Page 49 of Expecting Royal Twins!
His jaw tensed. He didn’t like being called out on his behavior. “Isabel’s feelings about arranged marriages are very clear.”
“I will stay and help her adjust,” Julianna said. “Perhaps if I do not return home, my father won’t try to make another match for me right away.”
Niko studied Julianna’s face. Her eyes looked brighter. Her complexion had more color. “You’re happy things turned out this way.”
“Not happy. I would never wish this upon dear, sweet Izzy. But I am…relieved,” Julianna admitted. “No one should be forced to marry someone they do not love. No offense.”
“None taken.” This side of her surprised him. “Yet you agreed to the marriage.”
He cringed. His words sounded a lot like his father’s.
She lifted her shoulder in a delicate shrug. “I was only doing what my father told me to do. What was expected of me. As I have always done my entire life.”
Her words sounded similar to what Niko had said in the past. “I have done the same thing.”
She raised a finely arched brow. “Are you certain about that?”
Her question offended him. He squared his shoulders. “Everything I have done has been for Vernonia.”
“If that’s the case, why would your parents go to the press about Izzy?”
“My parents would never—”
“They were the only ones who could have done this,” Julianna interrupted. “While you and I were at dinner, they quizzed Izzy about her past. Her answers appear in the article. Isn’t it strange that only positive information was published about her? The press rarely works that way.”
I may not be a stickler for tradition, Father, but I will always do what is best for the country.
As will I.
Niko’s stomach knotted. “I need to speak with my father.”
Julianna rose. “I’ll find Izzy.”
He appreciated her help and her friendship. “You would have made a fine queen.”
“Thank you.” She bowed her head. “I have no doubt you will be an excellent king, especially with Izzy by your side.”
If only he believed that could be true…
As if on autopilot, Izzy followed the directions given to her by a butler. The stone path should lead her to the garage. That was the only place she could think of at the castle where she might not feel so out of place, the only spot that reminded her a little of home.
The tower loomed above Izzy, as if mocking her. The castle no longer seemed part of a romantic fairy tale. It belonged in a terrifying Gothic novel.
Would she ever be allowed to go back to Charlotte? If only to visit? Or would she be forced to stay in Vernonia forever, married to a man who didn’t want her for his wife?
Izzy’s insides twisted. She might have found Niko attractive. She might have wanted to kiss him. She might have even dreamed about him, too. But Izzy couldn’t fathom spending the rest of her life married to a husband she didn’t love, a husband who didn’t love her.
She stumbled on a rock. Stupid heels. Somehow she managed to catch herself before falling flat on her face. Surprising since she felt as if she were carrying two tires—the hopes and dreams of Vernonia—on her shoulders. She was about to collapse from the load.
Izzy kicked her shoes off to keep from falling again.
Up ahead, she saw a rectangular brick building. That had to be the garage.
Welcome relief flowed through her. She quickened her step and entered through the side door.
The smell of motor oil greeted her like a long-lost friend. Tears pricked her eyes, but she wasn’t going to cry. If she started, she might not be able to stop.
Izzy surveyed the interior: tools, tires, air compressor, an old truck and a limousine. She leaned against a wall and slid to the cement floor.
Her shoulders slumped. She closed her eyes.
Izzy had no idea how long she sat there. She didn’t care. Here in the garage, she belonged. She couldn’t say that about any other place in the castle, not even the bedroom where she slept.
A door on the opposite side opened. The sharp staccato of heels echoed through the garage until Jules stopped in front of Izzy. “Rough morning.”
Without looking up, she nodded.
