Page 9 of A Ring to Claim Her Crown
A harsh shock of laughter escaped her lips as she thought of just how ridiculous a statement that was. To think that he might actually believe that his sudden return to her life wouldn’t hurt her just as badly as his disappearance had. Much as she had tried to put on a brave face as she’d headed off to college a free and single woman, she had lost a part of herself when Liro had left. It had reinforced some ugly thoughts about her own worth, having yet another man she trusted just up and leave her life without a second thought.
The Argimon-Talil women were unlucky in love, her mother often said. But Minerva refused to believe that what had existed between Liro and her had truly been love. Surely love was not something a person could just walk away from without a fight, without even a conversation? It was far more likely that she had simply been infatuated with him and with the excitement of their sexual exploration. He’d said it himself, that he’d thought leaving would make things easier. And it was even more likely that he had simply seen her as a summer fling, one he’d decided to run from like a coward once he’d discovered their betrothal.
She shook off her thoughts and slid her feet into her favourite ratty old sandals, the perfect accessory to the simple blue jeans and white T-shirt she opted for. Dressing casually at the palace while she was ‘off duty’ was a relatively new concept but, if she was expected to marry a complete stranger for appearances, she was pretty sure the people seeing their princess in a pair of jeans wasn’t going to cause a scandal.
She wasn’t against the ‘gowns and tiaras’ life; she was simply against the idea of needing to dress formally all the time. She didn’t understand it, and she probably never would, considering she had been trained for this life from birth. But thankfully her mother had stopped forcing the issue and allowed her to get on with her own day-to-day styling, for the most part.
The palace was abuzz with movement, the remnants of the evening before being tidied away in favour of plans and preparations for the grand ball that would take place on Saturday night. There were no formal events planned until later today, when she would likely be required to do some social mingling and networking among the various house guests who had been invited personally by the Queen. She hummed to herself as she made her way towards the ground-floor dining room where they breakfasted each morning.
But, when she entered the sunny breakfast room, she found it completely empty. Frowning, she walked through towards the long patio at the rear of the building where she could hear voices. The morning sun was warm on her skin as she stepped out onto the stone terrace that overlooked the gardens at the rear of the palace. They never ate out here... She frowned, then noticed that a dining table had been set up and was filled with people.
‘Darling, you’re late.’ Her mother frowned from her post at the head of the table.
‘I wasn’t aware that we had breakfast plans.’ Minerva forced a smile, noticing Bea had even joined them, and was happily inhaling a plate of honeyed buns near the end of the table. Through a series of pointed looks, Bea alerted her to the tableful of eligible bachelors, and Minerva fought the urge to gulp.
‘It was a last-minute decision,’ Queen Uberta crooned. ‘I thought a more informal setting would be nice for of our guests to sample some of our famous morning pastries.’
Nice indeed.Minerva took in the sight of the pretty blond Irishman, John, to whom she had been introduced the day before. By his side was the exceedingly handsome French actor Jean-Claude, and two spots down was Prince Lorenz, who quickly stood and pulled out a chair for Minerva to take directly beside him. She smiled obligingly and lowered herself into the seat slowly while still scanning the table.
Liro was not here. She had spent much of last night wondering what she might do if Liro did not leave as she had advised him to. Surely he had come to his senses and realised that his few moments here would only serve to endanger his new persona, and that she would not hesitate in revealing the truth of his origins? As she looked out to where the harbour was just visible in the distance, she felt a slight tightening in her chest, knowing that she would not see him again.
Breakfast passed with amicable conversation, with the trio of Mama’s finest matchmaking selections still doing their very best to outdo one another with exciting tales of their achievements. Jean-Claude was quite funny and a born entertainer. John was charming, in a quiet kind of way, but the tall, dark and handsome Prince Lorenz seemed most intent upon captivating her.
He was well-educated and charming, without being overly confident, plus he had expressed a great interest in her charity work around the world with the Olympic foundation. He had been a former rower at university, and they shared a few moments talking about the psychological and physical endurance required for an athlete. He was the ideal candidate that she would’ve expected her mother to choose for her but, when she looked up towards where Her Majesty sat at the head of the table, she found her mother staring at her with a pensive frown.
‘So sorry that I’m late—have I missed breakfast?’ a familiar low voice asked from the stairs that led down to the gardens. Minerva turned to watch Liro stride towards them, looking fresh and unruffled as ever in a sage-green polo shirt and charcoal-grey slacks. Again, sunglasses shielded his gaze from hers and she did not even try to hide her annoyance as she narrowed her eyes upon him.
Was that a smirk gracing his lips as he passed her? He moved straight towards her mother, leaning down into a bow and accepting her hand to lay a reverent kiss upon it, as was Arqaletan custom.
‘Señor San Nicolau, I was beginning to worry that you had abandoned your invitation.’
‘I simply had a matter to attend to down in the harbour. It appears that a yacht the size of mine has garnered quite a lot of attention.’
‘I was never one for the super-yachts myself,’ the brooding Irishman, John, mused loudly. ‘What is it that they say about those who require extra-large vessels?’
‘Over-compensating?’ someone mused, earning a low murmur of uneasy laughter.
‘Considering he owns most of the largest vessels in the world, I would shudder to think what he’s over-compensating for,’ Bea suggested loudly from the end of the table. Minerva coughed on the mouthful of croissant she’d just bitten into, eyes watering.
Liro smiled good-naturedly, laughing along easily as he sat down and removed his sunglasses. When his eyes met hers for a split second, Minerva felt her traitorous stomach flip.
‘There is no need for you to stay on your ship—we have ample room here.’ Her mother spoke over the din. ‘In fact, it is considered the height of bad manners to refuse my invitation.’
‘I understand, Your Majesty, truly I do,’ he said ‘But my yacht is my headquarters. I live there fifty-two weeks of the year and it is the best place for me to find a balance between work and...pleasure.’
Minerva ignored the hum of awareness that vibrated through her at the emphasis he placed upon that final word.
‘An honourable decision.’ Her mother nodded. ‘I find a strong work ethic to besucha valuable quality.’
Minerva looked for any sign of recognition in her mother’s serene features but it appeared she had no idea that the man she was praising was the same young prince she had banned from ever returning to their kingdom. Looking at how much he had changed physically, she supposed not many would see the similarities. He bowed his head once again in deference and Minerva fought the urge to roll her eyes. She could feel Liro’s gaze boring into her, so she made extra efforts to renew the conversation with Prince Lorenz, laughing politely at his admittedly bland joke and offering to give him a lesson in target practice whenever he needed.
Once breakfast had finished, Minerva made to excuse herself, only to find the stable master striding across the lawns to inform her that their horses had been readied for the morning’s excursion.
‘Let me guess,’ Minerva said to her mother. ‘You forgot to tell me about that as well?’
Queen Uberta shrugged one delicate shoulder and sipped her tea.
Bea ran ahead to perform her morning checks on one of the newly rescued stallions with which she was working, who had become ill during the night. Minerva stood up, looking down at her mother, and tried to convey with her eyes as much as possible her absolute intention to have a very stern conversation once this day came to an end. She sighed with resignation as their group was guided down towards the stables.
