by Leanne Banks
“She screamed when she thought I was going to hold her,” he confessed. “It wasn’t a good first meeting.”
“Well, she’d just flown halfway across Europe to an unfamiliar place. Her mother is nowhere in sight. I’m sure she was tired and frightened. No one is at their best when they’re frightened. You have to give it a second try. Actually, since she’s your daughter, you have to give it infinite tries.”
“I’m giving it another try in a few minutes. Would you join me?” he asked.
Surprised, she studied him, then nodded. “Sure. What’s the plan?”
He gave her a blank look. “We’ll go to the nursery.”
“Okay,” she said, then clapped her hands together. “This is going to go better than the first meeting. I can feel it.”
Moments later they entered the nursery where Stephenia was holding a blanket and sucking her thumb as she pushed on a playboard with a spinner, a noisy flashing button and other features fascinating to a two-year-old. Hilda sat on the other side of the room, overseeing the tyke.
Both Stephenia and Hilda looked up at the same time. The nanny stood. “Your Highness.”
Stephenia shot a hard glance at Stefan, then Eve, then back at Stefan.
Stalemate, Eve thought, and then moved toward the play area and sat down. She pulled off her hat and put it beside her as she picked up a book. Then she started to read a book. She read the first page, then turned it. Seconds later, Stephenia wandered closer, and Eve felt the toddler looking over her shoulder. Eve turned another page and Stephenia sat down next to her, her blanket still tossed over her shoulder, her thumb firmly in her mouth.
As Eve continued to read, Stephenia leaned against her. Eve read the rest of the book, and Stephenia sat for a moment. Then she reached for Eve’s Stetson and placed it on her little head.
Eve smiled. “Are you a little cowgirl?” she asked.
Stephenia looked away shyly.
Stefan moved closer and Stephenia’s eyes rounded. Glancing up at him, she stiffened. Her lower lip puckered out and her face crumpled. She began to scream and cry.
Meeting Eve’s gaze, he shrugged and turned away. Eve reached for her hat and her hand slid over Stephenia’s forehead. She frowned. The child was hot, too hot. “I think she might have a fever,” Eve said, slipping her hand over the toddler’s head again. Stephenia clutched the hat and screamed louder.
“What?” Stefan asked, turning back around.
“I hadn’t noticed,” Hilda said, and then wrung her hands. “With all the change and excitement…”
“I’ll arrange for the royal doctor immediately. Please stay with Stephenia,” he said to Eve, then left the room.
“You don’t feel good, do you, sweetie?” Eve said, pulling the toddler into her lap. “Here, you can borrow the hat. What hurts, darlin’?”
Stephenia continued to moan and occasionally sob at a lower volume.
“I’m not sure I’m the best person for this job,” Hilda said. “I was just an assistant until the last few weeks, and I missed her fever. I think I should resign immediately.”
“Oh, no,” Eve said, her stomach twisting for Stephenia. “She’s been through so much change. Please give it a little time.”
“But this island is so isolated and I have no friends or family here,” Hilda said.
“It’s a beautiful island and not as isolated as you think. Wait a little bit before you make a decision. After things get more settled, you’ll have another nanny working with you.”
“But ever since we arrived here, she cries with me, too,” Hilda said.
“Perfectly understandable if she’s sick,” Eve said, stroking Stephenia’s hair and trying to comfort her.
Hilda looked at the toddler doubtfully. “We’ll see,” she said.
The door opened and a staff member poked her head through the door. “The doctor is here to see the baby.”
Within twenty screaming minutes, the doctor diagnosed Stephenia with an ear infection and administered a first dose of antibiotics. Tired out by the examination and her fit of pain and fear, Stephenia fell asleep in Hilda’s arms.
Stefan and Eve returned to his quarters. They sank onto the sofa together.
“That was exhausting,” Stefan said. “I can’t say it was better than yesterday.”
“At least you have an explanation for her behavior,” she said. “I bet you’d be cranky, too, if you had an earache.”
“Can’t deny that,” he said, raking his hand through his hair. “Is it always going to be like this? When will she ever be more calm?”
Eve patted his hand. “Calm will come and go. A toddler is like the weather, sunshine one moment and stormy the next.”
“How do you know this?”
“I babysat children from infants to ten-year-olds,” she said. “Didn’t you?” she asked, tongue in cheek.
“I can’t say I did any official babysitting, but I have five younger siblings,” he said. “None of them were screamers.”
“That you know of,” she said. “Maybe you weren’t around during the screaming stage.”
“Eve, what in hell am I going to do with this child?”
“Love her,” she said. “She’ll eventually come around.”
“When she’s twenty?” he asked in a dry tone.
“Oh, no, by then you’ll drop at least a hundred IQ points, or so I hear,” she said.
Stefan groaned. “Good luck getting your hat back,” he said.
Eve laughed, remembering the way Stephenia had clutched her Stetson with a death grip during her entire examination. “Maybe you’ll get her one of her own.”
“That can be arranged. How did you win her over so quickly?” he asked.
“It’s not magic. You can sit on the floor and read a book, too. You’re different for her. Your voice is deeper, you’re taller and scary to her. You’ll have a better chance of winning her over if you get down on her level.”
“I can’t remember a time when my mother or father sat on the floor with me,” he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“You said you’re going to do things differently,” she said.
He paused and nodded. “Perhaps,” he said. “Why does this suddenly seem so much more difficult than improving Chantaine’s economy?”
She lifted her hand to his cheek and smiled. “Trust me. This is going to be cake compared to adolescence.”
Stefan groaned. “I can’t think about that right now.”
“You’ve met Stephenia, haven’t you?” Bridget said, and then covered her mouth as she giggled inside the café where they were eating lunch. “God is just. Stefan got a screamer.” She giggled again. “Serves him right. He makes all of us want to scream.”
“Have you spent time with her?” Eve asked.
Bridget paused. “I’ve seen her,” she said. “I can’t deal with screaming children.”
“She’s a motherless baby, and she’s your niece,” Eve said.
Bridget pouted. “Oh, you’re spoiling all my fun,” she said. “I’ll be a good aunty eventually. I just don’t enjoy infants and toddlers for more than an hour at a time…except for Valentina’s daughter. She was a dream. Stephenia is a nightmare,” she said in a lowered voice, then waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Besides, you and I are having this lunch to discuss the children’s charity event. I like the idea of a hard rock/rap party.”
“And how does this include children?” Eve prompted.
Bridget frowned. “I didn’t know we had to include them. I thought we were just supposed to make money for them.”
Eve chuckled. “Both can be done. We could make a day of it. Sand castles at the beach during the day and a beach party at night for the adults.”
Bridget thought about the idea for a moment. “I like that, but I also like the idea of auctioning children’s artwork.”
“That’s doable. Get a good band and some appetizers….”
“Oh, it should be a four-course meal,” Bridget sa
id.
“Not at the beach. And you want to make money. If you could pull in some celebrity appearances, that would make it even more appealing.”
Bridget’s eyes lit up. “Stefan and his first appearance with Stephenia.”
Eve bit her lip, thinking about how difficult the current situation between Stefan and his daughter was. “I’m not sure you should count on that.”
Bridget sighed. “Surely we can get the screamer to stop screaming by then.”
“I know you’re having a tough time with Stefan right now, but at least you have him,” Eve said. “At least you have your brothers and sisters.”
Bridget’s smile faded. “You must miss your brother very much. Why haven’t you been in touch since you both became adults?”
“I can’t find him and I suspect that if I can’t find him, he may not want to be found,” Eve said. “My upbringing wasn’t at all cushy. He had it rougher than I did.” Eve took a deep breath and fought back a sudden sting of tears that caught her off guard. “I know you and Stefan are often at odds, but please don’t forget how important he is to you and how important you are to him. And I don’t mean you’re just important because of the duties you’re currently performing.”
Bridget glanced down at her glass and slid her finger around the rim of it. “I know what you’re saying. Even though he was horrid to Valentina, and it seemed he was upset because she’d left him with no help, the real reason he was upset was that he couldn’t protect her. He would croak if anything happened to any of us.” She glanced up at Eve. “I still think his temperament would improve vastly if he had a wife…or at least a lover.”
Eve couldn’t say a thing.
Stefan waited until his daughter’s temperature returned to normal to approach her in the nursery. She still screamed when he entered. When he sat on the floor and read like Eve had, Stephenia sat on the opposite side of the room and watched him with terror on her face. It stabbed him in his heart to know that his daughter feared him so completely.
He took Eve with him late one afternoon to observe. Stephenia was far more interested in Eve than him. Eve had managed to swipe back her hat while Stephie slept one night. Stephie wanted it back.
His daughter walked toward Eve and pointed to her black Stetson. “You wanna borrow my hat?” Eve asked. “Can you say please?”
Stephie kept her thumb in her mouth and continued to point.
Eve adjusted her hat. “Gotta say please,” she said. “What’s up for reading tonight, Your Highlyness?”
“The Cat in the Hat,” he said, then sat on the floor just as he had for the last four nights.
“Oooh, one of my favorites,” Eve said, joining him on the floor and looking at the book as he read it.
A few pages later, Stephenia appeared by Eve’s side and tugged at the hat. Eve shook her head. “Say please,” she said to the toddler.
Stefan paused. Eve nodded. “Please continue.”
Stefan did as she requested. Two pages later, Stephenia said, “Peas?”
Eve beamed and immediately transferred her hat to the toddler’s head. “What a smart girl. I’m so proud of you.”
Stephenia gave a shy smile as the hat covered her down past her nose. “Peas,” she said again.
“Good for you,” Eve praised. “You like my hat, don’t you?”
Stephenia pushed the hat back slightly so she could look at Eve. “Peas.”
Eve clapped again. “Good girl.”
Stefan’s heart swelled in his chest at the same time he sensed this wasn’t going to solve his problem. “So she knows how to say peas?” he asked.
Eve frowned at him. “It’s a step forward.”
“True, but we don’t know if she’s stopped screaming,” he said. He reached toward the child, and she squeaked. “As I said.”
Eve sighed. “True. Okay. I’m going to leave the room.”
“Why?” he asked, fighting a terrible sense of panic.
“Because you and Stephenia need to learn to communicate,” she said.
“I’ve been trying to do that with no success since you arrived here,” he reminded her.
“True, and I really admire you for that,” she said. “After I leave the room, I want you to whisper.”
He glanced at her in surprise. “Are you serious?”
“Totally,” she said as she left the room.
Stephenia stared after Eve, then turned her head and glanced warily at him.
“Yeah, I’m with you,” he whispered. “I wish she would have stayed, too.”
Stefan began to whisper the rest of The Cat in the Hat and one page before the end of the book, his daughter sat down next to him and leaned her head against his side.
He almost wept.
“Your Highness, more than ever,” Tomas said. “You need a wife. With the scandal you’ve created by fathering an illegitimate child, the best solution for this PR debacle is for you to marry. Although,” Tomas said, “I’m certain several of our top contenders will decline being considered.”
“Because of Stephenia?” Stefan said more than asked.
Tomas shrugged. “At the level of your potential mates, many of them would prefer not to deal with a stepchild.”
“Then I wouldn’t want that woman for my wife,” Stefan said in a cold voice.
The senior adviser fidgeted. “Of course, sir. My interest, all of our interest, is only for the best for Chantaine—and you.”
Stefan heard the order of priority. Chantaine first. Him second…or last. He’d always accepted it before. Now he had more to consider. Now he had Stephenia. “I have no intention of taking a wife at the moment. I’m forming a relationship with a daughter whom I didn’t even know existed. In my personal relationships, my priority is helping Stephenia feel safe and secure and guiding my sisters and brothers into a closer familial relationship. That was neglected by my parents and the advisers. I’m determined to repair it.”
Tomas looked cranky. “You and your siblings were provided with the best education possible. How were we to know that you needed some sort of sibling bond? None of your predecessors expressed such a need. Your father had little affection for his brother.”
“I’m not my father,” Stefan said.
The adviser met his gaze for a long moment, then looked away. “Your father had a different policy regarding illegitimate children,” he muttered.
“Explain that,” Stefan said.
Tomas shook his head. “It’s nothing,” he said. “Just a backup plan that was never necessary, thank God.”
Stefan was half tempted to ask a few more questions about the backup plan, but he had no interest in further engaging the chief adviser. “I’m glad you understand my priorities.”
“Yes, Your Highness, but soon you will need to take a wife.”
“First things first,” Stefan said crisply. “I am, however, taking recommendations for a nanny.”
Tomas blinked, then furrowed his brow. “I’ll make inquiries,” he said. “I am happy to serve. There have been rumors, sir, that the child is—” Tomas coughed “—a bit vocal.”
Stefan chuckled. “Vocal isn’t an adequate term. She’s a screamer, but we’re working with her. Funny thing. When you whisper to her, she usually gets quiet.”
The adviser turned solemn. “Congratulations, sir. If you have learned the secret of quieting a female, then you have learned the secret to peace.”
Stefan shook his head. “I want my daughter to feel loved and secure. I haven’t learned the secret to achieving that yet.”
Tomas slowly nodded. “Your father would have never voiced such a concern. You are very different from him.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Stefan said.
The following day, Stefan and Stephenia took a field trip to the barns.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Eve said as she met them.
Her thumb stuck firmly in her mouth and her blanket clasped in her hand, Stefan’s daughter stared wide-eyed i
n the soft daylight. She glanced at Eve, then stared at the black Stetson Eve had retrieved for the fifth time. Stephenia pulled her thumb from her mouth and pointed at Eve’s hat. “Peas.”
Eve glared at Stefan as she pulled her hat from her head. “We must get her a hat.”
“I gave her a white one. She prefers yours,” he said, carefully placing Eve’s hat onto his daughter’s head. Stephenia gave a Mona Lisa smile, and he wondered just how much his little daughter knew she was manipulating the adults.
“Yeah, yeah,” Eve said. “Well, you know the routine. Please tell the nanny to collect my hat tonight when Stephie falls asleep.”
“Of course,” he said. “Are we going to introduce her to Black?”
“No way,” she said. “Are you trying to terrify her for life?”
“Black would protect her,” he said.
“After he frightened her to death,” she said. “Gus. Gus is our man. He’s a true gentleman,” she said, then walked toward the gelding’s stall. “Hey, handsome,” she said, and the gelding immediately came to the stall door, nodding.
“I have someone I want you to meet. Be the sweetheart you are,” she whispered, then motioned for Stefan to come closer.
“Isn’t he gorgeous?” she said to Stephie. “He’s so soft. His hair. His ears. Look at his ears, Stephie.”
Stephie stared at the horse for a long moment, then waved her hand toward him.
“You want to touch him?” Stefan asked her and gently guided her hand against his neck. “Soft?”
She lifted her hand higher, and he guided her hand gently over Gus’s ears. “Oooh,” she said.
He smiled at the cooing sound and met Eve’s gaze. “I think she likes him.”
“Yeah, I think she does,” she said, then watched as Stephenia slid her hand lower to Gus’s nose.
The horse flared his nostrils and snorted, startling the child.
Eve laughed. “He made a funny sound, didn’t he?”
Stephenia looked uncertain for a moment, then started to giggle.
Stefan stood stock-still. This was the first time he’d heard his daughter laugh. He wondered if he would breathe normally again.