Cinderella's Secret Royal Fling. Jessica Gilmore

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ Laurent inhaled slowly as he turned to face his mother. ‘You know that my father was determined not to go down the tax haven route, nor did he want to turn the country into a giant theme park of romanticism and cod medievalism. You worked hard to keep his vision alive and I won’t betray his legacy. If we can attract one thriving tech company like Clay Industries then others will be sure to follow. We can turn Armaria into the tech capital of Europe, a Silicon Valley of the north. Create jobs and prosperity without losing our integrity.’ He stopped abruptly, aware he sounded like he was giving a prepared speech to Parliament, and his mother smiled with understanding. After all, she had heard variations on the speech many times before.

      ‘It’s not me you have to convince, Laurent.’

      ‘No, just Parliament.’ Advisory they might be, but life was infinitely easier with them on side. ‘If Clay Industries bite then Parliament will capitulate on the tax haven bill, I know it. I just need that first investment...’

      ‘So you’ll find a way to make it happen.’ His mother was matter-of-fact. This was what they did. Through ten centuries the Archdukes of Armaria had done whatever they had to, to protect their people from invaders and plagues, wars and famine, bankruptcy and poverty. He would not be the first to fail.

      ‘Yes. I will. Which is why I have suggested that the Claytons are our guests of honour for the newly revived Midsummer Ball. Mike Clayton’s sixtieth birthday falls on the same day, and they have yet to decide on the best way to mark it. What better way than for him to celebrate here in Armaria on one of the most iconic nights of the year?’

      ‘Midsummer is always special, but it’s less than a month away. And it’s been years since we held a grand ball. Not since your father...’ Her voice faltered, as it still did whenever she spoke of her late husband. Twenty-one years of widowhood hadn’t lessened her grief. Things might have been different if she had been able to move on, but instead Laurent was all too aware that his mother’s life had stilled at the moment of her husband’s death and she had been trapped into a regency she had neither asked for nor wanted, preserving the small country to hand on to her son. ‘There is so much to do, to plan and arrange. The ballroom could do with a lick of paint and a polish, as could half that wing and some of our staterooms.’

      ‘It’s a good thing we have a castle full of staff, isn’t it? I know the timing is tight, Maman, but our Midsummer Balls were legendary; reviving them is the kind of gesture we need to show we have faith in Armaria, in our past and traditions as well as in our future. It’s the ideal opportunity to make the Claytons fall in love with Armaria, with everything we have to offer. Let Mike Clayton use his heart as well as his head when he chooses us. Speaking of which...’ He hesitated. Once he’d said the next words, there would be no going back. He steeled himself. ‘I think it’s time I got married.’

      ‘Married?’ His mother’s surprise was almost comical. After all, she had been hinting at this very thing for two years now, drawing up lists of eligible and connected young ladies on a regular basis.

      ‘I am twenty-eight, as you keep reminding me. And, as you know, Alex is next in line—how cross would he be if I died without an heir and he had to become Archduke?’

      ‘Dear Alex,’ his mother murmured. ‘He loves that hospital so much.’

      ‘Which is why I need to settle down and have an heir or two so he doesn’t have to worry about hanging up his stethoscope and putting on a crown.’

      The dowager Archduchess’s eyes narrowed as she assessed her son. ‘I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.’ And, her tone implied, if she didn’t know about it, then how could it be happening? ‘And you know how it is. You are Armaria and you have to do what is right for the whole country, and that includes your marriage. You can’t just marry anyone.’

      ‘I wasn’t planning on marrying just anyone.’ He took a deep breath. Once the words were said there was no going back. ‘Mike Clayton has a daughter. Bella. I’m sure you’ll like her. I am considering asking her to be my Archduchess. To strengthen the ties between Armaria and Clay Industries on every level.’

      ‘I see.’ His mother blinked and for one moment the formidable regent disappeared, to be replaced with a tearful mother who only wanted her son’s happiness. Another blink and the regent returned as if she had never left. ‘Oh, Laurent. I do see. And of course it makes sense. The days when we needed to ally ourselves with one of our neighbours through marriage may have gone, but there’s always a new generation of buccaneers in town.’

      ‘I haven’t said anything to Bella or her parents,’ Laurent warned his mother. ‘I wanted to discuss it with you first. Obviously, she might have plans for her life that don’t include a draughty old castle and living in a strange country.’

      ‘Tell me about her. What makes her laugh? What are her dreams?’

      Laurent shifted from one foot to another, uncomfortable with the whimsical question. He was an Archduke. He didn’t deal with dreams and laughter; he dealt with facts and figures and if he decided to propose to Bella Clayton and if she accepted then it would be the oldest trade in the book. He had a country in need of investment and her family had that investment to make. A title and a throne for money or influence or protection, just as his forebears had done time and time again.

      ‘As you know, I’ve stayed with her family twice now and she seems nice enough.’ He didn’t need to see his mother wince to realise how far short those words fell. ‘She’s pretty, possibly even beautiful,’ he tried again. ‘She loves dogs and horses; we spent most of our time together discussing them.’ A mutual love of animals was surely as good a place to start a marriage as any. Many royal couples had less.

      ‘Where was she educated?’

      ‘Nothing to worry about there; she went to an exclusive boarding school and then spent a couple of years at a Swiss finishing school. Since then she has worked for Clay Industries, helping run their charity trust.’ Not that she seemed over-burdened with a nine-to-five; her role there seemed more titular, but the charity angle would go down well with the press and was good preparation for many of the duties necessary for an Archduchess.

      His mother raised an eyebrow. ‘No university? That’s a shame. I do think in these uncertain times a girl needs a good education beyond correct knives and the right curtsey—she never knows when she might end up Regent in an absolute monarchy. A good grasp of mathematics and economics can be essential.’

      A wave of sympathy swept over Laurent for the young Archduchess his mother had once been, barely thirty, widowed and thrust into a position of responsibility on behalf of her young son. ‘Hopefully, it won’t come to that. I’m not planning on leaving her to manage alone.’

      She glanced up, startled, betrayed into an answering smile when she realised he was teasing her. ‘Of course not. But an Archduchess does need a lot of common sense and a thick skin as well as brains. It’s not an easy job.’

      ‘No. It’s not. But she does seem fully aware of the burdens of her privilege as well as the blessings. And her mother made sure I knew that Bella is descended from the Normans on both sides of her family tree—Mike Clayton informally adopted her when he married her mother, but her natural father was a baron, so her background is good enough for those people who care about such things.’

      ‘Yes, it does sound as if her birth and education will do. Laurent, is this idea yours, or have her parents hinted that the two of you might make a suitable union?’

      ‘All my idea. There has been no pressure from Mike Clayton, no hints that his investment is СКАЧАТЬ