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The princess paused, her long black lashes dropping as she scanned the interior looking for Alejandro, praying he’d be here Praying he hadn’t left South Beach yet for tomorrow’s polo tournaone, but he usually followed later

A cocktail waitress approached and Emmeline shook her head She wasn’t here to party She was here toHe’d nant He’d vowed to take care of her And now he’d better do it

She wanted a ring, a wedding date and legitimacy for their unborn child

He owed that much to her

It had never been her plan to leave Europe, but she’d learned to love Alejandro’s Argentina They could live outside Buenos Aires on his estancia and have babies and raise horses

It was a different future than the one her fauva,Zale Patek, and her fa, Alejandro wasn’t a member of the aristocracy, and for another, he had a bit of a reputation, but once they were married, surely her mother and father would accept him Alejandro ealthy He could provide for them And she believed in her heart that he would provide, once he understood she had nowhere to go, no other options European princesses didn’t becole mothers

While she’d never wanted toZale Patek, she did respect him She couldn’t say the same for Alejandro, and she’d slept with him

Stupid Stupid to sleep with so that maybe he did love you, and would want you and protect you … rescue you … as if you were Rapunzel locked high in the ivory tower

Emmeline shuddered, horrified But as done was done and now she had to be sether

Sing convulsively, Emmeline smoothed the peacock-blue satin fabric of her cocktail dress over her hips She could feel the jut of her hipbones beneath her tre hands She’d never been this thin before, but she couldn’t keep anything down She was sick ht, but she prayed that once she hit the second trimester the nausea would subside

From the VIP section in the back she heard a roar of hter Alejandro So he was here

Her stomach fell, a wild tu with anxiety

He’d been ignoring her, avoiding her calls, but surely once he saw her, he’d remember how much he’d said he adored her For five years he’d chased her, pursuing her relentlessly, pledging eternal love She’d resisted his advances for years, too, but then in a weakhiinity