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Someone on the other side of the desk coughed but beside her Benedikt stood steady, unmoving. As usual, she felt his presence without even turning her head.
Repressing a sigh, she grabbed the pen and signed.
There was no going back. She only hoped she hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of her life.
‘Don’t leave, Annalena.’
She cast a longing look at the door closing behind the departing men. Now it was done, she needed time to gather her thoughts and her shaky equilibrium.
Because no matter what duty decreed, it was tough knowing her life would never be the same.
An hour in the woodland beyond the formal gardens would restore her calm. Being outside in the natural world had always been her go to when things got tough.
Was it any wonder she’d become a botanist?
‘I have phone calls to make.’
She’d promised to phone her grandmother after the contract was signed. She turned to find Benedikt watching her, head tilted as if the better to scrutinise her.
The man who was going to be her husband.
Adrenaline shot through her bloodstream.
‘I won’t keep you long.’
‘Of course.’ She stifled an unfamiliar sensation that felt too much like panic and made herself walk back to the desk where he stood.
‘It will be okay, Annalena, as long as we work together.’
His words and the expression in his eyes surprised her. She’d spent the days resenting the situation she found herself in. Yet he wasn’t an ogre, just, she hoped, a man trying to do right by his country.
Had he read her fear? The idea was insupportable. She didn’t want his pity. She’d spent her life standing up for herself and her people. Now she needed to be his equal if she were to have any chance of making this relationship work. A lifetime’s lessons from her redoubtable Oma came to her aid as she wiped the frown from her face, offering him an expression of calm certainty.
‘Yes, that’s the only way. What did you want to discuss?’
For a second longer his gaze held hers then he looked down to something in his hand. ‘We’ll announce our betrothal at the ball in a couple of days. Plus there’s a session booked for official photos. You’ll need this.’
He held his hand out to reveal a green velvet box. A ring box.
‘Oh.’
Her heart pounded so high it felt as if it tried to escape via her throat. Her cheeks flushed on a rush of heat before the ice forming in the pit of her stomach counteracted it.
He pressed a button and the lid popped to reveal a dazzling ring. It was plain but for the large, emerald-cut stone of clear, deep green that shone with inner fire.
Her grandmother owned a substantial jewellery collection but Annalena had never seen any piece so beautiful.
‘It’s from the treasury. You’re welcome to choose something else if you prefer, but I thought this suited you.’
She raised her eyes. ‘Oh?’
‘The colour matches your eyes. And—’ he lifted his shoulders ‘—because of its simplicity.’
Everything inside stilled. ‘Because I’m simple?’
The last few days, with endless sessions about royal responsibilities and protocol, had left her fully aware of her ignorance in such matters, feeling more than ever out of her depth. But she’d thought she’d learned well.
She and Benedikt had been at loggerheads from the first but he’d never offered insults.