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“A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” Garrett said with a smile, the picture of grace and etiquette, and Louisa all but beamed with pride. The situation couldn’t be more tense or uncomfortable, yet he’d handled it with ease.
“I’ll admit I was surprised when Louisa informed us this morning that you were joining us for dinner,” Chris said, and Louisa wanted to punch him. Garrett had to be wondering why she would wait until this morning to tell them. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, to think that she was ashamed of him or uncertain of her invitation.
Instead of appearing insulted, Garrett looked her way and flashed her that adorable, dimpled smile. “And I was a bit surprised when she asked.” His eyes locked on hers with a look so warm and delicious she almost melted. “I could hardly believe I was lucky enough to draw the attention of the most beautiful woman in the room.”
The honesty of his words and the admiration in his eyes warmed her from the inside out. The fact that he would speak so openly of his feelings for her, especially in front of her family, made her want to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him. But who wanted an audience for their first kiss?
Geoffrey appeared in the study door and announced, “Dinner is ready.”
Melissa held out her arm for Chris to take. “Shall we?”
“Go ahead without me. I’d like to have a private word with our guest.”
Louisa’s heart nearly stopped. Why did Chris need to see him alone? She prayed he wouldn’t say something embarrassing, or try to scare Garrett off. But if she made a fuss, it might only make things worse.
At Melissa’s look of hesitance he added, “We’ll only be a minute.”
Louisa flashed Garrett an apologetic look, but he just smiled, looking totally at ease as Melissa ushered everyone from the room.
With any luck, Garrett wouldn’t decide that pursuing a princess was just too much hassle and bring an end to their first date before it even began.
Three
And so it begins, Garrett thought as the rest of the family walked, or in Melissa’s case, waddled, from the room, leaving only himself and Prince Christian. He wondered if, had he been a royal, the Prince would feel this chat was necessary.
Well, it wouldn’t be long before Garrett had a royal title, garnering him all of the respect he had earned. Though time wasn’t an issue, he would still push for a quick engagement. The sooner they were married and settled, the sooner he could relax and begin enjoying all the fruits of his labor.
“Under normal circumstances it would be the King having this conversation with you,” Chris said.
But the King wasn’t well enough, so Garrett was stuck with the Crown Prince instead. He hadn’t yet decided if that was a good or a bad thing. “I understand.”
The Prince gestured to the sofa, and after Garrett sat, Chris took a seat in the armchair across from him. “As a precaution, I had a thorough background check performed on you.”
He had anticipated that, and as he had told Princess Louisa, he had nothing to hide. “Did they find anything interesting?”
“Actually, they didn’t find much of anything at all. Though ruthless in your business practices, as far as I can tell you’ve always kept it legal and ethical, and you seem to be a fair employer. You donate a percentage of your income to worthwhile charities—most having to do with education for the underprivileged—and as far as any brushes with the law, you’ve never had so much as a parking ticket.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I would expect that a man so elusive might have something to hide.”
“I certainly don’t mean to be elusive,” he said. “I simply lead an uncomplicated life. My work is my passion.”
“It shows. Your accomplishments are quite impressive.”
“Thank you.”
The Prince paused for a second, as though he was uncomfortable with what he planned to say next. “While I see no clear reason to be concerned, I’m obligated to ask, on the King’s behalf, what your intentions are regarding Princess Louisa.”
It seemed ridiculous to Garrett that, at twenty-seven years old, Louisa wasn’t allowed to make her own decisions regarding who she wanted to see socially. “Her Highness invited me to dinner and I accepted,” he said.
The simplicity of his answer seemed to surprise the Prince. “That’s it?”
“I admit I find your sister quite fascinating.”
“Louisa is … special.”
He said that as though that was an impediment, and Garrett felt an odd dash of defensiveness in her honor. Which was a little ridiculous considering he barely knew her.
“I’ve never met anyone quite like her,” he told the Prince.
“She tends to be a bit naive when it comes to the opposite sex. Men have taken advantage of that.”
Maybe if her family stopped sheltering her, she would learn not to be so gullible. However, that particular trait was working in his favor, so he could hardly complain. “Rest assured, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Princess. I pride myself on being a very honorable man. I would never do anything to compromise her principles.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Chris said. “But of course I will have to discuss the matter with the King.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
The shadow of a smile cracked the serious expression. “We’ve known each other a long time, Garrett. Call me Chris.”
With that request Garrett knew he was as good as in. Chris needing to speak with his father was merely a formality at this point. “I’m very much looking forward to getting to know you better,” Garrett told him.
“As am I.” Chris paused, his expression darkening, and said, “However, if you did take advantage of my sister, the consequences would be … unfortunate.”
The fact that Garrett didn’t even flinch seemed to impress Chris. Still, Garrett was going to have to be very cautious while he courted Louisa.
Chris rose from his chair and said, “Shall we join the others?”
Garrett stood and followed him to the dining room. The first course was just being served, and as soon as they entered the room, Louisa shot from her seat and gestured him to the empty chair beside her.
When they were seated again, she leaned close to him and whispered, “I’m so sorry he did that. I hope he wasn’t too hard on you.”
He gave her a reassuring smile. “Not at all.”
If he thought the worst was over, he realized quickly that it had only begun. He barely had a chance to taste his soup before Anne launched into the inquisition portion of the meal.
“I understand your father was a farmer,” she said, her tone suggesting that made him inferior somehow.
It had only been a matter of time before someone broached the subject of his humble beginnings, but he wasn’t ashamed of his past. He was instead very proud of his accomplishments. Although for the life of him he never understood why his parents hadn’t strived to better themselves. Why they settled for a life barely a step above poverty when they could have done so much more for themselves and their sons.
“All of his life,” Garrett told her. “My earliest memories are of working beside him in the fields.”
“Yet you didn’t follow in his footsteps,” Anne noted, her words sounding an awful lot like an accusation. Much the way his father had sounded when Garrett had informed him that he planned to leave the island to attend college.
“No, I didn’t. I wanted an education.”
“How did your father feel about that?”
“Anne,” Louisa said, plainly embarrassed by her sister’s behavior.
“What?” Anne asked, her innocent look too manufactured to be genuine. He wasn’t sure if she was jealous of Louisa, or simply being difficult because she could. If there was one thing Garrett knew for sure, he’d definitely chosen the right sister. Had he picked Anne, he would be asking for a life of misery.
“Stop being so nosy,” Louisa said.
Anne shrugged. “How else can we get to know Mr. Sutherland?”
“Please call me Garrett,” he told Anne. “And in answer to your question, my father wasn’t at all happy with me. He expected me to take over the farm when he retired. I wanted to do something more with my life.”
“Which you certainly have,” Chris said, and maybe Garrett was imagining things, but he almost sounded impressed.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned,” Garrett said, “it’s that you can’t live your life to please other people.” He glanced over at Louisa, catching her eye for emphasis. “You have to follow your heart.”
“I believe that, too,” Olivia said. She reached over and placed a hand on her husband’s arm. “Aaron is starting back to school in the fall. Premed.”
“I’d heard that,” Garrett said. He made it his business to know everything about his stiffest competition. Aaron’s leaving the family business would create the convenient opening he required to insinuate himself inside.
“He’s going to be a brilliant doctor,” Olivia said, beaming with pride. She was a plain woman, very young and unassuming, but pretty when she smiled … and quite the brilliant scientist from what he understood. The previous autumn, an unidentifiable blight potentially threatened all the crops on the island. The effects would have been devastating on the export trade, the main source of income for the country, and Olivia had been hired by the royal family to find an eco-friendly cure.
“I’ve heard that your own brilliance saved the livelihood of every landowner in the country,” Garrett told her. “Myself included.”
Olivia grinned shyly and blushed. It would seem that he had won over at least three-quarters of the females at the table. Anne seemed a lost cause at this point. Chris and Aaron, he wasn’t sure about, but it looked promising. Now it was time for a change of subject, and he’d done his research.
“I understand you spent quite a lot of time in the States,” Garrett said to Melissa.
“I was born on Morgan Isle but raised in New Orleans,” she told him.
“A lovely city,” he commented.
“You’ve been there?”
He nodded. “Several times in fact. For business. Terrible what happened during Katrina.”
“It was. I started a foundation to fund the rehabilitation of the city.”
“I had no idea. I’d love to make a donation.”
Melissa smiled. “That would be lovely, thank you.”
“I’ll have a check sent round next week.”
“What other places have you visited?” Louisa asked him, and they launched into a conversation about traveling abroad, and everyone’s favorite vacation spot. Garrett was pleasantly surprised to find that, with the exception of Anne, they were a friendly bunch, and not nearly as uptight as he’d expected. The tone of the conversation was not unlike those of his youth, when his family gathered for supper. In fact, by the time dessert was served, Garrett realized that he was actually enjoying himself.
Louisa didn’t say much, but instead spent most of her time gazing up at him, seemingly mesmerized by every word that passed his lips.
After dinner, Chris pushed back from the table and asked Garrett, “Up for a friendly game of poker? We play every Friday evening.”
Before he could answer, Louisa said, “Garrett and I are taking a walk in the garden.” Which he took as his clue to decline their offer, when the truth was he would much rather play cards than take a leisurely stroll, but securing his position with Louisa took precedence for now.
“Maybe some other time,” he told Chris.
“Of course.” Chris turned to Louisa, his expression serious, and said, “Not too far, and I want you inside before sundown.”
“I know,” Louisa replied, sounding exasperated, and Garrett didn’t blame her. He knew her family kept a tight grip on the reins, but telling a woman of twenty-seven that she couldn’t stay out past dark bordered on the absurd.
Louisa slipped her arm through his and smiled up at him. “Ready?”
He thanked her family for dinner, then let Louisa lead him through the castle and out onto a patio that opened up into acres of lush flower gardens. The evening was a warm one, but a cool breeze blew in from the bluff.
She kept a firm grip on his arm as they started down the path, as though she feared the instant they were in the clear he might run for his life.
“I’m really sorry about my family,” she said, looking apologetic. “As you probably noticed, they treat me like a child.”
“They are quite … protective.”
“It’s humiliating. They think I’m naive.”
Maybe they weren’t so far off the mark, he thought wryly. She was unsophisticated enough to fall for his charms without question or doubt. Not that he would ever mistreat her, or compromise her honor. She would never suffer as his wife.
“I’m sure they mean well,” he told her. “I imagine it would be much worse if they didn’t care at all.”
“I guess you’re right,” she conceded. “But since the threats started they’ve been a lot worse than usual. They think everyone I meet is a spy or something.”
“I had seen something on the news about the security being breached in your father’s hospital suite in London. I understand no one was able to identify the suspect from the surveillance footage.”
“He calls himself the Gingerbread Man.”
“Seriously?”
“Strange, I know. It started last summer with e-mail. He hacked into our computer system and sent threatening messages to us from our own accounts. They were all twisted versions of nursery rhymes.”
“Nursery rhymes?” That didn’t sound very threatening to him.
“Mine said, ‘I love you, a bushel and a peck. A bushel and a peck, and a noose around your neck. With a noose around your neck, you will drop into a heap. You’ll drop into a heap and forever you will sleep.’” She looked up at him with a wry smile and said, “I memorized it.”
On second thought, that was rather ominous. “What were the others?”
“I don’t remember them word for word, but the common theme was burning alive.”
Ouch. No wonder the family was being so cautious.
“At first we thought it was just an elaborate prank, until he managed to slip through castle security and get on the grounds. They think he scaled the bluff.”
That explained the seemingly excessive security the night of the ball. “Was anyone harmed?”
“No, but he left a note. It said, ‘Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me. I’m the Gingerbread Man.’ That’s how we learned his name. We haven’t heard anything from him lately, but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped. Things will be quiet for a while, then just when we think that he’s given up, he’ll leave another note somewhere or send an untraceable e-mail. He sent a gift basket full of rotten fruit for New Year’s, then he sent flowers for Melissa and Chris congratulating them on the pregnancy. Weeks before the official announcement was made. He even knew that they were having triplets.”
“Sounds like someone on the inside.”
