Anna wanted a divorce when he’d asked for her help. She saw it as a continuation of her job or something. “She’s having a hard time transitioning from my employee to my wife.”
“Well, have you told her that you love her?”
Had it been written on his face for the year and he was the only one who didn’t know? He blinked. “What?”
Katherine laughed like she’d just found out that his toys at Christmas were all delivered to the wrong tree at the other end of the palace. He’d been so upset that he had no presents until they were located. “You don’t exactly spend a lot of time with any woman except her. You called her at two in the morning for favors, and you’ve had assistants all your life. Until Anna, you usually avoided your assistant like they had the plague.”
Maybe. He had a lot of memories of running in the other direction, but Anna’s voice was always pleasant. “She answered because she was great at her job.”
Katherine smacked her lips. “You called because you didn’t want her to have a life.”
Wait. His body grew tight again and he argued like they were still ten. “That’s not true.”
She laughed. “Yeah it is. I know you, brother of mine.”
If he told Anna that he loved her, would it make any difference? She thought he wanted her to… steal a baby from Francesca, which wasn’t true. “Katherine, I don’t know…”
“So Anna’s miserable because you don’t realize how you feel.”
His sister’s words were like zaps of electricity that made his hair stand on end. Anna had asked for a divorce. Admitting how he felt didn’t matter now. “Don’t act like you’re a mind reader.”
“As a mom myself, I see things differently now. And she clearly cared about you.”
Maybe he should see his nephews soon. His sister was always straight with him. “I don’t know.”
What if he was too late? He sank down on the couch.
“What are you going to do about Francesca?”
Honestly, he didn’t know. He didn’t need the press to know about his broken condom. Even if Anna left him, he’d never marry Francesca. Maybe he could tell Anna that. After the conversation earlier, he was sure that Francesca decided things based on what she could get. “I need to find out what she plans to do first.”
His sister didn’t tell him what to do, ever. “Fair,” she said. “She’s the model that Mom hated, right? But she’s always hated your string of women.”
If he married Francesca to keep his child, his entire kingdom would suffer to her whims, and he didn’t have that right. His heart was settled on that part no matter what. Thunder from the storm outside raged. “Yeah. If Alfred had a son before he met and married you, would you have raised the baby?”
His sister answered right away, “I don’t know. Is that what you demanded of Anna?”
Katherine saw through him. He stood fast as he said, “I didn’t demand anything.”
Again with a knowing laugh. “So she’s upset at your plan?”
“Yes.” His shoulders slumped. Perhaps he hadn’t been clear to Anna that he would support whatever Francesca decided about the baby, and he and Anna would go from there—without Francesca.
He glanced at the door as the storm hammered the windows. He needed to find a way to convince Anna to stay.
What could he do to prove himself?
His sister asked, “Do you have a plan B?”
A life with his wife was what he needed, what he wanted, but he couldn’t order her to follow his decree. He swallowed. “I need to find out what Francesca chooses to do.”
“You keep saying that. What if Anna doesn’t agree with whatever you unilaterally decide?”
His brain processed her question. “You’re saying ask her opinion?”
“And maybe tell her how you feel.”
Once again Katherine saw straight through him and let him work out a plan in his own mind. Now he needed to tell Anna how he felt, without orders, and then ask for her forgiveness about Francesca. “I’ll talk to you later, Katherine.”
