Claiming His Christmas Consequence

‘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 said when Dominic made no attempt to leave. ‘We cannot speak freely without privacy.’

‘You can have five minutes.’

‘Ten.’

To her amazement, Dominic pursed his lips together and stormed out of the room.

Gripping tightly to the armrest, she tried to adopt the serene, half-vacant look that had served her so well throughout her life.

Green eyes fixed on her, Nathaniel sat on the uncomfortable armchair opposite. His irreverence had left the room with her brother. All she saw was cool contemplation, although it gave her fleeting gratification to judge that he looked like a man with a serious hangover.

‘So it is true. You are pregnant.’ He spoke quietly, unwittingly repeating the words her brother had used the day before.

Had it really only been yesterday? They had to count as the longest few days of her life, and it wasn’t over yet.

‘Can you tell?’

He gave a quick, rueful smile. ‘There is something different about you. If I didn’t know you were expecting I would assume you were ill.’ He blinked a couple of times and refocused on her. ‘Are you ill?’

‘Not particularly. A little sickness, that’s all.’

‘Is that why you missed Helios and Amy’s Coronation?’

‘I thought I had a stomach bug.’

He rocked his head forward and grimaced. ‘When is the baby due?’

‘The doctor thinks the end of August. A scan will determine it with more certainty.’

‘And you are happy to marry me?’

‘My happiness is irrelevant,’ she answered coolly. ‘Besides, it will only be for a year.’

‘And you are in agreement with your father’s plan for you to remarry once we’ve divorced?’

‘I will accept whatever is good for my family and the House of Fernandez.’

Nathaniel studied her carefully, looking for a chink in the elegantly worn armour. There was nothing to be found. The passionate woman who’d come out of her shell for one glorious night had gone. The Princess he had known from a distance for many years had returned, her mask back in place. This was a woman raised to do her duty and who fully believed in it too.

Whatever Catalina felt on a personal level about the pregnancy and their situation as a whole she was keeping to herself.

If he didn’t still have such vivid memories of the night they had created this mess he could believe she was a wind-up porcelain doll. But he knew there was so much more to her than this façade. He’d kissed her most intimate area and had felt the shudders that had taken her over. He could still feel her fingertips on his scalp.

He shook the memories away.

If this was the way she wanted to play things, then all to the good. This situation was beyond either of their control. Keeping things professional was the best way to proceed.

Resting his elbows on his thighs, he leaned forwards. For her part, Catalina, dressed in tight white trousers and a dusky pink silk blouse, was sitting straight with her legs gracefully crossed. Her thick raven hair had been tied into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. The last time he’d seen her it had been loose, falling almost to the base of her spine. He’d gathered it in his hands and buried his face in it...

As the day had gone on and the initial shock had dissolved with it, he’d come to the conclusion that, regardless of Dominic’s threats, marrying Catalina was the right thing to do. For a start, it would give him proper rights to their child. Meeting the King, Catalina’s father, had only confirmed these feelings.

The King was a formidable man whose only concern was the reputation of the House of Fernandez and as far as he was concerned this was an exercise in damage limitation. Nathaniel might be a hugely successful businessman with more money than he could ever spend, but the King ruled an entire country. Even with all the resources Nathaniel had at his disposal, the odds of him gaining any custody in this country without marriage would not be in his favour. Marrying Catalina guaranteed him cast-iron legal rights to their child.

‘When we part I will make it abundantly clear that you are blameless.’ That much he could do for her. ‘I will do everything in my power to ensure your reputation is not damaged. We can play our parting for all its worth so the whole world’s sympathy will be with you.’

‘That’s very kind of you,’ she said with a tight smile. ‘But what about your reputation?’

He shrugged. ‘My personal reputation is already ruined. And I’m not a princess. Our marriage will be as quick and as painless as possible.’ Although not quick enough for his liking.

He’d known from the age of seven that he had to look after himself. A decade later he’d been cast aside by his only living relative and he’d been on his own ever since. He liked it that way. He didn’t have to worry about hurting people, or worry what effect his actions would have on someone else.

He liked being single and never stayed with a woman long enough for emotional ties to form.