‘How is your party?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s good. Probably not as dignified as yours, but a lot of fun.’

  ‘I wish I could go to your party instead.’

  ‘You’re the prince. I’m sure you could go anywhere you want.’

  ‘I have much less freedom than you would imagine.’

  She sighed. She couldn’t argue with that. Beyond their one weekend away, Rohan didn’t have the freedom to be with her the way she wanted them to be.

  And she would never ask him to risk his family and his island to take a chance the tentative relationship between them could develop into something real and lasting. Not that Rohan had indicated he wanted anything more than the fling. As far as she could tell, it was only her who was thinking about love and marriage.

  But it was so hard to even think about saying goodbye for good.

  * * *

  Rohan stood in the dusk of the garden, away from the music and crowds in the palace, enjoying the peace and Priya. She was wearing a peach lehenga choli with silver embroidery. He’d never seen her in traditional South Asian outfits before. She looked like one of the figures from his murals come to life.

  He’d always found cholis flattering. But seeing Priya’s, cropped below her ribs displaying her taut stomach; he wanted nothing more than to run his tongue from the edge of her blouse across her skin, past her navel and lower.

  He groaned.

  ‘Rohan, are you feeling all right.’ Priya came close to him, putting her hand on his arm, concern clear on her face.

  ‘I’m fine. How is your party?’

  ‘Good,’ she replied slowly, with a puzzled look.

  Of course, he’d just asked her that. He’d spent hours politely escorting different women, selected by his parents, to the dance floor. They were all beautiful, intelligent and accomplished, but he didn’t want to be with them. The only woman who could remotely hold his interest wasn’t in the room.

  His parents were beginning to look concerned that despite him spending the previous day sailing, games in the garden that morning and many lavish meals getting to know his female guests better, there weren’t any he was inclined to invite to stay longer.

  He certainly hadn’t laid his eyes on any of the women and known instinctively she was the one he was going to marry the way his parents claimed they had—he’d never understood why his parents felt the need to make up a story about it. It was clear to anyone who saw them together there was deep affection between them, stronger because it grew as they got more comfortable with each other.

  It was what he had wished for in his marriage. Had wished for? He still wished for that kind of marriage, didn’t he?

  ‘How have the events gone so far? Is everything going to plan?’ Priya asked.

  He frowned. She was doing that thing where she made polite small talk to cover deeper thoughts. He would indulge her for a short while, but then he was digging into what was bothering her.

  ‘Yes, all going to plan,’ he replied. ‘No mishaps. Not that any would be allowed. Every eventuality and contingency has been accounted for.’ Every eventuality except him not choosing his future queen.

  ‘What are you doing tomorrow? I heard there’s six or seven events going on during the day. But surely you can’t be doing all of them. Or is there a secret agenda for the royal family and specially chosen guests?’

  Why was she trying so hard to make conversation? They never usually had this difficulty. Normally when they were together, they talked about anything and everything—how their day had gone, about the island. The only topic they stayed away from was the future they weren’t going to share. With the ball, the future was intruding where it wasn’t welcome. No wonder Priya was subdued. He couldn’t deny he was also feeling low. Defeated.

  He sighed. He knew what he was supposed to be doing with his life. And it wasn’t standing in his garden with a beautiful woman he could never marry.

  Perhaps ordinary conversation would have to do. ‘My family usually have a lie-in the day after the ball. I’ve never known the gala to end until the early hours and I’ll be expected to stay until the last guest leaves or the band stops playing from sheer exhaustion. My parents will probably retire in a few hours or so though.’

  She was silent, walking through the garden, softly humming to herself. ‘And your guests? Have you met anyone interesting?’

  He furrowed his brow. Was she asking about women? Her tone was so matter of fact, as if she didn’t care he may have been talking to the woman he was going to marry.

  ‘Plenty of interesting guests. I’ve been spending a lot of time with potential investors—a couple of hotel chains. They like the sound of the summer palace. I’m going to show them round before they leave.’

  She tilted her head and gave him a look of amused exasperation. ‘Now, Rohan. I don’t think that’s the kind of merger your family have in mind.’

  He’d never thought of his name as particularly pretty before. But on Priya’s lips, in the darkness, it sounded lyrical, sensual.

  ‘You haven’t been to the summer palace yet,’ he said. ‘You should come with me when I give them the tour.’

  She straightened suddenly. ‘Does it have murals you want me to inspect?’ she asked, with a stiffness to her tone.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Then that’s hardly going to be appropriate, is it? I’m sure there’ll be other guests who would love to see it though.’

  He blinked against her harsh words. ‘I suppose you’re right,’ he replied.

  ‘Why did you ask me to meet you here?’ she asked, meeting his eyes directly.

  He could hear the orchestra start to play their next set. He didn’t have much longer before he had to choose his next dance partner. Although he knew exactly who that person would be if he had the freedom of true choice.

  He wanted to dance with Priya in the grand ballroom. To whisk her round the room and hear her laugh from sheer exuberance. Since it wasn’t an option, he would settle for the only thing he could.

  ‘Would you honour me with this dance?’ he asked, bowing as he held out her hand.

  Priya stared at him, scrutinising him with her dark, round eyes, as if making a momentous decision. He held his breath. Finally she smiled, dipped into a curtsey and replied, ‘I would be delighted, kind sir.’

  He gathered her to him, her body fitting perfectly against his. Sparks flew where his hand rested on the bare skin above her waist. He didn’t think this feeling would ever dissipate.

  He led her round the garden, in an old-fashioned waltz, making the moves up since those weren’t in the lessons from his tutor.

  By the time the music came to an end, they were breathless and laughing. Instead of releasing her, he gathered her closer to him, letting go of her hand so he could cradle her neck. Her lips parted as he lowered his head towards her.

  An alarm went off.

  * * *

  ‘My break’s over,’ Rohan said. ‘I’ll have to go back in a few minutes.’

  Priya extracted herself from Rohan’s arms, and walked over to the bench. His alarm was the sobering bucket of cold water she needed to bring her back to the stark reality there was a gulf between them. He was leaving her this evening, but ultimately he would walk away from her for good. There was no compromise solution for them. There was no them.

  Rohan sat next to her. He looked worried. ‘Is everything all right, Priya?’

  ‘Well, I shouldn’t keep you from your guests,’ she replied, getting ready to stand. Rohan placed a restraining hand on her arm.

  ‘What’s wrong, Priya?’

  ‘Nothing’s wrong. You need to go back.’

  ‘I wish I didn’t have to. I wish I could stay here with you all night.’

  Her body was a mass of contradictions, buzzing with exhilaration at the certain knowledge of how much he wanted her while at the same time heavy with despair because it didn’t matter what they both wished. He couldn’t stay with her.

  ‘But you have to return. You have no choice,’ she said.

  ‘And it annoys you?’

  ‘Annoys me?’ Her voice rose an octave. ‘No. It doesn’t annoy me. You have a duty to perform. We both know that.’ Suddenly her confused emotions bubbled to the surface. ‘But what are we doing here tonight, Rohan? What have we been doing for the past couple of weeks? It’s madness. You said yourself you aren’t in a position to offer me a relationship. And I know you’re expected to find your wife from these events. What do you want from me?’

  Rohan opened his mouth but nothing came out.

  Priya stood, steeling herself for what she needed to say. ‘We should have gone back to the way things were when we came back from our weekend. Our affair was a moment out of time and it’s all it should have been. It was a mistake trying to prolong it. I was living in a fantasy and now it’s over.’ She tried to keep the bitterness from her voice as she said, ‘This isn’t a fairy tale. Not for me. It’s time for you to go back to being Rohan Varma, Yuvaraja, and I’ll go back to being...me.’

  ‘I see,’ he said in a clipped tone.

  She waited, hoping, daring to believe he could tell her she was wrong and there was a way they could get a happily ever after. He didn’t.

  ‘I’d better go.’ She took a few steps, then turned back and kissed him on the cheek. ‘Goodbye, Rohan. I hope you meet someone who’ll make you a wonderful wife. You deserve all the happiness in the world.’

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  A WEEK LATER, the gala was over, the decorations were being taken down, the palace was being returned to its usual state and Priya was back at work on preserving the murals.

  Although it was unlikely she would bump into Rohan accidentally, she was on tenterhooks. The last time she’d seen him was when they danced in his garden.

  It had felt like she was caught in a whirlwind, transported into a magical place—Cinderella at the ball. It almost came as a shock to find the fireworks she’d seen as they waltzed round the garden were only figments of her imagination.

  Walking away from him after his alarm went off, actually she ran away, was the hardest thing she’d ever done. She still didn’t know where her resolve had come from. She’d gone straight to her room and let the tears fall freely.

  She cried for the young teenager who grew up unwanted and unloved. And she cried for the young woman who had started to open her heart to a man who left her in no doubt that she was very much wanted, desired and cared for. But someone she could never have.

  Since that night, even though she told herself she didn’t expect to hear from him, she was still disappointed when she hadn’t received any messages.

  Seven days. It was the longest they’d ever gone without seeing each other since their first meeting on the balcony.

  She’d held on to this false hope that, despite her parting words, he’d ask to meet her again in the garden. And despite any words of common sense telling her it was futile and would bring nothing but heartache, she knew she would run to him.

  But she heard nothing.

  The palace was still abuzz with speculation on whether any of the guests who were staying on had captured Rohan’s interest. Had he found someone he could see himself spending the rest of his life with? Was that why he hadn’t got in touch. Did she really want to know? Why was she torturing herself?

  Priya took a deep breath and stepped back from the mural she was working on. The paintwork was too delicate for her to continue unless she could give the task her full concentration. She cleared away her tools and told her team she was taking a quick break to get some fresh air; it wasn’t unusual for her team to do that since they were working with harsh chemicals.

  Once outside she wandered into the woods, purposely walking away from the direction of Rohan’s garden.

  What was going on with her?

  This wasn’t the first time one of her relationships had ended. In the past, work had been her solace. She had always been able to distract herself from anything in her life by concentrating on the detailed preservations she was doing. Why was she finding it so hard this time?

  The answer was simple. This was the first time her heart was truly broken.

  She’d heard broken hearts can heal over time. She’d assumed it was true because she’d got over her previous boyfriends. But what she felt for them hadn’t been a fraction of the strength and depth of her feelings for Rohan.

  She loved him.

  The realisation didn’t come as a shock once she’d admitted it. It had been creeping on her for weeks, surfacing on the night of the ball but remaining unacknowledged, unnamed. It wasn’t only a physical attraction but an attraction of minds and souls.

  She could try telling herself she was being fanciful, or she was confusing lust and love, as she had before. But it would be doing a disservice to her heart.

  How could she not love someone as wonderful as Rohan? He made her feel loved, valued and protected every moment they spent together. He showed her in his countless thoughtful gestures that he cared about her. Of course she loved him.

  This wasn’t a flame that would shine brightly then burn out, but a banyan tree that would only grow and strengthen with time.

  As if on autopilot her feet were taking her back towards the path which led to Rohan’s garden. She stopped and turned round. From now on, Rohan would go there with his family, which would one day soon include his wife and later on his children. It was closed to her.

  But her heart didn’t want to listen. She loved Rohan. She wanted to run and find him so she could tell him how she felt. Beg for more time with him.

  To what end though? He could never be with her. He hadn’t contacted her in seven days—he was already staying away from her. He had a duty to his family and to the island. What made her think she was worth him turning his back on it?

  Nothing.

  She had nothing to offer. She’d been ignored and forgotten by her father. Dumped by a boyfriend for ‘someone better’ on more than one occasion. She was nobody. A nothing.

  She had no right to think Rohan could abandon his duty or he would refuse to do what was expected of him just because she loved him and wanted to be with him.

  He wasn’t meant for her. It didn’t matter how she felt. They weren’t destined to be together.

  And if she stayed on Adysara working on the sites she’d visited with Rohan, she would never get the chance to heal. Her heart would break even more as he forgot about her and moved on with his life.

  She gave a bitter laugh. Here she was with the possibility of the chance of a lifetime to work on a culturally significant project and she didn’t think she could do it.

  It should have been a dream. Instead it was a nightmare.

  For the first time since she had heard about the caves, she wished she’d never seen them.

  She headed back to the palace where Mac was waiting to tell her Mr Agrawal wanted to see her.

  As soon as she approached Mr Agrawal’s office she noticed Rohan’s assistant waiting outside. She licked her lips unsure whether she was hoping Rohan wanted to see her or hoping he didn’t so she wouldn’t have to face him again so soon after her revelation.

  The assistant escorted her to Rohan’s study.

  He was standing next to the window when she entered. The afternoon light should have been harsh, casting shadows across his nose and jaw. Instead it emphasised the perfection of his features.

  She loved him. She could never be with him. She would laugh if it wasn’t so poignant.

  ‘Priya.’ He smiled at her, gesturing for her to take a seat on the couch. ‘Thank you for coming.’

  He was polite but distant. That was good. That’s what she needed. She noticed he looked at the door and give a small signal to his assistant who handed him a folder then left. She hadn’t realised they weren’t alone.

  After sitting opposite her, Rohan stared at her, a strange smile playing on his face. He was so gorgeous. She wanted to reach across the gap and fling herself onto his lap.

  She shifted in her seat. This wasn’t going to help her situation. She had to go into protective mode.

  ‘How have you been?’ he asked.

  ‘Good thanks,’ she answered, deliberately using a tone of polite distance.

  ‘I missed you.’

  She stiffened. His words didn’t help her resolve. ‘You wanted to see me?’

  He beamed. ‘I have some wonderful news for you. About the island.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘The hotel companies I met with are interested in investing. With the money we can get from leasing the summer palace, my family can finance the preservation of the caves ourselves. We won’t need government backing.’

  ‘Wonderful.’ His face was the happiest she’d ever seen it and she couldn’t help responding to his unbridled joy. She wanted to hug him. Luckily, being seated would have made it awkward. ‘What does it mean, your family’s financing it?’

  ‘Because we don’t have to go through the government’s policy approval and procurement process, we can start the work immediately and sign the contract with your company. I spoke to Toby MacFarlane and Govinda Agrawal already. They’re ready to proceed. And we’d like you to lead.’ He paused giving her an expectant smile.

  This was it. The moment her dreams should have come true. Turning this down was one of the hardest things she would do. But it would be harder if she stayed on Adysara and had to watch while Rohan got engaged then married. She had to walk away from him, leave him before she was forced to watch him leave her for good.

  ‘No!’ she called out.

  ‘What?’ Rohan visibly started at her unexpected response.

  ‘I don’t want it this way.’

 

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