Page 96 of A Royal Mistake

“I can’t make any promises,” Lena said carefully, “but I’ll see what I can do.”

* * *

Henry closedthe proposal and laid it on the desk, studying Prince William carefully. The prince straightened his tie but met his stare. His face was a carefully blank mask, giving nothing away. If his mission was to drive Henry mad, he was succeeding. After weeks of back-and-forth negotiations, the prince was suddenly motivated to close the deal between VDRI and the Royal Foundation quickly.

It didn’t make a damn bit of sense.

The changes to the contract were negligible. Sure, it was a fair deal, but it had been a reasonable offer from the start. No, the only material difference was that Henry’s identity had been revealed and The Princess Royal had squashed his damnable heart.

Was this what Prince William had wanted all along?

If so, he’d gotten his wish. Pippa had shut him out completely, not answering his calls or texts. He’d hoped she might agree to see him today, to give him a chance to explain, but his pleas had gone unanswered.

Which, he supposed, was answer enough.

Still, he was looking forward to putting the deal to bed. It had taken far longer to secure a partnership with the RFV than he’d anticipated. He was ready to get back to field work.

If nothing else, it would take his mind off Pippa.

Pippa.

His gut clenched. Was she in residence? Maybe he could—

Don’t be a fool. It’s done. You fucked up and now you have to live with the consequences.

She was done with him. Done with mentoring. Done with whatever future they might have built together.

The realization spurred a fresh wave of self-loathing.

“Are we aligned?” the prince asked, the tilt of his head suggesting it wasn’t the first time he’d asked the question.

Scheisse. He needed to get his head in the game.

“Yes,” Henry said with a curt nod. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to sign the papers now. The solicitor reviewed the changes yesterday and frankly, I see no reason to delay.”

Not when being so close to Pippa but unable to speak to her was fucking torture.

Prince William gestured to the contract with a flourish of his hand. “By all means. My legal team has already approved the contract and my assistant can make copies when you’re through.”

Henry pulled a pen from the breast pocket of his jacket and began flipping through the paperwork, initialing and signing where appropriate. He could feel Prince William’s gaze on him, but kept his head down.

The sooner they got this over with, the better.

“I noticed you’re travelling with a full security detail.”

Henry scratched his name on the contract, pressing the pen down so hard it was a wonder it didn’t tear through the page. “Yes. It was a necessary change, considering the tabloid article.” He forced a stiff shrug. “I’ll get used to it.”

Eventually.

He hated travelling with bodyguards. Hated having to preplan his every move, hated waiting on security sweeps. Most of all, he hated the fact that they were always watching.

“Tough break,” Prince William said, a hint of sympathy bleeding into his voice.

Henry’s hackles shot up, his muscles drawn taut. He didn’t need the prince’s pity and he sure as shit didn’t deserve it. Not after the things he’d done.

“I suppose you’ll have to re-evaluate your position on field work now too.”

His grip on the pen tightened, and he looked up at the prince, meeting his steely gaze. “My situation has changed, not my mission. I’ll make it work.”