“What a stunning couple!” she exclaimed. “Of course they all want pictures, and they must have them.”
“I’ll bet they’re also looking for some dirt to dish,” murmured AJ. Lani had tried to ignore the same dark thought. Happy news didn’t sell nearly as well as disaster.
“Just hold your chin high and remember the proud history of our island.” Priia stroked her tall son’s cheek.
“Thanks for the advice, Mom.” AJ shot Lani a mischievous glance. Lani had noticed that AJ usually gave his mom lip service, then did whatever he wanted.
“And Lani, if they ask you too much, tell them you’re still mourning. Don’t let them upset you.”
Lani gulped. Hopefully AJ would do most of the talking.
Priia’s main assistant put her head around the door. “They’re waiting for you on the veranda. I served them tea and coconut stars just as you suggested.”
“Wonderful.” Priia clapped her hands. “Then they’ll all be in a good mood. Come on, my dears. Let’s give them a glimpse of Rahiri’s gorgeous new royal family.”
They stepped out on the veranda, and Lani froze when she saw how many people had gathered. At least fifty, many of them with cameras pressed to their faces. Voices began chattering, reporters reeling off live commentary, as she and AJ took their seats under some very hot, rapidly erected lights.
Microphones thrust toward them. “AJ, how does it feel to marry your brother’s wife?”
Lani blanched. AJ leaned back in his chair, confident and relaxed. “I don’t know. We’re not married yet.”
“You’re leaving a lot of broken-hearted women behind in L.A.,” quipped one rather flamboyant reporter. “Do you feel you’re ready to settle down?” “Absolutely.”
“I can see why,” declared a bold female reporter. “Your fiancée is stunning.” She pointed her mike right at Lani. “How do you feel about taking a new husband when you’ve barely had a chance to mourn the first one?”
Lani cleared her throat. “It’s traditional.”
“But surely, in the twenty-first century, some traditions seem a little barbaric.”
AJ grasped her hand firmly. “No one is forcing Lani and me into this marriage. We’re both pleased to hold our family together in the way chosen by our ancestors.”
“Give us a kiss, then!” coaxed an older male reporter with a British accent.
Lani shrank into her chair. Could they really expect them to put on a show for the cameras?
“Please don’t offend my bride’s royal dignity.” AJ managed a tone that was both formal and jesting. “And give us a chance to get the relationship off the ground at our own speed.”
“There must be pressure on you to produce an heir to the throne, since your brother didn’t.”
Lani gulped. It was hard to resist pointing out there was one on the way already.
“None whatsoever. We’re young and strong and will be here for a long time to come.” His cheery retort soothed her.
“Lani, is it disturbing to you that Vanu’s body has never been found?” A young female reporter thrust a microphone at her.
She stiffened. “I’ve accepted the fact that it may never be found. We all searched long and hard for his boat, but found no sign of it. The ocean is deep and keeps many secrets.”
She could never let anyone know the deadly secret that she was relieved Vanu was gone.
Reporters clustered around the palace all day, hoping to snap a candid shot of the couple. AJ’s celebrity status had turned the story into a hot property, and the internet buzzed with speculation and innuendo about the arranged marriage. Once pictures of Lani hit the media, revealing that she was not only royal but also strikingly beautiful, interest only grew.
Lani peeped out behind the closed wooden shutters. “Do you think we’ll ever be able to go outside again without being photographed?”
“They’ll lose interest eventually.” AJ spoke while thumbing a message on his BlackBerry. “Something more dramatic will happen.”
“What are you going to do about the movie you’re supposed to edit in a couple of weeks?” There were so many things they still hadn’t talked about. Did AJ think he could continue his Hollywood career and rule Rahiri at the same time?
“The editor can start work without me. He has the script and storyboard with my notes, and of course we can videoconference. As things progress we’ll make new plans. I signed up for the job and I don’t shirk a commitment.”
“Which is why you’re still here.” She looked up, suddenly shy. AJ appeared so strong, invincible, even. But how much of this whole experience had he not thought through yet? He was obviously trying hard to do the right thing. But what if he wasn’t ready to give up the thrills and excitement of his life in L.A.?
She couldn’t help thinking about those “broken-hearted” beauties he’d left behind. Who was he texting? Already a little thread of jealousy twisted inside her. She rose to her feet and paced along the wall of shuttered windows.
AJ looked up. “I’m restless, too. Let’s go out for a walk.”
“With the entire press corps following us?”
He rose to his feet, tall and handsome in a white shirt and loose linen pants. “We’ll ditch ‘em.” He winked at her. “Follow me.”
He took her hand and led her along the corridors toward the east wing. “Aren’t we heading right for them?”
“Yes, but they won’t see us.” He opened a door that she’d always assumed was some kind of closet, and stepped into the darkness. Her hand tingled in his as she stepped in after him. “Look out, there are some stairs.” She followed him down, her heart pounding louder as they went farther down the strange staircase.
“Is there a light?” she whispered, wondering when the staircase would end.
“I don’t think so.” He squeezed her hand. “But we’re nearly there.”
“Where?”
AJ chuckled. “Nowhere.”
The stairs ended, and stone clapped against the bottoms of her sandals. “What is this place?” Tiny points of light overhead—like cracks in the ceiling—illuminated a large room. The temperature was cool, a good twenty degrees lower than the midday warmth of the palace.
“Your guess is as good as mine. No one’s used it in years. Vanu and I used to sneak out of the palace this way.”
Cold fear trickled through her and she glanced over her shoulder. She could easily picture Vanu haunting a dim, subterranean space like this.
If he was even dead. The reporter’s question from earlier nagged at her brain. Yes, it did unsettle her that they hadn’t found a body. How could it not? Sometimes it seemed he was everywhere, his cold, wheedling voice in her head, criticizing everything she did.
She squeezed AJ’s strong, warm hand. “Where does it bring you out?”
“You won’t believe me if I tell you.” Their shoes clicked along over the stone tiles as they headed farther and farther from the palace. The room narrowed again into a passageway, and Lani was alarmed by a roaring sound that grew louder as they walked.