LITMIR.BIZ

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      Catalina sat in the private family drawing room, drumming her nails against the hardwood of the armchair and staring blankly at the walls. She’d been sitting there, as ordered by her father, for over two hours.

      Her father’s anger at the situation, although less violent than her brother’s reaction, had been fearsome to behold. After twenty-five years of impeccable behaviour, the perfect daughter had blown the engagement he’d spent decades engineering. Then, having been found another suitable husband, she’d promptly added to the humiliation by getting pregnant by a notorious womanising commoner. Her apologies for the shame she’d brought on the family had fallen on deaf ears. She doubted he would ever forgive her.

      ‘You’ll have to marry him,’ he’d said coldly. ‘That’s the only way we’ll be able to mitigate the negative publicity of you getting pregnant like a common whore. And you will not refuse. You will marry that piece of garbage and legitimise the bastard growing in you.’

      She’d stood there, taking the abuse, refusing to show any emotion but inside she’d screamed.

      Her child was not a bastard. Her child was innocent.

      And Nathaniel might be a womaniser but he wasn’t garbage. He’d worked for his fortune, not had it handed to him by an accident of birth.

      The Christmas festivities had gone ahead as planned but the atmosphere had been toxic. She didn’t doubt the entire palace knew of her situation, most likely thanks to Marion, who’d spent Christmas dinner throwing her faux sympathetic glances. As if she didn’t know Marion, who thrived on secrets and intrigue and loved to spy, had been the one to tell her brother.

      Catalina’s hopes that a good night’s sleep would soften her father’s attitude had been dispelled when he’d dispatched Lauren, his private secretary, to her rooms that afternoon. Lauren had informed her she was to dine alone with only Marion for company in the family room and then wait there until further notice.

      Dominic had well and truly poisoned their father’s mind against her. It gave no satisfaction that it had taken twenty-five years for him to achieve this feat.

      Marion’s spying and sneaking skills had come into their own. She’d abandoned her post for twenty minutes, returning to inform her that Nathaniel had arrived at the palace and was in a meeting with her father.

      That had been an hour ago.

      Her initial jolt of excitement had long since dissolved. Her nerves were balanced as if on a tightrope, the time dragging on so long it was a relief when Dominic finally entered the room.

      ‘Marion, leave us,’ he said without any preamble.

      Catalina knew their cousin would hover by the door in the hope of catching wind of something juicy to spread around the palace.

      ‘He’s agreed to marry you,’ he said, standing over her with folded arms and a smug expression that didn’t quite hide the fury in his eyes.

      She knew perfectly well that if her fate had been left to Dominic, she would have been banished in disgrace. If she’d got pregnant by anyone other than Nathaniel things would be a lot different. Dominic loathed Catalina, but Nathaniel was his nemesis.

      ‘You will marry in a fortnight. They’re finalising the details as we speak.’

      She didn’t answer. Her involvement and consent were not relevant in this situation. Her consent was rarely required for any situation. All the same...

      Her lungs expanded properly for the first time in two days. Nathaniel’s consent was not something she’d taken for granted. Nathaniel was a lone wolf with an aversion to relationships and not a man to be intimidated by anyone, not even a king. That he’d accepted responsibility and agreed to marry her...

      Little whispers of excitement skittered over her skin, her heart thundering hard beneath her ribs.

      She was going to marry Nathaniel.

      Never in her wildest dreams had she allowed herself to imagine such a thing. In all the years she’d known him he’d been part of her social circle but somewhat apart, a commoner to be welcomed graciously but kept at arm’s length. He’d always been considered far beneath what her family expected of her.

      Her entire life had been geared towards ensnaring one of the Kalliakis Princes, men equal to her station. That Nathaniel was the only man she’d ever found physically attractive had been something she’d hardly dared acknowledge to herself.

      Making love to him had been beyond her wildest dreams.

      Her veins heated just to think of his touch, and turned into a furnace as she finally allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to share a bed with him again.

      ‘The lawyers are on their way,’ Dominic continued, looking at his watch, oblivious to her private thoughts.

      ‘What are they coming for?’

      ‘To draw up the contract,’ he answered.

      Oh, yes. The contract.

      ‘How did you get him to agree?’ She couldn’t hide the flicker of hope that he’d agreed without any coercion and, more than that, that he’d insisted their marriage be a real one.

      She knew it was the most pathetic, flimsiest of hopes even before Dominic flashed her his cruel smile; the same smile he’d given when he’d told Catalina her pet dog had died. ‘Ah, pretty Catalina is imagining a marriage of fluffy clouds and pink icing. Although I hate to destroy your dreams, be in no doubt this is a business decision by Giroud—I told him he would be expelled from Monte Cleure and his business development confiscated unless he married you.’

      The effect of his words was as if ice had been thrown at her.

      ‘So you did have to blackmail him.’

      ‘You thought he would want to marry you?’ He laughed. ‘He was only happy to agree once he’d been assured the marriage would only last a year.’

      Before he could continue, a secretary appeared at the door, informing them Nathaniel had finished speaking with their father and was on his way to them.

      Dominic cast Catalina his vindictive smile one last time. ‘He doesn’t want to marry you, pretty Catalina. He doesn’t care that you will remarry immediately after your marriage is dissolved. He has no interest in your baby. All he cares about are his business interests. You must think of it as a business arrangement too. Your end of the deal is to uphold the honour of the House of Fernandez.’

      She held her brother’s gaze for long seconds before inclining her head sharply. ‘I will remember.’

      ‘Good. Now is your chance to begin your redemption.’ His gaze turned to the door. Catalina’s stomach performed a somersault to see Nathaniel stride in as if their private quarters were rooms he’d visited on many occasions.

      ‘Nice place you’ve got here,’ he said, looking around the luxurious living quarters with a distinctly mocking eye.

      If she didn’t have so many contradictory emotions raging through her, Catalina would have found his irreverence funny. Gasps of appreciation were the usual response when people entered their private rooms for the first time.

      Knots formed tight in her stomach as she gazed at the one man who had seen her naked. Her heart seemed to have gained a life of its own and the palms of her hands grew damp.

      He didn’t look at her. His focus was on her brother, who he towered over. ‘You may leave us.’

      If she hadn’t been trained from birth to never show inappropriate emotion, she might very well have given a hysterical laugh. The only person she had ever heard give an order to her brother was their father, who certainly didn’t use the lazy, almost dismissive tone Nathaniel had just used.

      Dominic turned red. Very red. Catalina half expected steam to escape from his ears.

      ‘I wish to speak to your sister alone,’ Nathaniel

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