A Royal Holiday (Royals of Valleria #5)

by Marianne Knightly

  Alex hid a smile; it wasn’t the time or place for it, even if he loved it when Rebecca’s jealous streak came peeking through. “She may have wanted more, but I didn’t. I was respectful to her, and very nicely declined her invitation. At the same dinner party, however, was another woman.”

  “Portia.” Rebecca almost spat out the name.

  “Yes. That’s where we met, but not when we started seeing each other. She was also attending the same university as I was, and we happened to run into each other a few times.”

  “I bet she planned it that way.”

  “She did, my astute fiancée. Of course, I didn’t realize that until later. We went out on a few dates – a few chaste dates, I might add – before I ever considered anything sexual with her.”

  Rebecca snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “I doubt that. You’re a very sexual person.”

  This time Alex did smile. “Only with you, my love.”

  “You weren’t thinking about me then.”

  “That’s not true. It’s not,” he said, cutting her off as she was about to say something. “I’ve told you before that I had already started thinking about you as a woman, and not merely as my sister’s friend, before we both left for university. I just didn’t think seriously about you until a few years ago, as that’s when you started working as my sister’s chief of staff and our paths crossed more often. Then, before I knew it, I’d fallen in love with you.”

  He brushed his thumb across her cheek. “I love you.”

  Rebecca threw her arms around his neck and pressed against him. “I love you, too.”

  He kissed the side of her neck. “Don’t forget that.”

  She kissed his cheek. “I never could.” They rested their foreheads against each other. “Finish the story.”

  “That semester was the first real time I was away from my family and alone – even with the crowd of Royal Protection agents who came with me. I’d grown up in a palace full of siblings and family, duty always surrounding me. As freeing as it was, I felt lonely for the first time, and I didn’t care for it.” His fingers brushed over the pin she often wore, the Vallerian coat of arms set in gold and jewels.

  “Loneliness? That’s why you slept with her?”

  Alex shrugged away the question. “You can guess the rest. We did sleep together. I was honest before we did, however, and let her know in no uncertain terms that it would never lead to anything long-term.”

  “So, what about the photos your father mentioned?”

  His eyes narrowed and darkened. “She recorded us once having sex, obviously without my knowledge and consent.”

  Rebecca sat back and gasped. “What?”

  “The photos must be stills from the video, which she’s threatened me with once before for money. Suffice it to say, being a royal comes in handy when you need the assistance of a foreign government.”

  “You had her arrested?”

  “No, but I wanted to.”

  “So, she was never punished for it?”

  “Not legally, but I made her life difficult. Since her mother trained her to be a socialite, she was taught that earning a degree from a university was secondary to finding a rich husband there. People knew we had gone on dates and I very subtly implied that men should steer clear of her. A few well-placed comments in the right social circles can do wonders.”

  “But wouldn’t marrying you be worth more than blackmailing you for money? I mean, if her mother’s that controlling, wouldn’t she want her daughter to become a queen?”

  “She might have, but I’d made it clear to Portia that I would never consider her for the role.”

  Rebecca nodded, considering. “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “The day she threatened me with the video. I’d already finished my studies in Italy and was about to return to Valleria. We’d already stopped seeing each other by that point, but she requested a meeting with me at a café.”

  Rebecca grimaced and began to massage her stomach, which Alex knew held all of her stress and worry. “She had the video?”

  Alex nodded, his face somber. “I don’t think I’d ever felt so betrayed before that point. Whenever we’d get together, it was usually at her apartment. She knew that, recorded me, and tried to use it against me.” Alex shook his head.

  “What about your security? Didn’t they think to sweep her rooms?”

  “They did. She still managed to sneak a camera in. Believe me, the agents responsible for missing that were fired.”

  “And she really didn’t want to marry you?”

  “No, at that time she only wanted money. Plain and simple. I have little doubt that’s what she’s after again.” Alex looked her straight in the eyes. “No matter what, I never, ever would have married her. She would never have become my queen, and Valleria’s queen. Do you believe that?”

  After a few moments, Rebecca spoke. “I do believe you. I can’t see you letting anyone push you around like that, especially not with Valleria’s future at stake. What did you do? When she told you, what did you do?”

  “I gave a signal to my security team, and they pulled me away from our discussion. I told the agents what was going on, and they had people searching her apartment while I kept her talking at the café.”

  “Fast work.”

  “Things move fast when you’re a royal in another country. Anyway, to stall for time, I sat back down in the chair, my espresso long gone cold, and stared at her for several long minutes until she started squirming in her chair. Then I proceeded to tell her, in no uncertain terms, that I would not be blackmailed or bullied. She was going to hand over the evidence right now, or I would take her straight to court for violating the non-disclosure agreement she signed.”

  “You made her sign that?”

  “I made every woman I slept with sign them, but the first, which we’ve already discussed, and the last, which is you. That first time, I was too naïve to think of it. When I was older and wiser, I even asked the women to provide proof they didn’t have any sexually-transmitted diseases.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “I did. In this modern age, it was also smart. If you can’t discuss things like that, or you’re too afraid to, then you probably shouldn’t be having sex in the first place. Not to mention, I am a future king, and the future of the monarchy depends upon me becoming a father. Having an STD could have irrevocably changed that.”

  Rebecca’s brows furrowed as if she were trying to figure something out. “Once you started pursuing me, why didn’t you have me sign anything ensuring my secrecy?”

  “I didn’t need those things with you.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “You’re the love of my life; I didn’t need any documents ensuring your trust, as I did with them. I already trusted you with my heart, and I’m damn lucky you decided to trust me with yours.”

  “You do a good job with it.”

  “Even today?”

  “Even today.” Her hands slipped down to rest on his chest. Her fingers toyed with his tie, and he once again considered changing it to match her dress. “So, now we know she lied about giving you back all the copies of the video.”

  “Or she’s lying about having them now, we can’t be sure just yet. I asked Marcello to look into her while we were getting dressed. All he’s discovered so far is that she’s just divorced for the fourth time, but her last husband was prone to gambling and lost the entire fortune she’d amassed through the first three marriages. That’s why I think this is just for money and attention.”

  “Why didn’t you ever mention this before?”

  “Honestly, I just haven’t thought about it. That may seem hard to believe, but it’s true. I cut her out of my mind, because she doesn’t deserve a place there. Any basic respect I held for her left the moment I realized her betrayal. Once she was dealt with, I may have brooded about it a little, but then I was done.”

  He tipped her chin up to face him. “Besides that, after I realized I was in love
with you, no one else mattered. The past ceased to exist for me. Maybe it was a lie of omission, but I never intended it as one.”

  Rebecca toyed with tie again for a long minute before speaking. “That woman is the one who betrayed your trust. I don’t blame you, Alex. Like you said, it was a long time ago. You have a past, and so do I.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Your past isn’t like mine. You never slept with anyone before me.”

  “That’s true, but you weren’t the first boy I kissed.”

  “Damn right I wasn’t. I’m the last man you’ll ever kiss.”

  “Stop acting so jealous.”

  “Stop bringing up the useless boys you knew before me.”

  She quirked an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms. “Useless? While they may not be the future ruler of Valleria, they’re actually doing quite well. One’s a doctor, one’s a teacher, another’s a lawyer. Shall I go on?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Is that any way to speak to your fiancée?”

  He growled and Rebecca smiled. “Oh, Alex.” She cupped his face. “You’re the only one I’ve ever loved, too, you know.” She kissed him, long, slow, and deep. His blood was simmering by the time the kiss was done, and he wanted to fire it up to full boil and take her again. He wanted to affirm their love in the most physical and elemental way possible, but there just wasn’t time.

  “You’re bound to get a lot of looks and whispers because of this,” he murmured, resignation clear in his voice. “Your parents might, too.”

  Rebecca frowned. “I didn’t think about that. I’ll send them a message before we leave for breakfast.” As she slipped off his lap, he felt the loss of her warmth acutely. He watched her tapping away at her phone and rose to change his tie.

  ***

  Rebecca was nervous as they entered the dining room and found everyone already seated and enjoying a quiet meal. If they had been in public, Rebecca should and would have curtsied to them all; since they weren’t, she and Alex served themselves from the buffet and sat down.

  “I’ve just told them about the pictures, Alexander,” Gabriel said as he sat back in his chair.

  “I’ve got my people looking into it more,” Marcello said from his seat next to Grace. “If she does still have a copy of anything, we’ll find it.”

  Alex nodded. “Thank you. I do want to take this moment and apologize for any grief or embarrassment I’ve caused.”

  Rebecca reached over and clutched Alex’s hand, which he promptly lifted to his lips for a kiss. “Things will be hardest for my fiancée, so I hope you’ll do everything to help her.”

  “Things will be hardest for you,” Rebecca told Alex. “I can deal with it, so can my parents, and your family.”

  Alex tugged her against him. “Our family. There’s no more ‘yours’ or ‘mine’ anymore; it’s ‘ours’, isn’t it?”

  She smiled softly. “Yes, you’re right.”

  “I’ve been thinking,” Marcello said. “Considering the types of spy cameras they had over a decade ago, she would have needed serious money for anything with halfway decent resolution. They’d need good resolution to prove it was you in the video.”

  “Money was the one thing she had,” Alex said. “At least, until recently.”

  “You’ll need to address the press,” Catharine, Alex’s twin sister, said. “Is Tavin setting something up?”

  Alex shook his head. “Not yet, Cat. Before I speak with them, I want to know who took the photo of Rebecca and me that’s plastered on the front page of every newspaper in Valleria.”

  “My people are working on that, too,” Marcello said, then paused. “Did you happen to see the other articles making the rounds this morning?”

  Alex gave Marcello a wary look. “What else are we worrying about today?”

  “Two things. First, the press is still conjecturing about the secret passageways in the palace.”

  “Well, that’s your fault, isn’t it?” Nate piped up. “You’re the one who used one the passages during a live national broadcast.”

  Marcello quirked an eyebrow. “I did it to save the life of our father – and you, by the way – from a chemical bomb.”

  Gabriel ran a finger over his salt-and-pepper mustache. “For which we are both very thankful, are we not, Nathaniel?”

  Nate smiled broadly. “I’m not. I still got shot and had to save myself.”

  “Regardless,” Marcello said, a little too loudly, “we’ll need to get on the same page about what to say to the press. The passageways were just rumours before, but they’re reality now.” Everyone grumbled; it had been a miracle that they had managed to keep them a secret before now.

  Alex took a long sip of his coffee. “You said there were something else worrying in the paper. What was it?”

  Marcello took hold of Grace’s hand. “The press is also questioning why Grace was taken to the bunker with the king and queen when we had an active shooter in the palace last month, but not all of the royal children.”

  “I’m sorry to cause any trouble,” Grace said quietly.

  Rebecca shook her head. “You’re not causing any trouble, the press is. I was in that bunker, too. If they’re upset at you, they should be upset at me.”

  Grace bit her lip. “I don’t think so. It’s different with you, isn’t it? You’re the future queen.”

  “And you’re basically a future princess,” Rebecca countered. “You’re a part of the family as much as I am, whether or not there’s a ring on your finger.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Well said. The same is true for Finn and Charlotte as well. You’re all a part of our family, and I won’t hear another word on the subject. We’ll say as much to the press as well, and put an end to this nonsense.”

  Grace smiled. “Thank you.”

  “And I’ll make sure Charlie gets the message, too,” Nate said.

  “Where is Charlie?” Carolina asked.

  “Working too hard, as usual.” Nate sighed. “She was up at God knows what hour working on baked goods for some event or other.”

  “Are you worried she’s overdoing it? Is she still in pain?” Genevieve asked.

  Nate shook his head. “She’s fine, but I’m still worried about her.”

  Cat poured herself another cup of Vallerian Grey tea. “There are a lot of parties and events around the palace this time of year, not to mention the Holiday Ball in a couple days.” She set the teapot down. “Will that still double as an engagement party? Or is it off now?”

  “It’s still on,” Alex said, brooking no argument. “I’ll set the press straight before the ball, even if we haven’t heard anything from Marcello’s people by then.”

  Rebecca didn’t care about balls or parties or public celebrations of their engagement; that they were engaged and getting married was enough for her. “If it’s easier to cancel the engagement party side of the ball, we can do that.”

  “No. No,” he said again just as his mother was about to speak up. “If we cancel it, all it does is give people doubts about the engagement.”

  “I agree,” Gabriel said. “We show a united front.”

  “Tavin will work on some talking points and send them around to everyone,” Alex said.

  “We know how to work the press,” Lorenzo said a little defensively. “We’ll be fine.”

  Alex raised an eyebrow at his younger brother. “Well, you’ll still get them all the same. Expect them sometime today.”

  “Oh, no.” Rebecca put down her fork; she’d only been pretending to eat anyhow.

  “What is it, darling?”

  “I just remembered my schedule for the day. Our schedule for the day,” she said, gesturing to Cat and Genevieve as well. “We’re supposed to go out shopping for last minute gifts. The security’s all been arranged.”

  “Are you concerned about being out in public?” Alex asked, worry hidden in the deep, black depths of his eyes. God, she could lose herself in those eyes.

  “It doesn’t matter. It’l
l be easier for you two if I don’t come along. I can arrange a trip some other time, or ask my mother to pick up what I need.”

  “Nonsense,” Grace said. “You shouldn’t let this situation take over your life. I think you should still go.” The whole family, even Marcello, widened their eyes at Grace’s atypical declaration. Perhaps Gabriel’s pronouncement left her feeling more comfortable about her place in the family with them all.

  Cat nodded. “Well said, Grace. I agree. I think we should make it into a big girls’ trip out. Grace, Carolina – you should come along, and we’ll ask Charlie, too. Sarah should be here soon, and so should Nonna,” Cat said, referring to their grandmother, Victoria, who was the former queen and Gabriel’s mother.