Love For Hire

Dr. Horton removed the blood pressure cuff and tucked it into his bag. “Well, I am concerned,” he said. “You are anemic and emaciated. What have you been eating?”

“He has not,” Kinsley answered for him. “He barely eats anything.”

“Well, that would explain why you are weak, underweight, and malnourished. You must eat,” Dr. Horton scolded.

“Eating makes me nauseated,” Nicholas complained.

“Well, if you do not eat, you will die. You are starving yourself; your body is actually starting to eat itself. If you keep on this path, you will start losing muscle mass, and you will look like an anorexic thirteen-year-old girl.”

Nicholas shrugged like he did not care. Kinsley had to do something she could not sit by and allow him to starve himself to death. “If you do not start eating, I will not marry you,” she threatened.

His face took on an annoyed expression. “You would threaten me?”

“Nicholas, I want what is best for you, and you promised me to do what you must to survive. Listen to Dr. Horton. If you do not, then you are breaking your promise to me, and I will not marry you,” she tried to reason with him.

He sighed. “Fine, I will eat.”

Kinsley looked over and Dr. Horton, who stood by the King and Queen. All three of them smiled at her, and Naya gave her a nod of respect for the way she handled Nicholas. In the short time his mother was here, Kinsley had picked up a few tricks on how to manage difficult men.

“Very good,” Dr. Horton smiled. “I want you on a high protein diet. You must ingest a minimum of 2000 calories a day. As for the blood, I am certain it was because you were vomiting up the lining of your stomach, given that you had no food in your system. I will give you a prescription for something to settle your stomach, but if the blood persists, I want you to go to a hospital. I am going to schedule an ultrasound so we can take a more in-depth look and be sure it is nothing more serious.”

“Fine,” Nicholas grumbled.

you out,” Naya offered as she showed Dr. Horton to the door.

whispered to Samuel. Then they both excused themselves from the room. Kinsley now stood in the room with Nicholas seated in the armchair with Brutus next to him and Matthew, who had been silent up until this

spoke up. “Would you be so kind as to leave us? I wish a moment with

suspicious, but he kissed Nicholas’ forehead and left the brothers alone to speak

***

view of those passing by the door.

it so terrible I wish some time alone with my brother?” He said, reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket. He removed a vile of arsenic. Removing the

something,”

glasses and walked over to Nicholas, who sat in his chair, unaware of what his brother had done. Matthew offered Nicholas the poisoned drink. He accepted. “I wanted a moment to apologize for the things I said at dinner the other night. They were cruel. I was being petty and having a tantrum. I want you to know that I wish you no harm. Despite our differences,

“Thank you, Matthew.”

glass and clanked it lightly with the one in Nicholas’ hand. He watched with a smile as Nicholas lifted the glass to his mouth and drank

With poison, he would make Nicholas ill, gradually increasing the dosage, making him sicker and sicker. His failing health would be attributed to his condition, and no one would suspect he was slowly being killed. Then in a few weeks, he’d slip him a fatal dose and happily attend his brother’s state funeral. Keeping him sick would guarantee he had no strength to have sex and prevent Kinsley from conceiving. Nicholas’ death would secure his birthright. And in the off-chance, Kinsley got pregnant anyway… well then, he’d just have to

***

they would have the royal family’s seamstress custom make the gown for her wedding. She was looking at a stunning empress gown when she looked up to see Nicholas come in being lead by Brutus. That dog had

in here,” he said as he came over to

know the room was not empty?” She

“Peaches,” he grinned.

“I think I should change my

dare? I have come to love that smell,” he snickered. “What are

trying to decide what kind of dress I want.”