Part of me wants to be overjoyed at this news, the same as Andrew is. But the more practical side knows there’s only one way to deal with the situation.

I grab my bag, preparing myself for what I’ll tell Andrew when I go into his office. I’m almost to the door of our suite when he walks in.

My husband isn’t usually one to grin, but that’s the only way to describe his expression. But as soon as he sees my bag on my arm, his smile falls instantly. “Where are you going?”

“I should get back to work. It’s a long flight back—I should be able to sleep for most of it.”

He blinks at me a few times before he tilts his head. It’s almost as though I’m speaking to him in a foreign language. “What are you talking about?”

“My job. You know, that thing I do when I’m not here at the palace.”

“I…” He shakes his head. “I know about your job, Victoria. I meant, why would you be going back to it?”

“Well, there’s the whole thing with Sophia, to start with. She hasn’t exactly made things easy with the scandal…”

He groans, running a hand through his hair. “Don’t remind me. But certainly—”

“That was why I went back full time, wasn’t it? To protect your sister from…what was it you called it? The vultures in my profession?”

“Surely you know someone else…”

“You think if I did, I wouldn’t have already come home?”

His lips tick up into the smallest of smiles. “Well, I am glad that you’re at least calling the palace home now.” He lets out a long breath. “But I do think you need to stay here, especially under the circumstances. You should be resting. You should be lying in bed—”

I shake my head. “The doctor said nothing about me needing to be in bed for the next eight months, Andrew. And besides, we don’t know—”

“We know you have a child growing inside you. We know it’s there. We both saw it ourselves on that television screen.”

My heart skips a few beats at the recent memory of seeing the beating pulse of light on that monitor. Knowing that there was actually a life growing inside me—in the right place, no less. But I still can’t seem to let myself actually believe it’s real. There’s too much of a chance something could go wrong, and I don’t think I can live with myself if anything happens.

“I…I’ll be fine. In a few months, if everything is still going well, I’ll come home. We can tell your family then. But I want to wait until we know for sure. For absolute sure…”

Something changes in his expression, and his cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson.

“What?” I cock my head, but he says nothing. “Andrew…?”

“I…” He clears his throat, running a hand through his hair as he steps around me into the room. He sits down on the sofa and motions for me to come and sit beside him.

“You didn’t.” Something twists in my gut, probably terror at the thought of anyone else knowing our secret.

“I…” He pats the seat beside him again. “Come and sit with me.”

I glare at him for a moment before I take the seat next to him. “Who? Who did you tell?”

He rubs at his jaw. “I told Leopold. But don’t worry—he took the news well. Said he was relieved.”

I shake my head at him. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“Why wouldn’t I? He needs to be aware that his son will no longer have a rightful place in line—”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” My voice rises as the anger spills from me. “That is your only concern?”

“At the moment, yes—”

“How could you?” I stand, shaking my head at him. “We’ve known about this for…what? A few hours? And you’re only worried about making sure your brother knows his son is no longer in line for your goddamn crown?”

“Victoria…” He sighs as he rises. “I don’t expect you to understand—”

“Good. Because I don’t.” He reaches for my hand, but I pull it away before he can take it. “My concern is that this is even real. That they didn’t make some mistake and that I’m not going to be devastated tomorrow.”

He looks into my eyes for a long moment. “As far as I’m concerned, we should proceed as if we’re going to have a son or daughter in our arms on Christmas morning—”

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, we should proceed as if nothing has happened. And for the love of God, we shouldn’t be telling anyone this soon. Even if this was normal thing—even if it wasn’t some miracle that I conceived at all—”

He grabs my hand, interrupting me. “But it is a miracle. And we should celebrate—”

I pull my hand away again, tears filling my eyes. I just can’t understand why he can’t see my point of view. “We cannot celebrate anything, Andrew. Not yet. And we damn well shouldn’t be telling people.”

“Well, that is already done. And if I know my brother, half the palace already knows the news by now.”

“That’s just great, Andrew. Just…great. And I suppose you’ll be the one to tell them when I lose this…this…pregnancy.” I can’t even bring myself to call it a baby. Not yet.

“You can’t think that way, Victoria. You have to stay positive. Believe that the miracle we’ve been given is deserved. And you need to—”

“Stop telling me what I need to do, Andrew.” Tears fill my eyes again as I head for the door. I turn back to him. “The only thing I need to do right now is to get back to work. And that’s what I’m going to do.”