Chapter 10 Meredith #2
“Except for the ketchup because you really hated the ketchup.” Amusement bubbled beneath the nerves in her stomach.
Her whole life would change. She’d never thought past the immediacy of them until he mentioned his mother’s desire for grandchildren.
Her children would grow up in the legacy of his family—and maybe people would want to kill them, too.
The troubling thought lingered, but then Sebastian kissed her.
The long, slow, wet kiss short-circuited the dark cloud gathering in her mind.
“I dislike the ketchup, but I love how it makes you smile,” he told her. “Can you forgive me?”
Tumbling with him onto the sofa, she let out a gasping laugh. “Well, we can’t all be perfect…” And then she wasn’t thinking about ketchup or paintings or much of anything. Just Bastian.
SEBASTIAN
The clock on their escape wound perilously tighter with every precious hour he lost to lengthy conference calls with Armand.
The escalation of the attack coupled with the rumors of Alyx’ pregnancy weren’t coincidence, nor was the rampant speculation in the press.
The morning’s news clippings suggested he was utterly off the market and the stories danced right along the line of the truth—too close to the line.
They had a leak.
So far Meredith’s name wasn’t involved, but Kate was on her way to Italy to meet them.
She would take Meredith back via a private jet registered to Daniel Voldakov rather than the Andraste family.
Claude Gencome would travel with Meredith and a full detail was on the ground in Boston.
Her home was secured and they were already running the faces on her campus through a contact at the FBI to make sure no surprises awaited her.
“I know you want to announce it,” Armand said calmly.
“It will merely paint a target on her. We’ve waited this long, we can wait a few more months.
” A piece of his soul died. He didn’t look forward to the lengthy separation they’d need to make sure the news didn’t break until they were ready.
He and Meredith were in a much better place, and yet it felt too fragile.
“You’ve said she’s a reasonable woman. Surely, if you explain why, she will understand.”
Perhaps, in another lifetime, yes. He could only hope they’d made enough progress, she’d forgive him.
“I will handle it, Armand.” It was what he did.
“Have you told Alyx whether or not the baby will have a title?” It was after all, at his brother’s discretion as it had been at their father’s when his sister married a military man—their daughters were all princesses.
“Not yet. They’ve only just reached the end of the first trimester and Anna told me you don’t discuss such things until well after.” His brother’s voice softened at the mention of his wife. “She also told me not to get any ideas yet.”
Sebastian laughed. “You want children.” It wasn’t even a question.
“I do, but I am a selfish man and Anna will be a devoted mother. I worry about being jealous of my own children.”
It was a sentiment Sebastian could sympathize with. “You mean like Father.” Though he’d been a good man, he’d possessed a few flaws, one of which included the need to have their mother’s full attention.
“I don’t think he meant to be.” Armand didn’t dispute the charge. “I never quite understood the position he was in until recently.” The sigh he released echoed across the secure connection. “Sometimes I wonder how different our lives would have been, had he not died.”
Sebastian wondered the same thing every damned day. “We can’t change the past.”
“No. We can’t.”
The echo of a half-forgotten conversation in the weeks following their father’s death drifted into his recollection. “Do you resent not understanding before you inherited what a burden it would be?”
“I did once, but I don’t think anyone—not even Father—could have explained to me what to expect.
The responsibility. The need to not fail and the desire—every once in a while—to merely have a normal life.
But you and I, we know very little about normal.
” The maudlin conversation must have weighed on his brother because he changed the subject.
“I want to meet your Meredith, and I don’t want to wait several months to do it.
You will bring her to Los Angeles or make arrangements to send her here.
We can use Daniel and his company as cover, since they have every reason in the world to talk. It won’t make a ripple in the press.”
“You’re worse than Mother—” A knock at the door had Sebastian looking up. “One moment, Armand. Come in.”
Vidal opened the door and Meredith peeked in. She wore a camel-colored pullover sweater—one she’d pilfered from his side of the closet—and slacks. He really did need to take her somewhere warmer so she could wear less—their cabin, for example. “Am I interrupting?” she asked
“Not at all,” Armand answered before he could. “Come in, Miss Blake.”
Her gaze landed on the phone on Sebastian’s desk and then switched to him.
The hesitation while she sought his approval rather than just taking his brother at his word gratified him.
“Come. He will be cross if you turn him down and he has always been a bit of a poor loser.” The comment had a dual effect. Meredith smiled and Armand snorted.
The bodyguard closed the door as Meredith crossed the room and took his hand.
Tugging her down to sit on his lap, he smiled at her, and nodded toward the phone.
“Meredith, may I have the honor of introducing you to my brother, Armand? Armand, this is my Meredith. Be polite.” The last two words were delivered as a tight warning.
His brother didn’t miss a beat, though humor infused his words. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Meredith, however unusual the venue. You must be a remarkable woman, indeed, as Sebastian has never been so enthusiastic about another.”
“Hello.” She laughed then mouthed, this is weird.
“He tells me you’ve been teaching. I hope you’ll forgive an interfering older brother, but I did some research on you.”
Sebastian flexed his grip on her hip, but Meredith raised her eyebrows. “Well, I suppose that’s fair. I did some research on you, as well.”
“Indeed.” For a moment, his brother demonstrated a glimmer of hesitation. “Dare I ask what you discovered?”
“Depends. Did you like what you found out about me?” The corners of her mouth curved. His woman’s intelligence was never a question, but if she felt uncertain addressing a member of his family, it didn’t show.
“Tell me, you don’t gamble at all. Why?”
Sebastian actually started laughing at the question, but Meredith shrugged.
“Most games of chance rely on certain percentages and statistics. Cards are pretty boring because the number of possible combinations declines with every play. It’s too easy to know when to bet and when not to.
I do like slot machines, though, particularly the animated ones.
” She waited a moment and pressed her cheek to his.
“Sebastian, however, loves to gamble though I’m afraid I make it pretty boring for him. ”
“What about billiards?” Where was Armand going with his line of questioning?
When Meredith cast him a questioning look, Sebastian shook his head and mouthed I have no idea.
“Billiards is simple geometry, so not a challenge.” If her reply didn’t throw down a gauntlet, Sebastian didn’t know what would.
His brother didn’t hesitate to scoop it up. “Do me a favor? Keep that bit of information to yourself. When you come to Los Angeles in a few months, I want you to play with Richard.”
Meredith blinked. “In a few months?”
“Time to go, Armand.” Sebastian reached out and hung up on his brother. Rude, but effective. Meredith shifted in his lap and stared at him.
“What did he mean, a few months?”
Damn his brother, he wanted another couple of days before they broached the topic. “Armand and Anna have invited us to Los Angeles to stay at the tower for a few days. He really does want to meet you.”
“All right.” She nodded slowly and began to fidget with the collar of his shirt. “I’d very much like to meet them. I take it they’re very busy if we have to wait a few months?” The uncertainty in her question crushed him.
“Not exactly. In a few days—two, exactly—I have to head to Eastern Europe. I have a series of appearances scheduled. We’d initially intended to do them in a few weeks, but they’ve been moved up.
” How much to tell her? He wanted honesty between them, but the trip—this particular trip—was fraught with a danger which would only make her worry.
“Because of the attack on the island?” They hadn’t discussed it since their first night onboard. A series of lines tightened the area between her eyes.
“Yes.” He wouldn’t lie about it. “We scheduled appearance in Belaria…”
“Wait a minute. Isn’t Belaria the country that wants your brother to resume the throne?” The looseness left her posture as she straightened to face him. Thankfully, she didn’t try to slide off his lap. The need to touch her was a fierce ache whenever she was near.
“A faction there does, yes, but—” He held up a finger, asking for her patience before continuing.
“It is only a faction. The notoriety we’ve gained again over the last few months, with Alyx’s discovery and Armand and Anna’s wedding, has kept us in the forefront of the people’s minds.
Other factions in Belaria do not want us to return at all.
To be fair, Armand has no intentions of honoring what the royalists want.
So, to curb the rumors, I am going to a series of dinners and personal appearances designed to show our…
let’s say our dilettante lifestyle and disinterest in relocating to Belaria permanently. ”
“What if those are the same people who’ve been trying to kill you?” She was not a fool. “Going there is insane. You’d be walking into the lion’s den.”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.” He needed to downplay the possibilities immediately.
“But it’s absolutely no different than any other event I’ve done.
We go with the support of our allies in the British, Canadian and Norwegian governments.
They are all sending delegations, and I am attending as their guest.”
“Why?” Horror stamped across her face. “So they can have an easier time of killing you?”
“No.” He smiled, wanting to ease her fear.
“Because they need to know we’re not afraid.
No matter what their course of action, our family perseveres.
We do not want the throne, we do not want to be figureheads for a royalist party, but we will not bow to suppression, nor will we allow a dictator to use fear to intimidate us. ”
“Then I’m going with you.”
“Absolutely not. Right now, the world views you as only a professor, and you have no firm ties to our family. The news of Alyx’s pregnancy is out and the speculation about Anna and Armand will begin in earnest. For the next few months, it’s crucial we present an enduring front and no other disruptions.
That means I have to be free to be the face the world sees—”
“That makes no damn sense.” She jerked back to her feet. He followed her as she paced across his office. “I thought we planned to get engaged. Weren’t we discussing an engagement over the last few days? Why can’t I go with you?”
Because it isn’t safe. He exhaled a breath, knowing bloody well the argument wouldn’t work.
“Because I don’t want you there. This isn’t open for negotiation.
We’ll be arriving in an Italian port in the morning.
Kate will meet you at the dock. She and Gencome will see you back to the States.
A security team is already in place. We’ll make an announcement in a few months.
Until then, we’ll take all due precautions. ”
Mutiny flared in her eyes. “Oh, we will, will we? Made all these plans, have you?”
“Yes, Meredith. I’ve been working on this since before your phone call. The family has to see this through—”
“Wait a minute.” She backed up a step. “So, the trick Meredith into coming to see you, the soul-searching, and the arguments and the difficult truths—you even told me you loved me and wanted to marry me—but the whole time, you’ve known you were going to do this?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry if it disappoints you.
By now, you have to know I don’t have the luxury of putting my life on hold for anyone.
I’ve delayed everything as long as I could until we could reach some kind of accord between us.
” The words came out harsher than he intended, but the censure in her eyes stung.
He’d all but bent over backwards for her.
Why couldn’t she meet him halfway? “Meredith, I understand this is difficult. If we had a more equitable solution, we would employ it. The best thing for everyone is for you to go home. I will call you every night and, in a few weeks at most, we will be together again. When we are free to announce it, we never have to be apart again.”
“Just like old times.” There was something brittle in her statement.
He stepped toward her and she retreated, one hand held up to ward him off.
“I get it. I need to go home. You’ve decided and you’ve made all the arrangements.
Do me a favor? Why don’t you have your secretary send me a calendar so I know when I’m allowed to care again?
You know, since you’ve made all the decisions already.
I certainly wouldn’t want to mess up your plans. ”
She whirled and stomped out.
“Meredith,” he called, exasperated. Dammit. He wanted her safe. Why was she being so unreasonable? Gencome slid to the side so he could see her halted in the passageway.
Turning sharply, she faced him. “I’m sorry, didn’t you plan to excuse me? I thought you wanted me to go home.”
“That is not what I said.”
“No, what you said is you don’t want me there.
What you said is you made all these plans and arrangements.
I’m not a chess piece for you to move at your whim.
We’re either together or we’re not. Apparently, we’re not because the man I marry doesn’t make decisions for me.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, Your Highness?
I apparently have a plane to catch, so I’m going to pack.
” Then she was gone, striding away with Gencome in attendance.
Sebastian wanted to hit something, and he looked at Vidal. “Not a word.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”