His brothers occupied the conversation pit created by two sofas and a pair of upholstered chairs set in a loose circle around a Louis XVI coffee table. Though Armand worked in the space, he also used it for meetings. The casual atmosphere promised by the layout, fabrics, and color usage set his guests at ease—likely intentional on the part of the room’s designers. Sebastian, however, saw past the façade of comfortable elegance to the office’s true purpose.
George rose at his arrival, but Sebastian gestured for his younger sibling to resume his seat. Sebastian executed a half bow to his eldest brother, as was custom.
Armand merely raised his brows. “You’re late.”
“My apologies. I was detained by an unavoidable matter.” He took a seat to Armand’s right, opposite George. It seemed odd to have both of his brothers in the same room without others to play buffer between them. Armand maintained a careful distance since Sebastian admitted to outing his relationship with Anna to the press. Sebastian’s miscalculation created a security snafu and headache, but ultimately worked in the manner he’d intended.
Armand was with the woman he loved. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Sebastian waited patiently for Armand to tackle whatever subject led to his summons.
“George will be leaving for New York with his detail in the next couple of weeks. He begins classes after the first of the year.” Armand didn’t look at George, but their younger brother grimaced, obviously not looking forward to curtailing his lifestyle to procure an education. “As I’m sure you can assume, this will mean changes for your appearance schedule, Sebastian. Gretchen will update your secretary.”
Unacceptable.“I will be unavailable for any significant appearances in the next few weeks.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Sebastian refused to squirm under the weight of Armand’s stare. “I have other commitments. I have no problem with taking on more duties at a future date, but as for the immediate needs? We’ll have to send a representative or cancel.”
“Or I can just maintain my schedule until Sebastian’s free.” George asserted his preference into the silence. “I can always begin in the fall semester.”
“No.” Armand dismissed the idea immediately. “You already put it off to the spring. You’regoing.” Turning to Sebastian, Armand frowned. “I looked at your schedule this morning. I found nothing major pending which cannot be rearranged to accommodate George’s appearances.”
“Aside from several events coming in the next few weeks, I also need to make some adjustments for a matter which came up this morning.” Unfortunately, Armand could and would make whatever changes he deemed necessary with or without his approval. Sebastian’s duty was to see his requests were carried out. Whether they possessed a country to rule or not, as the head of the family, it was Armand’s call.
“I’ll be damned.” George’s tone spoke of awe. “I think our cousin was right, Armand.”
“So I see. Excuse us, George.” The clipped dismissal didn’t sit well with their younger brother, and Armand spared him aninflexible look. “You need to go over your schedule with Peterson and his men. Donotbe difficult.”
Rebellious or not, George obeyed. As soon as the door closed behind him, Armand frowned at Sebastian. “What matter came up this morning?”
“It doesn’t concern you or pertain to our family obligations. What specific items on George’s schedule have to be covered? A presence at the critical appointments should be sufficient, yes?” He didn’t need more responsibilities. His free time had been curtailed severely after an assassin got too close to him with a knife—the attack, along with increased tensions caused by Belarian royalists, demanded limitations to his schedule.
He was making plans to be with Meredith and would damn well not cancel them. Not while she thought herself less important than his duties—the thought so patently ridiculous, it aggravated him all over again.
Armand’s eyes narrowed. “Everything about my family concerns me.”
“Speaking of family, how is Anna adjusting to life as a Grand Duchess?” Bringing up Armand’s new wife worked like a charm. His expression relaxed for a fraction of a second before a frown erased his good mood. No, he clearly hadn’t forgiven Sebastian for his call to the press.
“Brilliantly, but then I expected nothing less. She is a force to be reckoned with when she wants something.” He touched a digital tablet in front of him. “Out of George’s appearances, the one which concerns me most is in Minsk.”
“Minsk?” It was Sebastian’s turn to frown. Though the Andraste family maintained extensive interests around the globe, they rarely ventured personally or with their capital into Belaria. Political unrest and threats traced back to the nation— “Why would you let him schedule something there?”
“I didn’t.” The quiet snap of the words rebuked him for suggesting otherwise. “However, with the unrest and the royalist movement and George’s previous involvement, it seemed the most politically expedient way to put certain rumors to bed while mollifying both sides of the argument.”
“And a good way to get him shot.” Sebastian couldn’t believe Armand even entertained the idea. “George is not the right man—” He stopped. “You never intended to send him.”
“No. He started the mess.” Armand sighed. “But I cannot be the one to go.”
“No, since you’re the one they want to crown, it has to be me.” He’d walked right into the decision. As the second son, he was also Armand’s heir, though George meant Sebastian remained somewhat expendable. If Anna gave birth to Armand’s child, the family line would be secure and Sebastian’s importance would diminish.
Thank God.
“You’re the reasonable compromise. You are unmarried, personable, and your reputation for beingbon vivantmakes you far less suitable to rule. Fortunately, despite one or two questionable choices, you have better impulse control than George.” Somehow, the words didn’t sound remotely like a compliment.
Belaria would be a security nightmare. The press was already primed for the Andraste family to make some kind of move. Their laser focus transferred from Armand to Sebastian with Armand’s marriage—particularly since Armand and Anna denied the press a feeding frenzy by pulling off a very private wedding ceremony.
“You will, of course, receive additional security. Peterson will work out the specifics with Vidal, but I expect you to take every necessary precaution. We will double your security here and I’ve authorized the expenses to triple the force on the groundthere. It will be three days in—one for an arrival and state dinner, a second for visiting key sites and the third for charitable foundation work.”
Armand continued and Sebastian barely heard him. Certainly, three days in Belaria, but it would take weeks of prepping. The additional security and focus meant he wouldn’t get anywhere near Meredith.
