The Royal’s Pretend Wife Read Online Free PDF Page B

amused dismay.
    They sat on the terrace underneath the protection of a wide umbrella. Dr. Horne was working on more exercises for them, but now they were to fill out their worksheets and share the results with each other.
    “I don't know,” Apolo said absently, going over his own work. “I’ve known plenty of married royals who don't know each other's middle names or religious affiliations.”
    “And somehow they're still married?”
    He flashed her a white grin. “As a matter of fact, sometimes it seems as if the less they know, the more successful the marriage is.”
    Trinity snorted. “That's terrible. If I decide to spend the rest of my life with someone, I sure as hell want to know what their religious affiliations are and how they feel about things like politics. Though…I'm not sure about this section on siblings. What does it mean to answer what kind of effect a sibling has on you?”
    Apolo looked up, pen in his hand. “Oh that's simple. I'm the oldest, and my younger brother, while being someone that I love to the very end, has a singular ability to get under my skin. He's a good man, but we see eye to eye on very little. I suppose it has made me more interested in authority than I might be otherwise. Things like that.”
    “Oh, I always wanted a brother growing up,” Trinity said wistfully. “Or maybe a little sister. I grew up more than a little lonely in my father's house. He wouldn't let me play with the servants' children, and the other kids at my activities were more like competition than they were ever like friends. I suppose you know how it is?”
    “Not at all,” Apolo said, shaking his head. “My family is enormous, and getting time alone is actually the bigger issue. There are plenty of reasons why I might be angry with my family, but being isolated wasn't one of them.”
    He paused for a moment. There was a shadow across her face. If she had been a woman that he had met at the club or at one of the many fund-raising functions that he attended, he might not have pried, but after all, she was his wife.
    “You mentioned your father's house…was your mother not in the picture?”
    She shook her head, her lovely face very still. He was beginning to realize that for the most part, Trinity was very aware of what her face looked like and how she appeared. The moments when she looked unguarded, they were to be treasured as priceless beyond rubies. Even though his ruse depended on her being good at her work, he found himself longing for those moments more than he thought he would.
    “She died in a car accident when I was very young. I remember a few things about her. She had hair like mine. She smiled a lot, and I remember that her hands were very gentle. All I knew was that one day, she left and she never came back.”
    Impulsively, Apolo put down the pen and touched her hand. Her green eyes widened, and a blush crossed her face.
    “I don't know why I told you all of that,” she muttered.
    He met her eyes, letting her know as well as he could that there was no reason to hide from him, not now and not ever.
    “Because I wished to know and because you wished to tell me,” he said. “Thank you.”
    “You mentioned you have a big family,” she said, obviously changing the subject. “Do you think they like me?”
    “Yes,” he said firmly. “They may have been a little shocked that we married so quickly, and perhaps they wanted a Greek woman for me, but when they met you, they instantly adopted you.”
    Trinity raised her eyebrow.
    “Isn't that awfully convenient?” she asked. “Doesn't it play better for television if there's conflict?”
    Apolo shook his head. He wasn't sure why he was so set on the matter, but there it was. Something in him simply did not like the idea of his family disliking Trinity, even in play. He didn't want to think about his mother or his father or his brother or his many cousins disliking the beautiful green-eyed girl who sat across from him.
    “I don't