The Reluctant Duchess Ch. 04

Later that evening, when Mark and Sophie were in bed, all Sophie wanted was for Mark to hold her, and he did, occasionally stroking her blond hair until they both fell asleep.

*

The next morning, Sophie's libido had returned and she and Mark had sex in bed before continuing their activities in the large shower in the master bathroom. They dressed and went down for breakfast, and while sitting at the table, eating their omelets, Sophie asked, "Mark, so now that it seems that I'm going to be here for the time being, where do you see us going?

Mark finished chewing and washed it down with some coffee before answering, trying to not show his surprise at the question. "Sophie, I've made it very clear that I'm in for as long as you'll have me, and if it has to be long distance, so be it."

"Well, what if it didn't have to be long distance?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if you could work here?

Mark furrowed his brow. "Sophie, there's no way that the firm would allow me to work from here. I mean, they're not really happy that I've missed some days to come here, but they don't want to piss off a Grand Duchess. I mean, maybe, if I was an MD with clients, but I'm not."

"No, Mark, what if you could work for the Fund here?"

"Sure, but I don't want a charity job. Working for your Fund is a really plum job, and I understand that it's almost impossible to get an offer there. I admit that I checked it out."

"It's yours if you want it. And not because I forced it."

"I'm not sure I believe that, Sophie."

She fiddled with her phone for a bit, then showed Mark the screen. It was an email from Karin Baumann, the day after they flew home together. "Sophie, I had an excellent flight to New York with Mark. He's very bright with an innovative mind. He's young, and raw, but he seems to have good instincts. I would have no reservations bringing him on as a junior analyst, with a compensation package similar to what he's making now. He would have to get his MBA, but we would arrange for that, as we do for other new hires. Let me know if this is something that would be interesting to him. Or better, have him contact me directly."

Handing the phone back to Sophie, Mark was stunned. A job with Karin Baumann, who was impressed by him? And being near Sophie? It sounded good, but he was concerned about the perception that he was getting favored treatment.

"Wow, Sophie. I'm shocked and honored. It's funny—it did seem a little like a job interview on the plane, but I just answered her questions the best I could."

"And, apparently, you did well. Yes, I admit that I asked Karin to 'interview' you, but I think you now know her well enough that she wouldn't give you a job just because I said so."

Mark shrugged. "I guess so. I need to think, Sophie. It's a great opportunity, no doubt. But my family is still there, and my friends."

Pouting, Sophie responded, "But I'm here, and you can hitch a ride on the jet whenever it goes to New York. And, I repeat, I'm here."

"Does this mean that you've resolved your 'not wanting to settle down with one man' issue?"

Sophie's expression darkened briefly. "Honestly, no. Not completely. We're still young and I'm so overwhelmed by being Grand Duchess. But I wouldn't have arranged for you to get this interview if I didn't feel strongly for you, Mark."

"And what happens if, um, if we break up? Do I get sent home?"

"Mark, I'm not that petty. Really. If we break up, but you are doing a good job, Karin will want you to stay. And if you want to leave, you have to know that a recommendation from her will be valuable. It's a win/win."

"Please, Sophie, this is a big deal. Let me sleep on it, at least, and talk to my parents. I'd feel better about it if you were ready to commit, but I understand that you aren't."

"OK, but don't expect to sleep much tonight."

They smiled at each other and finished their breakfast while Mark thought hard about his future.

Later that afternoon, Mark and Sophie were walking through the halls of the palace.

"There are so many paintings, Sophie."

Sophie shrugged. "I guess. Most of them are pretty mediocre, though. Not so much 'Old Masters,' but just old."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Sophie's eyes lit up. "Let me show you one of the good ones." She took his hand, and led him down one ornate corridor, taking a right turn, down another one before stopping in front of a large portrait of a young man. "This one."

Even Mark, who was no art historian, could tell that the painting was special. "Um, it kind of looks like a Rembrandt," he ventured hesitantly.

Sophie smiled broadly. "Good guess, Mark. Close." She took a breath. "It is a portrait of my ancestor Karl Josef, who was Grand Duke from 1645 to 1682, painted by Manfred Fink, who was a student of Rembrandt. After studying with him in Amsterdam, Fink returned to Klippenburgh to be the court painter for the Grand Duke. Unfortunately, he caught a fever and died, not long after finishing this portrait."

"That's sad. There's something about the look in his eyes—"

"That's why I like it so much. Karl Josef was a young man when he became Grand Duke, and I think that Fink captured the look of someone who was unsure of his abilities, but needed to try to look confident for his official portrait."

Mark understood better now why Sophie liked this painting, beyond its technical merit. "Yes, that's it."

"And if you look closely, you can see that the artist threw in a few other details that support that view—you can see that Karl Josef's clothing is actually a bit too big—the sleeves are too long, the pants are baggy and too long, as if to give him room to 'grow into' the job."

Laughing, Mark said, "That's pretty funny, and subtle."

"It gets better. See the vase on the table?"

"Yeah."

"It's filled with unopened flowers and buds, not fully formed, open flowers. And if you look really carefully..." Mark approached the painting and stared, "...you can even see some hanging butterfly chrysalises, waiting to give birth to beautiful butterflies."

"So this is all about potential?"

"Exactly. I've always loved this painting, but it really speaks to me now."

"I can understand why." Mark smiled. "But your clothing already fits incredibly well."

Chuckling, Sophie kissed Mark. "I actually researched this painting and Fink for a paper. I think I was able to identify Fink's work in some paintings attributed to Rembrandt's studio and even one attributed to Rembrandt."

"That's pretty cool. By the way, did Karl Josef reach his potential as Grand Duke?"

"By all accounts, he did fine, and ruled for a long time. Not the greatest, but far from the worst."

*

After another day of intense sex with Sophie, Mark needed to fly back to New York. He told Sophie that he was inclined to accept the offer to work for the Fund, but wanted to discuss it with his family. He was pleased to see that his potential new boss was also flying back, and intended to use the flight to help make his decision.

That evening at dinner, Charlotte Marie waited all the way until dessert to tell Sophie that Mark was inappropriate for her. "I'm glad that you seem to be willing to settle for one man at a time," she began, causing Sophie to roll her eyes, "but this Mark is a nobody, from a common family. From America. A Grand Duchess of Klippenberg must only marry someone of noble descent."

"Whoa, Mother, who said anything about marriage?"

"I've never seen you behave with anyone like you do with this Mark."

"I like him. He's good to me. He's not afraid to stand up to me. And he's very smart."

"Oh, he's smart? You can tell that from all of the time you spend with him in bed?"

"No Mother. I can tell he's smart because he is. Look at this." She offered her mother her phone.

Charlotte Marie read the email from Karin Baumann praising Mark, and Sophie could see the surprise on her face.

"Well, this is something, Sophie. Have you actually offered him a job with our Fund?"

"I have, and he is considering it." She paused, looking at her mother's impassive face. "You wanted me to be Grand Duchess, and that means I have the power to offer people jobs. I wouldn't have made the offer if Karin was against it, but you see that she isn't."

Charlotte Marie nodded. "Yes, you have the right. I just hope you aren't making a mistake."

"I'm not, Mother."

"But you know that you must marry a member of the nobility."

"I'm not planning to marry Mark."

"You say that now, but you've never had this kind of relationship, have you? And do you think that it is fair to lure him across the globe to be with you, if you cannot marry him?"

"I've promised the people of Klippenberg that I will not take my duties lightly, but if I ultimately choose to marry him, or someone else not of noble lineage, I will do so to make myself happy. And if that means changing the law, I will make that happen. The people of Klippenburgh made it clear that they are perfectly happy with my continuing to exercise basically unlimited executive power." Sophie paused. "As far as 'luring' Mark here, he is going in with open eyes. He knows how I feel about him. And he knows that working for the Fund, and with Karin, will be good for his resume, no matter what happens with us."

The women ate in uncomfortable silence until Charlotte Marie spoke again. "Clearly you'll do what you want to do—you always have. But I ask one favor."

"What, Mother?"

"If he does come to work here, he must have his own residence. Not in the palace or on its grounds."

At first, Sophie began to anger, but realized that her mother was right. Mark would need his own place, not only for the optics, but because it would allow him to feel that he was independent, and not simply a royal hanger-on. "Yes, Mother, that makes sense. Thank you."

Charlotte Marie smiled at her small victory. She knew that she could keep working on ending this relationship before it went too far, and before Sophie attempted to change a law that had worked perfectly well for hundreds of years.