Theo frowned. ‘You leaked the information deliberately.’
The prince’s eyes gleamed. ‘Of course I did. Do you really believe I would have allowed that constitutional anomaly to be public knowledge if I was not desperate? A man has his pride, after all.’
Theo nodded. The shrewd bastard. So, the princehadkept the constitutional need for a marriage to take place before the Crown land could be sold a secret simply to preserve his pride. But it didn’t change anything. Not now.
‘You’ll get your marriage. On New Year’s Eve as agreed,’ Theo said, the sick feeling rolling over in his stomach. He and Freya would be wed in two days’ time. She’d looked shocked and wary at the news, but after hours of negotiation with her father’s emissaries as soon as she’d agreed to the engagement, it had been obvious neither of them had a choice. Her father would have destroyed her reputation—and her country would have been left bankrupt. How would she ever have been able to start a new life—free and clear—after that?
‘But you are going to hand over guardianship of Freya’s brothers to her, today,’ Theo demanded. ‘I want her to have control of all aspects of their care until they are both twenty-one. And that includes handling any trust funds that belong to them, or her.’
The prince’s smug smile dissolved, his expression becoming tense with anger. ‘You expect me to transfer the care of my heirs? To a woman who besmirched her royal name, her own legacy, to have a torrid affair with a Greek playboy? Are you mad?’
‘Take it or leave it. This isn’t a negotiation, Andreas,’ Theo said, his voice rough with contempt. ‘You want the port deal to go ahead, to get you out of the financial fix you’ve created for yourself and your country, Freya becomes her brothers’ guardian, today.’
Because she loves them, and wants what’s best for them, unlike you. And whatever happens you’re never going to use their welfare as a bargaining chip against her again.
‘And don’t even try to stiff me. My legal team will be going over the guardianship agreement with a fine-tooth comb to make sure you can’t renege on it.’
‘How am I supposed to explain such an aberration to my subjects? To the press?’ Andreas replied, his voice lifting to a shriek.
‘I don’t give a shit how you explain it.’ Theo glared. ‘Just get it done, or there’s no deal. And no marriage.’
The prince’s face went an interesting shade of red, which gave Theo a grim feeling of satisfaction.
If Freya was going to be forced to marry him, he intended to make sure she would at least never have to deal with this bastard again.
‘The guardianship agreement must remain private,’ the prince finally declared, clearly realising Theo wasn’t budging. ‘I will not have the press speculating on the affairs of the royal family. She has already compromised the monarchy’s reputation with her juvenile decision to run away with you.’
Theo ground his teeth, hating this man even more. ‘Perhaps if you had been a better father, and hadn’t tried to exploit her for your own ends, she wouldn’t have wanted to run away in the first place…’
The prince had the gall to look affronted. ‘Do not lecture me on exploiting women, when you kidnapped and seduced a virgin because she was of royal blood.’
Theo flinched, the well-aimed barb hitting home. He didn’t want the land any more, had tried to convince himself he was marrying Freya for her own good. But how true was that really, when he had always had a hidden agenda where Freya was concerned—and he still hadn’t come clean with her about hisrealmotives for pushing through with a marriage…? At first, he’d wanted to force her father’s hand, then he’d simply wanted to possess her. And now he wanted to make her his, without her even knowing he would never be able to offer her what she truly wanted… His love. Because he simply did not have it in him to ever give anyone that much.
‘Do we have a deal, or don’t we?’ he said, his voice laced with menace.
The prince’s chest puffed up, as if he were going to object again. But then he seemed to deflate. And finally, he nodded. Because like all bullies faced with someone even more ruthless than they were, Prince Andreas was a coward.
‘You can announce the wedding as soon as Freya has signed the guardianship forms,’ Theo clarified, then marched out of the study without waiting for a reply.
His assistant was waiting for him at the door. ‘Sir, we have secured a suite for you at the Grande Hotel, as per your request.’
He nodded and pulled out his phone. He typed out a message to Freya, explaining his absence for the next two days. She would know soon enough that her brothers were free for good, when her father rushed through the guardianship.
It was going to be torture, sleeping without her in his arms, but he needed to start weaning himself off her. Once they were wed, she would be free of her father’s influence—but he couldn’t give her a real marriage with the emotional commitment she craved. And the sooner she understood that, the better.
He tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket and nodded at his assistant. ‘Let’s go,’ he said, heading out of the palace and into the waiting car.
But as he watched the white walls of Freya’s luxury cage recede in the rear-view mirror, a cage he’d locked her back inside, he was forced to accept he was an even bigger coward than her father.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
‘Youlookbeautiful, Your Highness.’
‘Thank you, Ella,’ Freya murmured to the dress designer as she stared at her reflection in the floor-length mirror in her parlour. The stunning cream silk creation managed to look both demure and yet also provocative, accentuating her curves while showing a limited amount of cleavage.
Unfortunately, it didn’t ease the nerves that had been rioting in her stomach for forty-eight hours now… Ever since she’d received that curt text from Theo.
Engagement wouldn’t get us what we wanted. Wedding only option. See you at the altar on NYE. T
