London, and Paris holdings, spending more and more time in Los Angeles.
At first, he’d attempted to foster closer ties with their newly-discovered cousin.
More recently, Sebastian suspected Armand’s reluctance to continue his usual duties could be attributed to his focus on his new marriage.
Gretchen rose at his approach then opened the doors with only a knock to announce him. Nodding his thanks to her, he entered and closed the doors himself.
His brothers occupied the conversation pit created by two sofas and a pair of upholstered chairs set in a loose circle around a Louis XVI coffee table.
Though Armand worked in the space, he also used it for meetings.
The casual atmosphere promised by the layout, fabrics, and color usage set his guests at ease—likely intentional on the part of the room’s designers.
Sebastian, however, saw past the facade of comfortable elegance to the office’s true purpose.
George rose at his arrival, but Sebastian gestured for his younger sibling to resume his seat. Sebastian executed a half bow to his eldest brother, as was custom.
Armand merely raised his brows. “You’re late.”
“My apologies. I was detained by an unavoidable matter.” He took a seat to Armand’s right, opposite George.
It seemed odd to have both of his brothers in the same room without others to play buffer between them.
Armand maintained a careful distance since Sebastian admitted to outing his relationship with Anna to the press.
Sebastian’s miscalculation created a security snafu and headache, but ultimately worked in the manner he’d intended.
Armand was with the woman he loved. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Sebastian waited patiently for Armand to tackle whatever subject led to his summons.
“George will be leaving for New York with his detail in the next couple of weeks. He begins classes after the first of the year.” Armand didn’t look at George, but their younger brother grimaced, obviously not looking forward to curtailing his lifestyle to procure an education.
“As I’m sure you can assume, this will mean changes for your appearance schedule, Sebastian. Gretchen will update your secretary.”
Unacceptable. “I will be unavailable for any significant appearances in the next few weeks.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Sebastian refused to squirm under the weight of Armand’s stare. “I have other commitments. I have no problem with taking on more duties at a future date, but as for the immediate needs? We’ll have to send a representative or cancel.”
“Or I can just maintain my schedule until Sebastian’s free.” George asserted his preference into the silence. “I can always begin in the fall semester.”
“No.” Armand dismissed the idea immediately. “You already put it off to the spring. You’re going.” Turning to Sebastian, Armand frowned. “I looked at your schedule this morning. I found nothing major pending which cannot be rearranged to accommodate George’s appearances.”
“Aside from several events coming in the next few weeks, I also need to make some adjustments for a matter which came up this morning.” Unfortunately, Armand could and would make whatever changes he deemed necessary with or without his approval.
Sebastian’s duty was to see his requests were carried out.
Whether they possessed a country to rule or not, as the head of the family, it was Armand’s call.
“I’ll be damned.” George’s tone spoke of awe. “I think our cousin was right, Armand.”
“So I see. Excuse us, George.” The clipped dismissal didn’t sit well with their younger brother, and Armand spared him an inflexible look. “You need to go over your schedule with Peterson and his men. Do not be difficult.”
Rebellious or not, George obeyed. As soon as the door closed behind him, Armand frowned at Sebastian. “What matter came up this morning?”
“It doesn’t concern you or pertain to our family obligations.
What specific items on George’s schedule have to be covered?
A presence at the critical appointments should be sufficient, yes?
” He didn’t need more responsibilities. His free time had been curtailed severely after an assassin got too close to him with a knife—the attack, along with increased tensions caused by Belarian royalists, demanded limitations to his schedule.
He was making plans to be with Meredith and would damn well not cancel them. Not while she thought herself less important than his duties—the thought so patently ridiculous, it aggravated him all over again.
Armand’s eyes narrowed. “Everything about my family concerns me.”
“Speaking of family, how is Anna adjusting to life as a Grand Duchess?” Bringing up Armand’s new wife worked like a charm. His expression relaxed for a fraction of a second before a frown erased his good mood. No, he clearly hadn’t forgiven Sebastian for his call to the press.
“Brilliantly, but then I expected nothing less. She is a force to be reckoned with when she wants something.” He touched a digital tablet in front of him. “Out of George’s appearances, the one which concerns me most is in Minsk.”
“Minsk?” It was Sebastian’s turn to frown. Though the Andraste family maintained extensive interests around the globe, they rarely ventured personally or with their capital into Belaria. Political unrest and threats traced back to the nation— “Why would you let him schedule something there?”
“I didn’t.” The quiet snap of the words rebuked him for suggesting otherwise. “However, with the unrest and the royalist movement and George’s previous involvement, it seemed the most politically expedient way to put certain rumors to bed while mollifying both sides of the argument.”
“And a good way to get him shot.” Sebastian couldn’t believe Armand even entertained the idea. “George is not the right man—” He stopped. “You never intended to send him.”
“No. He started the mess.” Armand sighed. “But I cannot be the one to go.”
“No, since you’re the one they want to crown, it has to be me.
” He’d walked right into the decision. As the second son, he was also Armand’s heir, though George meant Sebastian remained somewhat expendable.
If Anna gave birth to Armand’s child, the family line would be secure and Sebastian’s importance would diminish.
Thank God.
“You’re the reasonable compromise. You are unmarried, personable, and your reputation for being bon vivant makes you far less suitable to rule.
Fortunately, despite one or two questionable choices, you have better impulse control than George.
” Somehow, the words didn’t sound remotely like a compliment.