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‘What, reward them for their rebelliousness and their disrespect? They need teaching a lesson, not to be indulged'

‘Have a care Grandfather’ Marco warned 'Feed their sense of injustice by i your royal will, and in the end ill all pay a heavy price’

'Bah! You are too soft, too much the modern liberal You cannot rule Niroli like that, Marco You rule it like this!’ The old king closed his fist and banged it down hard on the table in front of hier’

As he had learned to fear his grandfather's anger as a child? As his son would be forced to learn to fear it? Marco was filled with a sense of revulsion He had returned to Niroli cos for its people, but noas beginning to question his ability to do that With his grandfather so opposed to the changes he wanted to s, weren't theyelse? Perhaps Eht up here?

Marco closed his eyes, deep in thought No his son should be here because he his father, was here Emily would have to accept his determination to play his royal role, whether she liked it or not

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

EMILY sat huddled in the squashy, crea roo nu Not that she needed to read it again She knew its every word off by heart, she had read it so o: the consultant at the hospital where she had been for her twenty-week pregnancy scan wanted her to return, so that they could do a further test

She had of course rung the hospital the moment she had received the summons, and the nurse she had spoken to had assured her that there was no need for her to worry But E over and over again that tell-taleoperative had suddenly hesitated and then looked uncertainly at E had been said; she knew the scan had shown that her baby had all the right nuers and toes, and had even confir Marcos son

If she hadn't received the letter requesting her to go back, she suspected she would never have given the girl's hesitation another thought Why had she hesitated? Was there so with her baby? Oh please God don't let there be! Was she being punished because of what she had done? Because she had left Niroli? Because she was deliberately planning to lock Marco out of their sons life?

But that was to protect the baby, not punish Marco, she protested to herself The sound of soht her out of her painful thoughts: it would be Je requested to return for a second scan had brought home to her how alone in the world she was and upset her so much that she had unburdened herself to her friend and assistant As a result Jemma had started to adopt an almost maternal attitude towards her and had insisted she would accompany her to her repeat scan

S down the skirt of the loose linen dress she earing Eot up to answer the door Whilst she had been on Niroli a heatwave had coht pouring in from the fashionable London street outside dazzled her so s: it couldn't possibly be Marco as standing on her immaculate doorstep, the forht red of the geraniuant containers that flanked the entrance

But it was Marco, and he was stepping into her hallway and closing the door behind hilish-white walls as he had done outside

For a while after her return from Niroli she had barely slept for fear that he would con of hi ht Her heart was thuht with him in the hallway, not just his presence, but also his scent Helpless tears of longing pricked in her eyes, blurring her vision

Is this what you're planning to take to the hospital?' Without waiting for her response Marco leaned down to pick up the pale straw basket into which she had packed everything she thought she ht need

‘The hospital?' Her voice faltered she was shocked by those words, her face nearly as pale as her hall walls

‘I've just been round to the shop Je Where are your keys?'