The Prince Who Charmed Her

by Fiona McArthur

  ‘I think so.’ He turned to a tall grey-haired woman who had crossed to his side. Her eyes were warm and kind and she obviously adored Stefano. ‘Elise, this is Dr Fender. Please care for her this morning, until I can return.’

  ‘Certainly, Your Highness.’ She inclined her head, obviously happy to do whatever he wished.

  Stefano nodded and strode off towards another stairway, surrounded by suited figures, before Kiki realised he was going away.

  So much for goodbye, Kiki thought. A bit abrupt in the leave-taking department, to her mind, but maybe she was being childish to expect anything else.

  Elise waved her hand gracefully towards the main sweeping castle steps. ‘This way, Dr Fender.’

  Feeling a little like an unwanted package, Kiki lifted her chin. ‘Please, call me Kiki.’ She smiled at the older woman. ‘And may I call you Elise?’

  ‘Certainly. Welcome to Aspelicus.’

  They turned and began to climb the wide stone steps. Sections of the stone had been worn away by feet over the centuries.

  Kiki glanced around. Everywhere the castle was meticulously maintained, from its flowerbeds to lichen-free stone. ‘The castle looks old but very beautiful.’

  ‘Some form of the castle has perched here for over a thousand years, and thankfully all generations have continued to treat it with respect and care so that it remains as strong today as it has ever been.’

  Elise glanced around and Kiki had no doubt that any fault found would be swiftly acted upon.

  ‘And has Prince Stefano’s family always been the ruling family?’ She couldn’t believe she was talking about the man whose bed she’d left only yesterday. At that thought the heat rushed to her cheeks, and she stopped to examine a particularly ugly gargoyle and breathe back control.

  Elise’s voice drifted over her shoulder as she, too, paused. ‘Indeed. Which is rare. They have been fortunate in that their sons have been most virile and capable of siring many lines.’

  With a pang of loss, Kiki knew she could believe that.

  ‘Now, with Prince Theros happily married, there is even more surety of the line continuing. And I’m sure Prince Stefano will marry before the year is out.’

  Kiki frowned at that little pearl of information. ‘Do you mean he has to marry?’

  Elise inclined her head. ‘It is by royal decree that the heir to the throne must marry by the time he turns forty.’

  So Stefano must be thirty-nine. Ten years older than her. She hadn’t realised there was such a gap, but then when had they sat and discussed mundane matters like his needing to be married by the time he was forty and only having a year to do it? Instead they’d made love. Often.

  Her mind darted like the birds swooping outside the windows and she had to remind herself to be in the moment. It wasn’t every day she had a private tour of a palace. So she tried to concentrate as they walked through into a vaulted main entry with impressive tiling in glorious Italian marble that seemed to shimmer with light. Their footsteps echoed away to the gold-trimmed ceiling that soared to a huge dome adorned with age-darkened seascapes in turbulent oils.

  During the next hour Elise opened doors to lush apartments filled with gilt furniture and more framed artwork. Some of the paintings were so huge they covered entire walls, while the floors glowed with the subtlety of magnificently woven rugs from the Orient.

  The throne room proved the most regal, with red silk walls, two huge portraits of a man and a woman, and an extremely ostentatious fireplace that seemed to be made out of solid gold adorned with the royal crest.

  ‘This is where the current Prince, Paulo III, was married. That is the late Princess Tatiana.’ Elise sighed. ‘She was a wonderful woman.’

  Kiki looked at Stefano’s mother and saw her regal son in the same hooded yet beautiful grey eyes. ‘And very lovely. Everything is magnificent.’

  Elise nodded and led her back to the main hall. ‘It is a mission I take on gladly to keep it this way. But these formal areas are not the most comfortable to sit in. These are state apartments, for formal gatherings and the hosting of foreign dignitaries.’ She gestured to a side stairway. ‘If you would like to follow me we will go through to the family apartments, where it is easier to relax. Perhaps a cup of tea would refresh you?’

  ‘Thank you. Lovely.’ An overused word, but Kiki couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed.

  The idea that Stefano had been so comfortable in her little two-room flat seemed ludicrous and hard to imagine. No wonder he sat blasé amongst the furnishings on board the ship. It was nothing compared to his home. And yet when they’d been alone together she’d known there was nowhere else he’d wanted to be than with her.

  ‘The upkeep must be horrendous?’

  Elise frowned. ‘It is a duty and a privilege.’

  Oops. Of course it was. That’s what royal families and their subjects did.

  They went through a set of large stained glass doors and suddenly the light and warmth of a much less formal area lay before them.

  ‘Oh, this is gorgeous.’ Kiki could see a conservatory to the side, overflowing with lush green plants, and to the left a sunken lounge with a handful of plush cushioned lounges and chairs. There were flowers everywhere, and even the artwork was modernistic and lighter, but no less magnificent.

  ‘The late Princess, Prince Stefano’s mother, refurnished this.’

  ‘She had lovely taste.’

  Elise sighed with pleasure. ‘Our tiny country is fortunate that its ruling family is wise in the ways of fashion and finance.’

  Kiki glanced around. They’d have to be. ‘Very wise.’

  ‘Yes. The family fortune has built since not long after the Doges of Venice began amassing their own fortunes. Before the family became the Aspelican monarchy one distant uncle was even friends with the famous Venetian Marco Polo, and the island became an outpost on the routes of trade and gathered the riches of silk and spices.’

  Elise waved at a wall full of glorious pottery from all over the world.

  ‘But since early Greek times always the family has held physicians. The Crown was bestowed on the first Prince of Aspelicus because he saved the eldest son of the Italian King during a fever that all had thought would carry him off.’

  Elise really did love her history, Kiki thought with a smile, and encouraged the woman to go on.

  ‘In every generation one of the family becomes a physician, and I understand Prince Stefano will be showing you his hospital this afternoon.’

  ‘He did mention that.’

  ‘Prince Stefano does great work.’

  There was an extra thread of emotion in her voice that had Kiki turning back to look at the woman.

  ‘Personally for you?’

  ‘My son. After many miscarriages I bore a live child, but he was born with a lip and pallet deformity. Prince Stefano reconstructed his face.’ The woman’s face seemed to glow. ‘It is a miracle.’

  Many miscarriages. Kiki could only imagine the pain. ‘That’s wonderful, Elise.’

  The woman nodded eagerly. ‘And his work is not confined to those who know the family. He will repair any child, and do what he can for the damage that affects peoples’ lives. He is a great man.’

  No wonder Stefano had wanted her exposed to Elise. The woman hero-worshipped him. Kiki would hold judgement until this afternoon, but it seemed Stefano had had many reasons apart from his accident for not contacting her when she’d needed him.

  There was so much to learn about him and yet so little time. And he had shared barely anything with her of his life here. She wondered if her exposure to Elise was the most he could do to open up.

  By the time they had drunk their tea and eaten the tiny pomegranate cakes a maid had brought the glass doors opened and Stefano strode in. Suddenly the huge apartment
seemed smaller.

  ‘Ah, here you are, and I see you’ve had tea.’

  Elise jumped up, wreathed in smiles. ‘And cake. Will you join us, Highness?’

  He’d changed into less formal dark trousers and an open-necked shirt so she could hopefully assume his royal duties were over.

  ‘No. Thank you.’ He glanced at his watch and then at Kiki. ‘I hate to rush you, but flights are easier to and from the island the earlier in the day we travel. Air currents become stronger as we go into late afternoon. Are you happy if we leave for the hospital soon?’

  Rough air currents on the way home? Excellent. ‘Of course.’ She tried to sound upbeat. ‘Are we flying?’

  ‘No.’ He smiled as if he knew it was an act. ‘We will be driving across as I wish to give you a brief glimpse of the scenery on the island. But we must get back to the ship as promised.’

  Their trip to the other side of the island started with a winding descent from the castle—an exercise in S bends with the cliffs falling away to the side and the sea below. Not dissimilar from being in a helicopter, really.

  Stefano drove a little convertible with total disregard for the precipice, and despite a few gasps on the whole Kiki knew she was safe. Strange.

  ‘I hope this isn’t where you had your accident?’

  He laughed. ‘Nothing so impressive. I hit a cow on the way to the hospital.’

  At the bottom of their descent they drove parallel to the beach, and Stefano pointed out the famous race track where the Prince’s Cup would be held the following week. She remembered what Ginger had said. ‘A nurse on the ship says you have quite a social event with your race.’

  He smiled. ‘It is popular with the sophisticated traveller and with philanthropists, and we raise more than enough money to cover the hospital’s costs for that year as well as for several health research projects. Last year we raised money for a gynaecological wing which opens in a few days.’

  ‘So it’s not just a party?’ She liked that.

  He shook his head. Twice. ‘It is a week of tedious social engagements which I would prefer not to have to attend, but the good it achieves makes me appreciate the generosity of those who come.’

  ‘Poor sad Prince. So you don’t have any fun?’

  He flashed a grin at her. ‘Sometimes. The race is fun. If you would consider joining me I think I could have more fun?’

  She’d bet he would. ‘While you make a fortune?’

  ‘That too.’

  Not a sensible idea. ‘Sorry. I’m a working girl.’

  He flashed another grin at her. ‘I thought you might say that.’

  There was something in his voice that made her frown, but just then they rounded a bend and turned away from the sea. Now they drove through rolling vistas of olive groves with grey-green leaves that glittered like stars in the sunlight and stretched away to the base of the mountain and a third of the way up its sides.

  ‘We grow only three varieties of olive here and Aspelicus is famous for the gourmet oil it produces. One of my ancestors proclaimed that every family must plant three olive trees a year. We have many thousands of them now.’

  ‘So when do you pick the olives?’

  ‘We harvest in November. It is all done by hand.’ She raised her eyebrows, and he laughed. ‘I admit. Not my hand.’

  ‘But it doesn’t hurt to have the Royal Seal on the bottle?’

  He grinned. ‘Not at all.’

  The largest village, though really it seemed almost like a city, was clustered above the last of the olives and clung to the southern side of the mountain, its red-tiled houses and larger official buildings secured to the rock with Aspelican determination.

  She could see the spires of several large churches, and the main belltower of a cathedral soared above the rooftops.

  ‘I love the narrow stone streets. I’ll bet the roads are cobbled and cool in the summer up there.’

  He glanced where she pointed. ‘If you come back I will show you. It is serene and very special. Most families go back hundreds of years.’

  ‘And yours a thousand?’ She was teasing him, but she was beginning to see that he had a heritage he was responsible for.

  He tapped his forehead. ‘Elise has been giving lessons again.’

  As if he hadn’t known she would. ‘Wasn’t that the idea?’

  He shrugged innocently, and she had to smile when he said, ‘I wouldn’t dream of boring you.’

  ‘You knew you wouldn’t.’

  The rapport between them was undeniable, and Kiki could easily have pretended he’d never been away. There was danger in that. Real danger. Because it wasn’t true. He had gone away, and left her to face the worst time in her life alone. The sparkle seemed to drain from the day.

  ‘Why am I here, Stefano?’

  Stefano sighed. He could not but be aware that there was a distance between them that might never be breached, and still he was not sure how to repair the damage. All he knew was that he wanted back his rapport with Kiki. That after months of feeling flat suddenly he was alive again.

  ‘When I saw you I had an idea.’ He shrugged and the movement tightened his hands on the wheel. ‘A thought to show you my work. Perhaps for you to consider a change in your medical direction. Even to consider coming here and working with me for a time.’

  She shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d already said they should spend more time together. So he’d been plotting to entice her to his island with the carrot of working with him in surgery...

  Unfortunately the idea was attractive, because the tiny fragment of surgery she’d seen him perform in Sydney had been incredible. And she knew he was a good teacher. Further evidence had been in his direction of Wilhelm only yesterday.

  To have the opportunity to watch and learn from such a surgeon would be the dream of many a young doctor looking to expand her skills.

  But those other doctors wouldn’t be as fatally attracted to Stefano as she’d been once before, and she didn’t trust him. She knew, fatalistically, that if she moved here and spent time with Stefano he would ensure she become more than an associate. She would become the Prince’s temporary mistress.

  She must have been silent for an extended time, because the car slowed and she could feel his gaze on her.

  ‘Do not concern yourself. This discussion is for another day. Enjoy the moment without strain. Let me show you first. Not obliged or pressured to consider anything you do not wish to do. It is my foolish pride that wants to show you my work.’

  He shrugged. ‘Of course I do not like the idea of you going off to live your life without the chance of at least sharing my own dreams with you.’

  Life. Dreams. Chance. All dangerous words for Kiki. Empty words. What was he trying to do?

  ‘Why me?’ And how was she going to quiet her unsettled thoughts now that he had spoken?

  His attention returned to the road. ‘Why anything?’

  He was giving nothing else away.

  Their snaked their way up a final hill and against the backdrop of more marching rows of olives a modern building sprawled elegantly over several acres, two-storeyed, and painted olive-green to blend into the countryside.

  The closer they drove the more attractive it became. Now Kiki could see vine-covered verandas running around both floors, and the windows winked with white wooden shutters latched back against the olive walls.

  ‘It’s so pretty.’ Gorgeous, really.

  ‘My mother’s design.’ Pride was unmistakable in the gesture of his hand and in his voice.

  ‘You miss her?’

  ‘Very much.’ He kept his eyes on the road. ‘She was the voice of reason and the one who did not hesitate to laugh at me if I became too serious. Perhaps that is why I find you a breath of fresh air.’ He looked away. �
�But then she could forgive me if I made a mistake.’

  He looked thoughtful for a moment, shrugged and went on.

  ‘She could not change my father, for he was trained differently, but she influenced me greatly with her humanity and sense of fairness.’

  This unexpected insight into Stefano as a very young man touched her deeply. ‘When did she die?’

  He hesitated, as if it was physically difficult to talk about himself. ‘When I was a teenager. An unexpected aneurism. Before I began medical school.’

  So he had lost his mother around the same age as she had. She knew that feeling. The devastation, the aching void in the family, the feeling of betrayal at being left an orphan. ‘I lost both my parents in a car accident.’

  He looked at her. ‘I am sorry. I did not ask enough about you in Sydney.’

  She grimaced to herself. ‘No, you didn’t. But I understand your loss.’ And there had been little time between work and bed for conversation. ‘I had my sisters and Nick to look after me.’ To look after the nuisance youngest sister. Though to be fair Nick had never treated her like that.

  ‘But it is not the same, eh?’

  ‘No.’

  But this was not what she needed to think about as her baby’s birthday came closer, and she pulled her mind away from the fact that she’d finally felt complete at the thought of being a mother. That too she had lost. As she would Stefano when the time came—a huge reason not to risk losing her heart to this man again. She was sick of loss.

  But Stefano’s past? It was the last thing Kiki had expected. A royal tragedy—the loss of a mother he adored. Kiki began to wonder about the man who ruled this little principality—Stefano’s father. A man who didn’t forgive easily. Who’d been brought up differently from someone with a sense of humour, perhaps?

  It made her wonder what sort of life it had been for the young Stefano and his brother after their mother died. How had his father reacted to her death? How had these events moulded the man she’d thought she’d known?

  But they had arrived.