Princess in the Making

Vanessa bolted up in bed, heart racing, disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings. Then, as her eyes adjusted to the dark and the room came into focus, she remembered where she was.

At first she thought that she’d slept late into the night, then realized that someone had shut the curtains. She grabbed her cell phone and checked the time, relieved to see that she had only slept for an hour and a half, and there were no missed calls from Gabriel.

She dialed his cell number, but like before it went straight to voice mail. She hung up and grabbed her laptop from her bag, hoping that maybe he’d sent her an email, but the network was password protected and she couldn’t log on. She would have to ask someone for the password.

She closed the laptop and sighed. Since she hadn’t heard a word from Karin, she could only assume Mia was still asleep, and without her daughter to take care of, Vanessa felt at a loss for what to do. Then she remembered all the bags in the closet waiting to be unpacked—basically her entire summer wardrobe—and figured she could kill time doing that.

She pushed herself up out of bed, her body still heavy with fatigue, and walked to the closet. But instead of finding packed suitcases, she discovered that her clothes had all been unpacked and put away. The maid must have been in while she was asleep, which was probably a regular thing around here, but she couldn’t deny that it creeped her out a little. She didn’t like the idea of someone else handling her things, but it was something she would just have to get used to, as she probably wouldn’t be doing her own laundry.

She stripped out of her rumpled slacks and blouse and changed into yoga pants and a soft cotton top, wondering, when her stomach rumbled, what time she would be called for dinner. She grabbed her phone off the bed and walked out to the living room, where late afternoon sunshine flooded the windows and cut paths across the creamy carpet. She crossed the room and pulled open the French doors. A wall of heat sucked the breath from her lungs as she stepped out onto a balcony with wrought iron railings and exotic plants. It overlooked acres of rolling green grass and colorful flower beds, and directly below was the Olympic-size pool and cabana Gabriel had told her about. He put the pool in, he’d bragged, because Marcus had been a champion swimmer in high school and college, and to this day still swam regularly. Which would account for the impressively toned upper body.

But she definitely shouldn’t be thinking about Marcus’s upper body, or any other part of him.

Her cell phone rang and Gabriel’s number flashed on the screen. Oh, thank God. Her heart lifted so swiftly it left her feeling dizzy.

She answered, and the sound of his voice was like a salve on her raw nerves. She conjured up a mental image of his face. His dark, gentle eyes, the curve of his smile, and realized just then how much she missed him.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there to greet you,” he told her, speaking in his native language of Variean, which was so similar to Italian they were practically interchangeable. And since she was fluent in the latter, learning the subtle differences had been simple for her.

“I miss you,” she told him.

“I know, I’m sorry. How was your flight? How is Mia?”

“It was long, and Mia didn’t sleep much, but she’s napping now. I just slept for a while too.”

“My plane left not twenty minutes before you were due to arrive.”

“Your son said it was a family matter. I hope everything is okay.”

“I wish I could say it was. It’s my wife’s half sister, Trina, in Italy. She was rushed to the hospital with an infection.”

“Oh, Gabriel, I’m so sorry.” He’d spoken often of his sister-in-law, and how she had stayed with him and his son for several weeks before and after the queen died. “I know you two are very close. I hope it’s nothing too serious.”

“She’s being treated, but she’s not out of danger. I hope you understand, but I just can’t leave her. She’s a widow, and childless. She has no one else. She was there for me and Marcus when we needed her. I feel obligated to stay.”

“Of course you do. Family always comes first.”

She heard him breathe a sigh of relief. “I knew you would understand. You’re an extraordinary woman, Vanessa.”

“Is there anything I can do? Any way I can help?”

“Just be patient with me. I wish I could invite you to stay with me, but …”

“She’s your wife’s sister. I’m guessing that would be awkward for everyone.”

“I think it would.”

“How long do you think you’ll be?”

“Two weeks, maybe. I won’t know for sure until we see how she’s responding to the treatment.”

Two weeks? Alone with Marcus? Was the universe playing some sort of cruel trick on her? Not that she imagined he would be chomping at the bit to spend quality time with her. With any luck he would keep to himself and she wouldn’t have to actually see Marcus at all.

“I promise I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can,” Gabriel said. “Unless you prefer to fly home until I return.”

Home to what? Her apartment was sublet for the next six weeks. She lived on a shoestring budget, and being on unpaid leave, she hadn’t had the money for rent while she was gone. Gabriel had offered to pay, but she felt uncomfortable taking a handout from him. Despite what Marcus seemed to believe, the fact that Gabriel was very wealthy wasn’t all that important to her. And until they were married—if that day ever came—she refused to let him spoil her. Not that he hadn’t tried.

The wining and dining was one thing, but on their third date he bought her a pair of stunning diamond earrings to show his appreciation for her professional services at the hotel. She had refused to take them. She had drooled over a similar pair in the jewelry boutique at the hotel with a price tag that amounted to a year’s salary.

Then there had been the lush flower arrangements that began arriving at her office every morning like clockwork after he’d flown back home, and the toys for Mia from local shops. She’d had to gently but firmly tell him, no more. There was no need to buy her affections.

“I’ll wait for you,” she told Gabriel. Even if she did have a place to go home to, the idea of making that miserably long flight two more times with Mia in tow was motivation enough to stay.

“I promise we’ll chat daily. You brought your laptop?”

“Yes, but I can’t get on the network. And I’ll need plug adaptors since the outlets are different.”

“Just ask Marcus. I’ve instructed him to get you anything that you need. He was there to greet you, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, he was there.”

“And he was respectful?”

She could tell Gabriel the truth, but what would that accomplish, other than to make Gabriel feel bad, and Marcus resent her even more. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a rift between father and son.

“He made me feel very welcome.”

“I’m relieved. He took losing his mother very hard.”

“And it’s difficult for him to imagine you with someone new.”

“Exactly. I’m proud of him for taking the change so well.”

He wouldn’t be proud if he knew how Marcus had really acted, but that would remain hers and Marcus’s secret.

“Your room is satisfactory?”

“Beyond satisfactory, and the palace is amazing. I plan to take Mia for a walk on the grounds tomorrow, and I can hardly wait to visit the village.”

“I’m sure Marcus would be happy to take you. You should ask him.”

When hell froze over, maybe. Besides, she would much rather go exploring on her own, just her and Mia.

“Maybe I will,” she said, knowing she would do no such thing.

“I know that when you get to know one another, you’ll become friends.”

Somehow she doubted that. Even if she wanted to, Marcus clearly wanted nothing to do with her.