Command Performance by Nora Roberts Page A

don’t want to cross swords with you. I don’t expect you to include me in your family feelings.” She looked away and didn’t see his gaze come back to search her face. “The sad thing is you’ve never understood that I care very much.” She folded her arms as if to distance herself when he stared at her. “Will you knock?”
    He didn’t. A man in his position could afford few mistakes. When he made one, it was best to admit it quickly. “He’ll look strained, a bit thinner. The incident in Paris weighs on him.” Alexander looked at the closed door, recognizing it for a barricade, one that someday he would have to use. “He doesn’t sleep well.”
    “What can I do?”
    God, could it be so simple for her? The words made him want to rest his brow against hers, only for a moment. Rest, be comforted, be eased. But it could never be so simple for him. “You’re doing it,” he said briefly, and knocked.
    “
Entrez
.”
    “Father.” Alexander opened the door, then stepped to the side. “I’ve brought you a gift.”
    Prince Armand rose from his desk. He was a sternly handsome man, straight and lean. When Eve had first met him, his hair had been threaded with gray. Now it was steely, like his eyes, like his body. Seeing her, he smiled, and the rigid lines softened.
    “A lovely one.” He came around the desk to her in a gesture of friendship she knew wasn’t given to many. As she curtsied, he caught both her hands. His were strong. If age sat lightly on him, responsibility didn’t. She saw the signs of strain, of sleeplessness, and forgot protocol. Rising on her toes, she kissed both his cheeks.
    “It’s good to be back, Your Highness.”
    “It’s you who are good for us. Alexander, you didn’t tell me she’d grown more beautiful.”
    “He doesn’t notice,” she said with a careless glance over her shoulder.
    “On the contrary. I simply didn’t think it necessary to explain what my father would see for himself.”
    “A born diplomat,” Armand said, and laughed. “Alex, ring for tea, please. We’ll keep Eve to ourselves for a little while before we have to share her with the rest of Cordina. So, the young girl is now an important producer.” He led her to a chair. “You’ve come to entertain us.”
    “I hope so.”
    “My son tells me the center is fortunate to have your company. Your reputation in America is growing, and as your first international host, we’re honored.”
    Eve smiled. “Bennett loves to flatter.”
    “True enough.” Armand drew out a cigarette. “But in this case it was Alex.”
    “Alex?” Caught off guard, she turned her head to stare as Alexander took a chair beside her.
    “Eve doesn’t expect flattery from me, Father.” He drew out his lighter and flicked it at the end of his father’s cigarette. “She’s more prepared to dodge a blow.”
    “Well, when you’ve been doing it for seven years, it gets to be—” She caught herself, bit her tongue smartly, then turned back to the prince. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness.”
    “There’s no need. I’m used to squabbling children. Here’s our tea. Will you pour, Eve?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    Allowing himself the luxury of relaxing, Armand sat back as the tray was set beside Eve. “Alexander tells me you’ve chosen four interesting plays. The first is a rather passionate and—what is the word you used, Alex?”
    “Steamy,” he said, and smiled at Eve’s quick look.
    “Yes, a steamy story set in your American South. It deals with a family?”
    “Yes, Your Highness.” She handed him his tea. “A power struggle within a family, both for money and for love. A rich, dominating father, two brothers, one the black sheep, the other a weakling, and their manipulative wives. It’s really a story of needs and disillusionment as much as passion.”
    “A story that holds true in any culture.”
    “I’m counting on it.” She handed Alexander his tea but avoided looking at him. “The plays I’ve