Page 42 of Some Like It Secret
“All right, I’ll grant you that. Let me ask you this, what are you doing on this plane?”
“I’m flying home.”
“Why?”
“Because—”Meredith stopped. Because Sebastian made the arrangements and told her she was going home. Because Sebastian wanted her somewhere safe and far away from him while he risked his life. Because?—
“And now she’s thinking again.” Kate picked up her phone.
Every decision he’d made with regard to their relationship was driven by the need to protect her and…to help me achieve my dreams. Isn’t that what he said? I wanted to be a tenured professor. I wanted to be published. I wanted to write my own ticket for the types of problems I wanted to solve…and I have all of those things.Her achievements came at a price—being excluded from Sebastian’s life, at least the public side of it.
She’d never questioned his devotion to his family, but even with them, he’d buried his own dreams—his paintings—so he could help his brother. The trip to Belaria, literally walking into the lion’s den, he did for the rest of his family and for her. He put everyone else before himself.Who put Sebastian first?
“I don’t suppose I can change the course on this flight, can I?” Would the pilot even listen to her? She and Sebastian weren’t even formally engaged, at least, she didn’t think they were.
“Well, it’s definitely a possibility, but I didn’t tell you all of this so you’d rush to be at his side. He wasn’t wrong when he said this trip is dangerous.” Was the other woman reconsidering her suggestion?Too bad.
“I should probably talk to Armand…” Hopefully he wouldn’t mind her calling him by his given name. “I don’t suppose you have his number?”
After unbuckling her seatbelt, Kate rose and held out the cell phone. “Sebastian asked me to bring this for you. It has direct contact numbers for everyone in the family, including my fiancé. Before you call His Highness, I’d suggest Mr. Voldakov as this is his plane.”
Meredith stared at the phone as though it might actually bite her and then blinked as the other woman headed down the aisle. “Where are you going?”
“To call Peterson. If you’re heading for Belaria, we’re going to need boots on the ground.” Kate grinned wryly. “Then I haveto call Richard, so he doesn’t have an aneurism about me going with you.”
“Is he going to get mad?” She didn’t want to cause problems for Kate Braddock, no matter how beautifully she’d manipulated the argument. Although Meredith noted the manipulation, she’d give credit where credit was due—Kate’s actions jarred her out of the pit of self-despair. It was a well-deserved kick in the ass.
“Probably, but like I said, you want to be involved, you involve yourself. Richard loves this family, and so do I. Since I lit the match, I have no problem seeing it through. We’re still going to take precautions.” Kate glanced over at Claude. “Aren’t we, Mr. Gencome?”
“Absolutely, Miss Braddock. I would, however, appreciate it if you two never planned world domination.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Kate winked at Meredith with a grin. “We’d be great at it.” With that, she left Meredith alone to make her final decision. She could choose to call Daniel Voldakov and ask him to change the plane’s flight orders. She could head to Belaria and find Sebastian, and then park herself at his side.But I’m a professor of mathematics,not some action heroine in an Angelina Jolie movie.
She worked with variables and equations. Everything about the trip was out of her realm of experience.It’s like when you’re in classroom. You have to be firm, but compassionate.Sebastian’s words echoed back at her.We don’t want their throne, so we have to prove we don’t to them…
The uncertainty principle inherent in every equation relied on balancing factors. Even a decimal point off could change the whole result. Scrolling through the contact list, Meredith selected Daniel’s name and pressed dial. When he answered, she took a deep breath. “Mr. Voldakov—” She paused. They’d corresponded for months and talked on a few occasions.“Daniel? It’s Meredith Blake. I need your help to move a decimal.”
Chapter 12
Sebastian
Aheadache pulsed behind Sebastian’s right eye and fatigue weighed him down like the chains of Marley’s ghost, but the Canadian ambassador seemed far from done with his long-winded explanation of how negotiations would proceed. Jacobs, it seemed, was a thorough man. For a split-second, Sebastian’s gaze collided with the Kachusov’s who served as diplomatic secretary for the Belarian government and host to their back-room talks.
The faint smile accompanied by a roll of eyes united them on this issue. They both wanted the ambassador to be quiet. An illuminating moment considering the window dressing set around the opportunity for a member of the Andraste family to negotiate directly with the Kachusovs. A whisper of fabric behind him and motion warned Sebastian of Vidal’s approach. Each representative was allowed one bodyguard or personal aid.
“Please forgive the intrusion, Your Highness, but there’s been a development.” The man’s low-voiced warning was interrupted when the doors to the darkened conference room opened and Sebastian’s heart hurtled to his feet.
Meredith stepped inside with Gencome a single pace behind her. Every man at the table rose. If Vidal hadn’t tapped his arm,Sebastian would have circled the table to rush Meredith right the hell back out of the room.
The Canadian ambassador turned with a wide smile. “Oh, excellent. I was worried I would have to further bore my audience. Forgive me, gentleman,” the ambassador continued. “Please allow me to introduce Doctor Meredith Blake. She’s a professor of mathematical theory and I think you will find her insights are invaluable to our negotiations, particularly with regard to the variables we’re discussing. Also, I hear congratulations are in order. Since we’re all discreet here, I would like to welcome the next member of the Andraste family to the table.”
If his heart had been attached to a yo-yo string, it couldn’t have rebounded from the ground to chest and back again with greater alacrity. Meredith met his gaze with a smile, but instead of walking straight to him, she paused to shake hands with each of the attendees and accept their congratulations. Others spoke to him, and he must have nodded and responded correctly, but he never took his attention away Meredith, not when she stopped right in front of the Kachusov attaché.
“I was not aware the grand duke announced an engagement to such a lovely American.” The man’s hand lingered on Meredith’s, but she shrugged.
“We are waiting to the end of the semester. I’ve been exceptionally busy teaching and am mentoring several doctoral candidates. Couple my academic responsibilities with His Highness’ public schedule, and we thought it best to wait. Once his calendar is free, he can take a step back. It’s lovely to meet you.” And then she was on the move again.
What the hell is she up to?