He could say nothing to that. He’d felt the same. Why, when he carried the burden of power, was there so little he could do?

“What will happen to her?”

“She and her children will be provided for. We can do that.” He pulled out a cigarette. The taste in his mouth was already harsh. “We can’t heal the wounds.”

She heard it in his voice, the bitterness tinged with frustration. For the first time, she thought she really understood. “You want to punish someone.”

He lit the cigarette, then turned to see her eyes open and on him. “I will punish someone.”

The way he said it had Eve’s mouth going dry. He had the power, not only in his title, not only in his birthright. If he’d been born a peasant, he’d have had it still. Maybe it was this above everything else that kept her drawn toward him even as she inched away.

“When you were on the phone, Alena asked me who had done it. I had to tell her I didn’t know, but I know she’ll ask again, when the grief eases.”

“When the grief passes there comes a hunger for revenge.”

“You want that.”

“It could have been my father.” For the first time, she saw his control slip. It dangled dangerously a moment, showing in the heat and fury of his eyes, before he ripped it back. “We are responsible to our country, to our people. Seward’s death will not be ignored.”

“You believe the bomb was planted for your father?” She reached out to take his wrist. “It was meant for him?”

“It was planted in his office. It was only coincidence that he was called away moments before the explosion. Had he not, he would have died with Seward.”

“Then that’s all the more reason he should come home.”

“That’s all the more reason he must stay. If a ruler is intimidated, his country is intimidated.”

“Damn it, he’s your father.”

“He is Armand of Cordina first.”

“You don’t believe that. You don’t really feel that way.” The intensity was in her voice, in her fingers as they gripped his flesh. “If your father’s in danger, you have to convince him to come back.”

“If he were to ask my advice, I would tell him that to return to Cordina before his business is completed would be a mistake.”

She withdrew slowly until they were no longer touching. “Bennett said you were hard, had to be hard. I wonder if he meant this much.” When the car pulled up at the palace steps, she was out before him. “For a moment back at that house, I thought I saw something in you, warmth, humanity. I should have known better. You have no feelings, because you have no heart.”