“What is your name?”
To Olivia’s delight Bethany went to the queen.
She stopped just out of arm’s reach and studied the queen. “I’m Bethany.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” The queen looked toward her sister. “And what is your name?”
Bethany answered again. “Karina.”
“How old are they?” the king asked.
“They’ll be two in a few weeks,” Gabriel answered.
“Puppy.” Karina had finally spoken.
“I have a puppy you can meet. Would you like that?” The queen smiled as Karina nodded. “Mary,” the queen said to the maid who’d brought the twins’ clothes from upstairs. “Go get Rosie.” The Cavalier King Charles spaniel loved people, especially children, and was a great deal calmer than the queen’s vizsla.
In five minutes the maid was back with the dog and both twins were laughing as Rosie licked their cheeks. “Gabriel, why don’t you and Olivia make yourself scarce for a while. I’ll see the girls are settled.”
Recognizing an order when she heard one, Olivia let Gabriel draw her from the bedroom and down the stairs.
“Let’s get out of here while we can,” he murmured, escorting her through a side door and into the garden.
The late May morning had a slight edge of coolness, but when he offered to send someone upstairs for a sweater, Olivia shook her head.
“Let’s walk in the sunshine. I’ll warm up fast enough.”
He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm. Olivia gave herself up to the pleasure of his strong body brushing against her side as they strolled along the crushed granite pathways.
“Thank you for all you’ve done with the girls,” he said.
“It breaks my heart that they’ll grow up without their mother, but I’m glad they have you.”
“You never knew yours, did you? She died when you were born?”
She’d never told him that. “I guess we both did our research.”
“I’ve treated our engagement like a business arrangement. For that I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I knew what I was getting into.” She heard a touch of cynicism in her tone and countered it with a wry smile.
Gabriel didn’t smile back. “I don’t think you have any idea what you’re getting into.”
“That sounds intriguing.” Olivia waited for more, but the prince didn’t elaborate.
“Starting now I intend to learn everything there is to know about you.”
While she was sure he meant to flatter her with the declaration, Olivia froze in momentary panic. What if he found out she hadn’t come clean about her past fertility issues? Even with the problem solved, he might be angry that she hadn’t disclosed such an important fact.
“A girl needs to keep a little mystery about herself,” she countered, gazing up at him from beneath her lashes. “What if you lost interest once you discovered all my secrets?”
“It never occurred to me that you’d have secrets,” he murmured, half to himself.
“What woman doesn’t?”
“I’d prefer it if we didn’t keep secrets from each other.”
“After the surprise you received last night, I understand why. So, what would you like to tell me?”
“Me?”
Olivia congratulated herself on turning the conversation back on him. “Getting to know each other was your idea. I thought you’d like to show me how it’s done.”
Gabriel’s eyes gleamed with appreciation. “What would you like to know?”
“Why did you pick me?”
“Your passion for issues relating to children and your tireless determination to make their lives better.” Gabriel stopped and turned her to face him. “I knew you would be exactly the sort of queen my country would love.”
As his words sank in she stared at the pond, watching the ducks paddle across the still water. “Your country.”
At times like this it amused her to think of how many girls longed to be her. If they knew what her life was like, would they still want that? Marriage to a prince might seem like a fairy tale come true, but did they understand the sacrifices to her privacy or the responsibility she would bear?
But marriage into Sherdana’s royal family would offer her the opportunity to focus on things near and dear to her heart and to advocate for those who needed help, but who had no one to turn to. Earlier in the week she’d had an opportunity to speak with a local hospital administrator about the need for a more child-friendly space to treat the younger patients. The woman had a lot of ideas how to change the children’s ward to make a hospital stay easier on the children as well as their families.
Olivia was excited about the opportunities to help. Sherdana would find her an enthusiastic promoter of solutions for at-risk and underprivileged children. She was proud of the money she’d raised in London and loved the hours she’d spent visiting with children in the hospitals. Their courage in fighting their illnesses always inspired her. She intended to inspire others to help.
As Sherdana’s princess and future queen, she would be in the perfect position to bring children’s issues to the forefront of public awareness.
“I will do my best to never let your country down.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
Her knees trembled as he slid his hand beneath her hair, fingertips drawing evocative circles on her nape.
Cupping her cheek in his palm, Gabriel turned her head until their eyes met. Her heart skipped a beat. He wanted her. The expanding warmth in her midsection told her so and she basked in the certainty.
His gaze held her entranced until the second before his lips skimmed hers. Wrenched free of anticipation, relief rushed through her like a wildfire. A groan built in her chest as his tongue traced the seam of her lips. Welcoming the masterful stroke of his tongue into her mouth, she leaned into him, pressing her breasts against his chest, needing his hands to cup their weight and drive her mad.
A throat cleared somewhere behind them. “Excuse me, Your Highness.”
Gabriel stiffened and tore his mouth free. Chest heaving, he drew his thumb across her lower lip. “We will continue this later,” he promised, his voice a husky rasp against her sensitized nerve endings.
“I look forward to it.”
She received the briefest of smiles before he turned to face his private secretary. Released from the compelling grip of his gaze, Olivia had a hard time maintaining her composure. The kiss, although cut short, had been everything a woman craved. Passionate. Masterful. A touch wicked. She locked her knees and moderated her breathing while she listened to Gabriel’s conversation with his secretary.
Stewart cleared his throat again. “Sorry to interrupt, but the media found out about your daughters and Lord Darcy is meeting with your parents.”
Distantly, she became aware that Stewart was filling in Gabriel rapid-fire style about what had been on the television this morning.
“How did they get wind of it so fast?” Gabriel demanded.
Not even the ice in his voice could banish the lingering warmth Olivia felt from his kiss.
Stewart came up with the most obvious source. “The lawyer might have gone to them.”
“Unlikely. He had nothing to gain.”
“Someone