The Formidable King Page 16

  As badly as he wanted her—as much as he knew they shared mutual sexual attraction—he couldn’t take India to his bed. Not yet. In her mind, she may still be engaged to Artarmon and he needed to give her time to get over her former fiancé.

  In his phone call with Devereaux, Gabe had instructed that word be sent to Artarmon to advise him that India was now his wife. At some point tomorrow he’d phone the earl’s son and make certain it was clear that Artarmon was to keep his distance.

  Artarmon had to stay out of the way if Gabe had any chance of winning India’s heart.

  Gratitude. The word hammered at him again. The last thing Gabe wanted was for India to join him in their marital bed out of a sense of obligation or out of gratitude. He wouldn’t hurry his wife. He was prepared to give her as much time as she needed and to do as much as he needed to do to make their marriage work.

  ***

  India sensed the moment Gabriel lifted her up from her seat on the aircraft and into his arms. She revelled in being held close to his chest and soaked up all the comforting heat radiating from his supremely masculine flesh. He was so handsome he’d rival Adonis, and every day that’d passed in his company she appreciated his character even more. Reality hit swiftly. Gabriel was her husband and there’d be no divorce.

  She was safely out of Bagazin airspace and wouldn’t be handed to President Mawandi, but now she had a new fear. Gabriel had given her his name. How long before he expected her to give him her body? And when she couldn’t, how would he feel about her then? Would he pity her or resent her? He’d have every reason to resent her. Once again, she’d withheld an important piece of information about herself.

  How could she possibly hope to build on a marriage when she wasn’t prepared to reveal her entire self to her husband?

  Previously she’d managed to hide her shame at her sexual block by pretending to be engaged to Jeremy. That was impossible now—unless Gabe continued to believe she was so much in love with Jeremy she couldn’t contemplate going to bed with him. Instantly she pushed the thought aside because Gabriel had acted with such honour, she couldn’t hurt him by allowing him to think she was in love with another.

  Gabe knew she craved him physically. There’d been no hiding her responses to him.

  If Gabe pushed for a physical relationship with her, her last, shaming secret would come to light soon enough and all her insecurities would be exposed.

  Everything in her longed to make this marriage work. Gabriel may never have married her if he hadn’t been forced into it, but he deserved to be loved.

  He had her love. The man she’d come to know on this trip away—the man who’d roughed it with the villagers of Misanti, played in the river with elephants, and put himself in grave danger to save her from execution—was the man she’d grown to love.

  Somewhere in their time together her heart had ceased to be her own and it now belonged to him.

  There was no doubt that she loved and admired Gabriel, but would he ever reciprocate her feelings?

  Chapter 13

  India felt surreal as she walked beside Gabriel to his office, and it was only the clasp of his hand on hers that anchored her to reality.

  They’d arrived in Santaliana late last night and been met very warmly by his brother and sister-in-law, but Gabe had declared it was too late to discuss the situation and had encouraged India to go to her bed.

  Her bed in this castle that was now her home. Her bed, not their bed. Part of her was grateful her husband hadn’t tried to claim his wedding night. Contrarily, part of her was disappointed.

  Squashing her fears about what she was going to do when Gabriel tried to take her to bed, she thought instead about her new brother and sister by marriage. As Devereaux and Mackenzie had welcomed her into the family, India had been helpless to control her tears. Their hugs had been sincere and their wishes so genuine, India had honestly felt she was part of Eden’s family. It was an incredibly moving moment for her, and she only wished Eden was alive to be part of the welcoming group.

  For India, Gabe’s family’s acceptance transported her back to the day she’d arrived in England and met her grandmother. Insecurities had swamped her when she’d landed at Heathrow Airport, but her grandmother had held her tight and been so loving, India had finally felt like she belonged somewhere.

  Mackenzie and Devereaux also made her feel like she belonged. Now it was time for a formal meeting with the couple to talk about how they were going to announce the news that the King of Santaliana had married. This time she hoped she could stop herself from being a teary mess.

  When they entered the room, her eyes were instantly drawn to Gabe’s office window to the beautiful vista of Santaliana’s coastline. Remembering the view, it felt like yesterday she’d visited Gabriel here to discuss the arrangements for the foundation’s ball. With all the animosity between them that day, she wouldn’t have guessed in her wildest dreams that the next time she stepped into the room she’d be married to the King of Santaliana.

  ‘India! I hope you slept well.’ Mackenzie gave her a warm hug.

  ‘You look like you haven’t slept at all, Gabe.’ Devereaux stood up from his chair as he spoke, and moved to give India a brotherly peck on the cheek.

  ‘I snatched a couple of hours, but had meetings early this morning with our legal team,’ Gabe replied.

  When all four of them were sitting down comfortably, Gabe’s younger brother launched straight into business. ‘You two may be legally married, but you do know you’re still going to need to have an official state wedding with all the trimmings? The people will want to celebrate.’

  ‘I realise that,’ Gabe said.

  India hadn’t. She shot a sideways look at Gabriel and wondered how he felt about a formal wedding. This marriage was hardly something he’d want to celebrate and her forehead tightened as she empathised with him. She didn’t want to put him through the false show. ‘But surely, now we’re already legally married, it would be sheer extravagance to organise a formal state occasion?’

  Gabe stiffened beside her. ‘It’s an extravagance I can afford and an occasion my people will expect.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Mackenzie declared as she looked dreamily at Devereaux. ‘I don’t think there was a single soul in the whole of Santaliana who didn’t turn out to cheer Dev and I as we travelled to and from the cathedral.’

  A pang of longing shot through India as she saw the love between the other couple. The people had cause to celebrate the love match between Devereaux and Mackenzie. Their king’s forced marriage was hardly in the same category. Would they cheer India, or jeer her once they knew she’d been raped and had committed a murder?

  ‘They’ll support and celebrate your marriage, India,’ Mackenzie told her. ‘What’s important is that they understand it. Honesty is key and we’ll stick to the truth as closely as possible, although we still need to protect the French position. So we say that Gabe proposed in Misanti, and you planned to announce your engagement when you returned to Santaliana.’ She looked from India to Gabriel. ‘Everything has to be planned to maximise India’s acceptance, both within the kingdom and internationally.’

  India knew everything was going to come out sooner rather than later, so she saw the wisdom in Mackenzie’s words.

  ‘You’re in safe hands.’ Gabriel reached out and drew India closer against him on the sofa. ‘I told you Mackenzie was good.’

  It was all too easy to enjoy the comforting embrace. On another level, it was difficult to ignore her awareness of the heat of his muscular, masculine frame—difficult to stop herself from snuggling in and resting her head more comfortably against his broad chest. Impossible to stop herself from inhaling a little more deeply so she could fill her lungs with the wonderful manly scent of his cologne.

  ‘India, I want to assure you, I’ve turned all this over in my head constantly since Gabe phoned from the aircraft and spoke to Dev,’ Mackenzie said. ‘Things are going to move fast and you’re going to feel
like you’re caught up in a whirlwind. If we delay announcing your marriage, the people are going to feel confused and perhaps mistrustful when they find out.’

  Things couldn’t get any more whirlwind. The entire visit to Bagazin had been like being in the midst of a hurricane. It’d felt as though she’d been picked up and thrown around dizzily until she’d hardly known which way was up. The storm of their visit to Bagazin had claimed them both as its victims, with Gabe faring far worse than she had because of their marriage.

  ‘My thoughts were to announce our marriage tomorrow, and to organise a press conference for later in the week to answer questions,’ Gabe said. ‘That will give me time to organise a court hearing for India, and time for her to settle in here and get over her ordeal. It will also give us time to arrange a date for the state wedding.’

  Mackenzie shook her head immediately and decisively. ‘No. I have the press standing by. We announce your marriage in...’ Mackenzie looked at her wristwatch, ‘... an hour and a quarter.’

  ‘No.’ Gabe’s frame jerked forward. ‘You can’t expect India to face the media pack so soon. She’s had one hell of an ordeal over the last twenty-four hours.’

  ‘Stop and listen, Gabe.’ Devereaux was all calm authority. ‘You know damned well Mackenzie is the best at creating or reinventing public image. Hear her out. Let her run this for you both.’

  Gabriel was quiet for several seconds as he seemed to struggle with the suggestion. ‘Okay,’ he said at last. ‘Go on, Mackenzie.’ He eased his frame against the back of the sofa, but India had the impression he was as tightly coiled as a spring.

  ‘I’m sorry, guys, but this can’t wait.’ Mackenzie reached over to the desk and grabbed a clipboard. She tapped the top of her pen on its cover a few times before she spoke. ‘Gabriel, we need to spin this carefully. As I said, you fell in love, planned to return to Santaliana, announce your betrothal and prepare for your wedding, but once you were forced to land in Bagazin, you realised you had to act far more hastily on your intentions because of the threat President Mawandi posed to India. We need to be very up front right from the outset about the fact that you’re listed as a wanted person in Bagazin, but we have to ensure it looks as though the French Ambassador had no idea at the point of the marriage ceremony.’

  India bit down on her lower lip. Just how much had Gabriel told his brother and Mackenzie? Did her new sister-in-law know that what she was going to try to sell to the press and the people of Santaliana was an outrageous lie—that Gabe would never have proposed marriage if a gun hadn’t been pointed at her head?

  ‘That’s fine with me,’ he agreed easily. ‘I had a meeting with the legal team at the crack of dawn and they’ve already written a statement regarding what happened in Bagazin.’

  India’s chest rose and fell sharply before she said, ‘All the stuff about Charles Mawandi —we have to make that public knowledge today as well?’

  ‘Yes,’ Mackenzie agreed gently. ‘Gabriel owes the people an answer as to why you’re legally married before you gave them the celebration they would’ve expected.’

  ‘I can’t believe they’ll want to celebrate their king’s marriage to me.’ India hoped the whole thing would die a slow death. A formal state wedding meant a marriage ceremony which would be broadcast all around Europe, just as Mackenzie and Devereaux’s had been.

  India didn’t think she’d hold up under the scrutiny. It would be emotional enough repeating her marriage vows again, knowing that the situation she’d found herself in had forced Gabe to the altar. It would be worse still listening to Gabe make his vows and knowing he wasn’t speaking sincerely. Knowing his promise to love and honour her until death was meaningless would be like stabbing her heart with a blunt blade all over again.

  ‘The people will definitely want a state wedding,’ Prince Devereaux said. ‘I hope you’re not worried that you won’t be accepted, India. Everyone knew Gabe’s first marriage was based on political reasons and Angelique’s behaviour ensured she wasn’t popular. The people of our kingdom have always loved Gabe and they’ll be delighted to see him happy at last. I’m sure they’ll grow to love you for the person you are, but as soon as the announcement is made and they know Gabe’s married for love, they’ll adore you.’

  Except that she knew Gabe couldn’t honestly be happy with this marriage. He didn’t love her and she’d never make him happy, because she couldn’t even become his lover.

  ‘With Mackenzie in charge,’ Dev continued, ‘they’ll be behind you one hundred per cent, lining the streets, waving flags and cheering you all the way to the cathedral.’

  It was going to be awful. She’d feel like an imposter.

  ‘Gabe, I’ve set up a private television interview for both of you. It’ll be recorded straight after your public introduction of India as your queen. Obviously you’ll need to heed whatever advice you get from the lawyers, but at least broadly, you’ll both have to talk about the situation you found yourselves in while you were in Bagazin.’ She shot India an apologetic look. ‘India, there’s no option but for you to be completely open about your role in Charles Mawandi’s death, but we’ll cover that entire angle with the legal team before the press conference.’

  ‘Mackenzie and I have talked about this,’ Devereaux added. ‘Believe me when I tell you that nobody will see you as anything other than what you were—an innocent victim—a sixteen year old who acted in self-defence.’

  Mackenzie stood up and moved around the room as she spoke. ‘You guys have to tell all from your point of view rather than waiting for the press to pick up on the story and skew things a different way.’

  ‘Don’t worry about her pacing about the room,’ Dev said in a quiet aside to India. ‘Mackenzie feels more comfortable when she’s moving.’

  The former image consultant ignored her husband’s remark. ‘For all we know, someone in Bagazin or at the French Embassy could’ve already tipped off the press. The interview you give shortly is going to be aired tonight—well before the newspapers hit the streets in the morning.’

  ‘I see where you’re coming from and I agree,’ Gabe said. ‘I’ll need some time to make a few calls to organise the court hearing before we meet the press. We need to be seen to be doing the right thing and not trying to use royal position to evade having you answer for your actions, India.’

  ‘Excellent,’ Mackenzie agreed. ‘My plan is to be proactive rather than reactive. As soon as the court hearing is over, India—and from what Dev’s been told already by the legal counsel, the matter won’t even proceed as far as a criminal trial—we’ll get you out and about in the public spotlight as frequently as possible so people get to know you.’

  A seagull flew very close to the window and distracted them all for a few seconds. The bird was so free to fly. India was getting the message that she was public property now, and would never know the freedom to fly again wherever and whenever the mood took her. She knew there’d be a lot of attention drawn to her due to her hasty marriage and a lot closer scrutiny when it became public knowledge that she was going to be involved in a court hearing.

  ‘You need to talk about your life as a child and how you grew up going from one disaster zone to the next. I can’t possibly begin to understand what that must’ve been like for you. I hate sounding like a spin doctor, and I don’t mean to trivialise any of what you experienced as you grew up, but I really want you to talk about it if you can, because it will win you empathy from people all over the world.’ Mackenzie grimaced, and India could see that the other woman was trying to handle everything with sensitivity, but that she was determined to succeed in her mission. ‘Believe it or not, even talking about your ordeal with Charles Mawandi could be turned into a positive.’

  India shuddered and anger burst through her. ‘A positive?’ There was nothing positive about having been a victim of rape.

  ‘Let me explain,’ Mackenzie told her as she held up a hand. ‘You weren’t even a fully grown woman, India, and you were rap
ed. You went through a horrible ordeal and you survived. By talking about your ordeal, you won’t only gain empathy for what you’ve gone through. You’ll gain the respect and admiration of people the world over for having the courage to share what you’ve been through,’ Mackenzie explained. ‘You’ll also help thousands of women who’ve been raped to heal—you’ll spotlight the problem, help people understand that women who are raped are victims who need understanding and support, not vilification. You’ll help banish the stigma that goes with being a rape victim.’

  ‘Hold on, Mackenzie,’ Gabe protested. ‘India mightn’t be ready to talk about this so openly.’

  ‘I can’t imagine how difficult it will be for you,’ Dev put in. ‘However, you coming forward and discussing this should help others find the courage to do the same thing.’ He shrugged. ‘It might even make a difference in some cases between victims reporting the crimes against them versus the possibility they’re too reticent to come forward and the offenders walk away without punishment.’

  Slowly, as she saw Mackenzie’s perspective, and realised she had Gabriel’s full support and understanding, India’s outrage abated. If she could only get past the initial fear of talking about her ordeal in Bagazin, the rest of Mackenzie’s plan held enormous appeal. ‘You really think if others know what I’ve been through it’ll do some good?’

  ‘Absolutely.’ Mackenzie raised her right hand and gave her a big thumbs-up gesture. ‘You’re going to be a very public figure and you can also be a very influential figure. If women understand how you’ve coped—how you’ve moved forward and got on with your life, you’ll be a great example to them.’

  ‘It hasn’t been easy,’ India confessed. ‘When I returned to England, I had intensive counselling with a therapist for the first couple of years. Recently, I’ve sought her help again because I’m still working through some issues related to... all that’s happened.’

  ‘Sweetheart, there’s no shame in seeking help,’ Gabe told her gently. ‘This could be a really positive thing for you to discuss and it might even aid in your healing—but only if you’re ready. I definitely don’t want you to feel forced into speaking.’