The Future King’s Love-Child by Melanie Milburne Page B

little too independent for her own good.’
    Cassie looked down at her hands for a moment. ‘I am sure the experience of travelling and working abroad will be wonderful for her. When you are next speaking to her…I mean, if you think it’s appropriate to mention you have seen me, please tell her I send my regards.’
    The car growled its way into the wrought iron fortress of the Karedeses’ private hideaway, making the silence inside all the more intense. Cassie felt the press of Sebastian’s watchful gaze and forced herself to bring her eyes back to his.
    ‘No doubt she will contact you in due course,’ he said, still with his dark, penetrating gaze trained on her face. ‘When my father found out about the postcards she sent he strictly forbade any further contact while he was alive, which I think Lissa feels guilty about now. That is probably why she hasn’t as yet contacted you.’
    ‘I understand,’ she said. ‘We were probably not a good mix when I think about it. We brought out the worst in each other at times.’
    ‘She was always very fond of you.’
    Cassie felt her heart contract. ‘I was…I am still very fond of her,’ she said, and then unguardedly added, ‘We had more in common than she probably realised.’
    He gave her one of his narrow-eyed looks. ‘What do you mean?’
    Her gaze skittered away from his. ‘The children of high-profile parents often have a lot in common. We are constantly followed by the press and anything we do or say is used against us. I think Lissa and I were alike in that we got fed up with it all and tried to get out there and live like other normal teenagers. But of course we could never be normal, Lissa more so than me. She, like you, has royal blood running through her veins.’
    ‘You are right, of course,’ he said. ‘I too had to pull in my horns, so to speak. The weight of responsibility does that to you after a while. Even if my father had not died so unexpectedly I was already feeling the urge to settle down.’
    Cassie felt a pain like a rusty switchblade go through her. Sebastian had already mentioned a suitable wife had been selected for him. She could see him married to a beautiful woman who waseverything she was not nor ever could be: gracious, well-bred, with an immaculate reputation, well educated and comfortable in every social situation. No doubt his wonderfully suitable wife would bear him an heir and a spare, maybe even another couple of gorgeous children who looked just like Sam…
    Even if she was thousands of kilometres away as she had planned, how on earth would Cassie bear it?
       
    Sebastian instructed the driver to set up the picnic in a secluded spot near some tamarisk trees that provided a shelter of sorts a short distance from the stately royal holiday residence.
    Within minutes a table with crisp white linen was set up, sparkling crystal glasses and crested silverware set out in preparation for a meal fit for…well, royalty of course, Cassie thought wryly as she watched a solid silver vase complete with red rose being placed in the very centre of the table. It was certainly nothing like the picnics Cassie had been on in the past, with floppy paper plates, plastic forks and knives that wouldn’t cut through melted butter let alone anything else.
    The food provided by the royal kitchen was nothing short of delightful, every morsel was awork of art in itself, and artfully arranged to entice even the most jaded of appetites.
    Sebastian led Cassie to the silky fabric-covered chair opposite his, and, once he was sure she was comfortable, took his own seat, instructing the driver-cum-waiter to serve their meal.
    Cassie had not felt in the least bit hungry, but as soon as the tiny dishes appeared in front of her she found herself partaking of a feast that was beyond belief. Char-grilled octopus, garlic mussels, plump prawns skewered on tiny sticks with a lime and coriander marinade, ripe olives and semi sun-dried tomatoes, followed by