Page 64 of Claimed By the Crown Prince
Laia felt her own heart contract. Sheknew. Because she felt like crying too. ‘It’s him, isn’t it? Aristedes?’
Maddi looked as if she wanted to deny it, but she nodded. Then she looked angry. ‘I never asked to fall in love with him, but he made me... If I could go back there and give him a piece of my mind—’
‘Why don’t you?’
Maddi stopped and looked at Laia. Eyes wide. The same eyes, just darker. ‘Go back and...what?’
Laia squeezed Maddi’s hand. ‘Tell him that you love him. What have you got to lose?’
Laia felt like a fraud. She hadn’t had the courage to tell Dax how she felt. But she’d seen those pictures of Maddi and Aristedes. She was sure that they loved each other.
‘What if he rejects me?’
He won’t.
Laia would bet money on it. But she said lightly, ‘Then you come back here, to your home, and we’ll make an effigy and stick pins in his bottom.’
Maddi giggled. And then sobered. ‘You’re right. I need to do this.’
‘So go and do it. Giorgio will help you get to him.’
Maddi looked alternately terrified and excited. She flung her arms around Laia’s neck. ‘I love you.’
Laia hugged her back, feeling emotional. She couldn’t stop feeling emotional these days. She said, ‘I love you too. Nowgo.’
Maddi left, walking quickly through the gardens.
Laia watched her go. Selfishly, she almost felt like calling her back, because she knew that soon she’d be losing her sister again. But she said nothing. She went to the wall and looked out to sea and tried not to think about the person who dominated her every waking and sleeping moment.
Dax.
She put a hand on her belly. She’d been feeling queasy for a few days now. And she’d noticed that morning that her period was late. A trickle of fear traced down her spine, but she told herself she was being ridiculous. They’d never not been careful. It was undoubtedly due to the craziness of the last couple of weeks.
Every day she’d looked out at the people and the crowds and almost wished she would see a familiar tall, broad body amongst them. That beautiful face that could turn from serious to wicked to laughing in one instant.
But of course he wouldn’t come after her. He wouldn’t put her in that position. And he didn’t want her enough. She’d already seen headlines saying that he was back in New York. And he’d been pictured at an event. Alone. She was thankful for that at least. She couldn’t have borne seeing him with another woman so soon.
She couldn’t be pregnant with Crown Prince Dax’s baby. That would be the cruellest irony of all.
A month later, Santanger. Ari and Maddi’s wedding
‘I’d say your trip to Santanger to confront Aristedes was a success, wouldn’t you?’
Maddi laughed and squeezed Laia’s hand. She looked shy all of a sudden. ‘I think we can say that, yes.’
The guests were mingling after the wedding reception in the beautiful ballroom at the Santanger palace. Guests spilled out through open French doors onto balconies and the sky was turning dusky. It was magical.
Laia felt emotional.Again.
‘I’m so happy for you, Mads. Truly. You deserve everything the world has to offer—Queen Maddi.’
Maddi paled a little. ‘I’ve only just been getting used to the idea of being a princess. This is ridiculous...’
Laia shook her head. ‘You can do this. You’re a natural.’
She spotted Aristedes coming over from the other side of the room and stood back. He winked at her and smiled as he took Maddi’s hand to lead her away.
This marriage had already done so much for the two kingdoms. There had been some mutterings of dissent, but everyone was so happy to celebrate something joyful that they had been drowned out.