The Accidental Heir Read Online Free PDF Page A

and there was no point thinking she could.
    But she could still explain to Karl that thanks to him, she could keep the throne of Hammersvik safe from dangerous impostors whose only thought had been to destroy her country and ruin its people. The reciprocal agreement, struck between them while Karl was away, ensured he would always support her right to the throne as she endorsed his, but this new life would create an everlasting bond between them and their lands that no treaty would ever match.
    ‘Astrid...’
    The tone of Karl’s voice stopped her breath and she only now realised how tired he looked. She had never imagined Karl could look like this. He had shaved in haste, cutting himself in the process. His hair was shining and clean but still damp from the shower. And he had dressed without thought or care, in motorcycle boots and leathers. From that she might assume he was as eager to see her as she was to see him, but Karl’s eyes were deep pools of fury and disbelief.
    He knew.
    ‘What’s this?’ Astrid asked as he handed her a flat package secured with raffia string.
    ‘I have no idea,’ he said with a shrug. ‘It was outside the gate. What did you think it was, Princess?’ he asked coldly. ‘A demand for my stud fee?’
    Her world shattered in tiny pieces. He was angry about the one thing that brought her the most happiness in the world.
    Swinging around, she addressed the servants in the same tight voice. ‘Thank you all. I won’t need anything else. Please let it be known that I don’t wish to be disturbed for the next hour—’
    ‘An hour? Is that all the time you can spare me, Princess?’
    ‘Karl, please.’ She recoiled as if the contempt in his voice was a slap in the face. ‘Please, won’t you sit down?’ She glanced at the sofa.
    ‘I prefer to stand, thank you.’ He ignored Astrid’s attempt to coax him across the room and remained as still as a coiled spring.
    ‘As you wish.’
    She would have said more, done more, fought her corner, at least, but the feeling came over her without warning, as it did every morning around this time of day. It would be a miracle if she didn’t have to rush off halfway through her explanation.
    ‘Karl, I’m sorry—’ Slamming her hand across her mouth, she made a dash for the door.
    Karl reached it in front of her and opened it so she could run straight through. He didn’t follow, but she could feel his withering disdain burning her back. He must have heard the rumours about the baby and then learned about the Royal Council demanding an heir. He must think she had duped him. And he hated her for it.
    She hated herself for not having the courage for that one time in her life when she really needed it.
    Splashing cold water on her face and wiping her mouth, she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and finally calmed down. What had begun as an accidental pregnancy turned out to be a blessing in disguise. A baby. Her baby. Their baby. But could she make Karl see it that way? Would he believe her when she told him how much she wanted this child?
    She felt vulnerable now she was carrying a child. While she would usually fight her corner with vehemence, the idea of a baby slowly taking form inside her filled her with caution and a determination to protect that child with her life.

    He hadn’t planned on the words he would actually say. He’d stormed here feeling angry, feeling used, and then he’d seen Astrid and it had changed everything. They were having a baby, and with a child at stake all his slumbering emotions were engaged. He had been determined to leave Astrid in no doubt that if they were expecting, he would take a full part in raising that child. She couldn’t just use him as a stud and continue on as if their baby had nothing to do with him. And why had she tried to keep the news from him?
    She was trying to protect her unborn child, he realised with a start. She wasn’t sure if he would reject her and their baby. She didn’t know him.