The Secret Princess

by Beth Harbison

  Amy took the paper and shook it open. There, on the front page, was a very large photo of Will and her kissing. The headline beneath shouted Prince and Princess to Marry! in German so clear and obvious that even Amy could comprehend it.

  The photo wasn’t as unflattering as it could have been. Will looked tall and dark, with a shadow of a beard on his strong, chiseled jaw, and his glossy dark hair falling across his eyes. Amy looked slender in his strong embrace, for which she was grateful, especially after all of the rich food she’d been eating since arriving in Lufthania. Unfortunately, her face was partially visible and, she felt, highly recognizable.

  “The two of you look very much in love.”

  Amy felt her cheeks grow hot, even while a thrill ran through her body at the memory of that kiss. “Letty, we barely know each other.”

  Letty flicked the newspaper with her finger. “That’s not what it looks like to me. Or to the rest of Lufthania.”

  “Do they really care about this?”

  “Indeed they do!” Letty poured some coffee for Amy. “It’s been nearly thirty years since Lufthania had a happily married prince and princess on the throne.” She looked at Amy with pride. “Your grandparents. God rest their souls.”

  Amy smiled politely.

  Letty went on. “And the people want that romance. We want that happiness to look to. You and Prince Wilhelm could be so good together.”

  “But we’re not together.”

  “And do you not want to be?” Letty lowered her chin and looked at Amy in such a way as to suggest that of course she wanted to be with Will and there was no way that Letty would believe anything else.

  “It wouldn’t matter if I did.” She sighed. “He’s determined to get as far away from this palace and this role as he can, just as soon as he passes the reins to me.” It pained her to say the words aloud, but she knew that she had to accept the truth. He was moving on. Just as everyone else she’d ever cared about had moved on. Better that he was doing it now than waiting until…well, until she was more attached.

  If that was possible.

  “Perhaps he is just frightened, my darling.” Letty smoothed Amy’s hair back.

  “Of what?”

  “Of the same things you are. Of loving. Of being loved. Of losing.”

  How had Letty read all of that in her? “He’s a prince, Letty,” Amy said, deciding it was easier to focus on Will than on her own fears. “He could have anything he wanted. Why would he be afraid of anything?”

  “Because, unfortunately, being a prince, or a princess, doesn’t protect you from all of the bad things in life.”

  Amy nodded. Obviously, her parents’ story was proof of that. “But I would imagine that it helped on the romantic front.”

  Letty shook her head. “Wilhelm was engaged once. To a woman I don’t think he truly loved. Not the way he loves now, that is.”

  “Now?” Amy asked with trepidation. Letty had just suggested that she and Will should be together, but she’d said nothing about love. Yet here she was implying that he was in love, which must mean he was in love with someone else.

  It was a thought Amy found hard to bear.

  Letty chuckled softly. “I mean that he is in love with you, my dear.”

  Amy’s breath left her in one long, relieved rush. “Why do you think so?”

  “My dear, I have known that boy since he was ten years old. He was not close to his parents, or his extended family, and he wanted nothing to do with the court or staff of the palace. But he did have a little dog he loved as a child. I knew then that he had the capacity. But I did not see that kind of affection brought out in him again until you arrived.”

  Amy raised an eyebrow. “So he loves me like a pet dog?”

  “No, no, no. I mean only that not since that dog was alive have I seen Wilhelm truly warm toward anyone or anything.”

  “But he had a fiancée!”

  “Yes. Ella. She came from a fine family and it was thought that they would make a good match. But Wilhelm was reluctant to marry her, I think. And the more reluctant he became, the more she clung to him. She was lost in a ski accident after she insisted upon joining him on the slopes of Pirro Mountain.” Letty clucked her tongue and shook her head. “It was something she never should have attempted, yet Prince Wilhelm always felt it was his fault.”

  Amy felt so sorry for both Ella and Will, both for their own separate reasons. “So it’s guilt?” she asked. “He didn’t love her?”

  Letty shook her head. “I’m sorry to say that no, I do not believe he did. But now…” She put her hands on Amy’s shoulders. “Now he has a new chance to love. As do you. I hope you won’t let this chance slip away.”

  There was a knock on the door before Amy had a moment to think about that.

  “I’ll see who it is,” Letty said, bustling over to the door.

  Amy sipped her coffee and took a thoughtful bite of a croissant. Was it possible that Will really did have feelings for her? Was it possible that the feelings she had for him were genuine, even though they hadn’t known each other for very long?

  The truth was that ever since she’d arrived in Lufthania, she’d felt at home. It could be argued that it was because she finally was home again, and that somewhere in her subconscious she remembered enough of her brief life here to make her feel as if she belonged.

  But Amy wasn’t so sure that was the whole reason. Since the moment she’d met Will, she’d found something about him intriguing. On the plane ride to Lufthania, he had been charming and funny and even a little bit exasperating. But nothing he’d done had made her feel anything less than fond of him.

  As soon as they’d arrived, he’d taken over, confidently commanding the people around him and making sure that everything went smoothly. Part of Amy felt it was a shame he’d be leaving the monarchy, since he was so smooth and competent. But it was probably best that he took those skills to the civil service, where he could truly make a difference. That was, after all, what he wanted to do.

  It was her own selfishness that made her want to keep him here.

  Or her own love.

  “What is the expression?” Letty was asking. “Speak of Satan?”

  “Speak of the devil,” Amy corrected her, and looked up to see Will making his way in. “Oh, hi.”

  “I’ll just go downstairs and talk to the cook about tonight’s menu,” Letty said, letting herself out.

  Amy looked at Will. “Is something wrong?”

  “Everything’s fine,” he said, sitting down in the chair opposite hers. “I just came to say goodbye.”

  “Goodbye?” she echoed. “So soon? I thought you were waiting until at least after the ball.”

  He took a short breath and started to say “This morning,” when his eyes landed on the newspaper next to Amy. “You’ve seen the headlines.”

  She followed his gaze to the paper, then looked back at him. “Yes, I did. I guess we shouldn’t really be all that surprised.”

  “No,” he agreed. “It’s not a surprise. But it does complicate things. I’ll have to leave sooner than I expected to.”

  “Because of this?” She picked up the paper and tried to hide her feelings of dismay at the idea of his leaving. “Why? In light of what they’re saying, wouldn’t it be better if you stayed?”

  “Only if what they were saying was the truth.”

  “But newspapers make things up all the time. That’s how they sell copies.”

  “That’s true,” he conceded. “But Lufthania is a country in great need of hope. Ever since my family took over, there has been a sense of fear and unease in this country. The golden days seemed far behind them. I knew that bringing you back would rejuvenate hope and morale for the people, but giving them the impression that we are going to marry and somehow merge our dynasties can only lead to disappointment.”

  He wasn’t kidding. Amy hadn’t been hoping for, or expecting, or even contemplating, a marriage proposal, but his out-of-hand rejection of the
idea smarted. “We wouldn’t want to give people the wrong idea,” she said dryly.

  “Exactly.”

  “So, tell me, why did you kiss me?” She didn’t bother to point out that he’d done it not once but twice. It was hard enough to be so blunt as to ask, but she wanted to know the answer.

  He looked surprised at the question but regained his composure before answering. “Because you’re a beautiful woman. What man wouldn’t want to kiss you?”

  Under normal circumstances, Amy might have been flattered, but, to the contrary, this felt like a terrible insult. Was that all it had meant to him? “Are you saying that was all about physical attraction?” she asked in disbelief. “And that’s all?”

  He gave a broad shrug. “I’m afraid I’m guilty of that, like any man.”

  She shouldn’t have been surprised. This was precisely the reason she’d tried so hard to resist him. He was a man and men didn’t stick around. She thought she was used to it by now, but she still felt the bitter sting of betrayal. “So now you’re leaving, not because you don’t want the country to get ideas about us but because you don’t want me to get ideas about us, is that right?” She was rigid with anger.

  Something unidentifiable flickered across his expression before he looked at her and said, “I don’t want anyone to get ideas about us.”

  Her heart tightened in her chest but she narrowed her eyes at him and said, as coolly as she could manage, “You needn’t worry about that.”

  “Good.”

  “Now, if you don’t have anything further to discuss…?”

  “Not at all.” He stood up. “I will see you at the ball on Saturday night.”

  “Yes.” There was nothing she could add to that. No matter what she said, it would sound bitter and scornful, and she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing he’d hurt her. Better to hold on to whatever shred of dignity she could, at this point. “Goodbye.”

  He gave a slight bow. “Goodbye.”

  She watched him as he turned and, without looking back even once, left her room and the palace that had been his home for twenty-five years.

  Will didn’t really want to leave, and it wasn’t because of the twenty-five years he’d spent living in the palace. He didn’t give a damn about that. It wasn’t as if he had warm childhood memories of it, or even as if he’d felt he’d accomplished anything particularly worthwhile during his time as crown prince.

  No, the reason he didn’t want to go was because he didn’t want to leave Amy. Yet there was no way he could stay with her, either. He was passing the mantle on to her, not sharing it with her. There was no room in her life for him.

  And there was no room in his life for a relationship with her. He wasn’t good at love. He couldn’t preserve it. Even though he hadn’t been in love with Ella, he’d cared about her, and their relationship was the very thing that, in the end, was her downfall.

  So, knowing it would be his last day at the palace, Will spent a long day in his office, collecting those things he needed to keep and making arrangements for the relocation of his personal effects.

  When he was finally ready to leave, it was after 6:00 p.m.

  Franz had stayed on to assist him, and looked profoundly sad when Will announced it was time for him to leave.

  “Are you certain about this, sir?” he asked.

  Will nodded. “You know as well as I do that it’s time for Princess Amelia to take over. We don’t belong here anymore.”

  “You have been a great ruler, Wilhelm,” Franz said, uncharacteristically personal.

  “I have not been a ruler and you know it.” He patted the old man’s back. “But we had a good tenure here. And your service has been excellent. I’ve seen to it that your future is assured.”

  “Your gesture is appreciated.” Franz looked hesitant and Will had the feeling he had more to say.

  “What is it, Franz? What’s troubling you?”

  “It is the princess, sir. There are those who don’t feel she has a legitimate claim to be here.”

  “Who?” Will was instantly on alert. “Have there been threats to her safety?”

  “Not precisely. I’ve only heard, from others on the staff, that some don’t feel she belongs here. They might make it difficult for her.”

  That was something of a relief to Will. A disgruntled staff member was generally less threatening than a disgruntled military leader or politician. “Who has said this to you?” he asked Franz.

  “I hate to betray a confidence,” Franz began.

  “Who?”

  Franz met his eyes, unintimidated. “I don’t know. Gustav has been working in the guardhouse and he has said there are those who want you to remain. That’s all I know.”

  Will believed him. In all the years he’d known the man, he’d never known him to be dishonest.

  “I’ll speak to him on my way out,” Will said, picking up the only item he intended to carry out himself: a small dagger that had been presented to him in private by Prince Josef before his death. At the time, Prince Josef had known his own family was gone and that Will was the future of his country.

  Franz held his hand out to Will. “It’s been a pleasure serving you, sir,” he said, his pale blue eyes watery.

  Will took the man’s cool, crepey hand in his. “Thank you, Franz.”

  They looked at each other in silent understanding for a moment before Will turned to leave.

  It was a melancholy thing to leave the palace for the last time. The draw back to it was so strong it felt as if he was swimming against the current.

  And Amé was the current.

  It would have been so easy to stay with her, to stop resisting her pull and give in to it. But he had loved and lost a woman before and it had been difficult to get through. He didn’t think it would even be possible to go on if something happened to Amé. Particularly if it was because of his relationship to her.

  And that was a very real danger. There were loyalists to his family and loyalists to hers. Few, if any, were loyalists to both. His remaining with Amé could only make her transition to power more difficult.

  He shook the thought off. There was no point in continuing to talk himself out of being with her, since there was no question about it. He was leaving. He’d already said his goodbyes. All that was left now was for him to go.

  So he did.

  The snow was coming down harder now, making the drive from the palace a treacherous one. Will kept his foot on the brake all the way to the guard’s station. He stopped there to say goodbye to Gustav, but was surprised to find that no one was there.

  He put the car in Park and took out his mobile phone to call Franz.

  “Do you have any idea why there is no guard at the gate?” he asked when Franz answered.

  “No, sir. I gave strict orders for increased security.”

  “I’m coming back,” Will said, more to himself than to Franz. Something wasn’t right. He didn’t know what it was, but he had a bad feeling and he wasn’t going to leave Amé unprotected in the palace as long as he felt that way.

  He turned the vehicle around and headed back toward the palace.

  Would he never be able to leave her, he wondered as the thought of Amé drew him closer.

  She was impossible. Absolutely impossible. But she was so lively and beautiful that he couldn’t get her out of his thoughts. He had a thousand snapshots of her in his mind already: laughing in the snow, dancing in the afternoon light in the ballroom, talking to Herr George in town. She had seemed so at home here.

  And, perhaps even more amazingly, she had made him feel at home.

  Why did he have the terrible feeling that he might lose her?

  He hurried into the palace, nearly knocking Christian over in his haste.

  “Is something wrong?” Christian asked. “Is the princess all right?”

  Will stopped short. “Why do you ask that?”

  “I just saw Gustav on his way to her room,” Christian said, looking worried
. “He had his gun drawn.”

  Will muttered an oath. “It’s Gustav,” he said urgently. “Call the guards to the princess’s quarters immediately. Warn them that he’s armed.”

  “Is she all right?” Christian asked, his voice fretful and small as Will rapidly increased the distance between them.

  “I hope so.” If Christian said anything else, Will didn’t hear him. There was no time for him to stop to reassure Christian now.

  Will ran through the hallways and stopped in front of Amé’s door. He didn’t have a plan. If he burst in, he ran the risk of startling an armed man, which could result in catastrophe. But if didn’t act quickly, there could be a catastrophe, anyway.

  Time won out. He gave a warning cough and pushed the door open.

  When he saw Gustav there, holding a gun on Amé, his heart lurched. It took some effort but he managed to keep from lunging at the man immediately.

  “What’s going on here?” he asked in German, trying to sound more curious than alarmed.

  “There was an intruder, sir,” Gustav said in thick English, giving Will a conspiratorial nod. He was obviously trying to rattle Amé by alerting him to his plans. “As soon as I realized it, I came in to save the princess, but, alas, it was too late.” He leveled the gun at Amé.

  She gasped and looked pleadingly at Will.

  “Wait,” he said to Gustav, not meeting her eyes for fear of giving all of his feelings away, even to a brainless lunk like Gustav. “Are you sure no one saw you come in?”

  “That old goat Christian saw me, but he’s easily taken care of. I’ll tell him I saw an intruder.”

  “Ah, good thinking,” Will said in his most approving manner. “Very well, go ahead and—” He stopped short. “Wait.” He said it in German, to be sure that Gustav understood him. “The draperies are open. With all the press Amelia has been getting lately, you might well have witnesses with cameras directly outside the window. It’s already happened once.” He remembered the kiss pictured in the newspaper and hoped to God he’d have the opportunity to kiss her again.

  Gustav stopped and gave a wild-eyed glance toward the window. “You’re right.”

  “Give me the gun,” Will said, extending his hand. “You close the drapes.”