Lucy had seated her next to Raoul.

Stephani didn’t make a fuss or move any place cards around. She simply took her seat after all introductions had been made with Rose’s family. Raoul was on her right, Alexander at the head, and across from Raoul was Mr. and Mrs. Walters, lovely people who were still obviously agog at their surroundings. Alice and Emilia sat with them, along with Rose’s siblings and Rose and Diego. On the same side of the table as Raoul and Stephani were Lucy, Brody, and the two boys.

At first it was slightly awkward, but then Diego fired up his charm, the second course arrived with more wine, and everyone loosened up a bit. Stories of the bride and groom popped up with regularity, and even Alexander chimed in with tales of Diego’s antics as a small boy. Stephani laughed with the rest, though she caught some rather intense stares from Rose’s sister across the table. Rose had warned her that Hayley was a tad resentful of others’ good fortune when she’d become a single mother as a teen. Regardless, Stephani found Alice to be a lovely child, she clearly loved her aunt, and she and Emilia had already forged a friendship. It wasn’t worth worrying about.

“Having a good time?” Raoul murmured in her ear.

“It’s like the big family dinners we used to have, remember? Only a bit more formal.”

He nodded. “Ceci’s family was good that way. Lots of food, wine, teasing.”

“Do you never hear from her father?” Ceci’s mother had passed on years earlier, just after Emilia’s birth, from cancer.

Raoul shook his head. “The odd phone call. I’ve invited him over many times, but I think he finds it too hard without Ceci here.”

“But he’s missing out on the children.”

“I know.”

“His loss, Raoul. They’re wonderful.”

He smiled at her. “And they feel the same about you. I hope that remains, Steph. You’re the one bit of family from their mother’s side that they still have.”

The words stabbed like a knife to the heart. And she was thinking of leaving. How could she do that, knowing she’d leave the children behind? But then, she wouldn’t be like their grandfather. Of course she’d visit. If she was the only family that the children had left, the reverse was also true.

The conversation had a sobering affect, and Stephani was quiet through her coffee and dessert. After dinner, Lucy took the children back to the nursery while everyone moved to the drawing room for after-dinner drinks and socializing. Wedding plans were in the air. Diego and Rose would soon say goodbye and Rose would depart for the seaside hotel where her bridesmaids waited and where they’d all get ready for the wedding tomorrow. So much celebration, and Stephani found herself on the perimeter of the room, watching it all.

“So,” came a voice beside her. “That’s a nice frock.”

Rose’s sister, Hayley. Stephani pasted on a smile. The compliment didn’t quite sound genuine.

“Thank you.”

“Bet it cost a lot.”

Stephani didn’t know how to answer that, so she merely smiled and offered, “I hope you’re having a nice visit. Rose said she doesn’t see you often.”

Hayley merely shrugged. “So you and the crown prince . . . how long have you been having it off, then?”

“Having it off?” Stephani frowned, puckering her brows together. But then Hayley raised one eyebrow with a knowing glint in her eye and Stephani resisted the urge to sigh at the girl’s crassness.

“His Highness,” she emphasized firmly, “is my boss. And he was also married to my cousin. I’m fortunate to have a close relationship with the entire family, which of course does not include ‘having it off’ with him.” She wasn’t generally up on Brit slang, but the meaning had been made plain enough.

Hayley laughed. “No need to get so defensive. It’s clear to anyone who cares to look.” She tossed back whatever was in her glass.

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I do hope you enjoy the palace’s hospitality while you’re here. If you’ll excuse me, I have a few more details to attend to before tomorrow’s event.”

She maintained her pleasant smile; after all, she’d spent many years working in a delicately handled world of diplomacy. This one, though, had been unexpected and personal. It was inaccurate but not entirely incorrect. Tonight, the look on Raoul’s face when she’d shown up in her dress had been utterly gratifying. He’d been tongue-tied for a few moments. And when he’d offered his arm, she had felt ridiculously like they were a couple. His equal, in everything except perhaps official titles.

She belonged here. And that was what bothered Hayley, wasn’t it? Thinking of it that way, Stephani was able to put her feelings aside. She knew what it was like to be on the outside looking in.

Lucy returned with the baby on her arm, and everyone ooohed and aahed appropriately. Still, it wasn’t long before Rose and Hayley disappeared with the other bridesmaid, Becca, heading to the hotel. Diego and Brody made a late-night trip to the stables, probably to look over the latest additions to the polo stock and Imogene gathered the children and saw them to the nursery suite. Lucy took her jetlagged self off to bed, and as the staff cleaned up, it left just Raoul and Stephani.

“Nightcap?” he suggested. “Or do you have to leave, too?”

She didn’t. She’d brought everything she needed for the wedding day and had requested one of the smaller rooms so that she could be up and on duty first thing in the morning. “I’m actually staying in the north wing tonight. I thought it would be easier seeing as tomorrow’s an early start.”

“I won’t keep you, if you want to get some rest.”

She knew she should go. But she didn’t want to. Now that the palace had quieted, she found she needed a little time to unwind before trying to sleep. If she went to bed now, still keyed up, she’d start running to-do lists around in her head.

“A brandy might be nice.”

His smile was so warm she nearly melted. “Perfect,” he said, and went over to a table, took two snifters, and poured a generous amount of brandy in each. He handed one to her, and she took a deep inhale of the bowl before touching the liquid to her lips. After the wine at dinner, this one drink would be enough to lull her to sleep when she went to bed.

“Mmm,” she murmured, and let out a sigh.

Raoul took a similar sip. “Come,” he invited, “let’s sit for a bit. Tomorrow will be chaotic enough.”

She smiled and sat in a plush armchair, crossed her legs, and rested her wrist on her knee, the snifter dangling casually from her fingers. “Tomorrow will go off like clockwork. The chaos will be contained to my brain. That’s how it works. Crazy on the inside, outward appearances run smoothly.”

“And you’re incredibly good at it, Steph. I don’t know how we’d run things without you.”

She wondered if now might be a good time to tell him she was considering other employment. But then he’d ask her why, and she’d have to come up with an excuse that didn’t hinge on her feelings for him. Tonight she was too tired to do that, so she let it go.

“You’d find someone,” she said quietly, taking another drink. “No one is irreplaceable.”

“I don’t know about that.” He leaned forward in his chair, rested his elbows on his knees. “I meant what I said about you having your own assistant. I’ve been relying on you too much.”

Ah yes. Ordinarily, that would be the perfect opening, but she was too tired, too languorous, to broach the topic. And if she were honest with herself, nights like tonight made her question what she really wanted. Moving on would mean giving up a lot.

“It’s my job, Raoul. It’s what you pay me for.”

“Is this really just a job to you?”

She met his gaze, felt her heart catch a little as his dark eyes searched hers. “Of course it’s not,” she murmured, before biting down on her lip.

“What happened last year . . . we never talked about it.”

Forget her heart catching. Now her lungs felt cramped, like she couldn’t possibly get enough air. Still, she forced herself to appear relaxed. She’d had lots of practice, after all. About seven years’ worth.

“I assumed you wanted to forget about it. You were drunk, you know?”

“I was embarrassed. And didn’t want you to hold it against me.”

“Of course I wouldn’t.” She softened her voice. “Raoul. I know you. I know you were . . .” Her throat caught a bit and she stammered. “You were lonely,” she finished.

“I was. I am. But I took advantage of your friendship, and I’m long overdue in apologizing.”

Was his memory flawed? Because he didn’t seem to remember that she’d been there too, as an active and very willing participant. “Then I should apologize as well,” she said firmly. “You weren’t alone.”

The admission didn’t ease the situation, however. Instead it was an acknowledgment that she’d been just as involved in the kiss as he had, that she had wanted it as much as he. And now that realization hummed between them, and heat crept up her cheeks.

“I may have had too much brandy,” she said quietly, leaning forward and putting the half-empty snifter on a little table.

“Well,” Raoul said, clearing his throat, “I had an idea yesterday. After the wedding, we’re going on a business trip. The tourism minister gave me some interesting ideas the other day, and I want to meet with some hoteliers and hospitality experts. I’ll need an assistant to travel with me, of course. And a minimum of security. Plus I intend to keep a light schedule and spend a few more days than necessary, so we can both have a mini vacation out of it. Both of us have been cooped up in this castle for too long.”

She stared at him in surprise. Vacation? Raoul? The last time he’d done that, he and Ceci and the children had gone to Switzerland for some skiing and time in a mountainside chalet. He’d been nose to the grindstone since her death.

“And where would we be going?” she asked, tilting her head as she looked at him. He was utterly earnest. And . . . excited. His eyes lit up and the lines around them melted away.

“The Riviera,” he answered smugly. “There are some investors I want to meet, and resort owners. Our economy needs a boost, and while we’ve got a solid tourism industry here, we’re missing some five-star opportunities. It’s time we situated ourselves as a world-class destination.”

The Riviera. She pursed her lips, trying not to drool over the idea of all that opulence and glamour. “Do you have anywhere in mind? Nice? St. Tropez? Monaco?”

“We can work out the details once the wedding’s over. But what do you say? A week of fine dining, some spa treatments, lying on the beach?”

She laughed. “That doesn’t sound much like work, Raoul. Is this your way of making me take a holiday?”

He put down his glass and his expression sobered. “We both need it,” he said quietly. “Neither of us has had a break since the accident. And it’s not like we wouldn’t be working at all. I really do want to meet with investors and developers to try something different here.” A small smile touched his lips. “Consider sampling the amenities as research.”

“Massages and body wraps?” Her body nearly sighed, just thinking about it.

“And saunas and delicious food . . . not that there’s any shortage of that here, but something different. I was looking at one resort and they coordinate heli-tours for their guests, or evening yacht excursions.”

It did sound heavenly.

“You’re looking at enticing someone to build a new resort here?”

“Possibly. We’d have to look at environmental impact, of course, and what sort of partnership any developer would want to make with the government. I think it’s worth exploring. So does Señora Munoz.”

Ah, yes. The tourism minister. This had been on Raoul’s mind a while, then. The idea that this was a luxury getaway for two melted away, and just as well. Raoul might think she needed a vacation, but she knew he didn’t mean for them to take one together. He was as practical as she was. Combining a work trip with a little rest and relaxation was simply efficient.

“Well, it sounds like a terrible hardship,” she teased, leaning back in her chair again. “I’d suggest waiting for Diego and Rose to return from their honeymoon first. That way you can enjoy Lucy’s visit, too.”

“They’re all happy, aren’t they?” he asked, and once more she picked up on a wistful note in his voice.

“Yes, I believe they are,” she answered softly. “Lucy and Brody are perfect for each other, and Rose is just what Diego needed. They have it, Raoul. Just like you did with Ceci.”

His eyes, nearly black in the dim light, met hers. “Do you think it’s possible to have it more than once?”

She thought of their kiss in the alcove. Thought of the times he’d made her laugh, of the little considerations like bringing her a meal when she was working late. She thought of how she catered to his preferences without him even realizing, not just because it was her job but because she cared about him so deeply. If he gave her a chance, maybe they could see if there was something real between them. But even tonight, he brought up the kiss and then moved on. If there was another it out there for Raoul, he probably wasn’t envisioning her in that role.

“I think it’s possible, for sure,” she answered. She picked up her snifter and downed the rest of the brandy in one burning gulp. After a small gasp, she looked up. “You’re thirty-seven, Raoul. You’re too young to be alone for the rest of your life.”

The brief silence that followed her statement was slightly awkward. Raoul finished his brandy as well and put the glass down with a faint clink. “And what about you, Steph? You never mention your personal life. Do you want marriage, children?”

She got up then, uncomfortable with the questions, afraid of the responses sitting on her tongue. “It’s getting late, and when we start talking about my love life it’s clear we’ve exhausted all interesting topics.” She laughed lightly, though inside she was churning. Was it wrong that she wished he’d take the hint? That he’d see what was right in front of him and maybe, just maybe, feel the same?

Or was it that she simply couldn’t live up to Ceci’s legacy? Even if Raoul did care for her, would she always be in her cousin’s shadow?

Could she settle for that?

“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” Raoul offered, rising from his chair and coming toward her. “I just . . . I want you to be happy. I’m afraid this job hasn’t just worn you out, but it’s kept you from living your own life.” He frowned. “I was born into this family and into the responsibility. This is my duty. But it’s not yours.”

She lifted her chin. “I think I can decide what is and what isn’t my duty, and I have as much right to love Marazur as anyone else. Even if I was born elsewhere.” After all, Ceci hadn’t been born in Marazur, either. But she’d loved her adopted country, and its people had loved her, too.

Of course, Ceci had always fit in better than Stephani. Her side of the family had been wealthy and connected. Stephani’s family had been . . . well, not poor, but certainly lived a very different life from Ceci’s. Not that it had ever mattered to the cousins. They’d spent a summer together when they were twelve and had been like sisters ever since.

“Of course you do. Are we arguing about something?”

She shook her head and let out a breath. “No. I’m just tired, and feeling the brandy, I think. I need to get out of these shoes and into bed so I can deal with tomorrow.”