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‘Yes, sir’ Zaliha bobbed another curtsy and went straight about her business

‘I was planning to explore a little,’ Chrissie protested in a perturbed undertone as Jaul urged her round a corner and up a stone staircase

‘Later, perhaps Right now I have so iravity ‘This wing of the palace is entirely ours and private,’ Jaul announced as they reached the second floor

As he opened the door into a clearly newly furnished and decorated nursery, their nanny stepped forward and grinned with pleasure at her surroundings Two young women hurried towards them to offer their assistance with the twins

‘You and Jane will have to beat off helpers with a stick in the palace It has been too many years since there were royal children below this roof,’ Jaul couide her further down the wide corridor She was relieved to see that contee rooht have stopped dead downstairs in what she deemed to be public rooms, but in Jaul’s part of the palace time had mercifully moved on

He swung open a door into an elegant reception room furnished in fresh shades of smoky blue and cream and stood back for her to precede him She slid past him, taut with curiosity while the scent of him flared her nostrils, clean warne that was so uniquely hiirl Her cheeks burnished with colour at the reflection, Chrissie moved away from him as he doffed his jacket and loosened his tie

‘You said we had so to discuss,’ she prompted with determined cool

‘My advisers have asked us to consider staging a traditional Maredding to allow our people to celebrate ourChrissie wildly off balance with that suggestion ‘There would be a public holiday declared The ceremony itself would be privateas is our waybut ould release photos of the occasion—’

‘You’re asking ain?’ Chrissie stammered in shock

‘Yes I suppose that is what I’ below black curling lashes, Jaul levelled his gaze on her

Her frown deepened ‘You want us to reether until you feel a divorce would be acceptable to your people?’

His stunning bone structure tightened, brilliant eyes narrowing ‘I don’t want a divorce I haven’t wanted a divorce from the moment I learned that we had two children’

Shaken by his proposition, Chrissie sank down onto a sofa before steeling herself to say rather woodenly, ‘I don’t care about what you want I only care about what you agreed And you agreed that I could have a divorce if I wanted one’

‘But our children need both of us I greithout a mother—she died the day I was born Children need e and not a pretence,’ he countered without apology

Chrissie sprang out of her seat, revitalised by that admission ‘So, you lied to me in London You just said what you had to say to persuade me to return to Marith you but clearly you never had any intention of giving me a divorce’

Jaul stood his ground, wide shoulders rigid, lean, powerful body tense as he watched her pace ‘I did not lie I e youris not a lie, nor is it a sin,’ he assured her drily

A bitter little laugh erupted from Chrissie at that exercise in se o when I first married you and I trusted you then and we both kno that turned out Doesn’t it occur to you that I could never want to stay with a husband I can’t trust? And that going through a second wedding ceres of betrayal?’ she deitated emotions ‘After all, you still haven’t explained why you left ain’