‘It’s kind of hard to discuss the elephant in the room without saying the word elephant,’ Sebastian observed. ‘If you want to blank your son that is, of course, your choice—but Luis is my brother and I intend to carry on seeing him. I would like to invite him to the official reunification ceremony next year. I think he’d like to come but he has made it clear that it will only happen if the invitation comes with your blessing.’
‘Never!’
Sympathy flickered into Sebastian’s eyes as he got up and walked across to his father. ‘You are the one who taught me the value of family.’
‘He was the one who walked away. He betrayed us.’
‘He fell in love.’
‘Love!’ his father pronounced with scorn.
‘Yes, the thing that makes the world go around,’ he said, picturing a pair of beautiful brown eyes. ‘Luis is family, his wife is family—their child will be family.’
His father paled. ‘She is pregnant?’
‘It’s a boy, apparently.’
He saw his father fight off a smile. ‘A boy? I was beginning to think I’d never have a grandchild.’
‘I am doing my best, Father.’ The image of Sabrina with a child at her breast came into his head. Fatherhood was not something he had ever thought about before, except in the abstract. He was shocked by the wave of emotion that came with the image in his head.
The King cleared his throat. ‘So when is this baby due?’
With a sigh Sebastian took a seat. He took a photo from his wallet and put it on the desk in front of his father. After a moment the older man took it, and when he eventually glanced down at it he stared, his eyes filling with tears.
‘By the way, did I mention that the university have shown an interest in recruiting Sabrina?’
The monarch’s eyes lifted. ‘Just thought you’d slip that one in, did you? Raising money or even a place on the board is one thing, but your wife cannot work. That is preposterous.’
‘What would be preposterous, Father, would be for a woman with Sabrina’s qualifications to waste them—for her not to be an example to the young women of Vela and her own daughters.’
The old man shook his head. ‘Never while I draw breath.’
* * *
The office was the second place Sebastian looked for her, and the sound of voices through the half-open door, or one voice in particular, told him he was in the right place.
He pushed open the door and was stopped in his tracks. On one side of the room his wife’s PA stood weeping while Sabrina, her chin up, her eyes blazing, was facing a third woman he vaguely recognised—then he placed her. The tall brunette was Count Hugo’s niece.
‘What is happening?’
‘Sebastian! This woman...’ Teeth clenched, Sabrina looked at the tall brunette and took a deep breath. ‘This woman says she is my new assistant and I was telling her that I already have an assistant.’
‘Highness, the workload has become too much for Rachel, who is being reassigned to a less stressful position.’ She held out a file she was holding and a memory stick. ‘I have already made a start on the speech Her Highness is giving to the friends of the hospital. I have redrafted it into a more...acceptable form.’
Sabrina put her hands on her hips. ‘What was wrong with it as it was?’ she asked in a dangerous voice.
‘It is a professional occasion. Certain things can be misinterpreted when taken out of context.’
While the other two women faced off, Sebastian went over to where the weeping girl stood and put his hand on her hunched, shaking shoulder. ‘Do you find working for my wife stressful? You can be honest.’ He exchanged a look with Sabrina. ‘She can be difficult.’
The girl dashed a hand across her damp face and shook her head. ‘No, I love working for the Princess. She is so kind and...’ Her lips began to quiver again as she wailed, ‘She’s lovely.’
Sebastian nodded and turned back to Hugo’s niece, who was regarding the weeping younger girl with distaste. ‘It looks like there has been a mistake. As you see, my wife already has an assistant.’
‘With the greatest of respect, Highness, the King himself has asked me to step in and, though I do not like to say it—’
‘But you say it anyway—admirable. And I see a family trait.’
‘Certain aspects of Rachel’s work have been found unsatisfactory.’
‘Not by me, they haven’t!’ Sabrina retorted.
‘No, cara, what she means is that Rachel has not been passing on the information about you when requested.’ He glanced towards Rachel, who sniffed and nodded. ‘So,’ he added, ‘they decided to insert a more qualified spy.’
‘I must protest...!’
Sebastian whipped around and fixed the woman with a stare of arctic contempt. ‘Then do so out of my sight.’
Sabrina, whose inarticulate rage had been replaced by shock, watched, her mouth slightly open, as the woman, red-faced, walked from the room. ‘What just happened?’ she said faintly when the door closed.
Sebastian smiled at her and moved to where Rachel was drying her eyes.
‘Does that mean I’m still working for Sa... the Princess?’
‘It does.’
‘But the King—’
‘You work for Princess Sabrina, you answer to Princess Sabrina, and she is the only person who can dismiss you.’
Sabrina went across to where the girl stood. ‘And I don’t,’ she said, giving the girl a hug.
‘Now, Rachel, I will obviously defer to the boss here—’ he glanced at Sabrina ‘—but I think you deserve the rest of the day off. Have a tissue, a box,’ he added generously, handing the girl the box on the desk.
Rachel, receiving it, looked at Sabrina, who nodded. ‘Yes, that will be fine, Rachel, thanks, and sorry.’
* * *
She waited until the door closed before turning to Sebastian.
‘Thank you for that, but I could have handled it,’ she added, just in case he thought she was pathetic.
‘I never doubted it, but you shouldn’t have needed to. I should have laid some ground rules with my father before I left...but I’ve done that now and I don’t think there will be any more incidents like that.’
‘You’ve spoken to him already...before...?’ She stopped, lowering her eyes and thinking, Of course he went to see his father first, Brina. You are not his first priority.
‘How was your trip?’He dragged a hand through his hair. ‘It was pretty much like every other meeting I have attended—long...lots of time with nothing to do but think. I’ve been a fool.’
He took her face between his hands and paused, his eyes closing as he relived that moment of mind-numbing shock that had come after a week of denial and misery. A week spent wondering what she was doing, if she was all right, missing her voice, the smell of her skin, missing her! Fighting the knowledge that at some point Sabrina had crept into his heart, into his soul. Fighting because he was a coward, fighting what he ought to have been rejoicing, pushing her away when he ought to have been pulling her to him.
Sabrina saw the pain in his face and ached for him. It must have been a pretty catastrophic meeting to make him look like that. ‘I’m sure you weren’t.’
His