Princess From the Shadows. Maisey Yates

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СКАЧАТЬ not,” she said, the slight steel in her tone surprising him.

      “Is that so?”

      “Yes. My father explained the situation to me more fully. I … I knew that you and Sophia were engaged, in a sense, but I did not know the specifics. I don’t live in Santina so I’m not really in on everything that goes on here and Sophia didn’t … she didn’t really say much of anything about you. I only got wind of how big of a deal it was when the story broke about Sophia being caught with Ash on the plane.”

      “That’s because I’ve barely met the girl. No reason for her to talk about me.”

      Carlotta cleared her throat. “Yes, well … the girl, is gone.”

      “With the maharaja.”

      He saw the corner of her mouth twitch. “Right. With Ash. Alex’s friend. And you still need a wife.”

      “Need is a strong word.”

      “Do you or don’t you?” she asked.

      “Eventually.”

      “How soon is this eventually you speak of?”

      “Truthfully? The sooner, the better. This will be a time of transition for my people.” He thought of the responsibility, the weight of the crown. It was heavy on his shoulders. Already he’d moved back into the palace in Santa Christobel. He felt like it would choke him, being inside those four walls again. “Anything that can be done to ease their fears at this time would be welcome. Marriage, my marriage, would help with that.”

      They wouldn’t be mourning his father, that was for sure. Carlos Anguiano was not much loved. And while Rodriguez had essentially been running Santa Christobel for the past several years, his father had remained the figurehead.

      “It would mean a new start for my people. A fresh beginning,” he said.

      “Well then, I guess I have good news for you.”

      “What is that?”

      “I haven’t run off with a maharaja, so … I happen to be available to marry you. At your earliest convenience.”

      It was a rare moment that found Rodriguez Anguiano speechless.

      “Excuse me?” he asked.

      “I’ll marry you.”

      “What happened to the emphatic no from earlier?”

      “I was shocked. In shock. I wasn’t prepared for something like that.”

      “To be offered up as a replacement wife in your sister’s absence?” He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing quickly.

      “I wasn’t … exactly expecting that, no. I thought I’d come to the party, have a couple of drinks and go home. Wasn’t really anticipating acquiring a husband.”

      “And yet you have changed your mind?” he asked, pacing in front of her, adrenaline surging through him, joining the unrest he’d already felt being contained in the walls of the castle in Santina. That he’d been feeling since he’d boarded his private plane, on his way to collect what could only be described as a ball and chain.

      “We need this, don’t we? The marriage I …” He watched her throat convulse as she swallowed. “I have always known that I would face an arranged marriage of some kind.”

      She spoke the truth. From the cradle they’d all known their marriages would likely be arranged by their parents. Because duty came first, the allegiance to the family name. To Santina. Alex had long been promised to Anna, a woman more than suitable to be the future queen of Santina. But that was before he’d gone rogue and set his sights on Allegra Jackson. And of course Sophia had been promised to Rodriguez. Natalia’s engagement was in the process of being arranged. She didn’t know about Matteo, but it was less urgent now that Alex was formally betrothed.

      Before Carlotta had … Well, if not for Luca her father would have likely arranged a marriage for her years ago. As it was, she had been sort of taken out of the “dynastic union” running when she’d had her son.

      Well, apparently not really out of the running. She was good enough to play second string. Good enough to marry the renowned rebel prince of Santa Christobel. A man who lived dangerously and loved often. Well, not loved. He made love often, according to the tabloids. A new woman on his arm every weekend to accompany him to Europe’s most exclusive parties. Fast cars, fast dates.

      The kind of man who represented recklessness, lawlessness, total disregard for honor. A man who served his own passions. The kind of man she hated. The kind of man she was so easily drawn to.

      “As have I,” Rodriguez said, his dark eyes unreadable, the little curve of his mouth still present, like it had been earlier. It was a kind of ever-present near-smile that made it look like he was mocking her. It made her stomach feel like it was being squeezed tight by an invisible fist.

      She cleared her throat. “So, while I hadn’t really penciled a wedding into my day planner, it’s not a … it’s not a total surprise.”

      What was her other option anyway?

      Well, there was staying in Italy. That was a good thought. Hiding. But she didn’t know if it served any real purpose. The only person it really helped was her. It allowed her to lick her wounds in private. It allowed her to hide Luca from royal life. Something part of her wanted to do, but something she also knew wasn’t fair. He was a Santina. He was a royal. It was a part of him, and it didn’t do him any good to force him to deny that part of himself. No matter how much simpler it would be to just raise him as an ordinary little boy. Who wasn’t tabloid fodder. It wasn’t reality.

      “I don’t suppose you really had other life plans either,” she said.

      “I don’t plan. I live.”

      “Well … I suppose that means you don’t have a woman back home you’re dying to see. Someone you’d prefer to marry.”

      “I’ll be honest with you, Carlotta, I prefer not to marry. But I need an heir. One that isn’t a bastard.”

      She flinched when he spoke the word. She hated that word. One used to label an innocent child, to make them suffer for the perceived sins of his parents. Did Rodriguez know about Luca? He had to know. So, he’d chosen the words to wound her.

      “Why?” she said. “Do you have many? Children, I mean.”

      “Me? No. I always use protection.” Such a throwaway statement. Spoken like a man who never thought about anyone but himself.

      She gritted her teeth. “It doesn’t always work.”

      “True. But in the event that a pregnancy had resulted, you can bet the woman involved would have told me. I’m rich. Titled. She would have wanted her piece.”

      “You would have owed her a piece,” she said. “At minimum.”

      “I’m not arguing that. My point is that, whether I want marriage or not, СКАЧАТЬ