Prince of Scandal (11 page)

But some traditions needed change.

‘You have my word.’

He might not be a success as a father. Certainly his father’s model of paternal love had been distant and unemotional. He thought of Peter, the boy with his dog. At least Raul knew what
not
to do. And Luisa would make up for his shortcomings. She’d be a natural.

He smiled, satisfied at the prospect.

‘Tell me …’ She hesitated.

‘Yes?’

‘Yesterday at the reception. Why did everyone watch you and your stepmother as if they expected a scene?’

Raul drew a heavy breath, satisfaction dissipating in an instant. But Luisa had a right to know. As she’d pointed out, she was his wife. Better to learn the facts from him than from some gossip sheet.

‘Because they know I don’t like her.’ He stroked Luisa’s hair then down her back, distracting himself just a little by the way she arched into his caress.

‘Why not?’ Luisa’s question was a breath of sound. ‘Why don’t you like her?’

Raul clenched his jaw, forcing himself to answer.

‘She pretended to marry him for love. He was proud and arrogant and he’d never been in love before, but he didn’t deserve what he got.’ Even though at first Raul had wished them both to the devil. He’d found no satisfaction seeing his father, weighed down by regret, dwindle into a shadow of the man he’d been.

‘He was duped by a gold-digger half his age who wanted wealth and royal prestige. She spent most of her time with other men. His last years were hell.’

Even in his anger Raul felt a weight slide off his chest. He’d kept his views to himself so long, knowing an unguarded word would inflame the gossip and speculation he’d tried so hard to quash. The truth of his father’s marriage had been guessed by many but never proven.

He’d worked tirelessly to protect his family’s reputation, covering for his father as he grew erratic and less able to control his kingdom. Overcoming a desire to expose Ana for the witch she was. His country needed faith in the monarchy that kept it stable.

‘There’s more, isn’t there? More you’re not telling?’

Raul felt movement and looked down to see Luisa’s bright eyes surveying him. She looked troubled.

Briefly he hesitated. But there was no point refusing to tell her. She could find out easily enough. He looked up at the wood-panelled ceiling, away from her searching gaze.

‘I met Ana in my early twenties. She was my age but unlike any of the girls I knew. She wasn’t aristocratic. She didn’t simper or talk in platitudes. She didn’t talk politics and she didn’t care about court gossip.’

His lips twisted at the memory.

‘She was a breath of fresh air. Vibrant, outspoken, fun. She wasn’t afraid to get her hair messed riding in a convertible, or enjoy a picnic out in the open instead of dinner at a chic restaurant.’ Or so it had seemed.

‘I was smitten.’ Raul halted, drawing a searing breath. It was the first time he’d admitted it. Strange how the memory seemed less shattering. Maybe because he saw his youthful folly clearly since he no longer believed in love.

‘Oh, Raul!’ No mistaking Luisa’s distress. Or the tension in her body. The story wasn’t a pretty one. Suddenly he wanted it over as quickly as possible.

‘It turned out I was wrong about her. She seemed fresh and innocent, uncomplicated and appealing. But she wasn’t what she appeared.’ His mouth twisted.

‘I wasn’t the only one taken in. I introduced her to my father and he fell for her with all the force of an old fool for a very beautiful, very clever young woman.’

Raul remembered those days vividly. Ana had played him, holding him at arm’s length once she got his father in her sights. After all, what price a prince when a king was available, with a kingdom’s wealth at his disposal?

‘My father married her four months later.’

Raul had thought his world had ended. He’d retreated into duty, throwing himself into anything that would dull the pain of betrayal. It had become habit to direct all his passion, all his energies into his royal obligations.

It had worked. Over the years he’d dispensed with the need for emotional ties.

‘Raul, I’m so sorry. That must have been souldestroying.’

Luisa didn’t know the half of it. But it had made him stronger. He was self-sufficient and glad of it.

So why did he feel stripped naked in a way that had nothing to do with his lack of clothes?

‘Do you still … care for her?’

Blindly Raul turned towards Luisa’s voice, finally focusing on her troubled gaze.

‘Care?’ He almost spat the word. ‘For the woman who deceived me and incited my own father to betray me?’ A laugh tore, savage and rough, from his throat. ‘For the woman who made me a laughing stock? She damned near destroyed the monarchy with her scandalous behaviour. She did destroy my father’s pride and honour with her affairs.’

Raul shook his head. ‘I learned a valuable lesson from her. Never to trust. Never to be gullible again. Love is a trap for the unwary.’

It struck him that what had drawn him to Ana all those years ago was what attracted him to Luisa. Her innocence in a world of political machinations. Her directness and honesty. Her beauty. Except in Luisa it was real. In Ana it had been false, designed to snare.

Ana had come to this apartment one morning just months after her wedding. She’d worn sheer black lace and even sheerer audacity and she’d expected Raul to satisfy her as his father hadn’t been able to.

Rancid distaste filled his mouth. It had taken him a long time to banish the taint of that memory, even though he’d spurned her, avoiding her whenever he could.

In the long run Ana had done him a favour. Never again would he fall for the fantasy of love.

Luisa reeled from the shocking truth. The harsh light in his eyes as he’d spoken of his stepmother made her shiver.

Or was that because of the revelation that he’d once loved Ana?

Did he love her still? Despite his vehement denial, it was clear she still evoked strong emotion in him.

Nausea rose, threatening to choke Luisa. Raul had taken her with the compulsion of a man staking his claim.

Or a man intent on obliterating the past.

Had he really wanted
her?
Or had his pent-up passion been for the woman who’d rejected him yet still had a place in his life? Was Luisa a stand-in?

She bit her lip.

He’d said he didn’t believe in love. Had he already fallen so hard for Ana he couldn’t escape his feelings?

And if not, why did the idea of Raul, deprived of love as a child and now rejecting it as an adult, fill Luisa with sadness?

L
UISA
peeked through slitted eyes as Raul dressed. She’d fallen into an exhausted sleep despite the swirl of disturbing thoughts his revelations had produced.

Hours ago they’d scaled the heights of bliss and she’d felt absurdly as if she’d found the other half of her soul in his arms, especially when he’d then begun to open up a little about his life.

But his later revelations about Ana had poisoned that heady pleasure and made her doubt.

What did Raul feel? Would she ever know?

She swallowed a knot of distress. The best she could do for herself, and the man she feared she was coming to care too much for, was be sensible—take a day at a time and try to build a workable marriage.

Easier said than done when just looking at him made her heart clench.

Hair slicked back from the shower, strong hands knotting his tie, Raul looked more potently sexy than any man had a right to.

Was this how his other lovers felt when he left them?
She breathed through the hurt.

There could never be love between them.

Raul had closed himself off from that possibility. His bitterness over his father’s wife skewed his emotions so much he’d admitted he’d never trust a woman, or love, again.

Who could blame him, after the devastating betrayal he’d
suffered? Pain seared her as she recalled the stoical way he’d revealed the bare bones of the awful story. But her imagination filled in some of the blanks.

What had it been like seeing the woman he’d loved living with another man—his own father? Adopting an air of unconcern in public and riding out the storm of speculation that surely must have howled around them all? She cringed thinking of the salacious gossip that must have circulated.

And facing his father—staying loyal and supporting him both publicly and, from what she’d heard, privately too, taking the brunt of responsibility for the kingdom.

She could barely imagine how bereft Raul must have felt at his father’s lack of loyalty or caring.

Luisa had been scarred by her grandfather’s actions, but at least she’d had the unquestioned support and love of her parents. Raul hadn’t had that!

No wonder he closed himself off behind duty and a work schedule that would tax any workaholic. No wonder he found no difficulty marrying without emotion.

Was it possible he could ever learn to trust? To love?

‘You’re awake.’ Dark eyes snared hers and something melted inside.

‘You have to go?’ Where had that come from? She sounded so needy.

‘I’d hoped to stay here.’ Heat flickered in his eyes as he took in the shape of her under the sheet. His nostrils flared and suddenly Luisa felt that now-familiar spark of desire flicker into life. Stupid to feel pleased that he obviously didn’t relish leaving. It only meant her husband was virile, with an appetite for sex.

A very healthy appetite.

‘There was a phone call.’ He turned away to pick up his jacket. ‘Urgent business.’

It was on the tip of Luisa’s tongue to ask what business was so important it interrupted a honeymoon, when she remembered they weren’t sharing one. Even the day after the wedding they’d been out and about on public show.

They didn’t have that sort of marriage. Theirs was a convenient union. Remember?

She turned away, battling deep sadness.

‘I’m sorry, Luisa.’ He startled her, speaking from beside the bed. ‘This is one matter I can’t ignore.’ She stared up into his brooding face. ‘It’s to do with the unrest I mentioned. I’m needed.’

She nodded. He had a country to run. That would always be his priority. Only now did she begin to understand how important that was to him. Through personal crises, his royal responsibilities at least had remained constant. No wonder he was so focused on them. Had they provided solace when he’d most needed it?

‘You have a heavy schedule,’ she said to fill the silence.

‘You get used to it. I’ve been preparing for the work since I was four.’

The reminder sent a shiver down her spine. Raul had said any child of his would be brought up differently and she’d fight tooth and nail to ensure no child of hers was ‘moulded’ in that heartless way. She had to make a stand—for herself and for her family if she ever had one.

Luisa sat up against the headboard, drawing the sheet over her breasts and trying to ignore the flash of interest in Raul’s eyes.

‘I’ll get up too. I have plans for this afternoon.’

‘Plans? There are no appointments scheduled.’

‘I want to meet with Gregor and the other gardeners. You have no objection to the parterre garden and some of the other spaces being renewed, do you?’ It was a spur of the moment decision but she refused to spend the afternoon here, pining over the state of her marriage.

‘No, of course not. It’s overdue. But I can detail one of my staff to oversee it. It will need consultation, not just with the ground staff but with the castle historian, as well as kitchen and event staff. It’s not just a matter of gardening.’

‘That will be a good way to get to know them.’ Luisa needed something to sink her teeth into, something to focus on other
than Raul. She didn’t want to think about the emotions he inspired for fear of what she’d discover.

‘You don’t
need
to work, Luisa.’

Her brows rose. ‘You expect me to loll in the lap of luxury while you work the day after your wedding?’

‘I regret that. I’d much prefer to stay.’ The glint in his eyes made her pulse hammer erratically but she ignored it.

‘I need something to
do.
A purpose. I’d go crazy without that. I’m used to working.’

Raul lifted a hand to his already perfectly knotted tie and for a split second she’d have said he looked uncomfortable.

‘Your lessons don’t keep you busy?’

‘That’s not enough.’ She’d never been good at formal lessons. Her language skills were improving but if she had to learn about one more Maritzian monarch or the correct way to greet a grand duke, she’d scream.

Besides, the intensive lessons evoked memories of her long ago stay in Ardissia. The rigid discipline and the judgemental faces were missing, but she couldn’t shake the notion she’d never live up to expectations.

Raul surveyed her, his face unreadable. ‘Soon you’ll be busy with official duties. As my consort there’ll be plenty of events where you’re required.’

‘Being seen at openings and fetes?’ She shook her head and sat straighter. ‘That’s not me.’ Despite the makeover, she’d never be the glamorous clothes horse people liked to stare at in magazines. Wearing those stunning couture clothes, she felt like a fraud. Not like herself.

It didn’t help, remembering Raul had bought her just as he’d bought them.

‘I’ll make a start this afternoon.’ She met his unblinking gaze, almost challenging him to protest.

When he merely nodded Luisa took a slow breath.

If she was making a new start there was something else she had to face.

‘I’m planning to visit Ardissia too.’ It was time to lay her grandfather’s ghost. Maybe going there, confronting the place
that had meant so much to him, and held such dreadful memories for her, would help her bury her hatred.

He frowned. ‘My schedule’s too full right now.’

Luisa drew herself up. ‘Do I need to wait for you? Aren’t I Princess of Ardissia?’ Much as she disliked the title, it was the one thing she’d got out of this devil’s bargain: her inheritance. In her absence the province had become the responsibility of the monarch, but she was here now. ‘It’s time I shouldered my responsibilities.’

Raul paced towards the bed, his brows arrowing down. ‘It’s logical we go together. People will expect that.’

‘But you’re tied up every day. You just said you’re not free.’ A little breathing space, time to regroup after the massive changes in her life, beckoned. She’d been on a roller coaster of emotion these last weeks.

‘There are matters of protocol and plans to be made. Royalty doesn’t just stop by.’

Why was he against her going? No mistaking the tension in his big frame. The tantalising idea surfaced that he’d miss her. She dismissed it instantly.

‘It’s not dangerous, is it?’

He shook his head. ‘Ardissia is safe.’

‘Good. I’m sure I’ll be welcome. I’ll give notice I’m coming. A couple of days. Would that be enough?’

She stared into his set face, suddenly relishing the challenge of standing up to the man who’d taken over her life in more ways than she’d ever bargained for.

She needed to stake a claim as her own person lest he subsume her totally. Even now she longed for him to haul her close and forget the so important appointment that called him away. How was that for needy?

‘Surely it’s the right thing to do?’ She worked to keep a cajoling note from her voice. ‘It’s only polite to visit now I’ve accepted my inheritance.’

Raul’s lowering brows told her he didn’t see it that way. The sight of tension in his jaw sent dangerous excitement zigzagging
through her. As if she felt pleasure knowing she got under his skin, even in such a way as this.

Surely she wasn’t that desperate for his attention?

‘The timing’s not ideal, but you’re right. A visit makes sense. Leave it with me.’

Why did Luisa feel as if she’d lost the argument when he nodded, turned and strode out of the room, his mind obviously occupied with matters of business?

She hadn’t expected him to kiss her, had she?

‘This way, Your Highness.’ The chamberlain ushered Luisa into her grandfather’s study. She’d left it to last on her tour of the Ardissian royal palace.

She pictured the old man here, seated at the massive desk awash with opulent gilt scrollwork. Even in his towering rages he hadn’t deigned to rise. Always he’d remembered his position as prince and hers as unsatisfactory, low-born grandchild.

Her teeth clenched as she recalled his poisonous words. Not merely his diatribe on her incompetence and ingratitude but his slashing vitriol at her parents.

‘Thank you.’ She nodded to the chamberlain, smiling despite his haughty rigidity. ‘That’s all.’

As he withdrew she considered the portraits lining the walls. Ancestors with remote expressions stared down their noses at her. She lifted her head, surveying the portrait of the man who’d cut off his daughter and his granddaughter when they wouldn’t kowtow to his domineering ways.

‘The last laugh’s on you, Grandad. The farmer’s daughter is Princess, soon to be Queen.’

Yet there was no pleasure in the shallow triumph. She hadn’t come to gloat, but to see if she could put the past behind her and move on.

She wrapped her arms around herself, suppressing a shiver. Despite her determination to accept her lot, to dress the part and learn protocol and all the other things they foisted on her, Luisa couldn’t imagine the future.

What would it hold?

Endless, empty years of public receptions and meaningless small talk? Breathtaking moments of delight when Raul treated her to mind-blowing sex? Heat curled inside at the memory of his loving.

Would she hang onto those moments, desperate for the little Raul could give her when she wanted so much more?

Would her life be sterile of friends and family?

If she had children, how could she protect them from the world that had produced a monster like her grandfather? And Raul had turned into a man of such emotional reserve she wondered if she’d ever build a relationship with him.

She paced to the window, seeking the warmth of the sun streaming in on the luxurious carpet.

Only the best for the Ardissian prince! She’d seen the rundown sections of the city and the bare amenities provided for the palace servants when she’d insisted on seeing
all
the premises. Her grandfather had spent money on his own comfort rather than his people.

Movement caught her eye. A group of young people made their way across the courtyard. On impulse Luisa opened the window. Laughter, bubbling and fresh, washed around her before they entered a door on the far side of the yard.

Wherever they were going, it appealed more than this place. She closed the window and headed for the door.

Raul drummed his fingers on the car seat as the limo purred towards the Ardissian palace. He lifted a hand to the people lining the street.

He was eager for a break after this intense week. He’d planned to come days ago, but political developments had made it impossible. Now he could please himself.

It pleased him to see his wife.

Five days she’d been away. It seemed far longer. His bed felt empty. His days regimented and predictable, despite the political crisis they’d averted.

Life seemed … less without Luisa.

His lips flattened as he thought of the day she’d announced
she’d come here. He’d only just dragged himself from the temptation of her. He’d reeled from an ecstasy unlike any he’d known. And from the unique sense of peace that came from sharing the story of his past.

Was it simply that he’d needed to unburden himself after years keeping it to himself? He couldn’t shake the suspicion that the sensations of release and relief had more to do with the fact it was Luisa he shared with.

Only the most urgent crisis had forced him away, still stunned by the unprecedented sense of peace and pleasure he’d found with her.

And she’d sat there, her sweet mouth a taut line, demanding occupation.
Demanding more.

Clearly he hadn’t been enough to satisfy her!

Male pride smarted from the fact she’d been unaffected by what had passed between them, while it had knocked him completely off balance. It had been on the tip of his tongue to beg her not to leave.

Because he
needed
her! Not just sexually.

He couldn’t remember feeling this way about a woman. Even Ana, at the height of her appeal, hadn’t invaded his thoughts like this.

Raul smoothed his hand over the seat. At night he found himself reaching for Luisa. He felt bereft when she wasn’t there.

Worse was his gut-deep sense of culpability. As the limo pulled up before her ancestral palace, her words came back to haunt him. How desperate she’d been for work to occupy her. Yet another reminder that, despite his attempts to help her adjust, this wasn’t the life she’d chosen.