The Princess

by Lori Wick

  “I need to find a gift for one of the women in my Bible study and a card for your great grandmother’s birthday.” She hesitated but then admitted, “If I see some dresses or shoes that catch my eye, I’ll look at those too.”

  “Good” was all he said, and Shelby had a thought.

  “When do you shop for yourself, Nick?”

  “I usually wait until I’m at the lake house. There’s a small shop up there that carries a lot of things I like. They also have mail order, so I take advantage of that.”

  “What size are you?” Shelby asked before she thought.

  Nikolai laughed. “Large, Shelby, very large.”

  The waitress came to take their order, and Shelby felt instantly sorry for her. She could not take her eyes from the prince. Nikolai didn’t seem to notice in the least and gave his order in a kind but impersonal manner. Shelby couldn’t stop her compassionate smile when the woman walked away.

  “What?”

  “Oh, nothing.”

  “That smile doesn’t mean nothing, Red—now give over.”

  Shelby shook her head. “I was just taking pity on the waitress. She was quite taken with you.”

  Nikolai stared at her and then looked in the direction of the kitchen. When he looked back, his face told Shelby that he was completely at sea.

  “You didn’t notice the way she stared at you?”

  He shook his head no.

  “It’s nice to know you’re not conceited.” Shelby went ahead and said what she was thinking.

  “About what?”

  “Your looks.”

  In an instant Nikolai realized he wanted to know what Shelby thought of his looks but also saw that asking would make him seem full of himself. He had to let it go, but Shelby’s opinion of his looks and all else concerning his life lingered in his mind for a long time afterward.

  Fifteen

  Shelby was not certain how she would be received at the care center, but she went anyway. Her change in procedures made it difficult to visit unless it was in an official capacity, but knowing that she could brighten the day of some of the residents sent her on. It wasn’t as bad as she might have expected. Mrs. Radford’s manner was a bit cool, but she did greet Shelby respectfully and even thanked her for coming.

  Shelby had some papers to return to one of the secretaries, and finishing that task, she set out toward the recreation hall to visit for about an hour. As Shelby hoped, Mrs. Rose was there. Mrs. Rose was from Shelby’s neighborhood in Henley, and the younger woman was always glad to hear stories about when she was growing up. Mrs. Wills, her roommate, was also in attendance this day, and the three of them settled in for a visit.

  “I remember when the factory that makes those baked goods was built,” Mrs. Rose said with a nod. “We all would stand in the street and just smell the goodies they made. And when they had the parade during Henley Festival Days, they would drive trucks down the street and hand out little cakes and such.”

  “I could live on Fairy Cakes,” Shelby admitted, and the older women smiled at her.

  “How is life at the palace?” Mrs. Wills asked, as she always did.

  “Just fine. The prince is meeting with the Council today, as are the king and king regent.”

  “So what do all the ladies do on those days?”

  “Well, I came here to the care center, but I haven’t talked to anyone else.”

  “Don’t you remember what she told us, Ida?” Mrs. Rose put her oar in. “The palace is all split up like apartments. They don’t see each other unless they purpose to.”

  Shelby only smiled. If the north quadrant was an apartment, it was the largest in the world. She knew, however, that the best part of discretion would be to keep this to herself.

  “Princess Shelby,” Kris said, suddenly at her side. “May I see you a moment?”

  “Of course. Excuse me, ladies.”

  Shelby rose and moved to the edge of the room with him without question but found his behavior rather confusing.

  “What is it, Kris?”

  “There is a fire in the kitchen.”

  “Oh, no.” Shelby grabbed his arm. “What can I do?”

  “What you can do is leave with me immediately.”

  “That’s out of the question,” she said, blinking in surprise. “We’ve got to help.”

  “The prince would not thank me if you were harmed, Princess Shelby. We need to leave.”

  “Why aren’t they moving the residents out?”

  “They will if they can’t contain the fire, but right now it’s small. We must go.”

  Shelby looked him in the eye. “We’re not leaving until we learn what’s going on.”

  The words were no more out of Shelby’s mouth than Mrs. Radford stepped in the door and blew a whistle.

  “I need everyone to come into the hallway please.” Her voice was raised in order to be heard. “If you can move yourselves, do so in an orderly manner. If you need assistance, someone will be with you shortly.”

  Shelby was off like a shot. She made it to Mrs. Rose’s side in a moment and began to wheel her to the hall.

  “Kris, get Mrs. Wills’ chair, will you please?”

  That he was not happy with her was more than obvious, but he followed close behind, wheeling Mrs. Wills’ chair as he went.

  “Go ahead and move them to the front lawn,” Mrs. Radford directed as she passed, and Shelby made a beeline for the front door.

  “Shelby,” Mrs. Rose said when they were outside. “I didn’t want to come outside. It’s too cold these days.”

  “I’ll get you a blanket.”

  Shelby found her wrist caught in a steel grip.

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Kris commanded in a voice Shelby hadn’t heard before.

  “Kris, I might be needed inside,” she began, but he only shook his head.

  With one hand he held her, and with the other he reached for the phone at his waist. He could have howled with frustration when it didn’t work. He pushed several buttons, but the phone was dead. His next thought was to check the batteries, something he proceeded to do. It took less than a second to see his mistake. The moment he let go of the princess, she headed back to the door of the care center. Thinking he would have plenty to answer for, he put the phone back in its holder so his hands would be free and went after her.

  Not in all the years he’d lived in the north quadrant did Nikolai ever remember Murdock coming to get him from a Council meeting. The man’s face gave nothing away—it never did—but Nikolai couldn’t help but be alarmed.

  “Yes, Murdock, what is it?” Nikolai questioned as soon as they were in the hall.

  “I thought you should know that we just heard a news report. There is a fire at the care center.”

  “Is Kris with the princess?”

  “He is, but we can’t raise him on the phone.”

  Nikolai thought fast. “Get word to my father, explain to him what you’ve heard, and tell him I’m headed there.”

  “I’ll do it, sir.”

  Nikolai moved for the front door, thankful for Murdock’s efficiency. Ivan was already waiting with the car, and a moment later he was on his way.

  It was tragic that it sometimes took an emergency to show people what they needed to do. Mrs. Radford had meant well, but by not evacuating everyone as soon as the fire started, they now had a full-blown panic on their hands as they rushed the old and infirm to the doors, working as they went to keep everyone calm.

  Kris was not a lot of help, as all he would do was shadow Shelby. She was quite exasperated with him, but knowing what his job required, he ignored her frustration. He had only just stopped wasting his breath telling Shelby to come with him. When the firemen would allow no one else in, he simply followed her as she moved about the lawn, calming fears and giving away her coat and anything else she had to make people more comfortable. This was the way Nikolai found her. She was bent over an old man who was crying for something he’d been forced to leave behind.
She had no coat, vest, or shoes, but seemed otherwise unharmed.

  “I think it will be all right, sir,” he heard her say. “The fire is under control. I don’t think it touched your wing.”

  Shelby spoke to the man for several minutes before she noticed her husband. She had not been aware of him or his conversation with Kris but had been very glad to see him. On Nikolai’s part, he was so glad to see she was safe that nothing else mattered—almost nothing.

  The next two hours were spent helping out wherever they could, but many people had to be transported to other facilities, and there was little the royal couple could do. When Nikolai finally said it was time to go, Shelby was ready. For the moment Nikolai just wanted to see her safely home—something he did without fuss. He made a call to his father to inform him of the situation and then asked him to pray.

  “Can you be specific?”

  “Shelby said no to her companion.”

  “I’ll pray,” the monarch promised just before his son rang off.

  Nikolai chose a quiet spot for his talk with Shelby. She had showered and dressed comfortably, and they had eaten a light meal. Nikolai then took her hand and asked her to join him in the blue parlor, over by the windows. The table they sat at was a game table, not very wide, but sturdy and smooth in a deep rosewood. Nikolai felt a hunger to touch his wife and reached for her hands as soon as she set them on the tabletop.

  “I was proud of you today,” he said softly, looking into the velvety depths of her dark brown eyes. “You comforted a lot of people, and I know they appreciated you.”

  “I don’t feel I did all that much. So many people were frightened.”

  Nikolai nodded, weighing his next words.

  “You’ve fit into the palace so smoothly, Shelby, that I sometimes forget you didn’t grow up in the royal family.”

  Shelby studied him a moment. “I think that might have been a compliment, but I feel a ‘but’ coming on.”

  “You’re right.” He was glad she sensed it. “Shelby, you can’t say no to your companion.”

  The princess blinked. “I had no choice, Nikolai. Kris wanted me to leave.”

  “Shelby,” he said, repeating her name firmly, “you can’t say no to your companion.”

  “I can’t live like that—” she began, but Nikolai gave her hands a light squeeze and cut her off.

  “The companions chosen by the crown were picked with extreme care. It’s a rare situation, but they are here to protect our lives. Am I making sense to you?”

  “Yes, Nikolai, but I’m not a child. Unless I’ve been knocked unconscious, I feel I’m able to make judgments on my own.”

  Nikolai reached up now and very tenderly held her face between his hands.

  “What if someone with a vendetta against the royal family had started that fire? I’m not sure you realize that over the years we’ve had more than our share of Pendarans who opposed us. What if you don’t see the situation for what it is and decide you can handle it on your own?”

  “It’s not the same thing.”

  “It is, Shelby.” Nikolai still managed to keep his voice level, but he was ready to pull rank. “I’ve given Kris new instructions. He has my permission to bodily remove you from any situation that he deems dangerous.”

  “You can’t be serious,” his wife whispered.

  “I’m very serious. He even has my permission to knock you unconscious if you fight him.”

  Shelby’s mouth dropped open.

  “Shelby,” Nikolai cut in before she could speak, “Kris’ job is on the line here, not to mention your life. He has the right to see you to safety whether you like it or not. If ever he acts unwisely, and it’s proven that he took advantage of his position, he’ll be dismissed, but your saying no to him today was very serious. He’s just glad he still has a job.”

  Shelby’s eyes went from shock to looking like those of a lost child. Nikolai’s heart broke a little, but this was too serious to relent.

  “I didn’t know.”

  “I realize that.”

  “You didn’t fire him, did you?”

  “No, I understood the situation as soon as he explained it.” His mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. “What he described was just like you. I would have been surprised if you’d have left without a qualm.”

  “They needed me,” Shelby said softly.

  His eyes drilling into hers, Nikolai said, “I need you more.”

  Shelby took a shuddering breath. “Oh, Nicky, I honestly didn’t realize.”

  Nikolai bent over the table and pressed a kiss to her brow, dropping his hands back to hers.

  “I don’t want you to beat yourself up over this. I just want you to be more aware for next time.”

  “I need to apologize to Kris.”

  “As a matter of fact, you don’t. He spoke to me about that. He could tell from the get-go that you didn’t understand. And as you’ve probably already guessed, he’s a most patient and understanding fellow.”

  “He’s certainly proved that with me.”

  “Don’t ever forget, Shelby, that he loves his job.”

  Shelby sat back, feeling utterly drained. Not even when she left the care center did she feel so spent.

  “I think you need an early night.”

  “I think you might be right. I never thanked you for coming. I was glad to look up and see you there.”

  Again Nikolai smiled. “After seeing that you were all right, I had all I could do not to shout at you for giving away your shoes.”

  Shelby looked chagrined. “You should have seen them on the feet of the little old man I gave them to. His bathrobe was red, his pajamas were gray, and my shoes were a bright pink.”

  The description got Nikolai to laughing. “You gave them to an elderly gentleman?”

  “Yes. He said his feet were cold.”

  Nikolai laughed for a long time, and Shelby just watched him. It had not been easy to have him tell her that she had been wrong, but when she saw past the embarrassment, she saw this as an act of caring. For this reason and one other, she smiled at him.

  “What does that smile mean?”

  “Do I really smile so little that you must question me each time?”

  “No, but you have different types of smiles, and that’s one I haven’t seen before.”

  “Well, you’ll have to get over it, since I’m not telling you what I’m thinking.”

  “Come on, Red,” he coaxed, but she would not be swayed.

  Nikolai, knowing she was tired but wanting more time with her, suggested a game of cards. They decided on Hand and Foot and played for the next two hours. By the time Shelby went to bed she was ready to sleep, but she still managed to drift off with Nikolai on her mind, most specifically his telling her that he needed her.

  Now for matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

  Shelby sat back after reading these verses in 1 Corinthians 7 and thought about them for a long time. She had read them before, but not since she’d married and certainly not since Nikolai had told her he wanted their relationship to become intimate.

  It would seem that Nikolai and I have an obligation to each other. I can’t say that I feel tempted at this point, but maybe it’s different for Nikolai.

  Shelby had no more finished saying this to the Lord than she realized how true it must
be. Her husband had been married already; he knew all about intimacy. Most of it was still a mystery to Shelby, but this one point was clear: Men viewed such things differently than women.

  What this meant for Shelby, she wasn’t sure, but she needed to stay open to the subject. She went back to her reading, still believing the ball was in her court.

  “Prince Nikolai,” Peter whispered softly in the quiet waiting room.

  “Yes, Peter?”

  “Will he die?”

  Nikolai reached over and put an arm around the boy’s shoulders, glad that he didn’t stiffen or pull away.

  “I don’t know, Peter. The doctors say he’s pretty sick.”

  “I wish my sister had been home.”

  “You did the right thing in going for Toby. He’s talking to the doctor, and then he’ll try to call your sisters.”

  “You came fast,” the boy said quietly, and Nikolai saw no need to comment. He had come swiftly, though. Peter had asked for him, and Toby had called. Late as it was, Nikolai had left the palace ten minutes later.

  “Would it be all right if I pray, Peter?”

  The boy looked at him. “I tried that tonight for the first time. I don’t think He heard.”

  “I was just reading my Bible this morning. Do you want to know what I read?”

  Peter nodded.

  “I read that the way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. I’ve known that for some time, but I need to be reminded often that I’m a sinner, that I can’t get to God or even talk to Him on my own. First I need to believe in God’s Son; then I know that when I pray, He hears me.”

  “So if you pray right now, God will hear you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you pray for my dad?”

  Nikolai pulled Peter a bit closer as he bowed his head. “Father in heaven, thank You for Peter. Thank You that he wanted to call me and that I was able to be here with him. Right now, Lord, I ask You to put Your hand on Mr. Owens. He’s very sick, Lord, and I would ask You, in Your will, to heal his body. But I would mostly ask You to heal his soul. We all sin against You, Lord—Peter, myself, and Mr. Owens—and You are the only One who can save us from those sins. When we’re hurting or injured, Father, our first thought is for You to ease our pain. Use this pain, Lord, to make us more aware of You.”