“Well, that’s extraordinary. For some reason, I had the impression that the youngest son was a bit of a
roué
, a playboy of the highest order.”
“He most certainly is not!” Alex felt his indignation rise, but couldn’t stop it. “That young man is a fine, responsible human being, a credit to his family and his country. He’s no monk, mind you. Who could expect a young, unattached male to be? Especially one who works so hard taking care of young children, suffering with them and their families as he does when things take a turn for the worst or when, most sadly, one of those little ones dies. A
roué
indeed. The very idea is an insult.”
He looked over at Hannah and saw, to his dismay, the hurt expression on her face. As he watched, she schooled her expression into one of bland politeness and carefully set her fork down.
“I beg your pardon. I certainly didn’t intend to offend you. Working for the government as you do, I suppose you know the family well. I only sought to assuage my curiosity, not give offence.”
Bloody hell
. “No, Hannah, it is I who must apologize for my outburst.” A quick look around the dining room showed that no one else seemed to be staring, reassuring Alex that he’d not been as loud as he feared. But he’d obviously blundered with Hannah, and badly.
“I know what it is to feel proud of a royal family. I’m Canadian, and the British royal family is ours, as well. My parents raised me to respect them, and I get ticked when they’re unjustly criticized.”
“You’re being more gracious than I deserve, my dear. You didn’t criticize, you merely asked a question.” He still felt like a cad. He didn’t care for the feeling one bit.
“Well,” she responded, picking up her fork and giving him an overly bright smile, “you certainly answered it.”
He had, he thought. And very neatly dug himself an even deeper hole in the process.
* * * *
“Let me give you a tour of the house,” Philip said as he led Kate inside. The moment he closed the door, he gently drew her into his arms.
“I’ve been here before. Last night.”
He smiled, enjoying her quick wit. “I remember. Let’s just visit that little place again, shall we?”
Not giving her a chance to respond, he covered her mouth with his. The taste of her, rich and exotic, acted like a narcotic in his blood. Her flavor made him bold and greedy for more. His tongue sought hers, to slide and dance, to stroke and caress, softly sleek and silkily sweet. When her arms encircled his neck, when she pressed more closely against him, he gathered her in. His hands cupped her bottom and urged her against his growing erection. When she nestled her mound against him and rubbed just a little, he thought he would come in his pants.
“When are you going to let me have you, Kate?”
“We’ll have each other, Philip. Soon. I have to think and I can’t think when you’re touching me.” Her words, dotted by the tiny, sipping tastes she took of his face and neck, warmed him. The play of her lips and tongue on his flesh made him wish they could be alone right now. Responding to stark need, Philip settled his mouth on hers and took the kiss deep. His tongue plundered even as his hands explored. The sensation of her lush curves under his palms shot his arousal higher. Instinct found him wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer so he could surge his hips against her more vigorously this time, pressing his aching-for-release erection where it so desperately needed to be. He very nearly brought her to the floor.
But they couldn’t. Jamie would be joining them in a half hour. He stepped back, ran his hands down her arms, then linked his fingers with hers. Bringing her hands to his mouth, he kissed them. He knew his eyes probably shone as intensely bright as hers.
“You scramble my brain, too, Kate. Never doubt it. Come on, let me show you the house.”
Taking her hand, he led her into the front parlor. “The palace is where the royal family lives full time, and has always done so. But the farm is where the de la Croix family comes to
be
together as a family. At least we began to do so after my mother died.”
“This isn’t the sort of place I’d figure royalty would like. It’s so… Well, it’s so
normal
.”
Philip laughed, because her expression had suddenly turned sheepish. “We’re people too, Kate. Our lives may be a bit more complicated than most. That’s all.”
“Uh huh.”
He led her through the parlor to the dining room. The table had been set for three, in a very casual fashion. “As you can see, you couldn’t get more than twenty people around this table. It’s a very small and intimate room.” He loved her laugh, and continued the tour by showing her the kitchen.
“What smells so good?”
“Our dinner. And no, I didn’t prepare it after a full shift at the hospital.”
“I never thought you had.”
“Ah ha! A challenge. I will have you know, my darling Kate, that these hands have actually opened a can and heated the contents of same in a pan on the stove. I am a man of many talents.”
“Well, I’m certainly impressed.”
“Wise guy.”
“No, you’re the wise guy. I’m a smart ass, and proud of it.”
He took a moment to obviously look at and appreciate her ass. “Yes, it’s very smart. And I can hardly wait to set my teeth on it.” Satisfied by the increased heat in her eyes, he continued with the tour. The upstairs consisted of one long hall with bedrooms left and right.
“When we stayed here in the summer, it was expected that we would make our own beds and tidy our own rooms. We did have some staff here, to cook and to take care of the rest of the cleaning. But my brother and sisters and I weren’t catered to while we stayed here. The first time proved a bit of a challenge. But after that, we looked forward to it.”
“This is nice. Homey. And I think it’s good you had to take care of yourself a bit.”
He didn’t know how well he was doing in trying to get her to see him as simply a man. But it had been important to him that she get to know this side of him first. This part of his life lay closer to his heart, his soul, than the other. And thinking that, he knew one other thing he could show her.
“Come, there’s one more thing I want to show you. We need to take the jeep. Don’t worry about Jamie. Andre will take good care of him until we return, and we will only be a few minutes.”
* * * *
He took her to a parcel of land.
Catharine looked out of the corner of her eye and couldn’t miss the pride in Philip’s expression.
“This is mine. When my mother married my father, this piece of land formed a part of her dowry. Her family had held it for generations, next to the Royal Country Estate.”
“Dowry?”
“Yes, I know it’s old-fashioned. As a matter of fact, the marriage of my parents ended up being the last to be handled in the ‘traditional sense’. Their union had been arranged by their parents, and had nothing to do with love. My brother Michael chose his own wife. He fell in love with Helene, and they are very happy together. No dowry, either. Anyway, this is mine, and I plan to build a home of my own here one day. Michael has to live the rest of his life in the palace, as he is the Crown Prince. I, however, am free to make other choices.”
“It’s very beautiful.” She could see where a house could sit, nestled at the edge of a glade of maples. A stream meandered along the back, just in sight. The field was green, dotted with wildflowers, and very pastoral. With no trouble at all she could imagine it, the house, large and welcoming, the yard with a garden or two, and a playground set, two or three children playing happily, waiting for their father to come home from work at the hospital.
Shaking her head to dispel the image, she shot him another look, this one critical. This land, a home of his own, this was his dream, and seemed an intensely personal thing to share. She needed to get them back on the let’s-keep-this-light track, and soon. The more she learned of this man, the more she liked him. Liking him was okay, and even essential to having sex with him. But she had no intention of allowing her emotions to evolve beyond anything more than simple liking.
“Tomorrow,” she said.
“Tomorrow?”
“As soon as you’re done at the hospital. Mom won’t mind watching Jamie. We can do it then.”
“It?”
“You asked me when I would let you have me. That’s my answer. We can plan now on a couple of hours, to start, with the possibility of extending it longer.”
She nodded her head, decision made. And if her announcement had sounded cold and callous, as if a business agreement had been reached, she told herself it was all for the best.
She only wished she could believe it.
He needed advice, and he needed it now.
Getting out of his car at the base of the steps, Philip nodded to the young woman who curtsied, then got into the vehicle to drive it to the garage. Taking the steps two at a time, it didn’t surprise him when the door to the palace opened before he reached it.
The head of staff, Justin, bowed low. “Good evening, Your Highness.”
For once, Philip didn’t mind the man’s hovering presence.
“Good evening, Justin. Do you know where my brother is?” Silly question. Justin knew where every member of the family could be found during every minute of every day.
“Of course, Your Highness. His Royal Highness is in His Majesty’s study.”
“Thank you, Justin.”
“Would Your Highness care for any refreshments at this time?”
Years of familiarity with Justin’s mannerisms meant he understood the implied message. The majordomo was letting Philip know he was aware the he’d dined at the farm earlier. Justin’s proclivity for seeming to know every facet of his life was nothing short of scary. And he made a mental note then and there not to let the servant anywhere
near
Kate until he’d won her over completely.
“No, thank you, Justin.” His father kept a stash of brandy in his office. He might just break his no-drinking-the-night-before-work rule, this once.
His feet, encased in well-worn Nikes, made no sound as he walked the long corridor to the office wing. He could well remember, as a child, creeping down this same hallway to the large embossed door at the end, in search of his father when some nightmare or other had chased him from his bed. It had always been father, of course, whom he’d sought for comfort. That’s just the way it had been, what he’d been used to. But now he wondered what he’d missed by not having a warm and loving mother—the kind he’d seen as a doctor of young patients, and the kind he knew Kate to be.
The door to the king’s office had never seemed too imposing to Philip. And he knew despite never having known a loving mother, he’d been very lucky to have had a loving father.
He knocked once, then opened the door. Unlike the staff, family never stood on ceremony.
Michael sat behind the desk, phone to his ear. He looked up, smiled, and waved Philip into the room. “Thank you. Let me know as soon as that information becomes available.”
Philip sat down in front of the desk and nodded to the telephone his brother had just hung up and the file folder he’d closed. “You’re working late.”
“A few details I wanted to clean up. How are you doing? I’m sorry to hear about Corrine. I don’t envy you your career. I don’t believe I would be able to handle the loss of a child, even if it happened just once.”
Philip acknowledged Michael’s comment with a small shrug. He shouldn’t have been surprised that with all he had on his plate at the moment—acting as regent for their father—that Michael would think to offer sympathy. Corrine had been a six-year-old resident of the Royal Boisdemer Home for Children, and a particular favorite of Philip’s sister. Six months before, Corrine had been diagnosed with leukemia. Everyone, including the little girl, had fought hard. Philip knew he shouldn’t let the loss of a patient hurt him too deeply, but he hadn’t yet figured out how to hold his emotions in check. It seemed an odd thought, but he realized it had been Corrine’s passing that had led him to be at the farm yesterday, where he could meet Kate and Jamie. “That makes us equal. I’m very grateful not to have been born the eldest brother. Mind, I’d do my duty if I had to, but I’m very glad I don’t have to. I’ve not checked in with Sophie as often as I should have. How’s she doing?”
“She’s grieving, and determined not to let anyone know. I believe Rachel took her to lunch today to try and cheer her up. It’s not your job, little brother, to look after her.”
“It’s not a job, but a privilege.” Since Philip had just used one of their father’s most loved expressions, he’d expected his brother’s laugh when it came.
“Brandy?” Michael asked.
“No, just water, please.”
Only four years separated him and his brother, and those four years had never been much of an obstacle to their close relationship. The circumstances of their birth determined that they would have few other playmates. Their family circumstances united them, as boys, against the females of the clan. There existed no sense of competition between them. Philip was grateful for that now. It made asking advice easier.
His brother handed him a bottle of water, and said, “I understand that you’ve taken to stalking defenseless female tourists.”
“There’s absolutely nothing defenseless about Kate.”
Michael chuckled and, instead of resuming his seat in their father’s chair, took the one beside him. “You understand of course, that in my position as regent…” he let his words trail off.
“Yes, I thought you would know about her, and her son, by now. Especially since I asked our people at the resort for help. And then hosted the two of them at the farm, this evening.”
“It’s not in your nature to play games with women, especially if a child is involved, so may I assume that there’s something special about this particular lady?”
Philip opened his water and took a sip. “Yes. I actually came here tonight to speak with you about her. In a you’re-my-older-brother-and-you’re-married sort of way.”