by Lori Wick
Nine
“Good morning, Princess Shelby, it’s Murdock.”
“Good morning, Murdock.”
“I hate to impose on you, but could you manage a haircut? We’ve come into a small emergency because I made a mistake on the schedule, and I would be most grateful for your help.”
“I can come right now. Will that work?”
Shelby heard him sigh. “Indeed, Princess Shelby, right now would be perfect.”
“I’ll come down to the kitchen, shall I?”
“Actually, it would be easier if you cut the prince’s hair in his bathroom. Would you mind?”
“No,” Shelby answered automatically, but all expression went out of her voice.
“Very good. I’ll call up and tell him to expect you in say, five minutes?”
“Yes,” she again answered in a resigned monotone. “Five minutes.”
Shelby hung up the phone and sat very still. They had certainly gained ground over the weekend, but cutting the prince’s hair was not part of the bargain. She was still too uncomfortable around him for that.
“What if I cut his ear off?”
The sound of her own voice helped to shake off the trance. After taking a deep breath, she stood, made herself get her scissors and comb, and resolutely walked out the bedroom door. She knocked briskly, telling herself to buck up and to ignore her shaking knees. It worked until the prince opened his door wearing only a pair of black denim shorts.
“Thank you for coming, Shelby,” the prince said as a greeting. “I appreciate it.” He stood back so Shelby could enter, something she did on wooden legs.
“I washed my hair. Is it going to work to have it wet?”
“That’s fine,” Shelby said so quietly that Nikolai looked down at her. Her face was a bright red, and he watched as her eyes skittered to his chest and back across the room. There was no missing her discomfort, but he opted to ignore her bright features.
“I’ve got a chair in here,” the prince began as he led the way. “If it doesn’t make me high enough, I can call for a stool.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Shelby said without thought. Had she been thinking, she would have known it was perfect. The prince was many inches taller than she was, making things much more even if he was sitting down—something he did the moment he entered the bathroom.
Shelby looked at him, swallowed past a dry throat, and spoke. “Maybe you could tell me what you like.”
“You can trim all over or just get the hair off my ears. I like it longer in the back.”
Shelby nodded. She had certainly noticed this and also how attractive the prince’s hair was, but she never planned to touch it. Telling her hands to stop shaking, she started in the front and worked her way to the sides. His hair was a dream to cut. Long before she reached the back, she was into her job. Her eyes on her work, she forgot he was the prince and simply enjoyed working with his hair, which was thick and black with just the right amount of wave. Shelby loved the way it curled softly on his neckline.
Nikolai was in another place entirely. He hadn’t counted on the effect of having Shelby’s hands in his hair. They hadn’t as yet had any physical contact, and now her soft hands were touching his head and neck with the utmost care. Nikolai found himself wanting to touch her in return.
And all the time he watched her. If she was in front of him, his eyes were glued to her face. If she was on his side or in the back, he watched her in the mirror. Her brow lowered in concentration a few times, and she had a tendency to purse her lips, all of which he found very distracting. At one point she glanced into the mirror to find his eyes on her and lost her composure, nearly dropping the comb. After a moment she pulled her eyes away and continued. She ended up cutting his whole head and then looking at him with anxiety.
“Thank you, Shelby. It looks great,” Nikolai said, coming to his feet and barely glancing in the mirror. There was no point in looking; he wouldn’t have shown his disappointment even if he had hated the cut.
“Are you certain? Maybe I can do something more if you don’t like it.”
Nikolai forced himself to look into the mirror. His brows rose. It looked good, very good.
“It’s perfect,” he was able to tell her honestly, looking down to find her still watching him. Before he could change his mind, he bent and kissed her cheek.
She looked surprised but not flustered. Her eyes stayed on him for a moment before they dropped.
“Why don’t I get a broom and sweep some of this hair up?”
“Because I need to get into the shower and be on my way to a Council meeting.”
“I can come back when you’re gone.”
“It’s all right, Shelby. This isn’t as easy a place to cut hair as the kitchen porch, but Arlanda will see that someone cleans it up.”
Shelby nodded, knowing this was to be expected. She moved out the bathroom door and back the way she had come.
“Are you returning to your room?” Nikolai asked as he followed her.
Shelby turned and nodded.
“Go this way,” Nikolai said, moving to the door that joined their rooms. He turned the knob and held it open wide. “This will save you a few steps.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you. I may never go back to my barber.”
Shelby smiled at him as he shut the door with a wave. For a moment Shelby stood and simply stared at the closed portal.
Something is happening here, Lord. I don’t know exactly what, but things feel different. I don’t feel ready for intimacy with this man, but lately he watches me so much. Please don’t let him ask too soon. Please don’t let it be all physical so that I feel used. I don’t expect a miracle, but if he’s still so much in love with Yvette, don’t let him say or do anything that will hurt me. Shelby stopped. Her prayer suddenly seemed very selfish. What about Nikolai’s needs, Shelby? Are you thinking of those? The Bible commands husbands and wives to come together so as not to fall into temptation. If your husband needs you physically, you need to be prepared for that.
Shelby knew that was going to be easier said than done. They had spent so little time together. They had begun to talk more, but in so many ways he was still a stranger.
I’m starting to worry, Father, and I can’t do that. Please don’t bring it to pass before I’m ready, and help me to be ready whenever You bring it to pass. It was a prayer that Shelby prayed off and on the entire day.
“Oh, Shelby,” the queen exclaimed, “you look lovely. This blue is wonderful on you.”
“Thank you,” Shelby replied, accepting the compliment and the hug. The king was next, putting his arms around her and hugging her close before he bent to kiss her cheek.
“You look nice too, Nicky,” Erica teased her son, who was standing back and waiting for his parents to greet his wife.
“Thank you, Mother,” he replied dryly as he hugged her close.
“I hope you’re hungry, because dinner is ready and Maisie outdid herself. We’re having grilled sole and orange pepper rice, and because she knew Shelby was coming, dessert is peach cobbler and cream.”
“I’m starved,” the king proclaimed before Shelby could even express her thanks.
The four adults took chairs at the dining table, and just as soon as the king returned thanks, the food began to appear. It started with a wonderful lettuce salad, filled with all types of garden greens and topped with a light oil dressing. Small cups of onion soup were next. To go with both the soup and the salad, melt-in-your-mouth rolls arrived nonstop.
Shelby dug in. She knew full well that the staff in the north quadrant could produce such delights, but so often she and the prince were gone. Shelby rarely ordered anything with more than two courses because it seemed a waste for one person. She had to admit, however, that this was delicious.
“How is everything?” the king asked. “I know Maisie will want to know if you were pleased.”
“It’s excellent, isn’t it, Shelby?” her husband asked.
“Yes,” Shelby agreed fervently. “I was just thinking that Fran is capable of producing the same delights and that Nikolai and I ought to stay home more often.”
“Are you out most evenings, Shelby?” the queen asked.
“Yes. Not so much on weekends, but during the week it’s about four nights out of five. People ask so far in advance that I look at my clear calendar and think I’m completely free. Then the time rolls around, and I have nonstop appointments. I’m in the process of slowing down a little.”
“You don’t want to get tired,” the king said with kind concern.
“No,” Shelby agreed, glancing at her husband to see that he was smiling.
“I think we missed something,” Erica observed.
“Shelby wishes she’d missed it too,” Nikolai said rather dryly, and Shelby found she was able to laugh over this.
Dessert was served in the yellow parlor with coffee and wonderful, warm conversation. Shelby still felt shy around her husband, but the banter among the four of them was fast-paced enough to help her over the awkward moments. The evening was still in full swing when the king mentioned the fair.
“Three weeks from tomorrow,” he told Shelby. “It’s an annual event that runs from Saturday morning to Monday noon.”
“I’ve read about the King’s Fair, but I’m not sure of the schedule.”
“We start with games for the children on Saturday morning followed by a big lunch. After lunch we have a skeet-shooting contest. There will be a concert after dinner on Saturday night, and we always take off on Sunday morning so we can get to church. Sunday afternoon is the tug-of-war before an early dinner in the evening. Monday morning we present the awards to all the winners of the games and go home after a big brunch.”
“It sounds delightful,” Shelby said honestly. “My brother has been on two tug-of-war teams. I’ll have to tell him so he can come watch.”
“Watch?” Nikolai sounded outraged. “If he can pull, we need him. Toby always brings men who try to tear our arms out of their sockets.”
“Would you really want him to participate?” Shelby asked in surprise.
“Of course. He’s family now, and we need him. Father and I both pulled in school, but my uncles don’t have a good grasp of the technique.”
“And two of them are quite small,” Erica added.
“So one team is family?” Shelby confirmed.
“Yes. Toby sets up a team that he pulls on, and so do Council members Royden and Lindell,” the king went on. “It’s the best two out of three pulls.”
“I’d better get Brice’s number from you, Shelby.” Nikolai was taking a piece of paper from his pocket. “Or do you want to call and ask him?”
“You can ask him,” she said, thinking it would be a nice surprise for her brother, who had had very little opportunity to speak with the prince. Shelby gave him the number and then listened as the conversation went back to the subject of the fair. After a moment it stopped making sense. The king had just said he would be making breakfast.
“You do the cooking?” Shelby asked.
“At the Palace Fair, yes.”
“Oh, the Palace Fair. Is that soon too?”
“A week after the King’s Fair. We used to schedule them farther apart, but the whole point is to give the staff a break. What could be better than that after they’ve worked so hard at the King’s Fair?”
“The King’s Fair is always the last weekend in September, Shelby. And the Palace Fair is the first Saturday in October.”
“The Palace Fair is just one day?”
“The actual fair, yes, but the staff has off until Tuesday at noon.”
“What can I do?” Shelby asked.
“Any of a dozen jobs. We’ll be worked hard, but it’s fun, and the staff and their families adore it,” said the queen.
“Don’t forget the children,” Rafe reminded her.
“Oh, yes. Anton’s mother does a magician’s act. It’s a scream. Her sleight of hand isn’t as polished as it used to be, so she ends up turning it into a comedy routine.”
Shelby’s mouth was still open. “The queen mother?”
They laughed at her expression.
“Yes, as a matter-of-fact, she’s so popular that she performs at both fairs,” Rafe added.
“There’s more,” Nikolai continued. “My grandfather juggles soccer balls.”
Shelby’s eyes had grown to immense proportions. The three other family members all laughed hysterically at her.
“I won’t need to do anything like that, will I?”
“Well,” Nikolai surprised her by speaking up, “I think we could set up a hair-cutting booth. That would be fun for a change. You could just use your scissors all day and throw in a shave or two as well.”
Shelby, not seeing the gleam in his eyes, fell for it hook, line, and sinker. She swallowed convulsively and nodded in the sweet way they’d come to expect.
“All right. I could try that if you think it will help.”
“Oh, Nicky,” the queen said with a soft voice, one that was lost on Shelby. Shelby’s eyes were on the coffee table, and she appeared to be lost in intense thought. She actually jumped a little when Nikolai reached over and took her hand. Shelby’s eyes came to him.
“I’m teasing you,” he said softly, his eyes contrite. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Shelby nodded, her face going red even as she realized how soft and warm his hand felt on hers. She forced herself not to look down on the sofa between them, but his hand felt very nice. He held hers until his mother offered him a warm-up of his coffee. With the teasing incident behind them, the conversation moved on, but Shelby felt the pressure of Nikolai’s hand on her own for some hours to follow.
“We certainly enjoyed having you and Shelby dine with us on Friday night,” Rafe told Nikolai on Monday morning. Council had not been called into session yet, and the two men had just had breakfast with King Regent Anton.
“We enjoyed it too.”
“Shelby was as relaxed as I’ve ever seen her.”
“Yes, she was. It was better before I teased her about cutting hair.”
“I think she took it all right,” the king said. “She still blushes easily, that’s for certain.”
Rafe watched Nikolai’s face for a moment. He had nodded in agreement but then looked rather pensively across the room.
“How are you doing, Nick?”
Nikolai sighed and answered without looking at his father. “How can I still miss Yvette and yet be drawn to Shelby?”
“Because Shelby is here and needs you. Yvette doesn’t.”
Nikolai turned and stared at his father. It was said so simply, but it was also glaringly on target. Yvette didn’t need him anymore; it was time to face that fact. Shelby, on the other hand, needed him very much, and Nikolai was never more aware of that than at this moment.
“Does that help issues, Nick, or just make them more painful for you?” the king asked.
“I think it helps. I’m feeling things I didn’t know were possible. I don’t love Shelby, but I do care. I care if I think she’s going to get a sunburn or if she isn’t getting enough rest or time with her family.”
“That’s where love begins, Nick. I felt as though I loved your mother the moment I set eyes on her, when in reality I was probably just infatuated. When I learned she had the flu and I couldn’t get her from my mind, I knew that the initial feelings, whatever they were, were going deeper.”
“I care if I think she’s afraid, especially of me,” Nikolai continued, almost as if Rafe hadn’t spoken. “I want the staff to give her extra care but also for her to feel free to come and go as she pleases. I find myself lying in bed at night sometimes wondering if she’s all right. She’s on my mind so much lately, and when I see her, I just want to stare.”
“May I give you a word of advice, son?”
“Yes. Anything.”
“Don’t fight it, Nick. If you’
re falling for your wife, allow yourself the privilege and enjoy it. Romance and court your wife until she feels all the tenderness, support, and security your love will bring to her.”
Nikolai looked at his father again, seeing him with new eyes. He knew his father was passionately in love with his mother, but he tended to be a nuts-and-bolts type of man. There was no denying the fact, however, that Nikolai had just heard him say “romance and court your wife.”
“Thank you, Father.” Nikolai smiled at him, his heart feeling a bit lighter. “I don’t know how I’m going to go about this, but I won’t know unless I try.”
Rafe’s brows rose. “Considering how distracted Shelby was after you held her hand on Friday night, I think you’ll be able to come up with something.”
A soft chime sounded down the hallway. The time had slipped away from them; Council was starting. Without another word, both men exited the king’s Council Building office and moved to the Council chamber. At least for the moment, Nikolai and Shelby’s relationship had to be placed on hold.
The evening was progressing as it usually did. Shelby was at an evening function, dressed in one of her many stunning gowns and surrounded by people who wanted to speak to her. Some of them she knew and others she had only just met. There was one major difference this evening: Nikolai was with her.
Dinner was over, and the dance would be starting soon. Shelby hoped with all of her heart that her husband would remember to come and claim her for at least one dance. So far no one had asked her for the first dance, something that had never happened before. She thought there might be rules about this. Maybe the only reason she’d been asked before was because the guests knew she was on her own.
The first strands of a waltz started up just then, and everyone turned toward the floor. Their host and hostess, Major and Mrs. Walker, walked to the middle of the ballroom floor and danced for several minutes before the orchestra leader gave a signal for everyone to join in. Shelby was not left standing alone, but the women in her group were silent as the floor filled up. Shelby kept her eyes on the dancers. She didn’t think anyone would cast a pitying look in her direction, but if they dared, she might be tempted to say something unkind.