Dante glances at me and smiles slowly. “No,” he says still looking at me.
We ascend the stairs and enter the jet. It’s like walking into a luxurious long room with leather sofas and cabinets with crystal glasses.
“Would you like a drink before we take off?” the stewardess asks with a smile as she stands over us.
I want to ask for a double shot of vodka. I feel like I am going to need a very stiff drink, but I smile and ask for a glass of juice. Dante orders the same and the stewardess brings two glasses of juice and sets them on the table in front of us.
“To us,” Dante says lifting his glass.
I touch mine to his. “To think that all this time, I never knew that I was just a little girl frog in a big pond waiting for a prince to come along and kiss me, and turn me into a princess.”
Dante laughs.
I look at him laughing and I know I’m doing the right thing. “You know what, Dante? If you really want to pilot this plane you can. I do trust you.”
He stops laughing and something changes in his eyes. For a moment it looks as if he is going to say something important, then he shakes his head, and the moment is gone.
“Captain Anderson is ready for you in the cockpit, Your Highness,” the stewardess says.
“Thank you, Elsa,” Dante says. “Please tell the Captain to call me if he needs me.”
“Relax, bella. I’m not leaving your side,” Dante says as he straps the seatbelt around my waist.
“Tell me everything I need to know about your family.”
For an hour he describes for me all kinds of little details about his family and life in the palace for which I am very grateful, but then I feel that familiar tiredness come over me.
“You look rather tired, my darling. Lay your head in my lap. I’ll massage your head until you fall asleep.”
I lay my head in his lap, and true to his word, Dante begins to run his fingers through my hair.
“Wake up, sleeping beauty. We’ve arrived,” Dante says.
“What … Where …” I ask sitting up, still in a sleepy fog. “You mean we are in …”
“Avanti,” he supplies, motioning to the window. “Look for yourself.”
I move over to the end of the sofa and glance out the window of the jet. It takes me a moment to assimilate what I am seeing. It’s a black Mercedes Limo with flags bearing the same coat of arms that is painted on the side of the jet, and a convoy of eight motorcycle outriders with drivers wearing bright red and blue uniforms.
“All this for you!” I exclaim.
“Royalty has its privileges.” His voice is light, but I catch an undertone.
I shake my head, still unable to wrap my mind around the fact that Dante is not an ordinary man. He is royalty.
“Yes, and I must warn you in advance that there will be people lining the streets to greet us as we pass,” he says.
Chapter 25
Rosa
I take a deep breath. I tell myself I can do this, but the level of nervousness I feel is foreign to me. It’s not the knowledge that I will step off the jet and enter an entirely different world than I am accustomed to. New things do not scare me. I went to the big apple on my own right after college. I just upped and left. Never hesitated for a second.
For some strange reason I feel almost afraid to leave this plane. My antenna is up. As if there is something dangerous waiting for me out there. Which is so weird, because in essence, we’re going to spend the weekend at his mom and dad’s place. It’s not even like they live in the middle of some warzone. They live in the most civilized place on earth. In a palace.
I squash the uneasy feeling knowing that once I step off this plane nothing will ever be the same again. “It’s just another adventure, Rosa.”
“Sorry. I didn’t catch that,” Dante says.
I smile up at him. “Nothing, just mumbling to myself.”
“Shall we?” he asks holding out his hand.
I take it and we start moving towards the door. The captain and stewardess are standing stiffly by the door.
“Good job, Captain, as always,” Dante says.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” the captain says bowing his head as we walk past.
I can’t help but notice that he’s acting differently toward Dante now that we’re in Avanti. I think Dante wasn’t completely honest with me. Looks like the people of Avanti take their royals very seriously.
The walk down the stairs to the tarmac is one I will never forget. There are cameras clicking and paparazzi moving around behind ropes jostling for a better angle calling out to Dante and, to my surprise, even me.
“Dante, Dante. When’s the wedding? Hey, Rosa, give us a smile, Rosa. What does it feel like, Rosa?”
A smartly-dressed newswoman is doing a standup in front of her cameraman. She is speaking in a rapid-fire language that sounds a bit like German, as she motions toward me and Dante.
“Welcome to the royal fishbowl,” Dante whispers as he leans his head toward me.
“Yeah, Prince Charming, you sort of left this part out,” I say, as I plaster a smile on my face.
“Don’t worry. It’s just the national press. They’re all riled up because they’ve got wind of my impending marriage and want to know if I have changed my mind about resuming my duties as Crown Prince.”
“And have you?”
“No. Finding you has made me even more determined not to carry on with that outdated system.”
A group of men dressed in colorful uniforms and wearing strangely shaped helmets—similar to those worn by the Swiss Guard at the Vatican—stand at attention while Dante and I walk past.
A man in a dark suit is holding the limo door open for us. Star is never going to believe this. Heck. I don’t even believe it myself, I think as I climb into the car. As he closes it, I see the motorcycle outriders move into position, two ahead, two on each side, and the last two behind the limo. I feel like Cinderella in her magical carriage on the way to the ball.
I thought Dante was joking when he told me there would be people lining the route to greet us, but there they are, waving flags, cheering, and shouting greetings to Dante as the royal procession of cars drives past.
Overwhelmed by all the fuss and attention, I gaze at their faces curiously. They are really excited to welcome their Prince home. We pass the city which reminds me of Prague. The roofs are all bright orange and the buildings either white or soft pastels. The balconies are filled with bright summer flowers. My first impression is of a very wealthy, well-maintained city.
“That’s our cathedral,” Dante says, pointing to a tall structure.
I lift my chin and look up at the marvelous stone building.
The limo turns a corner, and down at the end of the two-lane street, lined with beautiful trees, the palace rises up into the sky. Like something straight out of a Disney movie, except it is larger, much larger and more magnificent. Snow white with ostentatious, intricate moldings, it looks like it could have been fashioned out of ice. The summer sun falls on the hundreds of windows making them reflect light like shards of glass. I stare at the gold-domed tower and turrets with amazement. This is exactly how I imagined a palace would look when I was a child.
Tearing my eyes away from all that splendor I glance across the seat at Dante. “Just an ordinary family sitting around watching TV, huh?”
He shrugs and smiles. “Can you blame me? I was trying to calm my bride’s jittery nerves. Though I might not have been totally forthcoming, quite frankly, watching TV in a five hundred room palace is no different than watching it in a three bedroom house.” He actually looks serious.
As the vehicle pulls around the huge fountain with water spouting all around a massive copper statue of a knight mounted on a horse, I see livered staff standing in line waiting for our arrival. Hell, it is like a scene from a movie.
I glance at Dante, and feel the stirrings of apprehension. Will I be good enough for his parents?
He squeeze
s my hand. “I realize it is all new to you, but trust me, you’ll get used to it in no time.”
Both our doors are opened at the same time. I get out and glance over the top of the car at Dante for guidance of what I should do next. He winks at me. At that moment a middle-aged woman in a dark blue dress steps out of the line. To my surprise, Dante strides up to her and envelopes her in a bear hug.
“Matilda,” he says, stepping back. “You don’t look a day over thirty.”
“It’s time you came back,” she says softly. I can see tears in her eyes.
Dante frowns. “I’m not back. I’m just here for the weekend.”
A look of sorrow passes her face.
Dante beckons me to join him so I walk around to him.
“Matilda, this is Rosa. My fiancée. Rosa, this is my nanny, Matilda Olsenberg.”
Matilda turns her head and looks at me. I smile at her and she bows her head respectfully. Then she turns back to Dante and smiles. There is real happiness flashing in her eyes.
“Sometimes our fates are mapped out for us before we are born. You will be King of Avanti one day, Prince Nils.” As soon as she finishes talking she drops into a deep curtsy.
Dante looks at me and shrugs.
A man at our side clears his throat. “Her Majesty has placed Miss Winchester in the Redwood suite. Of course, your rooms have been aired and are ready for you.”
Dante’s arm comes around my waist. “Thank you, Viggo. Those sleeping arrangements will be perfect.”
Viggo nods politely.
“Where is my father?”
“He is in the South garden, Your Highness. He will meet you in the music room once you have settled in.”
“Very good. Tell him I’ll see him in half-an-hour.”
“Certainly, Your Highness.”
“Miss Winchester,” a uniformed maid says as she steps forward. “If you would like to follow me. I’ll show you to your rooms.”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll take my fiancée to her quarters myself,” Dante says smoothly.
“What about my luggage?” I ask.
“One of the staff will fetch it to your quarters,” Viggo says quietly.
I thank him and Dante exerts a little pressure on the small of my back. We start walking towards the entrance.
“Looks like we’ll be sleeping in different parts of the palace,” I say as I follow him across the lawn to the entrance of the palace.
Dante looks down at me, his face amused. “Don’t worry. It’s walking distance.”
Two guards, also dressed in colorful uniforms, stare straight ahead, and don’t change expressions as we walk past.
“My God. It feels so strange to completely ignore them like that.”
“Again, you’ll get use to the royal guards. Unfortunately, it’s another one of the stupid traditions I detest.”
“I don’t like it either,” I reply as we step into the palace entrance. My mouth drops open. “Wow! This is so very beautiful.”
“I guess it is very beautiful, you forget after some time.”
“I still can’t believe you said your mother and father sit around watching television like normal families,” I say as I try hard not to gawk at the vast spaces, the rich decorations, the massive portraits and ancient tapestries decorating the walls. After only a few turns I’m lost.
“God, Dante, I’ll never be able to find my way back to my room once I leave it. This place is like a maze.”
“It can be confusing at first, but you’ll catch on quickly. It’s not as complicated as it appears.”
“Uh huh,” I mock. “Maybe it’s not confusing to you because you grew up crawling the halls in diapers. To me it’s a maze.”
“You’ve met Matilda. Can you see her letting me crawl around like some street urchin?” Dante asks cheerfully.
Dante stops in front of elaborate teakwood doors with the family coats of arms carved on the front. “The Redwood suite,” he says, and pushes open the double doors.
Chapter 26
Rosa
Oh, my God! I’ve visited some impressive homes and Nikolai, Star’s billionaire husband, lives in one hell of an impressive mansion, but never in my wildest imagination could I envision something like this. First; the size. The room had to be easily larger than my entire flat back in London. Second; the beauty and luxury. One entire wall is made up of tall, narrow windows. Sunlight streams in through them and falls on the Princess bed. A fairytale canopy bed, draped in silks with lilac and gold stripes, and smaller strips of deep blue stretching up to each corner and surrounding the top of the bed.
The sheets are the snowiest imaginable. Four pillows in snowy cases line the top of the mattress. A blanket embroidered in gold is folded back and lies halfway down the mattress.
“Do you like the room?” Dante asks seemingly entertained by my reaction.
“What’s not to like? It’s gorgeous.” I walk toward the window.
Directly in front of me are painstakingly manicured formal gardens with their precise rows of flowering plants. I see three gardeners hard at work to keep it utterly immaculate. Beyond the city are rolling hills scattered with cottages that remind me of those one would expect to find in the Swiss Alps. One could never tire of a view like this no matter how often one saw it. I could stand here for hours. I’m overwhelmed already.
Dante comes to stand behind me. I lean back against his body. “Spectacular, isn’t it?” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“It is a very unfair world we live in. Some people are born to this and others are born starving in Africa.”
He kisses the side of my neck and there is a catch in his voice. “It is the way of the world, bella.”
There’s a soft knock on the door and Dante turns toward it.
“Miss Winchester’s luggage is here, Your Highness,” the maid announces from the doorway.
“Bring it in,” Dante says, and a male servant brings my suitcase through the door.
Dante speaks to him in rapid Avantian, then turns to me, a scowl on his face. “Rosa, would you mind if I leave you and go to see my horse. He’s too old to ride now, but he is bonded to me, and he is not very well. It will make him happy to see me again.”
“Yes, of course, go see him. I’ll be fine. I’m still exploring my room!” I say.
“I will introduce you to him tomorrow,” he says, coming over and kissing me gently on my forehead.
“Please don’t worry about me. Go see your horse.”
After he strides out of the room, the maid who had been hanging around the door speaks up. “Would you like for me to unpack for you, Miss Winchester?”
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary as I didn’t pack very much.”
“My name is Elsa and if you need me for anything at all you can call me by pressing this button,” she says pointing to one of the buttons hidden under a bit of swirling material over the bed.
I thank her and she starts to walk out, then stops, and curtsys. “The clothes in your suitcase must be creased by now, I’d be happy to steam them for you.”
I smile. “You know what, Elsa. I’d love some help unpacking. Thank you.”
She smiles back, then goes to my suitcase and carrying it, opens the door to a walk-in closet that would make the Kardashians envious. My meager possessions will hardly make a dent. I see myself reflected again and again down the length of the closet.
“If you need to refresh yourself while I put away your belongings, Miss Winchester,” Elsa says pointing to another door.
“Thanks, and please call me, Rosa.”
She looks shocked. “Oh, that would not be proper, Miss Winchester.”
No wonder Dante ran away from all this rigid adherence to tradition and regulations. Shaking my head, I step into the bathroom. The counters are covered in gleaming white and black marble. There are two matching sinks, each with—can they be real gold faucets? Inside my own head, I utter a few more “wows.” A mamm
oth Jacuzzi bath stands to one side, and in another corner is a massive shower.
By the time I freshen up and come out Elsa has finished unpacking my luggage. “Unless there’s anything else, Miss Winchester, I will go and steam these clothes, and arrange for your ball gown to be professionally taken care of tonight.”
I give her a grateful smile. “Nothing else, Elsa. Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
Elsa closes the door behind her and I have to go up on tip toes to reach the top of the bed. The mattress sinks under me. I have never slept in a bed this sumptuous. I run my fingers lightly on the silky embroidered thread. Star and Cindy will die when I tell them about all this. Just as I am about to call Star, I hear a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” I call.
“Cassandra. May I come in?”
Cassandra. It must be Dante’s sister-in-law. “Of course,” I say, and hurry towards the door, but before I have a chance to reach it, a beautiful woman rushes inside. She grabs me around the waist and leaning forward, kisses both my cheeks.
“Rosa,” she says, “it is so nice to meet you at last.”
“At last?” I echo. To be honest I’m stunned by her extraordinary friendliness after the formal way everyone else in the palace has behaved.
She steps back and gives me a sparkling smile. She’s a slender woman maybe a few years younger than I am. Her hair is pale blonde, and her complexion is creamy. She is wearing a knee-length dark green silk dress with a pattern of yellow roses. I recognize it instantly as this year’s summer collection from Gucci.
“Yes. I’ve been wondering about the woman who could enchant Dante so much that he’s now ready to get married and settle down.”
“Enchant? That’s a quaint word I hardly ever hear anymore.”
She wrinkles her nose charmingly. “Perhaps there is a better word. I directly translated the word we use in Avantian. Should I have used the word hook instead?”
I grin. “No. don’t use that word. It makes Dante sound like a fish.”
The Heir: A Contemporary Royal Romance Page 12