§ § § -- February 1, 2001
Christian parked the rover in front of the main house at quarter till nine and went in with Leslie; both were dressed for work. Roarke looked up as they came in and noted the way they held hands. "Good morning, you two," he greeted them. "Are you ready to rejoin the real world, after two weeks away?"
"Two weeks in paradise with Leslie," Christian said wistfully, "and already I wish I could go back and relive them. I've never known such joy, and to think that my whole future is filled with this same love and happiness…I still have trouble believing it."
Leslie let go of his hand to slip her arm around his waist. "Me too," she admitted. "I still get lightheaded at the realization that Christian and I are married and he's here for good. If you catch me daydreaming, Father, by all means, do whatever you have to do to snap me out of it. I'm going to miss Christian all day."
They all laughed, though Christian nodded agreement with her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, rubbing his hand along her upper arm a few times. "I just wanted to drop Leslie off here and say good morning," he said. "We've been out of touch, as you're well aware, and I was wondering…have you seen Anna-Kristina?"
Roarke focused on him, a sympathetic light in his dark eyes. "I apologize, Christian, but I myself wasn't aware of her plans until she appeared here in my study at six this morning. She was packed and ready to leave—which she did on the seven-o'clock charter. Did she not tell you she meant to do so?"
Christian and Leslie looked at each other in surprise. "She never mentioned a word to that effect," Christian said. "But I can't say it was unexpected. She had quite a chat with Leslie several days ago, and it looks as if she truly meant it when she said she was going to let Prince Carlono pursue her."
"Indeed!" said Roarke. "What changed her mind?"
"Mateo's limp and narcolepsy, of all things," Leslie said, shaking her head. "It was my impression, from what she said, that Arnulf taught her and her sisters to disdain any perceived imperfections in men they might consider marrying. But I could tell it was a hard decision for her to make: her strong attraction to Mateo versus what she was taught all her life. She wasn't happy about her decision, but she stuck to it."
Christian remarked, "I suppose we can't let ourselves dwell on it any further. After all, we don't know Mateo's take on the matter—we have only Anna-Kristina's assertion that he wouldn't have her."
"Very true," Roarke said, looking thoughtful, "but something tells me it's not the end of the matter by any means. It may take time for her to realize what she really wants, but it's my strong suspicion she will eventually return. When you think about it, love is more than enough reason to overcome even the most ingrained indoctrination: and if Anna-Kristina is truly in love with Mateo, as she claimed, she will discover that for herself." He regarded his daughter and son-in-law with a smile, which after a moment turned teasing. "Now, suppose you two bid each other goodbye for the day, and begin to learn to get along without being in each other's constant company. You have all your lives before you, and you'll soon settle into a comfortable routine."
Wistfully Christian and Leslie gazed at each other. "I know he's right, but it's not an easy thing to do," Christian said softly.
"No," Leslie agreed, "it's not…but it's unavoidable. Tell you what, I'll make the first move." She turned fully into his embrace, planted a kiss on his lips, then stepped back and smiled gamely at him. "Have a good day, my love, and I'll see you this evening."
Christian smoothed her hair and returned the smile. "Yes, this evening. If you can, though, come over for lunch."
"You could come over here," Leslie countered, eyes sparkling.
Roarke laughed. "Enough, you two! Leslie, you have several things that must be seen to as quickly as possible, so Christian, why don't you join us for lunch. And try not to worry about Anna-Kristina, all right? You have each other to think of, first and foremost."
"She'll be back, no matter what," Christian agreed. "As you said, Mr. Roarke, she'll find that love is reason enough for anything. I learned that lesson myself, thanks to your daughter." He dropped a kiss on Leslie's lips, grinned at Roarke and departed.
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A/N: Okay, so there's the story, and here's my question: what do you think will happen? Bear in mind that I'm looking for your opinion as to what Anna-Kristina will do (in light of her circumstances and her upbringing), not what she should do. I'll weigh your thoughts in when I eventually resolve her story. I look forward to finding out what you think, and thanks in advance for your ideas!
