As we turned toward the door, I saw a flicker of emotion cross Marie’s beautiful face. The leer she shot me behind Alexander’s back was unmistakable.
I frowned, then disregarded the thought, certain that I had imagined the envy in her eyes. The stunning and desirable Lady Marie Delacroix was jealous of no one.
Later that evening, an official royal statement was released with the news of our engagement. Seeking a moment of solitude, I left Alexander in the study and found peace outside in the warm night air. The words kept playing over in my head.
“The King and Queen of Coradova are delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Alexander to Miss Madison Kavanaugh, a longtime friend of the family. The wedding will take place in winter later this year.”
Thoughtful, I stood at the balcony railing and stared out into the endless night of stars, countless emotions swirling through me. I had arrived back in Coradova after being away for three long years, with Alexander still very much in my heart, but not my arms. Now less than two weeks later we were engaged! I felt overwhelmed and stunned by our whirlwind romance. Granted, it had been years in the making, and I couldn’t be happier to be Alexander’s fiancée.
But my entire life had changed in a matter of days. All of my plans for the future, my hopes and dreams, were different now. I could never be a school teacher because being a princess would require certain obligations and responsibilities. I would have to leave my family because my home would be in Coradova. I would lose my privacy and my independence. Every aspect of my life would become a constant speculation to the public; to be criticized, judged, adored, envied, idolized. Paparazzi would hound me. Rumors and gossip would be spread. My life as I knew it would change irrevocably.
But I would gain so much more than I lost. Alexander would be my husband. Someday, the father of my children. I was getting the chance to marry my best friend, to spend my life with him raising a family and growing old together. It was a dream come true. My entire life may have changed, but I’d finally found my happily-ever-after.
I heard footsteps behind me, and knew without looking that they belonged to Alexander. His arms circled around my waist and pulled me back against his rock solid chest. His breath tickled my neck when he bent down to kiss my cheek before whispering in my ear. He spoke in Italian, murmuring sweet endearments I only half understood.
For a while we simply stood there, wrapped up in each other, enjoying the warm summer night. As I stared out at the sea beyond us, I wondered how many nights like this one lay in our future. I smiled contentedly. We had the rest of our lives to find out.
Chapter Seventeen
When I entered the dining room for breakfast, the conversation came to an abrupt halt and there was a quick rustling of paper. Alexander, Arianna, Ashton and Mackenzie glanced up at me from the table, their smiles overly bright and expressions wary. My eyes narrowed in suspicion, aware that they were up to something. I spotted the corner of a newspaper that Arianna had shoved under her napkin and knew instantly what they were trying to hide.
I held out a hand in resignation. “I’m going to see it eventually. Let’s just get it over with.”
Arianna reluctantly handed me the newspaper as Alexander stood and moved toward me. I could feel his hands on my waist, in restraint or comfort I didn’t know, but I was already lost in the words.
A CORADOVAN CINDERELLA STORY: PRINCE ALEXANDER TO WED AMERICAN COMMONER
Madison Kavanaugh, age 20, is a childhood friend of the royal children. The long and intimate relationship between Prince Alexander and Madison began thirteen years ago ...
I quickly read through the rest of the article, noting the facts that were mixed in with speculation and criticism. The public reaction seemed to be of a mixed mind.
There was natural excitement over the prospect of another wedding for one of the royal children, but since it was for the highly sought-after crown prince, the single women were devastated. There was outrage because I was an American, and both approbation and disbelief that I was a commoner. I had lived in Coradova for ten years, so I wasn’t a complete foreigner; but I was an American! My family owned a successful cattle ranch and art gallery; but I was penniless! I hadn’t attended the best, elite schools; so I was uneducated!
The article went on, speculating over our whirlwind romance: a secret love affair, a shotgun wedding. My person was both picked apart and praised. By the end of the article, it was clear that the final judgment was still undecided. When I was through with the article, I looked up into Alexander’s concerned blue eyes.
“It could have been worse,” I admitted with a shrug.
Alexander smiled in relief, though I could see the brief flicker of remorse in his eyes. “I’m sorry, dolcezza. By loving you I’ve dragged you into the public spotlight to be criticized and judged.”
“It’s okay,” I said, lacing my fingers with his. “People love to gossip and most of the time it’s ridiculous. I promise I won’t let it get to me. Besides, if I’m going to marry you I need to develop a thicker skin.”
“If?” Alexander raised a dark brow, then lifted our joined hands. The diamond engagement ring shimmered between us, the promise of a future together. “I think it’s a little late for ifs.”
I looked up at him from under my lashes, and shot him a sultry smile. “When. Definitely when.”
“That day can’t get here fast enough.” Alexander tugged me closer for some outstanding kisses.
I would have been happy to stay in his arms for the remainder of the day, but we were interrupted by a gagging noise at the dining table behind us. We turned toward the disruption.
Ashton was watching us with a smirk. “Go get a room lovebirds. All this mushiness is making me sick and I would like to finish my breakfast before I starve. We can’t all live off of love.” He shot me an exaggerated wink and stuffed a piece of bacon into his mouth.
I rolled my eyes and threw the newspaper at him. Then I kissed my prince once more for good measure.
It was late afternoon when I returned to the palace after a much needed girls day out with my sister. We’d eaten lunch on the pier in a little restaurant overlooking the vast blue sea. The water shimmered like sapphires as it rose and buckled, then crashed in curling white waves across the pristine sand. With the bright summer sun warm on our skin, we’d spent nearly half the day exploring the charming tourist shops in the seaport village, then leisurely wandering along the white sandy beach with the smell of the sea swirling around us. I loved the beautiful wilderness of Montana, but my heart had always been drawn to the sea. The kingdom of Coradova was my perfect little piece of paradise.
We’d returned just in time to get ready for dinner, en famille style, with no other guests joining us this evening. I was looking forward to being with my fiancé and our families without the added pressure of royal obligations and formal protocol. As I sat down on the bed to strap on my black heels, I accidentally knocked my purse onto the floor, its various contents spilling out onto the hardwood. Sighing, I bent down to pick up the scattered objects, and spotted a note peeking out from the opening of my purse.
With a smile tugging at my lips, I reached out to pick up the latest of Alexander’s love notes. When I read it through, the smile on my face vanished and a sense of dread crept up my spine. This note wasn’t from Alexander. The words were written in a hateful and angry scrawl I didn’t recognize.
Cinderella, you don’t belong here. You don’t deserve to stand next to Prince Alexander, let alone to look at him and wear that royal diamond on your finger. Your place is in the dirt, kneeling at his feet like the lowly commoner that you are. Go back to America where you belong.
Anger mingled with mortification until I was ready to scream in rage and frustration. The audacity! Some bitter, jealous little harpy must have slipped this hate note into my purse when I’d been in town today. Furious, I scrunched up the note and threw it in the waste basket. I knew that most of Coradova wouldn’t be pleased with my engagement t
o Prince Alexander, but I hadn’t expected to encounter such a hateful attack.
Determined not to let it ruin my night, I forced the note from my mind while I finished getting ready and left the room. As I walked purposefully through the hallway toward the dining room, I shoved my anger deep down, refusing to let it surface. As much as I wanted to confide in Alexander, or at least Arianna, I decided to keep the hate note to myself. It would only upset them both, and there was nothing any of us could do to change it.
The afternoon of Arianna’s charity fundraiser was warm and sunny, with puffs of clouds drifting through the sky. The palace had been buzzing with preparations all morning. Round tables large enough for ten were scattered across the terrace and lawn, covered with soft peach linen table cloths and vases of pink, white and cream roses. There was a long buffet table laden down with food and drinks, and additional servers milling about with even more trays of food.
Dolled up in a smoky blue summer dress, I stood beside Arianna as she welcomed her guests and made introductions. The guest list was entirely comprised of women, most from wealthy families. Socialites, aristocrats, politician’s wives and daughters. These were the rich, powerful and influential ladies who most often crossed paths with the Royal Family. Whose disdain and judgement was the most strongly felt, and most freely given. These women had no qualms about showing their true feelings for Alexander’s new fiancée, and because I was an American commoner, their disapproval was all too clear.
It was my first official royal event since the announcement of our engagement. I wished desperately that Alexander was present, but both princes had been in meetings with the king all morning. Even Mom and Queen Gabriella were gone for the day. At least my sister was here. I smiled gratefully at her, standing next to me in her lovely mint dress with her brown curls swept up atop her head. She shot me a radiant smile in return, brimming with excitement over being included in another royal event.
Mackenzie had loved every aspect of life in the palace when we were growing up, and had missed the glamorous parties and fancy dresses when we moved back to Montana. I smiled wryly, thinking that my sister would be better suited for a life of royalty than I was. While Mackenzie and Arianna had enjoyed playing dress-up inside the palace, I was often found outside running barefoot and wild with the princes.
After all the guests had arrived, Princess Arianna was too busy entertaining her guests to socialize with us. So together Mackenzie and I wandered through the crowds, making polite small talk and trying to ignore the not-so-subtle resentment.
“These women are outrageous,” Mackenzie muttered hotly after a while, her indignation obvious. “They know nothing about you except that you’re an American with a family cattle ranch. What gives them the right to pass judgement on you?”
“Don’t forget, I’m also penniless with no manners or education,” I said flippantly, trying to brush aside the truth of how much their disapproval had bothered me.
By marrying Alexander, I would be forced to face and endure this kind of crude judgement and disdain for the rest of my life. These were the ladies I would most often rub elbows with as a princess. I wondered if I would ever be seen as worthy in the eyes of Coradova’s aristocracy.
Two hours later I’d had about all I could take. The snarky, yet subtle comments. The upturned noses, the lips curled in contempt. The criticizing eyes that seemed to pass judgement on my soul. I made some excuses to Mackenzie and left her with Arianna while I escaped to the garden, hoping for a brief reprieve from the disdain and condemnation.
Struggling to gain control of my emotions, I wandered aimlessly by a patch of ranunculus flowers, the ruffled petals blooming in vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow. I had always been confident, never one to succumb to peer pressure or back down in the face of adversity. I was stubborn and proud. But now I felt ridiculously inadequate, overwhelmed by my flaws and lack of noble pedigree.
As only a friend of the Royal Family, I was rarely taken notice of. But as a future princess of Coradova, my entire person and life was being brutally, and unfairly, scrutinized. None of these women knew me, yet most claimed that I was unworthy of the ring on my finger. None could see past my lack of noble blood to the person underneath. For the first time, I truly understood how Alexander felt: to only ever be seen as the title instead of the man. My thoughts were interrupted by voices farther along the pathway, coming from behind a row of cypress trees.
“A shotgun wedding is so scandalous! I can’t believe the Royal Family is actually forcing Prince Alexander to marry her,” a voice scoffed. “That little harlot’s not even pretty.”
“They should just send her back to her pig farm in America. Then Alexander wouldn’t be forced into a marriage he doesn’t want.”
“She’s just after his title,” a third voice added. “She’s nothing but a penniless little farm girl wishing to become a princess.”
As they rounded the last cypress tree, I drew myself up to full height and stared haughtily at them when they came into view, feeling my temper threatening to spiral out of control. I was angry and offended by their harsh comments.
Their steps faltered as each lady caught sight of me. I was pleased to see the embarrassment that crossed their faces when they realized I had overheard them. I boldly held their gazes for a long moment, shot them an arrogant smile, and nodded my head slightly in greeting. They smiled uncertainly in return, then tripped over themselves in their hurry back toward the terrace. I stood in place for a moment longer, trying to get my temper under control, when I heard feminine squeals of delight.
There was only one reason for that level of excitement: a prince had arrived at the fundraiser. The question was, which prince? As I moved curiously toward the terrace, I heard the sound of his name ripple through the crowd.
Prince Alexander.
For a moment, I was both relieved and hesitant. I wanted Alexander to rescue me from these harsh, judgmental women and yet ... I didn’t want him to see how close I was to losing control or how overwhelmed I felt. He had chosen me to be his princess. I didn’t want him to see this weakness, to give him a reason to doubt his choice. I needed to be tougher, stronger. To learn how to let the cruel comments roll off me, instead of allowing them to strike my heart. I was determined to do everything I could to make him proud.
So I straightened my shoulders and held my head high, summoning as much confidence, and arrogance, as I could muster. So help me, I would look down on anyone else who insulted me, and show them the strength and perseverance that a farm girl was really made of. I left the garden feeling more in control of myself and motivated by a determined purpose.
Searching through the crowd of women, I spotted my prince on the terrace surrounded by lace, satin, and seductive eager smiles. The golden sun burned bright behind him as he stood tall and proud in his light beige suit, a beautiful contrast to his tanned skin and black hair. At that moment, he looked more like a god than a prince.
As I approached, his blue eyes met mine over the sea of women. He flashed me a dashing white smile, his expression brightening. I grinned in response, feeling his love reach out to me across the distance separating us. A few heads turned in my direction, their eyes filled with bitter envy, but I ignored them.
Halfway across the lawn, I was suddenly intercepted by Lady Marie Delacroix and three of her mean-spirited sidekicks that I recognized as the women I’d overheard in the garden. Of course they would be her friends, I thought irritably. Marie stood before me with an arrogant tilt of her chin. Her friends fanned out around us, cornering me.
“There’s only one reason why Prince Alexander would marry someone like you,” Marie said with a taunting gleam in her eyes. “Everyone in Coradova knows that our charming crown prince often enjoys a brief romantic fling—only this time, it’s gotten him into trouble. I hope you haven’t mistaken his honor for love, chérie.”
My hands curled into fists as I struggled to hold on to my composure, and my temper. I’d had enough insults
for the day and my tolerance was already dangerously low. I took a deep breath, knowing that she was just trying to get under my skin, and struggled to find a witty retort. “Well, he’s mine either way.”
“For now,” Marie purred viciously. She took a step closer, her eyes narrowing with malicious intent. “Enjoy him while you can, little farm girl. Prince Alexander has a hearty appetite, and it won’t be long before he goes looking for love elsewhere. Alexander is very discreet with his lovers. I would know.”
Seeing red, I nearly slapped her arrogant, sneering face, when I heard a familiar voice speak from nearby.
“Pardon. Good afternoon, ladies.”
Marie and her friends turned toward Alexander, suddenly overcome with smiles and overt politeness as they greeted their prince. I watched them curtsy through a red haze, and struggled to reign in my temper, trying to convince myself that throttling Marie wouldn’t help—much.
Barely glancing at them, Alexander moved toward me and slipped a strong arm around my waist. I looked up into his blue eyes and saw his carefully contained anger. He kissed me, his lips lingering possessively on mine, before he turned to Marie and her friends. Though his smile was deceptively charming, I could feel the tension in his body. He must have overheard what Marie had said—and he was furious over it.
“Please excuse the interruption,” Alexander smoothly apologized. “I want some time alone with my fiancée. Enjoy your afternoon, ladies.”
We walked away, leaving an offended Marie behind us.
Since his business was done for the day, Alexander stayed for the remainder of the fundraiser. He stood close to my side, his arm wrapped protectively around my waist, as we socialized with the hundreds of guests. In Alexander’s presence, everyone was exceptionally polite, and I was grateful for the reprieve from their disapproval.
Heart of Mine Page 13