HE’D HARDLY SLEPT. He hadn’t wanted to leave the hospital last night, but both he and Sienna had been exhausted. She only ever cat-napped when he was in the room and he’d realised—even though he hadn’t wanted to be apart from them—that it would be better if he let her spend the night with their daughter alone.
Not that she would have had much time. He’d left the hospital at midnight and was up again at six, pacing the floors in her house, itching to go and see her and Margaret again.
His mother’s voice had been almost strangled when he’d phoned with the news. But after a few seconds of horror, she’d regained her composure and asked if Sienna and baby were healthy after the premature delivery. He’d assured her that they were.
When he’d told her the name of her new granddaughter there had first been a sigh of relief and then a little quiver in her voice. ‘I’m surprised that such a modern woman picked such a traditional name. It’s a lovely gesture, Sebastian. Thank you. When will we see the baby?’
He sent his mother some pictures of Margaret and told her he’d invited both Sienna and Margaret to join him in Montanari. He hoped and prayed that they would, but placated his mother with the easy opt out about travelling so soon after delivery and making sure that Margaret’s little lungs would be fit to fly.
He stood in the middle of the yellow nursery that Sienna had dreamed of for her daughter. If she agreed to join him in Montanari he would recreate this room exactly the way it was—anything to keep her happy.
Things had been good yesterday. They’d been better than good. Sienna and Margaret were his family, and that was exactly how they felt to him. He couldn’t imagine spending a single day without them. He’d had a special item shipped yesterday from the royal vault at Montanari. It was still dark outside but the twinkling lights from the Christmas tree across the hall glinted off the elegant ruby and diamond engagement ring in his hand. He hadn’t mentioned this to his mother yet. But with Margaret’s new middle names, it was only fitting that Sienna wear the engagement ring of his great-grandmother Sophia.
The two of them would have loved each other.
He’d meant to go back to his hotel last night but Sienna had asked him to collect the baby car seat from the house so they could be discharged today. Once he’d arrived back at her house he’d decided just to stay. It had seemed easier. He should have brought some of his clothes from the hotel, because this was where they would come back to in the first instance.
He hurried outside to his car. It didn’t really matter what time it was—the hospital would let him in any time. He just wanted Sienna to have had a chance to rest.
As soon as he pulled up outside the hospital alarm bells started going off in his head. Every TV station with a van was parked near the entrance. Every reporter he’d ever met was talking into a camera.
Someone spotted his car. All he could hear was shrieks followed by the trampling of feet. He got out of the car in a hurry. One of the reporters thrust a newspaper towards him. ‘Prince Sebastian. Tell us about your new arrival.’
‘Congratulations. What have you called your daughter?’
They surrounded him. Security. He hadn’t considered security for his daughter. He stared at the news headline in front of him.
A NEW PRINCESS FOR MONTANARI!
The questions came thick and fast.
His hand reached out and grabbed the paper. He hadn’t agreed to a press release. He had discussed it with his team and they’d planned an announcement for later today, once he, Sienna and baby Margaret had left Teddy’s.
How on earth did the press know about Margaret already? He looked a little closer and felt his ire rise. There was a picture of his daughter. His daughter. Wrapped in a pink blanket, clearly lying in her hospital cot. Who on earth had taken that?
He started to push his way through the crowd of reporters. He didn’t manhandle anyone but he didn’t leave them in any doubt that he would reach his destination.
‘Prince Sebastian, what about Sienna McDonald, the baby’s mother? Are you engaged? Are you planning a royal wedding?’
Right now, he wished he could answer yes. But it seemed premature. Even though things were good between them, he hadn’t asked her again yet. But the enthusiasm being shown for the birth of the new Princess was more than a little infectious. These people would hang around all day. It would be smarter just to give them a quick comment—he could find out about that photo later.
He turned around and held up his hands. ‘As you know, my daughter was born a little earlier than expected on Christmas Eve. Both mother and baby are doing well and...’ he paused for a second as he searched for the words ‘... I’m looking forward to us all being a family together very soon. Our daughter’s name is Princess Margaret Grace Sophia Falco,’ he finished with before turning around and walking through the main doors of the hospital.
The noise behind him reached a crescendo.
The length of his strides increased in his hurry to reach Sienna and his daughter. His hand slid into his pocket and he touched the ring again. The box had been too bulky to fit in the pocket of his jeans. But the ring was still safely there.
A few of the midwives gave him a nod as he walked towards Sienna’s room. It was only Boxing Day so the decorations were still all in place and Christmas carols played in the background.
Hopefully, by the end of today, he could make things perfect for everyone.
* * *
Sienna felt cold. She had been ignoring the TV in the corner of the room and just concentrating on her baby. The midwives were great. Margaret had decided to have an episode of colic at three a.m. After half an hour, one of the midwives had told Sienna to get some sleep and she’d walk the corridor with Margaret. Sienna hadn’t wanted to let her baby out of her sight, but she’d been exhausted. Two hours later she’d woken with a peaceful Margaret wrapped in her pink blanket and back in her crib.
By that time, she’d wanted to get back up. She’d had a bath to ease her aching back and legs, and fed and changed Margaret. Once Sebastian arrived she was hoping they would get the all-clear to take Margaret home.
Something caught her attention. A few words from the TV. Sebastian.
She looked up as the TV reporters camped outside the hospital all set off at a run to interview Sebastian on live TV.
She still couldn’t understand how they knew about the baby. No one she worked with or trusted would speak to the press. Sebastian had said he would talk to her about a press release.
She smiled as she caught sight of him on camera. His hair was a little mussed up. He obviously hadn’t taken time to fix it. His tanned skin sort of hid the tiredness she could see in his eyes. His leather jacket—still complete with yellow smudge—showed off his broad chest and his snug jeans caused her smile to broaden. Sebastian Falco. Was she really going to agree to what he’d suggested last night?
Sebastian was a seasoned pro when it came to paparazzi. He wouldn’t speak to them.
But actually, he stopped.
Just like Sienna’s heart.
They were all firing questions to him about Margaret. Asking him to confirm the birth and her name. Someone thrust a newspaper towards him and she saw the tic in the side of his jawline. Whatever was in that newspaper had made him angry.
Another voice cut above the rest. ‘Prince Sebastian, what about Sienna McDonald, the baby’s mother? Are you engaged? Are you planning a royal wedding?’
A prickle ran down her spine. How could he answer that? They hadn’t even finished that discussion.
Something flickered across his face, the edges of his lips turned upwards. ‘As you know, my daughter was born a little earlier than expected on Christmas Eve. Both mother and baby are doing well and...’ he paused for a second as a smile spread across his face ‘...I’m looking forward to us all being a family together very soon. Our daughter’s name is Princess Margaret Grace Sophia Falco.’
Her heart plummeted.
Oh, no. Oh, no. Did he realise how that looked?
Sure enough the reporters had a field day. A woman in a bright red coat swung around and announced straight into the camera. ‘We have a royal engagement and a royal wedding! It seems that Dr Sienna McDonald is about to become the wife of Prince Sebastian and the future of Queen of Montanari.’
The woman’s bright red lips seemed to move in synchrony with the other reporters all around her, talking into their respective cameras.
A chill swept across her skin. The woman seemed to think she’d got the scoop of the century. She held her hand up to the sign of the Royal Cheltenham hospital. ‘Looks like Teddy’s is going to have to find another cardiac baby surgeon.’ She said the words with glee. ‘Once Sienna gets to Montanari she will have no time to worry about being a doctor.’
Fury swept around her. How dared they? How dared any of them assume that she would give up her job, her house, her life?
The door swung open and Sebastian strode in with a smile. ‘You’re up? You’re awake?’ He was still carrying the newspaper that had been thrust at him in his hand. ‘Great. We need to talk. We need to make decisions.’
‘Haven’t you already just made all those for me?’ She walked right up to him. ‘Who on earth do you think you are?’
He pulled back and glanced towards their sleeping bundle in the corner. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’
She flung her hands up in the air. ‘Oh, come on, Sebastian. You’re not naïve. You’ve been doing this all your life. You know better than to get pulled into things.’ She couldn’t stop the build of fury in her chest.
He’d tricked her. He’d sweet-talked her. He’d used all that princely charm. All to get exactly what he wanted.
All to get his daughter back to Montanari.
Sebastian shook his head. ‘What do you mean?’ He tried to step around her—to get to Margaret.
Sienna stepped sideways—stopping his path. ‘You practically just announced to the world that we were getting married.’
His tanned face blanched. ‘I didn’t.’ It sounded sort of strangled.
She pointed to the yellow tickertape-style news headline that had now appeared along the bottom of the TV screen.
Prince Sebastian to marry Dr Sienna McDonald, mother of their daughter.
He flinched. Then something else happened. The expression on his face changed. He reached down into his pocket. ‘Sienna, I didn’t say we were getting married.’
‘No. But with a smile on your face you just said that we were all going to be a family together soon. You practically told them we’d be moving to Montanari with you!’
He put his hands on her shoulders. ‘What’s wrong with you? Calm down. After last night, I thought things were good between us. I thought that maybe we were ready to take the next step.’ He glanced over her shoulder. ‘The right step for us—and our baby.’
She shivered. She felt as if she were in a bad movie with the villain in front of her. ‘You did this,’ she croaked as she looked frantically back to Margaret.
‘What?’ Confusion reigned over his face.
‘The leak. It was you.’ She pushed him away from her, forgetting for a second about Margaret as she strode forward and lifted the discarded newspaper. The picture of their baby brought tears to her eyes. ‘You did this?’ She couldn’t actually believe it. ‘To get what you wanted, you actually gave them a picture of my daughter without my permission?’
She couldn’t think straight at all. She was just overwhelmed with emotions and a huge distinctive mothering urge. She’d been tricked. Manipulated. By a man she’d let steal her heart.
He’d left last night after telling her things could work. He’d introduce her to the family. Margaret could be brought up in Montanari and they could all live together as a family. He’d let her think they’d embrace a new-style queen—even though it wasn’t a title she’d wanted. She could continue with the job she loved.
Sebastian looked utterly confused and shook his head again. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’ He took the paper from her hand. ‘You think I did this? Really? Why on earth would I do that? We talked about this last night.’
‘Yes. You said you’d wait. You said we’d agree to a statement. But that obviously wasn’t good enough for you. You’re used to getting your own way, Sebastian. You’re used to being in charge. You lied to me last night. I was wrong to trust you. You made me think you would consider my feelings in all this.’ She swung her hand to the side. ‘Instead, you let the world know about our baby.’ Tears sprang to her eyes. ‘This is my time with my baby, mine. I don’t want to share her with the world. I’m not ready.’ She shook her head as everything started to overwhelm her. He was just standing there, standing there looking stunned.
She kept shaking her head. Now that they’d started, the tears just kept on coming. She was angry at herself for crying. Angry that she was standing here in her ratty pyjamas, hair in a ponytail and pale skin telling the Prince she wouldn’t stand for this behaviour. She wouldn’t be manipulated into more or less giving up her life and her daughter.
She’d thought there might just actually be some hope for them both. They could reconnect the way they had in Montanari. The memories that she had of the place would stay with her for ever.
There had been moments—fragments—when they’d captured that spark again. But she’d been a fool. She’d been living the fairy tale in her head. Why? Why would a prince ever love her?
Things shouldn’t be like this. If she were telling him to leave, she should be doing it in some magnificent building, wearing an elegant dress, perfect make-up and her hair all coiffured. She should be looking a million dollars as she told the fairy-tale Prince he couldn’t manipulate her or deceive her. That she would bring their daughter up here, rather than be promised a lifetime without love.
Because that was what it really came down to.
That was what she wanted. What she’d always wanted.
For Sebastian to love her, the way her heart told her she loved him.
The clarity in her brain made her turn on him.
‘You’ve deceived me. You’ve deceived me right from the start. You’ve spent the last few days trying to sweet-talk me. Trying to persuade me to bring our daughter to Montanari. And now? You think if you just leak the story to the press, then give them some kind of coy smile, and tell them we’re about to be a family—then that’s it. A fait accompli.’ She flung her hands in the air again. ‘Well, no, Sebastian. No. I won’t have it. I won’t get trapped into a life I don’t want. I won’t bring Margaret up in a marriage with no love in it.’
If Sebastian had looked stunned before, now his mouth fell open. He stepped forward then froze as she continued to rant.
She pressed her hand to her heart as the tears streamed freely. ‘I won’t do it. I just won’t. I’ve been there. I’ve already spent eighteen years in a relationship like that. A relationship where I was tolerated and not really loved.’ She shook her head. ‘Do you know what that feels like? Really? Do you honestly think I’d bring my daughter up in a relationship like that? It’s not enough. Not nearly enough. I love you. You love her. But you don’t love me. I don’t want a loveless marriage. I want a husband that will love and adore me.’ She looked off into the corner as she tried to catch her breath.
‘A husband that will look at me as though I’m the most important person in the world. A husband that will trust me enough to always talk to me. To always be truthful with me. To support me in the job that I’ve trained to do since I was eighteen.’ She took a step towards Sebastian. Looking into the face of the man that she’d thought would love her as much as she loved him. Being here in front of him made her stomach feel as if it were twisting inside out. It was hurting like a physical pain. That was how much she wanted this dream to come true. That was how much she wanted to be loved by him. It felt like the ultimate betrayal.
‘You lied to me,’ she said with a shaking voice. ‘You said Montanari was ready for a new kind of queen. A queen who had a career. A queen who worked. You said that could happen. But according to the world outside, the expectation is that I give it all up. My years and years of training don’t count. They don’t matter. Well, they matter to me. And the environment I bring my daughter up in matters to me. I want Margaret to feel respected. To know she should work hard. To know that money doesn’t grow on trees and you have to earn a living.’
She kept her voice as strong as she could. ‘Your plan didn’t work, Sebastian. I won’t marry you. We won’t be coming to Montanari.’
* * *
Sebastian felt as if he’d been pulled up in a tornado and dumped out of the funnel into a foreign land. He couldn’t believe what she was saying. He couldn’t believe what he was being accused of.
Worst of all were her words about being trapped inside a loveless marriage. Did she really hate him that much? She could never grow to love him even a little?
The ring felt as if it burned in his pocket. His plan had been to come in here this morning, tell her he loved her and would make this work, and propose. He’d felt almost sure she would grow to love him just as much as he loved her.
But her words of a loveless marriage were like a dagger to the heart. No matter what he promised her it seemed she couldn’t ever imagine a life with him. A life with them, together as a family.
Had he really been so blind that he thought they were almost there?
Margaret gave a whimper from the crib. Twice, Sienna had stopped him walking towards her. Twice, she’d stopped him from seeing his daughter.
Sebastian felt numb.
‘I’m done trying to force what isn’t there. I’m done trying to be anything other than I am. You should have told me as soon as you found out you were pregnant. You should have let me know that I was going to be a father. The news blindsided me. You had months to get used to the idea. I had two weeks.’
He looked furious now.
He put his hand on his chest. ‘And I wanted it, Sienna. I wanted it more than you could ever have imagined. I can’t believe you’re being so judgemental.’ He shook his head. ‘What did I say? I said I was looking forward to us all being a family together very soon. That’s it. What’s so wrong with that? They asked me if we were engaged and if we would get married and what did I do? I smiled. Because a tiny little part of me actually wanted that to happen.’
He started pacing.
‘Do you know why? Because I was a fool. I was a fool to think we actually could have a life together. I was a fool to think you might grant me a scrap of that affection and passion you keep so tightly locked up inside you.’
He spun around towards her again.
‘Well, I’m done. I’m done trying to force this. You clearly don’t know how to love someone. Or if you do, it’s clear that person will never be me. I won’t spend my life tiptoeing around you. Margaret is my daughter, as much as yours. I’m not going to fight with you, Sienna. I will not have my daughter witnessing her parents rowing over her. If you’re incapable of talking to me about her—if you’re incapable of compromise—then we can talk via lawyers. You don’t get the ownership on loving Margaret. She has the right to be loved by both her parents. I want to see her. I want to spend time with her. And, even though you clearly hate me, I won’t let you stop me seeing her.’
He couldn’t stop the words from coming out of his mouth. This woman, Sienna, who he’d hoped would make his heart sing, had just turned his world upside down. He loved her with his whole heart. He loved his daughter with his whole heart.
This morning, he’d thought he could turn this into something wonderful. He’d had the audacity to think that he and Sienna could love each other and it could last a lifetime.
Now...?
He just didn’t know.
* * *
Sienna couldn’t find any more words. Sebastian turned on his heel and walked outside.
She sagged on the bed out of pure exhaustion. What had happened? The tears continued to fall and her only comfort was lifting Margaret to her chest and holding the little warm body next to hers.
Her precious daughter. Hers. That was what she’d said to Sebastian. It didn’t matter that it had been in the heat of the moment. She’d said it deliberately to exclude him. But Margaret wouldn’t be here without Seb. The facts of life were simple.
The reporter in the red coat was still talking incessantly on the TV. Now, she was talking about how delighted Queen Grace was, how angry Princess Theresa was, how the people in Montanari were waiting for a formal announcement about their new heir, and how the Prince was clearly enthralled by his new daughter and fiancée since there had been no sign of him.
All she could think about was the expression on Sebastian’s face. The hurt. The shock. The surprise. The words, ‘I said I was looking forward to us all being a family together.’
She screwed her eyes closed for a second. When she’d challenged him on that he’d said he’d smiled because he’d hoped they could have a life together. They would get engaged. They would get married. Something tugged at her heart. The tone of his voice. The pain in his eyes. What did that mean? Did that mean he did care about her? He might actually love her?
There was a knock at the door and one of the midwives entered. She looked uncomfortable and pale-faced. She hesitated before talking. ‘Seb... The Prince. He’s down at the nursery. He asked if he could see Margaret before he leaves.’
‘He leaves?’ She felt sick. She stared down at her daughter’s face. Margaret stared back and blinked. It was as if she was trying to focus. Already her eyes looked as if they would change colour. Change colour to the same as her father’s forest green.
The midwife hesitated again. ‘He asked if he could see her before he returns to Montanari.’
There.
She had what she wanted.
Sebastian was going to go.
It was like being rolled over by a giant tidal wave. The isolation. The devastation.
She started to shake as she gazed at Margaret. How would she feel if the shoe were on the other foot? How would she feel if someone stood between her and her daughter?
She’d chased him away. She’d said everything she probably shouldn’t have said. But she couldn’t think straight right now. Her heart was already wrung out by the birth of her baby.
When Sebastian had given that smile to the reporter she had instantly judged. She’d assumed he was being smug. She’d assumed he was calculating. But what if it had been none of those things? What if he’d been entirely truthful with her?
What if...what if he’d actually meant what he’d said? He’d believed they could have a life together. But did that life include love?
She started sobbing again. She didn’t want him without love. She wanted everything. She couldn’t let herself settle for anything less.
The midwife pulled tissues from a box that had miraculously appeared and handed her a few. She didn’t say anything, just put a gentle hand on Sienna’s shoulder.
She stared at her little daughter’s face. He’d accused her of being incapable of love. She felt like just the opposite. As if she loved too much. She loved Margaret so much already. And right now? Her heart was breaking in two about Sebastian. She wasn’t a woman incapable of love.
Far from it.
‘What do you want me to tell him?’ came the gentle voice of the midwife.
She nodded as a tear dripped from her face and onto Margaret’s blanket. ‘Yes. Tell him, yes. He can see Margaret.’
She handed her baby over with shaking hands.
She’d ruined everything and there was no way back.
* * *
The midwife took tentative steps down the corridor towards him, holding Margaret still wrapped in the pink blanket. His heart gave a little surge of relief. He turned back to the window of the nursery. The quads he’d heard everyone talking about looked tiny compared to Margaret. But he could see each of them kicking their legs and punching their tiny hands. Each fighting indignantly against their entry into the world. Their names were emblazoned over their plastic cribs. Graham, Lily, Rupert and Rose. He smiled. Traditional names, like Margaret. Maybe it was a new trend?
The midwife gestured with her head to the next room. ‘Would you like to sit in here with your daughter?’ He nodded and followed her inside, sitting in a large chair next to the window as she handed Margaret over. ‘I’ll wait outside,’ she said quietly, then paused at the doorway. ‘Sienna. She’s very upset.’ She sighed. ‘I think you both need to take a deep breath.’ She waved her hand. ‘It’s none of my business. I’d just hate you both to lose something that you love.’ She turned and walked outside.
Sebastian stared at his daughter in his arms. His heart should be soaring. He should be celebrating. He should be rejoicing. But he’d never felt quite this sad.
This hadn’t been the day he’d planned for.
This hadn’t been the day he’d expected. In fact, it was so far away from what he’d thought would happen that he could barely even believe this was how things had turned out.
It was never meant to be like this between them. Never.
Of that—he was sure.
But how on earth did they come back from this? He’d said some things he regretted. He’d said a lot of things he regretted.
He’d never been a man for emotional outbursts. He’d spent a life of control, of restraint. But Sienna brought out a side of him he’d never thought he had.
Around her, his feelings ran stronger than he thought possible.
So, it was true.
Love could cause the greatest happiness.
And love could cause the greatest misery.
Margaret grumbled in his arms. Her little head turned from side to side, probably rooting for her mother.
Could he really go home? Could he really bear to leave them and not see them for how long—a few days, a week, a month?
He shuddered. He couldn’t bear that. Not at all.
Life was precious. Life was fragile. Life wasn’t supposed to be like this.
What would he do if he returned to Montanari? Probably fight with his parents. Probably take his frustrations out on those around him. All because he’d messed up the most important relationship of his life.
The relationship with the woman he loved with his whole heart.
He’d tried to forget about Sienna. He’d tried to follow his parents’ wishes and get engaged to someone else.
In the end, it hadn’t worked. It would never have worked.
His heart belonged to Sienna.
And he had to believe, he had to believe that part of her heart belonged to him too.
Margaret was important. Margaret would always be one of his priorities. But his other priority would be the woman he wanted as his wife.
Life ahead for him was formidable. Ruling Montanari would only be possible with a strong woman by his side. A woman whom he loved and respected. A woman who could help to lead Montanari into the modern world.
Everything about Sienna had captured his heart. Her wit. Her intelligence. Her stubbornness. Her determination. The look in her eyes when she’d first seen their daughter...
He had to win her. He had to win her back.
He’d never actually told her how he felt about her. He’d never actually put his heart on the line.
He’d been scared his feelings wouldn’t be reciprocated. And that could still happen.
But he wasn’t leaving her until he tried.
He stood up and walked to the door. The midwife stepped forward to take Margaret. ‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ll take Margaret back to her mother.’ He took a calm breath. ‘I won’t leave without talking to her.’ He added quietly, ‘I won’t leave without putting up a fight for them both.’
The midwife gave a little nod of her head. ‘Good luck,’ she said quietly as he started down the corridor.
* * *
She’d finally managed to stop crying, wash her face and change out of the pyjamas into the clothes that Sebastian had set down in the corner for her earlier. She’d be going home soon.
Home with her daughter.
Right from when she’d started making her plans, she’d always expected to take Margaret home on her own.
But this last week, those steadfast plans had started to wobble.
Sebastian had slowly but surely started to creep his way around the edges and somehow into the middle of them all.
The night before last, when she’d seen the beautiful job he’d made of the nursery she’d been overwhelmed. It was almost as if Sebastian had climbed into her brain and seen the picture that she had stored in there.
He’d made the dream a reality.
His face when he’d looked at their daughter had taken her breath away. And when he’d then turned and met her gaze? She’d never felt so special. She’d never felt so connected or loved.
How could she go from that point to this?
She finished rubbing some make-up onto her face. Right now, she was paler than she’d ever been. She needed something—anything—to make her look a little alive again. She couldn’t find her mascara, or any blusher, and there was only one colour of lipstick in her make-up bag, so she rubbed a little furiously into her cheeks and put some on her lips.
The door swung open behind her and she stepped out of the bathroom to get Margaret from the midwife. Her boobs were already starting to ache and Margaret was probably hungry again.
But it wasn’t the midwife.
It was Seb.
For a second, neither of them spoke. They just stared.
Finally Seb drew in a breath. ‘You look...good.’
‘That good, really?’ It came out of nowhere. The kind of smart retort she’d got used to saying around him. Her eyes instantly started to fill with tears again—it was just as well she hadn’t found mascara.
Margaret gave a little yelp and she held out her arms. ‘Give me her. She needs to feed.’
He hesitated. And instead of handing Margaret over, he put her up on his shoulder. ‘We need to talk.’
Sienna shook her head. ‘We’re done talking. We’ve said enough. We both need some space.’
He nodded. ‘You’re right. But just exactly how much space do you need?’
She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
He met her gaze. ‘I mean, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to go back to Montanari without the two people I love.’
She froze. Part of her wanted to believe. But part of her questioned everything.
‘You just want Margaret. You don’t want me. Don’t panic, Seb. We’ll work something out. You can see her.’
He stepped closer. Margaret seemed to be sucking at his neck. It wouldn’t take her long to realise there was no milk there. He touched her arm. ‘You’re wrong. I do want you. I’ve always wanted you, Sienna—even when I didn’t really know it myself. I would have come back. I would have always come back for you.’
She could hear what he was saying. He’d tried to say it before. But she just couldn’t let herself believe it.
‘But you didn’t,’ she whispered. ‘You only came because of Margaret.’
He closed his eyes for a second. ‘Sienna, you have to believe that even if Margaret wasn’t here, I still would be.’
It was painful when she sucked in a breath. She shook her head. ‘Words are easy. I’d like to believe you but, for all I know, you might just be saying this to persuade us both to come back to Montanari with you. This might all just be a trick to get Margaret back to your country.’
He reached over and touched her face. It was the gentlest of touches. ‘Sienna, don’t. Don’t think like that of me. Is that really how you feel about me? I’m a liar? A manipulator?’ He looked genuinely upset. His forest-green gaze held hers. ‘Is that how the woman I love really feels about me?’
Her heart squeezed tightly in her chest. Her mouth was so dry she could barely speak. ‘You love me?’
He stepped even closer. Margaret let out a few grumbles. His hand brushed back across Sienna’s cheek and this time across her long eyelashes too.
‘I love you so much I sometimes can’t breathe when I think about you. I love you so much that the face I see when I close my eyes is yours. I can’t let you slip through my fingers. I can’t let the chance for this to become real get away because I’m emotional. You’re emotional. And I’m a fool.’
She smiled. He knew how to charm a lady.
His fingers moved around her ear, tucking some stray strands of hair behind it. ‘But I will, Sienna, if that’s what you want. If you want me to leave—to give you space—I will. But know that I’ll do it because I love you. Because you are the most important thing to me on this planet. Because I will always put what you want before what I want.’
Tears pooled in her eyes again and she took a step towards him. ‘How can you do that, silly? You have a kingdom to look after. All those people. How on earth can I matter?’
He bent his head towards her. ‘You matter because I say you matter. You and Margaret will always come first for me.’
This wasn’t charm. This wasn’t manipulation. This wasn’t lies.
This was real.
‘Oh, Seb,’ she whispered. ‘Can this really work?’
He took a deep breath. He was shaking. He was actually shaking. ‘Only if you love me. Do you love me, Sienna?’
A tear dripped down her face. She reached up and touched the stubble on his jawline. Her lips trembled as she smiled. ‘I do,’ she whispered as she pulled his forehead towards hers.
His smile spread across his face. His eyelashes tickled her forehead. ‘I think you’ve said that a little too early.’
She laughed as he fumbled in his pocket. ‘Give me a second.’
She held her breath as he pulled out a glittering ruby and diamond ring—bigger than she could ever have imagined. He smiled at the ring. ‘This is a family heirloom. It belonged to my great-grandmother, Sophia, one of the most spirited women I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.’ He gave her a special smile. ‘She would have loved you, you know. She told me to give it to the woman that captured my heart and my soul. That’s you. Will you marry me, Sienna?’
She lifted Margaret from his shoulder and tilted her lips up to his.
‘A princess and a surgeon? Do you think you can cope?’
He slid his arms around her as his lips met hers. ‘I can’t wait to spend my life finding out.’