Duty & Desire Omnibus by Penny Jordan

Author:Penny Jordan [Jordan, Penny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-10-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

EMILY STOPPED OUTSIDE A shop window to look at her reflection and push her hair off her face. It was a sullenly hot day and her back was aching. She had been to see a client, but had hardly been able to focus on what the man had been saying to her because of her dread of what the cardiac specialist might say. Part of her wanted to rush the appointment and the specialist’s opinion of her baby’s future forward, whilst another part of her wanted to push it away. She was standing outside an electrical store that sold televisions. Its windows were filled with a variety of large screens. She glanced absently at them and then froze in disbelief when she realised she was looking at Marco. A camera homed in on his face, and then panned to the crowd in the square beneath him.

What was happening? Emily could think of only one thing: Marco must already be formally taking his position as the new King of Niroli. She wanted to ignore the screens and walk on past the shop, but instead she found that she was going inside.

‘This is a most extraordinary event,’ she could hear a TV news commentator saying excitedly. ‘The royal family of Niroli is one of the richest in the world. They live according to their own set of rules. Of course the current King of Niroli is Giorgio. However, there have been rumours for some time that he is about to step down in favour of his grandson, Prince Marco. Now we have learned that Prince Marco has said that there is something he wants to tell his people. It can only mean one thing. What a change this will be for the island. There are already mutterings that Prince Marco wants to make too many changes too quickly, and that these could stir up unrest...’

Whilst the commentator talked over the last notes of the Nirolian national anthem, Emily focused feverishly on Marco’s face. This could be the last time she would ever see him.

‘People of Niroli...’ he said in Italian. Tears stung Emily’s eyes as she read the English subtitles at the bottom of the screen. She could hear the strength of purpose in Marco’s voice as he went on, ‘What I have to tell you today causes me great joy and also great sadness. Great joy, because when I leave you I shall be making the most important commitment a man ever can make, a commitment to the future through the next generation. Great sadness, because, in order to do that, I must abdicate my responsibility to you, the people of Niroli—’

Emily could almost feel the ripple of shock surging through the listening crowd. Her own thoughts were in turmoil. What was Marco doing? What was he saying? He was Niroli’s future king and nothing could or should change that... She had listened to his passionate diatribes against his grandfather and she had known his fierce longing to do something to help his people.

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