Prince of Scandal by Annie West Page A

the memory of censorious eyes on her: an upstart foreigner, not only gauche but clumsy.
    ‘Nothing of the sort, ma’am. You carried it off with great composure.’
    Luisa smiled gratefully. Lukas really was a nice man. Surprisingly nice for someone in the Prince’s employ.
    ‘Thanks, Lukas, but there’s no need to pretend. I saw the way they looked, and their impatience that I wanted to read what I signed.’
    ‘It’s true some of the advisers are rather old school.’ Lukas cleared his throat and gestured for her to precede him down another wide corridor. ‘I’m sure His Highness wouldn’t mind me saying that’s been one of his challenges in running the country as a modern state—bringing them along in the process of reform.’
    Luisa’s eyes widened. It hadn’t occurred to her Raul would have difficulties. With his take charge attitude and formidable determination she couldn’t imagine it.
    ‘You talk as if he’s been in charge of the country a long time. I thought the King only died recently.’
    A hint of a flush coloured Lukas’ cheeks. ‘That’s correct, ma’am.’ He paused and then, with the air of making a suddendecision, added, ‘But His Highness was in many ways responsible for running the country long before that. The previous king … left a lot in the Prince’s hands.’
    Luisa’s mind snagged on Lukas’ words, trying to read the subtext. There was one. Something he skated around rather than spelling out. It was on the tip of her tongue to press for an explanation, till she read his discomfort.
    ‘And is it still difficult?’
    Lukas shrugged. ‘The Prince has made his mark and even the more old-fashioned courtiers see the benefits. But there are some who resent change. Some who’d rather vie for personal power than cooperate in a national effort to modernise.’
    Her steps slowed. Lukas’ assessment echoed Raul’s words. She’d half dismissed that as a smokescreen, veiling the fact he simply coveted the crown. Though lately she’d wondered. Seeing him with others, she’d caught glimpses of a reasonable man, even a caring one.
    Was there more truth in Raul’s words than she’d thought? He claimed he acted for the country as well as himself. Was it possible? It was tempting to hope so.
    Yet nothing excused Raul’s behaviour towards her.
    ‘As for today, ma’am,’ Lukas said, ‘I know the Prince was very pleased with your first official appearance.’
    She just bet he was! She’d signed his precious documents. Yet she hadn’t missed the way he’d hovered, eager for her to sign and be done with it. If she was truthful, it wasn’t just the habit of reading legal papers carefully that had made her delay. A tiny part of her had wanted him on tenterhooks, wondering if she’d go through with it.
    As if she’d had a choice! Besides, she’d given her word.
    Her heart plunged at the implications of what she’d just done. No turning back now.
    ‘Lukas, I’ve changed my mind. Can you show me the way to the gardens? I need some fresh air.’
    Forty minutes later Luisa felt less claustrophobic. Wandering through the courtyards she’d found a gardener. They’ddiscussed the grounds with enthusiasm and sign language since her Maritzian was sparse and Gregor, the gardener, spoke a particularly thick dialect.
    They’d toured the terraces and rose garden, where Luisa recognised the names of gorgeous old roses her mother had mentioned. They’d visited an orchard in the moat, a walled garden with fountains and arbours and the kitchen garden where Luisa struggled to identify the rarer herbs.
    For the first time in days she felt as if she’d stepped out of her nightmare and into the real world, with the scent of rich soil and growing things around her.
    She breathed deep as she climbed the spiral staircase in the battlements. Gregor had said, if she understood right, that she’d see the parterre garden from here. She’d read about such gardens, with their intricate patterns laid