The Royal's Obsession (5 page)

That was apparently the last straw for the actress. She stood from the table, fiery as a goddess of justice. If she had had supernatural powers, Augustine thought that she would have roasted him where he sat.

“No,” she said. “I’m sure that someone who is so concerned with the truth can see that he should be the one to take those things to her, and ideally with an apology as well.”

She turned on her heel and followed her friend out of the door.

Apolo shook his head, setting his napkin aside and rising to follow his wife. He turned back to Augustine with a grim look.

“I don’t know exactly what your game is, brother, but I might suggest that you find a different one. It is not very pleasant watching you sharpen your teeth on someone who does not deserve it.”

His brother left on Trinity’s heels, leaving Augustine sitting on his own. Shaking his head, he paid the proprietor, and after a moment of thought, he picked up Anastasia’s weavings and honey as well.

He still wasn’t quite sure why he had lashed out at her the way that he had. It felt crude and cruel when he thought about it now. When he thought of her pretty face, her blue eyes intense and hurt, he felt a pang of regret.

No, he had acted wrongly, and now he should make amends. If only he knew how to do it…

Chapter Four

Anastasia went to her small room on the yacht, throwing herself down on the bed. After the heat of the Mediterranean day, the cool dim cabin was exactly what she needed. Despite being able to relax on the crisp sheets, she still winced when she thought of what had happened at the tavern.

She must have sounded like such a child to Augustine, talking about love as she had. She remembered what he said about people with ulterior motives who asked him about his love life. She imagined that a few years of that would make anyone weary.

Still, she thought, that was no reason to take his anger out on her. She still felt stung and hurt when she thought of his rough words.

Anastasia was still thinking about those words when there was a knock on her door.

“Anastasia? Sweetie, it’s me, let me in.” It was Trinity.

When she opened the door, her tall friend hugged her, then came in to sit with her on the bed.

“I’m so sorry that Augustine was rotten to you,” Trinity said remorsefully. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“I figured that out eventually. It was just a little unexpected.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. The funny part was that earlier in the day, Apolo and I were being impressed by how much he liked you.”

Anastasia blinked. “Liked me? Augustine?”

“Oh yes. Usually, if he doesn’t like someone, he’ll send them from the room in rage or in tears. He’s been…really different with you up until this point.”

“Well, I can see why he might be short a few friends,” Anastasia sniffled. “He’s mean when he wants to be.”

“Yes. And for a little while, he seemed to be making an exception for you. We had some hopes…well, never mind that for now. Look, can I give you some advice when it comes to dealing with my thick-headed brother-in-law?”

Anastasia wasn’t sure that she wanted to hear anything more about Augustine. In fact, it felt rather as if she wanted to spend the rest of her time aboard the ship avoiding him entirely, even if that would mean staying in her cabin for the entire trip. Somehow she ended up nodding.

“All right, against my better judgment. What do you want to say?”

Trinity thought for a moment, and then she nodded, as if committing to something.

“Augustine is not a bad man. He can be abrasive and harsh to the point of cruelty sometimes, but the truth of the matter is that underneath that lies a very good soul. One of the great tenets by which he lives his life is that people must be honest. If you tell him a thing, as long as it is true, he will understand. Does that make sense?”

“I was telling the truth when I talked about love, though,” Anastasia said with frustration. She didn’t know why she was still fighting a battle that she had decided to give up, but the distinction was important to her.

“I know you were, honey, and he was horrible for treating you the way he did. But…just remember what I said, all right?”

Anastasia nodded, leaning against her friend’s shoulder. She suddenly felt exhausted, and she wondered if this little Mediterranean vacation was going to be harder on her than staying in the hustle and bustle of New York.

Trinity put her arm around her friend, hugging her comfortingly.

“But seriously, do what you want. This may be his yacht, but it’s my trip, and you are my guest. If you don’t want to deal with him, don’t. I’ve got your back, and I won’t let him use you like a scratching post, okay?”

Anastasia took a deep breath, leaning into her friend. She knew that she could always trust Trinity to help her no matter what. Despite their bond, she did feel a slight pang of jealousy when she thought about what her friend had.

“I’ll do my best,” she said softly. “That’s…about all I can do right now.”

“That will be fine,” said Trinity. “Believe me, everyone wants you to have a good trip.”

Anastasia was grateful for her friend’s kind words, but a part of her wondered how the rest of this trip was going to go. One moment Augustine seemed to be baring his soul to her, and the next he was intent on tearing her to shreds.

She didn’t know what to expect next, but she decided that whatever happened, she was going to take Trinity’s advice.

I can just tell the truth,
she thought.
As long as I tell the truth, that’s what’s important.

***

Augustine's apartment was close to the viewing room at the top of the yacht. It was a small cabin, but it made up for its size with an enormous wrap-around window that allowed him to look out over the dark water. The yacht was anchored for the evening, everything below him silent. Dressed only in a light pair of trousers, he stretched out on his bed, staring across the sea.

A small glass jar of honey and two impressive weavings sat on a chair by the bed.

Augustine had always known peace when he was out at sea. It was so different being out on the water. On the water, there was no one to bedevil him with canny questions, no one to search out the meaning in every word. No matter what was going on in his life, or what he was concerned about, it all melted away when he wason the
Wild Waves
.

This trip was different. He had known that the moment he laid eyes on the beautiful American, but he hadn't wanted to admit it to himself. Instead he had simply let the strange and unsettled feeling swell and rise up until he had hurt her. When he thought of the hurt in her enormous blue eyes, he felt a deep pit open up inside him.

Finally, he realized that he would gain no rest at all until he made things right with her. He left his cabin and made his way to hers. The dim hallways of the yacht murmured with voices. Apolo and Trinity had brought a handful of people along on their trip. Despite the imposition, he was pleasantly surprised to realize that he didn't mind. Having people about gave a kind of life to the yacht that it had lacked before.

He paused in front of Anastasia's door. It was late but not so late, he thought, that she would be asleep. Still he hesitated. He was a proud man who did not like to admit that he was in the wrong, but this time, without a doubt, he was.

Augustine took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He heard a brief shuffle from inside. When she opened the door, he felt his heart squeeze.

Anastasia was dressed in a thin silk robe that she clutched to her breast as if it fending off the cold. Her dark brown hair was tousled, and her blue eyes were wide and wondering.

“Have I awakened you?” he asked. “That was not my intent…”

She shook her head, looking, he thought, a little nervous.

“No, I haven’t been able to fall asleep,” she said, her tone stiff and wary. “I was lying down, but for some reason, I couldn’t relax.”

Augustine smiled briefly at that. “Well, that is something we have in common then…”

“Unlike our views on romance?” she asked, and he had to chuckle.

“You have claws. That is good. May I come in?”

For a moment, he was certain that she would refuse. She bit her plump lower lip, sending an unlooked-for pang of desire through his body. If she refused, he would simply have to return to his room, trying to figure out what he would do next.

Finally, however, she nodded slowly.

“All right,” she said, opening the door for him, and he stepped inside.

What am I doing?
Anastasia thought.
Am I really so eager to hear more unflattering things about the world and how I see it?

Apparently she was, because she stepped aside to allow Augustine to enter. Suddenly the room that had felt perfectly sized before became cramped. Without thinking of what she was doing, she took the only chair, leaving him to pace in front of her.

He moved like a panther, prowling the narrow confines of her room. Despite her hurt, she could still appreciate the play of his muscles on his bare chest and the sleek and silent way he moved. There was something about him—she simply could not look away. She shivered when she realized that no matter what, she would always know when he was in the room.

“You wanted to say something, so say it.” Her voice sounded shockingly tired even to her own ears. She knew he could hear it because he flinched a little.

“I want to apologize,” he said abruptly, and she narrowed her eyes.

“Why?”

He looked up, surprised.

She went on. “I mean it. Everything I have heard from you and about you tells me that you value the truth above everything else. Why would you apologize for saying something that you know to be true?”

For a moment, Augustine seemed to be at a loss. She was resolved to kick him out, yacht owner or not, when he finally spoke again.

“When I spoke against you this afternoon, I was speaking from a place of…unrest. I knew that you were speaking your truth as you saw it. Believe me when I say that my own truth, my entire life, has been something different. When I heard you speak about your dreams of finding love…it hurt. Those dreams, if I ever had them, are long gone. Do you understand?”

Mutely, she nodded. She did. When they spoke about his expectations and the weight of being a prince, she could hear the anger and frustration that lay underneath his apparent acceptance of his position. There was something about him that was simply too frustrated and too sad to really be given a voice.

“If I were a good man, a fair man, I would be happy that you have been able to hang on to something so precious. I know that it cannot have been easy. You are a wealthy young woman with ambitious parents. Some of the pressure must have been the same.”

Wincing, she nodded. It was. Her mother and father wanted the best for her. Of course, that had led to her being introduced to a number of boring men, all of whom had not a single thing in common with her.

“But I am not as good a man as I want to be, so I will simply say that I am sorry for hurting you. I…I would make it up to you, but I am not sure how I might do that.”

There was a moment of tense silence as she considered his words. Were they genuine? Did it matter? Finally Anastasia nodded.

“I accept your apology,” she said. “And thank you.”

Augustine looked surprised.

“Your thanks was the last thing I expected…”

“Thank you for not lying to me. At home, I am surrounded by people who are invested in half-truths and who have their own agendas. It is…refreshing to be with a man who will only tell me the truth, even if his truth is different from mine.”

He stood in the dimness of her room, his arms crossed over his chest. The silvery moonlight painted him in black and white. Augustine was silent for a moment, and then he smiled a little.

“Tell me a truth right now,” he said.

She laughed a little, feeling strangely light and free. This was such a strange meeting in moonlight. She felt as if they were in some kind of other world, where they could be as frank as they needed to be, where none of this mattered at all.

“A truth on demand, Prince Augustine? All right, let me see…” She thought for a moment and then shrugged. “The first time I saw you, I was impressed and terrified in equal measure. I hadn't seen a man who looked as handsome as you in a long time, but I was terrified because you looked as if you were going to roll me straight into the sea.”

Augustine's laugh was low and rueful.

“I have a habit of making poor impressions, don't I?”

“Well, I’mstill here, and I’m still speaking to you, at least, so that’s something. Now you tell me a truth.”

“I watched you before I said anything,” he said promptly.

“What do you mean?”

“When you came into the solarium, you were stopped in your tracks by the view of the water. You looked as if you had been touched by something magical, something divine. You stood there, enraptured and uncaring about who might be looking at you, who might be staring. Instead you were completely wrapped up in the moment, lit from within by some kind of holy glow.

“I couldn't bear to disturb you for a few moments, and in that time, I only watched you. I stared with wonder at how beautiful you are when you are consumed by your own passion.”

Anastasia folded her hands together because she was not quite sure what she should do with them. The first time she had met Augustine was sketched in her memory. The fact that he had a piece of it that she hadn't been aware of was fascinating to her.

“I must have looked like a fool,” she said with a slight smile.

“Not at all. You looked like the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen.”

He said it with such a matter-of-fact tone that it took her a few moments before she realized what he had said. When she realized the meaning of his words, she shook her head.

“I thought that you didn't lie,” she said, her voice wavering a little.

As if drawn by the softness of her words, he stepped closer. All of the air seemed to be leaving the room; suddenly, she felt her heart beat faster and her breath come quicker.