Page 16 of Second Chance Prince
“Tell me,” he said irritably. “Whatever your thoughts, I want to hear them.”
“You must be lonely,” she blurted out, and then blushed. “There, you see, I am very good at saying that which I should not.”
Niki wasn’t sure of his answer, but even so, he could not speak because Karl had appeared at his side, smiling his amiable smile.
“You have already danced twice with your lovely fiancée, brother. It is time for others to enjoy her company.”
Niki wished he could refuse, but everyone was watching, and there would be enough gossip already that he was marrying an English woman from a scandalous family. He knew that his countrymen, and hers, would be going over every detail of every moment with a fine-tooth comb.
“Of course,” he said evenly, and bowed to Roberta before stepping back.
Karl whisked her away, and Niki saw that her expression seemed to relax, as if the tension of her dance with him had dissipated. Of course it had! His brother always charmed the ladies, and the gentlemen too. In fact, he was preferred by everyone over Niki. But Karl had never had the same pressures weighing upon him, and he had grown up without expectations or constant daily instruction. Karl could do silly things—and he often did—and the people still loved him. Niki had seen women respond time and time again to his brother’s charm. Sometimes they had responded a little too well, and Niki had been forced to clean up his brother’s mess. Karl was always forgiven, though. When their father was alive, he would have forgiven Karl anything.
Niki wished he had the ability to be as charming as Karl. Why couldn’t he put aside his burdens and just live for the moment? Apart from his position as head of his country, it was not in his nature to shrug away his daily tasks and leave them for another day. He had never known a time when he was not aware of his duties. He always put Holtswig first.
Perhaps that was why Niki had never dared to take a mistress while Karl had several. His brother teased him about it, but Nikilet such comments pass over him. He was not going to tell his brother the truth—that there had never been a woman in his bed or anywhere else. Niki was a virgin, and that was embarrassing. He could imagine the delighted shock in Karl’s eyes if he told him.
Niki knew that when he stepped outside his rehearsed role, he was often awkward and shy. Yes, he struggled in social situations and when in the company of women, but for some reason, none of that was a problem when he was with Roberta.
Roberta was different.
And Niki didn’t dare to wonder why.
Chapter Seven
Niki found his aunt Matilda standing with a tall young man on the fringes of the dance floor, keeping an eye on her guests. She looked up expectantly as Niki approached her.
“Niki! I wanted to congratulate you. I am so very pleased for you.” Her pretty face was creased in smiles, and Niki, who often tried to second-guess people, allowed himself to believe it.
“Well done, Niki,” the young man said, but there was little genuine emotion in his voice. This was Tomas, Matilda’s sixteen-year-old son. As the only other legitimate male in the family, he was second in line to the Holtswig throne. The boy had never seemed to expect to inherit—like everyone else, he believed Niki would eventually marry and sire sons of his own.
“Thank you, Tomas,” he said gravely. “Thank you, Aunt Matilda.”
“Lady Roberta is like a breath of fresh air,” Matilda went on, beaming at him. “And I think you need that. Holtswig can be very stuffy.” She had his father’s hazel eyes and brown hair, and she was in her late thirties and rather plump. Her pretty round face seemed to be perpetually smiling, as if she was happy with her life and the world in general. Niki had always found Matilda good company and a blessed relief from his beautiful mother, who had become a stranger to him over the years.
“Is that why you never visit?” Tomas asked his mother innocently, stirring up trouble, as usual.
She shook her head at him. “Silly boy. I stay in England because I married an Englishman and my children are English. Believe me, Tomas, you are so used to our free and easy ways, you would find Holtswig very constraining.”
Niki supposed that was true. They were stricter in his country. He, and his father and his grandfather before him, had begun to drag Holtswig out of its feudal past, but there was still a long way to go. And not everyone was happy with the changes.
“I don’t think my cousin Karl finds Holtswig constraining,” Tomas said, interrupting Niki’s thoughts. The boy was watching the dancers.
Matilda followed his gaze, and her smile faded. “Don’t let Karl steal her away from you, Niki,” she said quietly. “You know what he’s like.”
“Karl has so many lady friends already,” Tomas said thoughtfully. “Surely he doesn’t need yours as well?”
Matilda hissed a reprimand at her son, but Tomas gave them one of his innocent smiles.
As the dance ended, Gabriel stepped in to partner with his sister. Karl stood a moment, watching them with that delighted smile on his face, and then strolled off to join the group around the king.
“I won’t,” Niki said belatedly. “Let him steal her, I mean.”
“Good!” Matilda changed the subject to mundane matters, and he let her words drift over him, still watching Roberta. She seemed to come alive with her brother, smiling and chatting. It was because she was close to him and could be herself, Nikithought. She trusted him. If Niki wanted her to treat him in the same way, then he needed to get her to trust him too.
As the evening drew on, Niki continued to receive congratulations, some sincere and others with a hint of caution or even a sneer behind the words. He imagined what they were saying out of earshot.It will never last.She must be marrying him for his money and position, and all he sees is her pretty face. I thought better of him than this.
But of course, what they did not know—and he could not tell them—was that it wasn’t planned to last. It was all a show. When the engagement was called off, they would say it served him right. Niki’s reputation had always been important to him, and it may well suffer. Chamberlain Francis had been right when he had issued his warning.
