“As a boy he found every broken bird, every injured kitten, always believing he could make them well again. Sometimes he did. At times I worry that he feels too deeply. He’s so like your mother.” Armand shook his head and rose. “Should I order coffee, Alexander?”

“No, not for me. I have to go to Le Havre. Welcome a ship.”

“Such enthusiasm.”

“I’ll show it when the time comes.”

“I don’t doubt it. This concerns Eve.”

“Yes.”

With a nod Armand walked to the window to throw it open. Maybe the breeze from the sea would air out some of the tension still in the room. “Alex, I have eyes. I think I understand what you’re feeling.”

“Perhaps you do. But I’ve just begun to understand what I’m feeling myself.”

“When I was a young man, younger than you, I found myself ruling a country. I had been prepared for it, of course, from the moment of birth. But no one, especially not I, had expected it to come so soon. Your grandfather became ill and died in less than three days. It was a difficult time. I was twenty-four. Many members of the council worried about my age and my temperament.” He turned then, smiling a little. “I wasn’t always as discreet as you have been.”

“Bennett was bound to inherit something from your side.”

For the first time in days Armand laughed. “I was not quite that indiscreet. In any case, I’d ruled less than a year, when I took an official trip to England. I saw Elizabeth, and all the stray pieces of my life came together. To love like that, Alex, is painful, and more beautiful than anything you can see or touch.”

“I know.”

Armand turned fully. His breath came out on a long sigh. “I thought perhaps you did. Have you considered what you would be asking of her?”

“Again and again. And again and again I’ve told myself I can’t do it. She’ll make all the sacrifices, all the adjustments. I don’t even know if I can make her understand just how much her life would change if she accepted me.”

“Does she love you?”

“Yes.” Then he paused and pressed his fingers to his eyes. “God, I hope she does. It’s difficult for me to be certain of her feelings when I’ve been fighting my own for so long.”

This, too, he understood. When he had fallen in love, he had had no father to speak to. “Do you want my approval or my advice?”

Alexander dropped his hand. “Both.”

“Your choice pleases me.” Armand smiled and walked toward his son. “She will make a princess Cordina can be proud of.”

“Thank you.” They clasped hands. “But I think being a princess is something that won’t please Eve nearly as much as Cordina.”