The Reluctant Princess

by Raye Morgan

  Memories of Cyrisse, his wife, flickered into his thoughts, and he frowned, wondering if this was a betrayal of her and all she’d meant to him. They had known each other for years and been good friends, then, briefly, lovers. When Cyrisse told him she was pregnant he’d been surprised, but willing to take on the responsibility of a family. It seemed to be the right time for it, he’d argued with himself, and though the two of them had never been particularly passionate partners, love would probably grow out of shared responsibilities and experience. When she was killed, he’d mourned her, but it had been the baby, little Jessica, whose loss had created the hole in his heart.

  All things being equal, he knew he could fall hard for Kim. She engaged his senses like no other woman he’d ever known. She filled his head and his heart in ways he had never imagined. How easy it would be to pull her into his life—if only she didn’t have ties to Leonardo.

  And despite everything she said, despite the way she really did seem to fear him, those ties still existed. It would take more than the short time he’d known her to analyze how deep emotions ran between them. Had she ever loved the man? That would be hard to believe, but people did strange things at times.

  “I think we should go soon,” she was saying as she hung the last spray of red berries on the little tree.

  “Go where?” He looked up, coming out of his reverie.

  “To the castle.” She was biting her lip, looking worried.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Things have changed.”

  “And you want to go now?”

  “Yes. As soon as possible.”

  He looked out the window, grimacing. How was this for irony? She was finally ready to go to the castle just when he had a chance to come face-to-face with Leonardo. A part of him wanted to rebel, to tell her the trip to the castle could wait until after….

  After what? After he had a chance to deal with the man? Right here in front of his child and that child’s mother? That wasn’t going to work.

  Didn’t they say vengeance was a dish best served cold? This one was going to be icy. But it would be served. It was just a matter of time.

  “How about going right after lunch?” he suggested. “Then we’ll reach the border about nightfall. That’s a good time to get across without being seen.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll start getting things ready.”

  She spent a half hour cleaning the kitchen, then pulled out the ingredients for cookies—big, meaty peanut butter cookies with chocolate chunks—for the trip. Soon the kitchen was filled with delicious cookie-baking smells.

  Jake went to take the little Santa back to its yard without too much prodding and Kim was taking the last batch of cookies out of the oven when the doorbell rang. Kim froze, sure this had to be bad luck. Either that nosy village elder had come calling, or Leonardo was early. Her heart pounding, she looked out the window—and to her surprise, found her mother’s elderly sister from Paris at the door.

  “Aunt Grace!” She hurried to let her in. “It’s wonderful to see you. Please come in.”

  It had been years since she’d seen her aunt, who spent most of her time living with her new husband in Paris. She looked lovely, her skin smooth, her coloring rosy, her ensemble chic and stylish. This was the way Grace had always been. Kim’s own mother had tended more toward hair in a tangle and a dress that didn’t quite fit, but her sister was interested in finer things.

  “You look amazing,” Kim said, shaking her head at her beautiful aunt.

  “That’s because I live in Paris,” Grace said with a lovely laugh. “We do pay more attention to appearances there.”

  “Well, you’ve certainly learned to be a Parisian then, haven’t you?”

  “In my way.”

  “How long are you staying?”

  “We just came for the holiday. Jacques—my new husband. He’s so young, you know, and I wanted to show him where I used to live when I was his age.”

  “I see,” said Kim, somewhat taken aback. “Well, if you’re around at the end of the week, maybe we can get together. I’m afraid I must make a trip to…well, away, for a few days.”

  “Ah, what a shame. Well, I’ll stop by again before we leave to see if you’ve come back. I’m hoping we can connect and do something together.”

  “I hope so, too.”

  As her aunt turned to go, Kim thought of a question she could ask her.

  “Aunt Grace, maybe you can help me with something. There have been rumors swirling lately, rumors about my background.”

  “Oh dear.”

  “Because of my connection with the castle.”

  “Of course.”

  “And…well, I’d like to know the truth.”

  Grace laughed. “Be careful, my dear. As you grow older, you may find that the truth is something best hidden from public view.”

  “Oh no,” Kim said, reacting reflexively with a saying she’d always heard. “The truth will set you free.”

  “They lied to you, my dear. The truth will often make you cry.” She patted her shoulder. “But ask away. I’ll see what I can do to clear up any false rumors.”

  Kim took a deep breath and decided she might as well come straight out with it. “Was your sister, Constance, really my mother?” she asked in a rush.

  Grace blinked, surprised at the question. “You see, this is just the kind of thing one really doesn’t want to get into.”

  “I just need to know. They…they’re saying someone else was my mother and…and…”

  “I can’t tell you for sure. I wasn’t living with Constance at the time. But I did visit her about a month before you were born and she didn’t seem pregnant to me.”

  “Oh.”

  “Now, she may have been very clever at hiding it. Who knows? But when she came back home with you in her arms, we were quite surprised.”

  “I see.”

  “And as you know, Constance was not the sort of woman to have an affair. In fact, she was pretty vocal about women who did so.” Grace made a face. “Even when that woman was her own sister.”

  “Oh, Aunt Grace!”

  Kim reached out to comfort her, but Grace laughed. “We all make our own choices in life, darling. And we learn to bear the consequences. I’ve lived a wonderful life. But so did Constance. And she never said a word about who your father might be.”

  Kim nodded. Grace’s information filled in a few gaps, but only marginally. “I think you’ve given me my answer,” she said anyway.

  “Have I, dear? I hope it doesn’t make you cry,” Grace said, turning toward the door.

  “No, don’t worry about that. I’ve cried enough for one lifetime.”

  Grace turned back as though she’d forgotten to say something. She hesitated, then reached out and patted Kim’s cheek. “I hope you know that Constance loved you as deeply and truly as any mother ever would,” she told her earnestly.

  “Yes. Yes, I do know that.” Kim kissed the older woman and smiled, eyes misting with tears. “But thank you for reminding me. I loved her, too.”

  Once Jake got back from returning the Santa, they both seemed to feel a sudden urgency to get going.

  “I’ve agreed to go with you to the castle,” Kim told him. “Just don’t give me any of that malarkey about being royal.”

  “I won’t say a word,” he said. “The motorcycle isn’t great for conversation anyway.”

  She made a face at him and frowned. “I don’t suppose we could borrow a car from someone.”

  “We’d have to abandon it in a ditch when we get to the border.”

  She sighed. “I guess borrowing is out.”

  It felt strange piling on top of the rickety bike again. Most of the sense of adventure she’d had
by the end of the ride the day before seemed to have evaporated. It didn’t help that Dede was fussing and Jake had a hard time getting the bike started. But once they were back on the road, it wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t snowing but the air was crisp and cold. They cruised along the coast, enjoying the scenery, then turned inland, heading for the best border crossing, aiming at an arrival near dusk.

  “Why is it that you can’t find a policeman anywhere in this country but the checkpoint is full of soldiers?” she asked in exasperation.

  “They’re trying to keep people from deserting a sinking ship,” he said. “Plus, from what I’ve heard, the soldiers haven’t been paid and this is their way of making a living. They shake down travelers.”

  “Lovely.”

  “Granvilli honor in action,” he said, trying to keep from sounding too bitter.

  “It’s Christmas Eve,” she had reminded Jake before they left. “Let’s hope some of them are distracted by that in itself.”

  “You expect the Granvilli border guards to be off singing Christmas carols?” he asked with a grin.

  “You never know,” she said defensively. “They might be putting on a pageant.”

  “Maybe we could be the wise men,” he said, mocking her gently.

  “Right. I’m sure they’d like that.”

  But it did feel momentous, traveling across the country like this, planning to illegally cross a border. Her heart was pounding harder than usual, especially when she remembered she would probably be meeting with Pellea in just a few hours.

  Night was falling when Jake pulled over to the side of the road. “Look up ahead,” he told her. “See the lights? That’s the checkpoint. We’re going to ditch the bike and walk in, but we won’t be far from the lights. Unfortunately, we have to go in really close, close enough that they might see us. But it’s the best place to cross, so we’ll have to risk it.”

  She got off the bike and put Dede down while she helped him hide the bike in a gully, covering it with leaves. Then they gathered their things and Jake took the baby and they started walking, staying in the thickest brush they could find.

  “Come this way,” Jake whispered, leading her into a stand of pines, then doubling back through lower shrubbery. He began to walk more slowly, more carefully, and she followed suit. She could see the lights coming nearer and nearer, but the first time she heard a man’s voice, sounding just a few feet away, she jumped and had to bite down hard to avoid a small scream of surprise.

  Jake motioned for her to come through and then hunker down where he was.

  “This is closer than I expected,” he whispered. “If they tried hard, they could see us. The brush cover is pretty thin.”

  She nodded, not daring to say anything aloud. She could hardly believe how near they were. She could see faces plainly and hear snatches of what was said. She was afraid to even breathe.

  “I think we’ll be okay as long as Dede doesn’t cry,” Jake whispered.

  She looked down at her baby. Wide eyes met hers.

  “Oh boy,” she breathed. This would be touch and go. When Dede was awake, noise was her business.

  “Look.”

  A black sedan with tinted windows was approaching the border guards and they went into readiness. The driver slowed the car to a stop and said something out the window. The border guard seemed to disagree, shaking his head as he looked at the credentials he’d been handed.

  They held their breaths, knowing this might be the perfect time to make a run for it, but hesitating.

  And then the back window of the car opened and a tall man leaned out, barked an order and got immediate respect from the guard.

  Kim gasped and grabbed Jake’s arm. “Leonardo!”

  But he already knew that. He stared at the man. Everything in him went cold and his gorge rose. Leonardo. He pushed Kim’s hand away and tensed, adrenaline flowing. If he called out, would Leonardo meet him halfway? Would he take the challenge? Would he know why it had come to him? No matter. The man needed to pay. He dropped his backpack and took a step toward the checkpoint.

  Kim stared at him for a split second and then she realized what he was doing. “No!” she whispered, throwing herself in his way, physically holding him back. “No, you can’t.”

  They stared at each other. She saw the look in his eyes and it scared her. He wanted revenge and he was like a machine programmed to get it.

  “No!” she whispered again, shaking her head.

  They looked back at the car. The window was rolling up and the car was beginning to move. The guard stood back, saluted and let them through. In a moment the car was gone, most likely on its way to Dorcher Cliffs.

  Kim drew air into her lungs. It felt as if she’d been holding her breath for a long, long time. Jake was swearing and shaking his head. She looked at him and shook her head, as well.

  “Are you crazy?” she whispered at him. “Come on. We have to get over that border.”

  Jake nodded. He knew she was right. But he was shaking with anger, with hatred. If ever a man deserved a good killing…

  Was he going to get it? Not today. But soon.

  A quarter of a mile later, and they were solidly in DeAngelis territory. Jake took out his cell phone. It worked! Quickly he called the castle and ordered a car to come out and get them.

  “Hey,” he said, smiling happily at Kim. “We’re home.”

  The castle rose above the darkness and the mist like a legendary, magical place where fairy tales and stories of King Arthur were born. A lump rose in Kim’s throat. She hadn’t expected to feel this way, but there it was. The place she’d once called home. She still loved it.

  Memories surged all around her—good and bad. Tears welled in her eyes and she couldn’t seem to get rid of them.

  The car dropped them at the side entrance and they were waved in by guards. The corridors looked so familiar, though the people working there were complete strangers on the whole. Kim stayed close to Jake. Funny—she was the one who had lived here for so long, but he was the insider now.

  He led her to an elevator, and then to a familiar large wooden door.

  “Pellea thought you might like to use the chambers she lived in all those years you and she were like sisters. And if you decide to stay, they can be renovated to suit your needs.”

  Pellea’s courtyard! She’d always loved the place. It was a garden retreat built right into this side of the castle. There was a small lush forest open to the sky, along with a greenhouse garden filled with flowers. The surrounding rooms—a huge closet filled with clothes and a small sitting room, a neighboring compact office stacked to the ceiling with books, a sumptuously decorated bedroom—each room opened around the courtyard with the same French doors, making the living space a mixture of indoors and outdoors in an enchanting maze of exciting colors and provocative scents. It was a space fit for a princess. Walking into it was like walking into an enchanted place.

  Was it a bribe?

  “Where are you staying?” she asked Jake, holding on to his arm as though it were keeping her afloat.

  “I have a suite on the other side of the wing.” He looked down at her and at the way her fingers were digging into his arm. “But I’ll stay with you as long as you need me.”

  “Need you?” She blinked and looked up at him, not sure what he meant.

  He covered her hand with his. “I can see how tense you are. You’re scared to death.”

  “No, I’m not.” But the shivers that kept coming up in waves through her body gave lie to her claim.

  “You’ve got a lot to worry about,” he told her. “I know that. If you want, I’ll go with you to face Pellea.”

  “Will you? Really?” She was embarrassed. She wasn’t usually such a coward. But the way she felt about Pellea went r
ight to the core of her being, and this fight with her had been tearing her apart. The thought of having Jake there to steady her, to act as her backup, to lean on, if need be, brought her such a sense of relief, she knew she had to have him with her.

  A young woman, evidently assigned to be a nanny for Kim, stood waiting and ready to help, but Kim didn’t want to hand Dede over to anyone until she was secure and sure of just what was going to happen.

  “Thanks,” she said with a quick smile. “Maybe a little later.”

  “Anytime, miss. Just ring and I’ll come quickly.”

  “Thank you.”

  It made her a little nervous to have someone ready to wait on her. That was her job!

  “You go ahead and get settled in,” Jake told her. “I’ll go see if Pellea is ready to see you.”

  “That’s right. She is the queen, isn’t she? She probably has to see all kinds of people all the time.”

  “Yes, she does. But I know she’ll make time for you whenever you’re ready.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath. “I’m ready. Just let me wash up and…”

  “And I’ll be back to escort you over in a few minutes,” he said. He used his bent index finger to lift her chin and smile into her face.

  “Everybody loves you here,” he reminded her. “No need to stress.”

  She nodded like someone who wasn’t convinced, but she watched him go and turned back to her baby. The one solid feature of her life. Dede was all that mattered. It was for Dede that she was here.

  Taking a deep breath, she got on with it.

  Pellea was excited when she saw her brother come into her reception room. She excused herself from the local energy minister who was conferring with her, and came to Jake and took his hands as he kissed both her cheeks.

  “Well?” she asked. “Is she here?”