CHAPTER TEN
Asher
They knew. Everyone knew. Worse, it wasn’t just a rumor about Asher. It was a rumor about his country. One that could impact everything from the tourist industry to the value of the florin. A disaster.
“Observe, my latest pursuit! Topiary art.” Grandmother took several steps forward before tugging a sheet from a large hedge trimmed to resemble . . . a dick.
Ash forgot his troubles for several moments, unsure of how to respond. When Grandmother raised the hedge trimmers, he winced. It took all he had not to cross his legs in empathy.
“Don’t just sit there gaping. Surely you’ve seen a butterfly before. It can’t be that astonishing.” She scowled as she tugged the wide-brimmed hat onto her head and handed him a pair of clippers. “Here. Remove some deadheads while we talk.”
He took the proffered clippers and set to work on the nearest rosebush. Grandmother returned her attention to her new art form.
“I’ve watched you, and what I haven’t seen, the servants have filled me in on. You’ve been working all hours of the night, taking extensive projects, designing in the limo on your way to events. I never wanted this for you.”
“It’s not as bad as all that. I’ve rather enjoyed working.” How could he explain that working for someone who knew nothing about him, knew nothing of his family, rejuvenated him in a way he’d never expected? It gave him a sense of purpose.
“And does your employer, Ms. Parker, have anything to do with that?”
“How do you know about her?” Ash asked, but then he spotted the tabloids.
Grandmother cocked an eyebrow, those too-sharp eyes staring him down, searching out answers
“Yes. I suppose Bailey and I have become . . . friends.” Somehow, over the past months, he’d begun looking forward to her texts, to seeing her name pop up in his notifications each day. “At least we were friends before all this. She’s probably furious with me now.” He gestured to the papers on the table.
“It doesn’t matter if she’s angry or not. By my way of thinking, we need to be cunning and quick. We need her.” She jabbed Ash’s arm lightly with the handle of the clippers for emphasis. “I’ve invited Ms. Parker to the palace.”
“What?” Ash whirled around, managing to snag his sleeve on the nearest rosebush. “You must be joking.”
“My dear, have you ever known me to be a trickster? I’m quite serious,” Grandmother said.
“Why bring Bailey here?” Yet, as he asked the question, a zing shot through his bloodstream. It made no sense. It wasn’t as if he’d been involved with Bailey, as if they’d had any sort of relationship, outside of text messages.
“Because we need a strategy. The press has branded you a playboy.”
Ash didn’t bother adding that, until recently, he’d done all he could to proliferate the image.
“If we don’t talk about your work, if we avoid discussion of it altogether, it will only make things worse. We need to play Bailey up as a love interest. You were simply helping her get her business established. Act as though you’ve done this for fun. It was nothing more than a whim, a trifle.” Grandmother removed more growth from the dick bush.
“Nothing more than a whim or a trifle?” he asked. Working for Bailey had been anything but a whim. He’d done it for Grandmother, and for the family he didn’t have yet. The one he hoped would be in his future.
“I know this job has meant more to you than that. I also know why you took it on. The press doesn’t need to know the details.” Grandmother squared her shoulders.
“You continue to surprise me, Grandmother.” Bailey there—at the palace. He could scarcely imagine it. Yet, at the same time, he could envision her visit perfectly.
“Yes. This just might get Parliament off my back, as well.”
Ash frowned. “You never mentioned anything. What grief are they giving you?”
“I’ve been extremely patient with you, Asher. You’re nearly twenty-six and I’ve never pressed.” She frowned slightly, a small crease forming between her eyes. “But I am getting on in years and so are you. If we don’t ensure the line of succession soon . . . it might give parliament cause to do away with us altogether.”
“Is that a possibility? I didn’t realize it had even been discussed.”
For an instant, a slight weariness crept into grandmother’s eyes. He read the truth. She’d been shielding him, protecting him from the sharp tongues of the other half of his country’s government.
“Don’t worry about those old codgers. They aren’t worth your time.”
“You should have told me what was going on, Grandmother.” Ash didn’t bother to keep the warning tone out of his voice.
“To what end?” She waved him off, returning to her clipping. “It would only have upset you, maybe even made you rush into an unhappy union. Why do you think I had the marriage law abolished in the first place?”
“For me?” Ash asked, surprised, though he shouldn’t have been. Grandmother had always watched over him his entire life.
“Of course. I was very fortunate with your grandfather. I was already very much in love with him when we married. It was the same for your father. I couldn’t imagine you being joined with someone you didn’t love.” She patted his upper arm, eyes glistening. “You would do such a thing for duty. It’s simply how you are.”
“That’s true,” Ash admitted. “Though it matters little. There is no one I want. Yet.” His thoughts jumped to Bailey again, but he did his best to shove them back into a quiet corner of his mind. Where they belonged.
“Perhaps you’ll meet a beautiful heiress who will quietly bail us out.” Grandmother winked.
“You just told me I could marry for love.” Ash frowned, but her words were circling around in his mind. If he married for wealth, then all of the work he’d been doing to keep the palace and Grandmother’s lifestyle intact wouldn’t have to continue.
“Who says you can’t have both?” she challenged, tipping her chin.
Ash’s throat went dry. The last thing he’d been focusing on was a wife. Yet, the seed had been planted. If he could find an heiress to wed, he could save his family. Sometimes duty reigned above personal happiness.
“I’ve already sent Jenson ahead to collect Ms. Parker. She should be arriving today.” She clapped her hands. “What a wonderful visit this will be!”
But even as Grandmother rattled off more details, Ash’s thoughts fled elsewhere. Bailey would be in Florico and in the palace. How unexpected.