by Carolyn Rae
“Serena,” said a female voice. “Princess Allysa has been rescued, and they arrested a man named Roberto Alvarez and his three conspirators. They’re all in jail now. But more exciting than that, I hear she may soon announce her engagement. And it isn’t anyone who’s been courting her. It’s her professor from a class she’s been taking.”
“So, when will the wedding be? Did she say?” asked Serena.
“No, but I imagine things will be hopping around here when it happens. Do you suppose the prince will be next? I’ve heard rumors of him sleeping with someone here at the palace, but I’m sure he’ll have to marry a princess.”
Tricia peeked under the spread and saw her maid’s foot tapping as if she were nervous. Was she worrying that her visitor would discover Tricia?
Finally, the visitor left. “You may come out now, your non-highness,” Serena said.
Tricia crawled out and stood. “Guess I’m a nobody again.”
Serena giggled. “I couldn’t help it. I had to say it at least once more.” Serena’s face looked troubled. She fingered the small cameo pendant she wore.
“That’s okay. I won’t hold it against you.” However, Serena still frowned. “Is something bothering you?” Tricia asked.
“It’s so unfair. Prince Lawrence will be limited to choosing some cold princess when he could have anyone he wants, someone who will love him for who he is, not just for his position as prince. A woman who can make mad passionate love to him instead of some ice princess. Why can’t he make his own choice like any other man?”
Tricia longed for the same thing. Even if she were not Prince Lawrence’s choice, she wanted him to have that chance. Serena’s words echoed Tricia’s own thoughts. Could Allysa’s maid have a hopeless crush on Lawrence?
Hopeless was the critical word here. Her own situation was just as hopeless. It was time she went back to the states and concentrated on getting her doctorate. Definitely time to forget a charming prince who kissed like a dream and filled her with ecstasy. Why had she let herself hope when she knew better?
The door flew open. Allysa hurried in and shut the door behind her. “I didn’t think you’d be still here.”
“I’m glad to see you’re okay,” Tricia said. “I’ll leave as soon as it’s dark. I was afraid someone might see me and wonder what was going on.”
Allysa frowned. “Your hateful Roberto kept trying to seduce me. He claimed that would make him feel as if he was really important.”
“He’s not my Roberto.”
“He boasted about you dancing with him.”
“That was only because I wanted him to leave Prince Lawrence alone.”
“I see. When I pointed out that I was pregnant, and that hurting me wouldn’t be something to boast about because I’d make sure everyone knew, he backed off. After that he seemed glad when someone came to take me away. Actually, the coward ran out the back door when he heard someone break the door down.”
“Where was he hiding you?”
“After the palace guard searched the place where you saw me, Roberto took me back there. I guess the soldiers thought he might do that, so they checked again.”
“I’m glad you’re safe now. I’ll leave as soon as I find my clothes.” Tricia opened the armoire and hunted for her jeans. Sure enough, Serena had them washed and pressed. They hung there with her blouse and her other clothes, separated from the Allysa’s clothes. Tricia smoothed out the dress she wore and pulled the back zipper down.
Allysa stood watching. “Why don’t you ask Serena to help you out of the dress?”
Tricia wriggled out of the dress and pulled out a hanger. “I’m not used to having help. I can manage just fine.”
Serena took the dress. “I’ll take that. It will need to be cleaned.”
“How did you get it so wrinkled?” Allysa asked.
“I had to hide under the bed.”
The princess glared at Tricia. “What on earth for?”
“Someone came to the door to tell Serena you were back. I couldn’t let anyone else see me.”
“Oh, I understand.”
Feeling self-conscious with both women watching, Tricia pulled on her jeans and put on her blouse. “Your Highness, if you could lend me some sunglasses and a scarf you seldom wear, I should be able to sneak out the back way and head home to see my family. I haven’t seen my sisters since they left the palace.”
“Your sisters? You didn’t tell me you had sisters staying here,” said Allysa.
“My parents were away for a religious conference, so I brought them with me. I said they were distant cousins.”
“Didn’t the staff question that?”
Tricia shook her head. “Prince Lawrence ordered the servant and the tutor not to comment about their presence to the rest of the staff. If anyone said anything, I didn’t hear about it.”
Tricia buttoned her blouse. “I tried to take good care of your clothes that I wore. The only one I spilled something on I had Serena send to the cleaners.”
Tricia glanced at Allysa’s left hand. “You’re wearing an engagement ring.”
Her Highness held the ring out for Tricia to examine.
“Congratulations. I’m glad you decided to go through with a wedding. It’s best to marry for love. I hope you’ll be happy with your professor.”
“I wanted to choose my husband like women who aren’t royalty. The two suitors I had bored me. I didn’t exactly encourage them to kiss me, but neither even tried. Raphael has more gumption—” She smiled. “And much more sex appeal.”
Tricia smiled. “I saw them at a dinner. They wouldn’t be my cup of tea either.”
Allysa sat down on the bed. “I need to thank you again for masquerading as me when I was gone. I should have remembered there were some state occasions that I had to preside over, but when Raphael asked me to go away with him for a week, I couldn’t resist.”
She smoothed her skirt. “If I hadn’t gone, I would have missed a wonderful trip and fabulous nights. However, if I hadn’t taken those Friday classes, I might not be in this condition.” She patted her tummy and glanced at Serena. “I expect you both to keep my secret.”
Serena nodded. “As only a loyal servant would.” She headed for the door, then stopped. “What are you going to do about a wedding dress? Won’t the royal seamstress guess?”
Tricia fingered the gold framed mirror on the lace-covered dressing table. “I studied dressmaking before deciding to major in sociology. I can make a pattern out of muslin if you show me a design you like, or I can design one that will camouflage your uh . . ..”
Allysa patted her stomach. “My rounded belly you mean.”
Tricia nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Call me Allysa. I guess I can now count you as my friend after all you’ve done for me. You were very brave and risked a lot by escaping from Roberto the way you did.”
“I knew we wouldn’t be rescued soon if I didn’t get away. I’m sorry it took Lawrence, I mean Prince Lawrence so long to find you.”
Allysa stepped over to the dressing table, picked up the gold-plated hairbrush and brushed her long auburn hair. “All the way back from that place where Roberto kept me hidden, my cousin talked about you, about how brave you were. He said that no one who saw your pretty face and lush figure would ever expect you to defend yourself as well. He even said you were good at fencing.”
Tricia couldn’t help smiling. He might admire her and desire her, but did he love her? The people loved Allysa, so they might go along with her marrying the professor. However, Lawrence would have to love her a lot to go against his parents. Especially with his cousin not marrying royalty.
The princess looked Tricia in the eye. “I’m guessing you and he have become very close. Do you realize what would happen if you wanted to marry him?”
Tricia sighed. “I’m afraid he’ll be under a lot of pressure to marry a princess or at least someone of noble birth.”
Allysa nodded. “I hope you aren�
��t serious about him—for your own sake.”
Tricia hesitated. Had she been that obvious, or more likely, had Lawrence been that obvious? What should she say—that she had no designs on him? That would be a boldfaced lie, and she wasn’t in the habit of telling them. Finally, she said, “I guess that wouldn’t be very smart.”
Allysa set down the brush. “No. It wouldn’t.” She pulled out a black velvet scarf with a cut-out design. “Here’s one I haven’t worn. You may keep it.”
“Thank you.” It wasn’t quite dark out, but Tricia couldn’t wait to leave. If she were lucky, she wouldn’t run into Lawrence on the way. She’d be able to get herself safely home, but what it would take to forget him?
“Wait,” the princess said. “Do really think you can make my wedding gown?”
Tricia picked up her bag packed with the few things she’d brought to the palace. “Get Serena to bring you to the house where I’ll be staying with my sisters tomorrow. I’ll take your measurements.” She wrote down the address and handed it to Allysa.
Luckily, it didn’t take long to collect her baggage. Prince Lawrence approached her in the hallway, but servants were moving to and fro in the passageway. He bowed and said, “Goodbye. I hope you have a pleasant journey home.” She searched his face for some kind of message, but only saw his public appearance expression, a solemn face with the hint of a smile. “Perhaps we shall meet again one of these days,” was all he said before heading the other direction down the corridor.
How cold was that? “Wait,” Tricia said, hoping at least for one of his glorious smiles. “In case you wish to contact me in the future, Serena has my address in the states. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my sisters.”
He smiled briefly, bowed, and strode on down the hall, followed by a servant.
Tricia’s stomach knotted. Was that all he could say after their wonderful times together? Would he even contact her again, or would he look around for his next conquest? Shoulders slumping, she trudged toward the foyer with Serena carrying her bag. What a sad ending to such an exciting time. Nothing else would seem quite as wonderful.
* * *
Back at their house the surroundings seemed colorless and shabby. Tricia checked the mail and the answering machine, but found no messages.
She supposed it would appear strange if the prince invited her to tea either at the castle or at a cafe. Boy, wouldn’t that cause a lot of gossip? But somehow, she kept wishing he would anyhow.
She really regretted not being able to kiss him goodbye. Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine his lips on hers once more. It was no use. Imagining couldn’t come near the marvelous feel of his mouth on hers or the way it felt when she kissed him back.
She still found it hard to believe she’d had the nerve to make love with him the way she did. After all he was a prince, and she was a nobody. But his loving had been wonderful.
Over the next two weeks Princess Allysa came several times for fittings for her wedding gown, but never once did Lawrence come with her.
When it came time to sew pearls on the dress, Tricia had her sisters help. Cindy looked up from sewing on the pearl beads. “That dress is so beautiful. Tricia. Don’t you wish you were getting married to Prince Lawrence in a dress like this? Maybe you could marry him after Princess Allysa has her wedding. You could wear the same dress.”
Brushing unwanted wetness from her eyes, Tricia shook her head. “Lawrence has to marry a princess or a noble’s daughter. I got along okay taking her place for a short time, but I can’t marry the prince because I wasn’t born to royalty. And everyone will see Princess Allysa wearing this dress, so I couldn’t wear it.”
Becky snipped the thread after knotting it around a pearl. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you—as if he wanted to kiss you. I bet he’s done it already and more—has he?”
Tricia could feel the heat rising to her face. How could she deny it?
Becky grinned. “You have, haven’t you? What was it like?”
“Marvelous, but you mustn’t tell anyone. We had to be careful so no one would see us kiss.”
Cindy patted Tricia’s arm. “We won’t tell, at least not anyone here in Cordillera.”
Becky stared at Cindy. “Bet she boasts about it at school when she gets back to the states. Are you going to tell any man you date that he doesn’t kiss as good as the prince of Cordillera?”
Tricia shook her head. “That’s not good manners, and besides it might hurt my date’s feelings to compare him with a prince.” Although in her heart, she’d measure every man she dated against Lawrence.
Somehow, she got through the wedding, watching Allysa marry her professor with the prince acting as one of the groomsmen. Then she saw him waiting beside the row of pews where she was sitting. Was he waiting to escort her from the chapel? Surely not. But he offered his arm.
Hastening to clasp her hand around his arm, he bent to whisper, “What’s your phone number?”
Her heart beating faster, she gave it to him. He repeated it, then after they reached the vestibule he pulled out his phone and entered it. In a low voice, he said, “I’ll call you.”
However, all during the reception he stayed away. More than one guest asked her if she were related to the princess. Each time she shook her head and explained she was from the United States and no relation.
During the next morning, she waited, but the phone didn’t ring. Like some American jerks who said they’d call, he didn’t.
“Like a lovesick fool, she waited by her phone. By noon her heart broke, by three she was plum pissed off. But when it rang at five after three, she couldn’t run to answer fast enough. “Hello.” She hoped she didn’t sound breathless.
“I’m glad I got through. It’s hard to figure out how this new cell phone works. I had to wait until I was alone in the garden. I wish you were here so I could kiss you.”
Her heart stepped up a beat. “I wish that too,” she said. But it probably would never happen again.
“It’s so good to hear your voice. I miss you,” she said and wished she could think of something else to say.
He didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then she heard his warm chuckle. “Don’t think anyone’s ever told me that before. Makes me feel good to hear you say it.”
She gripped the phone tighter. The next move was up to him.
“When are you leaving for the United States?”
“In two days. I have to go back and finish my dissertation.”
“I see.” There was another long pause. “I could plan to tour your country, maybe see all of Texas and parts of other states.”
“There’s a lot of Texas. It’s a thousand miles from one end to the other, and there’s lots of stuff to see in between.”
“When can I come visit you?”
Tricia swallowed. She hadn’t expected that. Her pulse raced. “Maybe in September, when I don’t have as much school work as I will later.”
“I will not come to the airport to see you off, but don’t go to bed the night before you leave. I will come to see you, but it will be late.”
The next evening, her heart thrumming in anticipation, she sat on the living room couch with a recent issue of a sociology journal. However, she couldn’t focus on any of the research articles. What if he just came to tell her he’d enjoyed her company and to have a nice life?
Worse yet, what if he didn’t come?
At midnight, long after her sisters and her parents had gone to bed, she decided he wasn’t coming. Then she heard a horse’s hooves and hurried to the window. Lawrence was dismounting from a black stallion. He walked to the door and knocked. Breathless, she ran to open it, her heart racing.
* * *
Lawrence stood there, wanting to take her in his arms and kiss her until she begged him to make love to her again. Knowing she was leaving, his heart ached. Already, he missed her. She’d brightened his days while she was here. How empty his life would seem without her. She smiled, warming his
heart. “Take a wrap and come with me. We will ride through the forest. I want to take you somewhere I can say goodbye to you properly.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
The moon was full, the night air was warm, and so were Lawrence’s hands as he helped her mount. His gentle push on her derriere seemed strangely intimate. After she was settled on top of the animal, his hand lingered on her thigh. She raised her head to meet his eyes.
“I thought giving you a push would make it easier.” Holding the stallion’s reins, he climbed up behind her and wrapped his arms around her to grasp the reins. She felt the ripple of the horse’s muscles when Lawrence kicked its sides. The horse trotted down the street, pushing her against him with each movement.
The ring of hooves on the cobblestones seemed loud enough to wake half the neighborhood, but the only person who noticed was an older woman in a house a few doors down who waved. For Lawrence’s sake, Tricia hoped the woman either didn’t recognize him, or wasn’t prone to gossip.
Now she wished she’d left a note for her parents. She hadn’t said anything because she wasn’t sure he’d come. They rode along the path in the woods that he’d taken her on before. She was acutely conscious of his firm chest warming her back and his arms holding her in place as he controlled the spirited horse.
When they finally reached a spot high on a low mountain, he dismounted. His strong arms lifted her without apparent effort. He set her down on rocky ground. She felt the pebbles through the thin soles of her shoes.
A light breezed chilled her arms, and she shivered. He wrapped his arms around her, then brushed a lock of hair from her face. He pressed a kiss on her cheek, then kissed his way down her neck, setting her skin on fire and her heart racing.
He waved toward the lights of the capital city spread out beneath them. “Many loyal subjects seem to like me, but I care more about how you think of me. I want to inspire you with passion and sweep you off your feet.”