Chapter 11

Since his brother had unexpectedly acceded to the throne, things had become even more difficult for him, putting him directly in the spotlight. He was painfully aware that everything he said was listened to carefully, frequently twisted out of context, and then spread around, so he had learned to speak very cautiously.

But at this moment, he was experiencing a rare feeling of happiness that was entirely new to him. For the first time since he became an adult, he found himself alone in a small space with a woman who wasn’t trying to undress him.

‘I have a slight ache in my …’ he shifted his position as she tucked her surprisingly long legs beneath her and he felt another sharp kick of awareness ‘… head. But other than that I feel okay.’

The gleam in his black eyes made Pamela uneasy. She wished he would stop staring at her that way. To distract herself, she gave the fire a quick, unnecessary poke. "Good," she said.

Theodore took a sip of his tea, observing the sudden tension in her sho