The king paused, and Aldon sighed. He recognized the authority in his father’s voice but found it difficult to respect it.
“You will win Carrie back,” he said. “Or you will find a suitable replacement in an extremely timely fashion.”
“A suitable replacement?” His father acted as if finding a life partner was akin to choosing a good pair of shoes. It was completely exasperating.
“As far as the press knows, you’re still planning to marry, but you both need a bit more time to prepare,” the king said. “Your prenup isn’t completely ready, so there’s that holdup. It’s good optics for you to stay in the country for now. It appears as though you’re there on official business, while we work damage control over the engagement on our end.”
“I’ll lie low here, Father, but the plan is for Carrie to move out,” Aldon said and sighed. “That’s that.”
“Aldon, remember your position in this family and in our nation.”
Oh, for Pete’s sake.
“Yes, Father, I will.”
Aldon pushed the end button on his phone and stuffed the phone into his pocket. He looked up to see Piper pretending to fuss over a rosebush around the corner.
Aldon grinned.
As if she hadn’t been eavesdropping.
A slow warmth bloomed in his chest and his heart began racing as it hadn’t done for a long time. Not even for his ex-fiancée. Romancing a woman with a child was a terrible idea… but just enjoying the company of a beautiful woman—in a casual, uncommitted way—couldn’t do that much harm, could it? What was wrong with just seeing where things went?
One foot after the other, he made his way over to Piper.
She looked up at him and smiled.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He gazed into her gorgeous green eyes and answered.
“It will be.”
“I know you heard the entire conversation,” Aldon said, and Piper blushed.
“I couldn’t help but overhear,” she lied. Admittedly, she’d been nosy. Who wouldn’t be? “So, I gather the king isn’t happy about your broken engagement?”
“No, he’s not,” Aldon said and looked at the ground.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about me leaking anything to the gossip rags. I’m tight-lipped,” she said. “And I’m sorry to hear your ex cheated. I know how painful that is. Willa’s dad cheated on me before I got pregnant with her.”
“Oh,” he said, looking uncomfortable.
Piper wondered if she should say more, but the floodgates were open.
“I took him back, stupidly, but while staying in the relationship was a mistake, I can’t say I regret it. I got Willa out of the whole debacle, and she is a gift.” Piper watched Willa happily weeding flowers and smiled. It was probably for the best that Willa’s dad had walked out on Piper before Willa was born. That way Willa never knew the hurt of having been left.
“Thanks for your openness,” Aldon said, pulling her from her painful memories.
“Oh, I’m an open book,” Piper told him. She didn’t mention that Aldon, more than most men she knew, made her want to open up.
“You know, now that it’s over, I look back and realize that my relationship with Carrie felt like it was always about putting on a show,” he said. Piper was quiet, surprised but glad by Aldon’s sudden forthright manner. “The fancy parties, the travel in our capacity as ambassadors.” He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’m pretty sure she was mostly in it for the status boost and not because she actually cared for me, but my father seems really disappointed that it ended.”
“He liked Carrie then?” she asked.
“I never get the sense that he likes anyone, really. People are either useful or they’re not. She was useful because he wanted me to marry someone with status, especially after both of my brothers married commoners.” Aldon put air quotes around the word commoners and shook his head, but the word rubbed Piper the wrong way immediately. Aldon obviously didn’t share his father’s sentiments, but still Piper couldn’t shake her annoyance at the elitism.
“There’s a lot of pressure on me now to get it right when it comes to finding a wife,” Aldon said. “Unfortunately, my father and I don’t agree on what ‘getting it right’ means.”
“Well, it’s your life, so it’s your decision, right?” Piper asked. “Surely your father doesn’t believe he has the right to choose for you.”
“My father is the King of Sovalon, Piper. He believes he has the right to do whatever he damn well pleases.”
Maybe this was what Aldon had alluded to during breakfast—not being able to choose for himself. Could the king actually believe he had the right to tell his sons who to marry? Irritation itched at Piper’s nerves, not just at the unfairness to the princes, but also at the idea that someone’s worth as a bride was derived solely from their social status.
“I find it quite offensive that the king of our nation believes in arranging marriage according to class.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far—” Aldon began but Piper spoke over him.
“Wouldn’t you?” she asked. “How do you think the ‘little people’ feel, hearing about how your father refers to us as commoners? I find it to be mildly disgusting at best.” She could feel the heat rising on her neck and knew she was in danger of losing her temper.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it. He’s just set in his ways,” Aldon said.
“I’m shocked you’d excuse his behavior,” she said. “You don’t seem to share his views, so why go along with them?”
“He’s not that bad.”
Why was Aldon defending the king’s bad behavior? It was the final spark needed to fire her aggravation. “Most rich people, especially royals, simply ignore those of us who exist in a lower social class. Look at Thistledown Valley, with all the problems we’re having here. Our town sits on the fringes and is filled with working-class people, who apparently don’t deserve the attention of the castle. Thistledown Valley has been neglected for too long by the Crown and their differing priorities.”
“We’ve always taken care of our people,” Aldo argued, but Piper shook her head in disagreement.
“Not always,” she bit back sharply. “You’re all very busy—wrapped up in your fancy parties and foreign relations. Perhaps you don’t take the time to look in your own backyard and see what the people of Sovalon need.”
Aldon looked taken aback and perhaps even hurt at her sudden outburst. She realized she needed to bite her tongue at the risk of losing her job. Had she gone too far?
She forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, attempting to calm herself down. “I apologize for getting heated,” she said and ran the palm of her hand across her sweaty forehead. “I’d better go help Willa with those weeds.”
Her pulse quick with irritation, she strode away from Aldon, unable to shake the feeling of his eyes on her as she walked across the grounds.
5