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I want you to look like a man and woman getting acquainted in a positive way. Then after the press conference tomorrow, you can take Eva to the country house to show her where you would live as a married couple. The press will love that. It will also keep you and Eva in the papers. And even if anyone notices the extra bodyguards, they’ll just think it’s because there are two of you, not you alone.”
    He rose. “Okay.”
    His father rose too. “And Alex, if Mason can’t get this done in four weeks, you will be marrying her.”
    A wedding for a treaty was ridiculous. Marrying Eva to keep her safe gave him a weird feeling. His muscles hardened, his brain sharpened. He hardly knew the woman, but no one would hurt her on his watch.
    “Absolutely.”
    * * *
    Eva, her mom, and Queen Rose walked to the formal living room with Sally from the protocol office. Once seated on the velvet sofas, Sally ordered coffee while Eva and the dynamic mother duo got down to the business of discussing designers and considering various styles of wedding dress.
    The coffee hadn’t even been delivered before a member of the palace staff arrived, whispered something to Sally and left.
    Sally turned to Eva. “It seems, Princess, that Alex has arranged a date for the two of you this afternoon.”
    Working to keep the surprise out of her voice, she said, “He has?”
    “You’ll be lunching at a seaside restaurant. It will be the first time the press sees you as a couple. They won’t get to ask questions, but they could shoot them at you from behind their cameras.” She smiled briefly, obviously still miffed over the fact that her crown was paying for the wedding. “But you’ve handled this kind of thing before.”
    “Yes.” Since she was old enough to stand behind a microphone, her dad had let her have her own voice.
    She had to fight not to squeeze her eyes shut in misery. It was the first time in a week she’d had a good memory of her dad. He’d been the best supportive, funny, loving dad, and she suddenly missed him with a fierceness that brought tears to her eyes.
    She blinked them away as she rose from the sofa. She refused to get maudlin over a man who had left her and her mom in such a precarious position.
    “Thank you, Sally.” She faced her mom and Queen Rose. “I’ll need to leave to get ready.”
    Rose jumped up to hug her. “Enjoy the afternoon.”
    Karen kissed her cheek. “Yes. Enjoy yourself. Remember, brides are happy.”
    Rose laughed and batted her hand in dismissal. “We went through this with Ginny. Got pregnant in a one-night stand, barely knew Dom and suddenly had to marry a man she didn’t know because her baby would be a king.” She hugged Eva again. “It worked out for Ginny and Dom. It’ll work out for you too, sugar.”
    “It will,” Karen agreed sagely.
    Eva only smiled. Obviously, they hadn’t overheard any of Alex’s comments about convincing her to call off the wedding.
    She turned to leave, but Sally stopped her and handed her a computer tablet.
    “All the links to the websites of the approved designers are in here. I’ll need a name very soon so I can have him or her here ASAP to take measurements.” She tapped her watch. “We don’t have weeks for you to mull this over. We have, at best, a few days for you to choose a designer.”
    Her nerve endings popped with apprehension. Everything would be happening so fast, she had to get with the program. This afternoon’s date with Alex had to be step one in her plan to get him to like her.
    Three hours later, she stood in front of the mirror in her dressing room, inspecting herself. After watching several video demonstrations on flirting, she’d received a call from Alex’s staff with the time and location she was to meet her betrothed.
    Deciding she had a good variety of flirting techniques, she’d showered and dressed in black pants and a white top, with her long hair pinned up on her head in a tight bun.
    She sighed. She looked like a