The Mills & Boon Ultimate Christmas Collection. Kate Hardy

excitement had long since dissolved. Her nerves were balanced as if on a tightrope, the time dragging on so long it was a relief when Dominic finally entered the room.

      ‘Marion, leave us,’ he said without any preamble.

      Catalina knew their cousin would hover by the door in the hope of catching wind of something juicy to spread around the palace.

      ‘He’s agreed to marry you,’ he said, standing over her with folded arms and a smug expression that didn’t quite hide the fury in his eyes.

      She knew perfectly well that if her fate had been left to Dominic, she would have been banished in disgrace. If she’d got pregnant by anyone other than Nathaniel things would be a lot different. Dominic loathed Catalina, but Nathaniel was his nemesis.

      ‘You will marry in a fortnight. They’re finalising the details as we speak.’

      She didn’t answer. Her involvement and consent were not relevant in this situation. Her consent was rarely required for any situation. All the same...

      Her lungs expanded properly for the first time in two days. Nathaniel’s consent was not something she’d taken for granted. Nathaniel was a lone wolf with an aversion to relationships and not a man to be intimidated by anyone, not even a king. That he’d accepted responsibility and agreed to marry her...

      Little whispers of excitement skittered over her skin, her heart thundering hard beneath her ribs.

      She was going to marry Nathaniel.

      Never in her wildest dreams had she allowed herself to imagine such a thing. In all the years she’d known him he’d been part of her social circle but somewhat apart, a commoner to be welcomed graciously but kept at arm’s length. He’d always been considered far beneath what her family expected of her.

      Her entire life had been geared towards ensnaring one of the Kalliakis Princes, men equal to her station. That Nathaniel was the only man she’d ever found physically attractive had been something she’d hardly dared acknowledge to herself.

      Making love to him had been beyond her wildest dreams.

      Her veins heated just to think of his touch, and turned into a furnace as she finally allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to share a bed with him again.

      ‘The lawyers are on their way,’ Dominic continued, looking at his watch, oblivious to her private thoughts.

      ‘What are they coming for?’

      ‘To draw up the contract,’ he answered.

      Oh, yes. The contract.

      ‘How did you get him to agree?’ She couldn’t hide the flicker of hope that he’d agreed without any coercion and, more than that, that he’d insisted their marriage be a real one.

      She knew it was the most pathetic, flimsiest of hopes even before Dominic flashed her his cruel smile; the same smile he’d given when he’d told Catalina her pet dog had died. ‘Ah, pretty Catalina is imagining a marriage of fluffy clouds and pink icing. Although I hate to destroy your dreams, be in no doubt this is a business decision by Giroud—I told him he would be expelled from Monte Cleure and his business development confiscated unless he married you.’

      The effect of his words was as if ice had been thrown at her.

      ‘So you did have to blackmail him.’

      ‘You thought he would want to marry you?’ He laughed. ‘He was only happy to agree once he’d been assured the marriage would only last a year.’

      Before he could continue, a secretary appeared at the door, informing them Nathaniel had finished speaking with their father and was on his way to them.

      Dominic cast Catalina his vindictive smile one last time. ‘He doesn’t want to marry you, pretty Catalina. He doesn’t care that you will remarry immediately after your marriage is dissolved. He has no interest in your baby. All he cares about are his business interests. You must think of it as a business arrangement too. Your end of the deal is to uphold the honour of the House of Fernandez.’

      She held her brother’s gaze for long seconds before inclining her head sharply. ‘I will remember.’

      ‘Good. Now is your chance to begin your redemption.’ His gaze turned to the door. Catalina’s stomach performed a somersault to see Nathaniel stride in as if their private quarters were rooms he’d visited on many occasions.

      ‘Nice place you’ve got here,’ he said, looking around the luxurious living quarters with a distinctly mocking eye.

      If she didn’t have so many contradictory emotions raging through her, Catalina would have found his irreverence funny. Gasps of appreciation were the usual response when people entered their private rooms for the first time.

      Knots formed tight in her stomach as she gazed at the one man who had seen her naked. Her heart seemed to have gained a life of its own and the palms of her hands grew damp.

      He didn’t look at her. His focus was on her brother, who he towered over. ‘You may leave us.’

      If she hadn’t been trained from birth to never show inappropriate emotion, she might very well have given a hysterical laugh. The only person she had ever heard give an order to her brother was their father, who certainly didn’t use the lazy, almost dismissive tone Nathaniel had just used.

      Dominic turned red. Very red. Catalina half expected steam to escape from his ears.

      ‘I wish to speak to your sister alone,’ Nathaniel said when Dominic made no attempt to leave. ‘We cannot speak freely without privacy.’

      ‘You can have five minutes.’

      ‘Ten.’

      To her amazement, Dominic pursed his lips together and stormed out of the room.

      Gripping tightly to the armrest, she tried to adopt the serene, half-vacant look that had served her so well throughout her life.

      Green eyes fixed on her, Nathaniel sat on the uncomfortable armchair opposite. His irreverence had left the room with her brother. All she saw was cool contemplation, although it gave her fleeting gratification to judge that he looked like a man with a serious hangover.

      ‘So it is true. You are pregnant.’ He spoke quietly, unwittingly repeating the words her brother had used the day before.

      Had it really only been yesterday? They had to count as the longest few days of her life, and it wasn’t over yet.

      ‘Can you tell?’

      He gave a quick, rueful smile. ‘There is something different about you. If I didn’t know you were expecting I would assume you were ill.’ He blinked a couple of times and refocused on her. ‘Are you ill?’

      ‘Not particularly. A little sickness, that’s all.’

      ‘Is that why you missed Helios and Amy’s Coronation?’

      ‘I thought I had a stomach bug.’

      He rocked his head forward and grimaced. ‘When is the baby due?’

      ‘The doctor thinks the end of August. A scan will determine it with more certainty.’

      ‘And you are happy to marry me?’

      ‘My happiness is irrelevant,’ she answered coolly. ‘Besides, it will only be for a year.’

      ‘And you are in agreement with your father’s plan for you to remarry once we’ve divorced?’

      ‘I will accept whatever is good for my family and the House of Fernandez.’

      Nathaniel studied her carefully, looking for a chink in the elegantly worn armour. There was nothing to be found. The passionate woman who’d come out of her shell for one glorious night had gone. The Princess he had known from a distance for many years had returned, her mask back in place. This was a woman raised to do her duty and who fully believed