‘Do you think he’s okay? Maybe he ran out of petrol – maybe he hit a deer on the way? Should we send Bastien out to find him?’ Lucy paced the courtyard outside the Chateau on the morning of the next day. Brad stood in her way and pulled her into his arms, holding her in his embrace so she felt grounded and safe for a while.
‘Stop worrying, he’ll be here soon. Now remember what I said – I’ll be there to greet him, but I’ll slip away and leave you alone. Mara can come and fetch me when you want me again. Take as long as you like’
‘Do you mean that Brad? What if he says no?’
‘I think I know him well enough to tell you he won’t, even if he takes time to adjust. Now stop worrying, he’ll be here soon – look, I can see his car.’ Lucy waited impatiently for Drake’s battered Range Rover to draw up in the courtyard but was restrained enough to wait with some semblance of normality until it had come to a stop. Her stomach did a little flip at seeing his familiar rugged figure and casual dress. He went straight to the back of the car to fetch out his suitcase and she and Brad waited to greet him. He embraced Brad broadly and clapped him on the back but hesitated before he gave Lucy a brief hug with minimal body contact. She felt the familiar bolt of electricity but he avoided her gaze.
‘You both look well’ he smiled ‘married life must agree with you. Now where’s that whiskey? I’m interested to find out what was so urgent.’
‘All in good time, my friend. Please, come in and I’ll pour you one in the drawing room’ Lucy felt a little hurt at Brad extending the hospitality of her Duchy, but remained quiet as Drake was understandably reluctant to engage with her. She also knew better than to send servants out to take his bags, and he carried them in himself and deposited them in the grand hallway.
They all went into the drawing room and Brad poured whiskey for all three of them. He raised his glass and took a sip. Lucy let hers sit on the table, but Drake only picked his up to look at it.
‘I know you want to find out why we need to talk to you, and you will find out very soon – but I have some business to attend to so will leave Lucy to fill you in’ Drake looked uncomfortable.
‘Lucy told me it was you who wanted to talk to me’ Drake said, thin lipped.
‘I do, but what we have to say is better said by Lucy to start with.’
'I’m sure I can wait until you’re free’ he insisted, but Brad put a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
‘You need to talk to Lucy, my friend. Please know that whatever she has to say to you, she has my full support. I’ll be back when I’m needed’ and with a short bow, the King left. Drake lifted his glass and swirled the contents around before turning to Lucy with a forced smile.
‘So, what’s all this about? Did you bring me all this way to tell me you’re pregnant? That you don’t know if it’s mine or his? That’s all I can think about that might possibly be relevant’ Lucy looked alarmed.
‘No, no, that’s not it at all. I’m not pregnant’
‘Then why am I here?’ he asked quizzically. Something in his expression told her that he had just closed off.
‘You’re so cold… Drake, you never used to be like this. Please remember what we were to each other, don’t be cruel’ Drake deflated slightly.
‘I can’t allow myself to remember. You know that, things can’t be like they were. You’re married to Brad now, and I have to move on. Please, tell me you can let me go’
‘But you’re wrong Drake, there’s a way we can still be together. Tell me you still care for me and I’ll tell you how’
‘I can’t’ he said, his jaw clenching ‘I cared for you, but there’s no room for me now. Brad doesn’t need me anymore; he has you, and you have him. I can’t allow myself the luxury’
‘I can’t forget you, Drake’ Lucy said ‘I love Brad, but there’s a part of me missing without you. I’ve talked it over with him, and he understands. He needs you too, you were always such a good friend to him.’
‘What difference does it make? You’re all set up to produce an heir for Cordonia – a little prince or princess. There’s no way I can fit in with all that’
‘Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t care for me’ Drake looked up and squared off, holding her gaze intently, and her heart felt as if it was going to leap out of her chest
‘I…’ he struggled to speak, then he dropped his chin, putting his hand to his forehead and hiding his eyes ‘Dammit Lucy, don’t do this to me’ She breathed a sigh of relief and went on.
‘Of course you can fit in – if I have children, how can I not introduce them to their Uncle Drake? You’d be a wonderful influence. I can’t think of a better person after Brad’ Drake laughed hollowly.
‘An Uncle? You want me as a baby sitter?’ he said, squaring his jaw ‘I thought you knew better than to make me your servant’ A look of distress crossed Lucy’s face and she stepped toward him and put her hand on his elbow.
‘No Drake, not a servant – an equal’ She said softly ‘I didn’t put that quite the right way. I want you to stay close to me – to us. I’ve found a way we can be together, if you’d like that’ she paused, but Drake looked down at her hand as if it were a foreign object. She stepped away again regretfully and he glowered at her. She carried on. ‘We want you to join us in our marriage, Drake. Did you know that King Constantine was married to Brad and Leo’s mothers at the same time?’ Drake looked puzzled.
‘That’s not – that’s not how I remember it’ he said at last.
‘Not many people remember now. Your father knew about it and he passed it on to Bastien. Constantine was married to both women as that was common practice at the time, and it ensured an heir. When Brad’s mother was poisoned, Leo’s mother left not long after. She was scared what might happen to her, but as it happened she died not long after in a car accident. Both you and Brad were young, and your father only joined the Guard shortly after Brad’s mother was assassinated. Although it was widely known about the double marriage before that, Constantine was so devastated that he forbade anyone to talk about it. It fell mostly out of practice and when he met Regina, it was still suppressed. Leo and Brad weren’t told, and their mothers were hardly ever talked about, so you wouldn’t have known unless your father told you – and he was sworn to secrecy. He only told Bastien out of duty, as he thought it was important. In turn, when Constantine died, Bastien told Brad all about it’
‘I – that’s incredible. I couldn’t have guessed. But what does that have to do with me now – with us?’
‘There are some citizens in Cordonia that have a similar arrangement but have to keep it secret. Brad wants to bring it out into the open and make it more acceptable. And what better way than to go through it himself?’
‘He wants to do it out of duty?’ said Drake ‘Am I just a convenient way to bring it about?’
‘It’s not just about duty Drake, I promise you. I can’t be happy without you – there’s something missing when you’re not here. Brad wants me to be happy, and you have been close to him for a very long time. He respects you and wants you to stay in our lives. Please, say you’ll think about it’ Drake’s expression was unreadable, several different emotions passing over his features too quickly to identify. Agonisingly Lucy waited for him to reply. He sat down heavily and looked into the whiskey glass, inhaled its aroma but didn’t take any. Lucy realised he hadn’t had a drop since he picked it up.
‘You want Brad and me to share you?’ he said incredulously ‘What about your wedding vows?’
‘If you look at them, they don’t mention exclusivity – the Cordonian marriage vows purposely leave that out. We vowed to do whatever made each other happy – and this would make me happy – very happy.’ Drake looked up at her
‘Do you really feel so strongly about me that you’d do – this? Why did you agree to marry Brad when he proposed?’
‘It’s complicated – I thought he would be enough. I cared for him deeply and thought I could let go of what I had with you. When we slept together in Vegas I thought that would give me closure, but it didn’t. I was happy for a while after the wedding, but I never really let you go – I was in denial. I didn’t know I could do anything else.’
‘How could it work? Would we all live together, or would you spend time with one of us then the other?’ He frowned in concentration and Lucy’s heart lightened at the sign of Drake giving the proposal consideration.
‘To be honest, I don’t know yet. We can draw up an agreement that suits all three of us. We can have our own custom made wedding, just the two of us, or we could include Brad’ Drake raised an eyebrow sceptically.
‘Well it sure as hell wouldn’t be like yours and Brad’s’ he said flatly ‘It would be low key so only the three of us would know about it.’
‘Brad would say that we’d have to have some public ceremony, to show the people that it’s okay to have a threeway marriage’ Drake shrugged.
‘Low key, Valois, means low key’ he glowered
‘Perhaps some official photographs taken at a private event would be acceptable. Brad will know what to do, he is after all a superb diplomat.’
‘I suppose…’ he was starting to waver.
‘Drake, we could even have our own child together, if that would make you happy. A DNA test would answer any questions about the Royal succession.’ Drake’s face softened, and he put his glass down and looked at his feet.
‘I never even hoped for that before…’ he said hoarsely
‘You have a good example to follow by the sound of it – your father was a good role model. You’d make a wonderful parent, and you wouldn’t be taken up with Royal protocol and business like Brad is. Tell me you’ll think about it, please’ Lucy breathed, daring to hope at last
‘I will – but I have to hear it from Brad too. We can’t play at Chinese whispers.’
‘Oh Drake, thank you’ cried Lucy and knelt down to throw her arms around him.
‘Valois, you are one hell of a woman, you keep me guessing all the time’ He patted her back tentatively. ‘You’d better call Brad back and I’ll check that this isn’t all some crazy dream’ She pulled away from him and he gazed at her with a serious expression ‘This is a lot to get my head around. It seems too good to be true. I’d got used to the idea of not having you. But I promise I’ll think long and hard about it.’
‘Don’t take too long Drake. I never forgot you, and it would make me so happy if you said yes’ Drake smiled quizzically.
‘That sounded damn close to a proposal, Valois. I hope it doesn’t mean Brad has to propose to me too’
‘Oh dear, the concept of Alpha Male just got very interesting’ smiled Lucy ‘I think I’ll have to be the one wearing the trousers’
‘You look good whatever you wear, Valois’
‘That’s the old Drake speaking at last. I’ll call Brad in’
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