‘She hasn’t used her passport.’ His head of security had been busy on the flight home. ‘Not at an airport, anyway. So she can’t have gone back to New Zealand.’
‘No.’ Raoul closed his eyes as the aircraft touched down gently. He could still see the shape of that small figure standing there outside his home. ‘I don’t think she has. Don’t worry about it any more, Phillipe. I can handle it now.’
Mika had come to find him...
Hope was filling the dark space he had entered after finding that she’d disappeared from the café in Positano.
He ducked his head to stride beneath the slowing rotors of the helicopter. He waved off his bodyguards as he avoided the nearest palace entrance. He knew there would be many eyes watching him as he ran through the gardens, only slowing as he finally reached the front of the palace, but he didn’t care.
Would Mika still be there?
* * *
The turrets and spires weren’t the only silhouette against the fading light. Indecision had kept Mika immobile but it seemed that her plan might be working. A guard was coming around the corner of the palace. Not someone in a military uniform that she might have expected but a tall man in a dark suit. He looked like a bodyguard. A member of some special forces, perhaps, who’d been dispatched to find out what she thought she was doing, standing here and staring for so long.
Except...there was something about the way this man was moving. And well before he got to her—when he’d only just reached a long, rectangular pond with its blaze of flowering water lilies and the fountain that was a whole pod of leaping dolphins—the massive gates in front of Mika magically began to swing open.
Inviting her in...
But she couldn’t move.
Not until the figure got even closer. Until she could see the expression on Rafe’s face. Until he’d taken off his sunglasses and she could see the expression in his eyes...
Even then, she couldn’t move.
This was like nothing she could have prepared herself for.
Rafe didn’t even know she was pregnant.
But he wanted her.
As much as she wanted him...
* * *
This was perfect.
If he’d had a magic wand to wave, this was the one place he would have chosen to bring Mika.
A place that could provide the things that she loved most in the world.
The sea.
And dolphins.
He’d done no more than take her hand as the palace gates swung shut behind them because he knew how many people were watching.
‘Come with me,’ was all he said.
There was no one here on the private royal beach. Oh, it was quite possible his grandmother could see them, but if she was watching she would be smiling.
Crying, perhaps. The way she had when she’d taken him aside after Francesca had gone earlier today.
‘You reminded me this morning of what it was like,’ she’d said. ‘When Henri and I were so much in love. If this is where your heart is, Raoul, you have to follow it. You have my blessing. You’ll have the blessing of your grandfather, too, when I explain. And your people...’
Mika’s backpack lay abandoned on the sand. He might have guessed she would be wearing that white bikini as her underwear. His own suit was discarded alongside the backpack. He had nothing more than his silk boxer shorts to swim in, but it didn’t matter. The light was fading fast anyway and the rosy glow of the sunset made the shapes of the dolphins swimming around them dark and mysterious.
As dark as Mika’s eyes as he finally pulled her into his arms and kissed her. They way he’d been dreaming of kissing her every night they’d been apart.
‘I was so afraid I wouldn’t be able to find you,’ he whispered, his lips still brushing hers. ‘I thought I would be missing you every minute of every day for the rest of my life.’
‘I’m here.’ Mika was smiling against his lips. ‘I had to come. There’s something I have to tell you...’
That she forgave him for the accusation he’d made? That she still loved him?
A note in her voice told Raoul that it was time they talked properly. This time in the water had taken them back enough to re-establish their connection. To wash away the pain of their time apart. It wasn’t the place really to talk, though.
He led her from the shallows onto the sun-warmed sand. The air around them was still warm, too, but he picked up the jacket of his suit and draped it around Mika’s shoulders. And then he sat beside her and took her hand again.
‘There’s something I need to tell you, too.’
It felt like he was still out of his depth in the sea, looking into her eyes. As if he could drown...
‘I love you, Mika. And I’m sorry.’
‘For thinking I’d sold that picture? It doesn’t matter.’
‘I’m sorry for more than that.’
Mika ducked her head and nodded. ‘I understand. I know you couldn’t tell me who you were. It would have ruined everything, wouldn’t it? We’d never have...’ A soft sound escaped her lips. An incredulous sort of huff as she left her sentence unfinished. And then she looked up. ‘You saved me, you know? Three times...’
‘Three?’
‘Up on the track. From those men. And...and from maybe spending the rest of my life too scared to ever trust someone. Of never finding someone to be with like that. Of never...becoming a mother...’
It took a long, long moment for the implication of those words to sink in.
When it did, it took another long moment for Raoul to find his voice.
‘You’re not...?’
Just a single nod and his world changed for ever.
‘I’m sorry. I really did think it was a safe time. I must have got my dates mixed up...’
‘And that’s why you came here today? To tell me?’
Another nod. ‘I want this baby to always feel wanted. Loved. Even if we could never be together, I want it to know who its father is.’
Like Mika never had. Raoul’s heart felt so full it was in danger of bursting.
‘He—or she—will always feel loved,’ he said softly. The wonder of it was really sinking in now. He was going to be a father? ‘Will always be loved,’ he added. ‘So will you...’
It was a long time before they could speak again but it made no difference because the touch of their lips and bodies would always be a conversation in itself.
How had he ever thought he could live without this woman in his life? By his side?
‘This is going to cause trouble, isn’t it?’
‘No.’ Raoul pressed another gentle kiss to Mika’s lips. ‘It will be a cause for great celebration. My grandmother is going to be so happy. She wants nothing more than to see me settled and happy. To be married and raising a family.’
‘But...what about your fiancée?’
‘We were never officially engaged. And Francesca will be just as happy as we are. She’s going to be with the person she loves. We will maintain a friendship and work together to strengthen both our countries.’
‘But...’
‘But what?’ Raoul swallowed a sudden fear. ‘Are you worried that this isn’t the place that you’ve been searching for? That you couldn’t be happy living here?’
‘I’ve only seen a tiny part but I already know this is the most beautiful place on earth.’ Mika was smiling as she looked out at the small bay, as if she could still see the beautiful creatures who had shared their swim. She turned back to Raoul. ‘And you know what?’
‘What?’
‘I’ve discovered something. A place isn’t a place.’ She touched Raoul’s cheek softly. ‘Or it is, but it doesn’t actually matter where it is. That place only exists because it’s beside a person. You told me th
at, but I wasn’t really listening.’ Her voice sounded like it was choked with tears. ‘My place in the world is beside you, Rafe. Wherever you are, if I’m beside you, I’m home. But...’
Raoul was blinking back tears too. Because he couldn’t have put it better himself.
‘But...?’
Mika shook her head. ‘I can’t marry you.’
Maybe the air wasn’t as warm as he’d thought. The sudden chill went right to Raoul’s bones.
‘Why not?’
‘Are you kidding? Me? A...a princess? It’s impossible.’
‘You’ve forgotten something else I told you, haven’t you?’
‘What?’
‘That you can be anything at all that you really want to be. It’s one of the things I adore so much about you, my love. Your courage. And your determination. You could be a princess. If that’s what you want.’
‘If it means being with you for the rest of my life, why wouldn’t I want it?’
‘I was afraid you would never want to be part of my world. That’s another thing I love about you. That wildness. Your freedom. Your...dolphin blood. There are constraints with being royal and it might be like putting you in a cage. A gilded cage, but the walls are still there.’
‘You’d be inside those walls, too.’ Mika’s smile was so tender, Raoul could feel his breath catch. ‘It’s still the place I’d always want to be. But fairy-tales don’t really happen. I don’t have a fairy godmother out there to wave her wand, put me in a pretty dress and let me dance away with my prince...’
‘Oh, but you have.’ Any fears evaporated as Raoul kissed her again. ‘You just haven’t met my grandmother yet...’
EPILOGUE
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, Princess Gisele, adjusted the folds of her dress as she settled onto the ornate, red velvet chair with its gilded arms and headrest.
Being in this prime position at the front of Les Iles Dauphins’ historic cathedral meant that she could take in the full majesty of the wonderful old, stone building—the ornate archways and pillars, the glowing wood of the rows of pews and the statues of her country’s most significant figures whose mortal remains had been laid to rest in the raised vaults. The stained-glass windows were renowned as well and right now the intricate panes of glass were glowing as they were touched by the day’s fading sunshine.
It could be—and often had been—a sombre place to sit but not today.
Today there were garlands of snowy white flowers on every pew and around the base of every statue. There was joyful music thundering from the enormous pipes of the organ and the harmony of a choir to add to its tone. And there was a sea of colour wherever Gisele’s gaze roamed. So many beautiful dresses in shades of pink, blue and mauve. So many wonderful hats on the women in the pews that gave way to tiaras and crowns towards the front of the congregation. Nobody had refused the invitation to attend this function so it was a ‘who’s who’ of European royalty.
Only one seat was empty and that was the one right beside Gisele.
Henri’s chair.
With a sigh, Gisele shifted her gaze once more and caught that of her beloved grandson. He looked every inch the Prince he was in his military uniform with its red sash and gold epaulettes. His medals shone and the silver scabbard of his sword had been polished to within an inch of its life.
Their gazes held for a long moment. This was such a happy occasion but there was sadness, too. Loved ones who couldn’t be here had to be acknowledged.
The music was softer now, so it was possible to hear the faint roar coming from outside the cathedral walls. The sound of thousands of voices in a collective cheer. Gisele could imagine the scene as vividly as if she were standing out there on the top of that huge sweep of wide steps.
The ornate, gold dolphin coach that was only brought out on the most momentous of occasions—pulled by the immaculately groomed white horses of the royal stables—would have just come to a halt at the bottom of the steps.
Another man, in a uniform even more impressive than Raoul’s, would alight from the open coach and would be holding out his hand to help the bride climb down.
How wonderful was it that Mika had asked Henri to be the man to escort her down the aisle today?
And what a blessing he was still well enough to do this. He seemed to have taken on a whole new lease of life, in fact, with such joy to look forward to.
He hadn’t really needed Gisele to remind him of what it had been like to be young and in love. Or of how much strength that love had given them both over the decades and how it had got them through some very difficult times.
Mika had won Henri’s heart so quickly.
Had won everybody’s hearts.
What could have been a dreadful scandal had miraculously become the love story of the century. Raoul was now firmly ensconced as ‘the People’s Prince’ and he had clearly found a princess worthy of ruling by his side. Not only could everybody rejoice on the occasion of a royal wedding, they still had the coronation to look forward to and—even better—the anticipation of the birth of a new prince or princess in the near future. The first member of the next generation of the de Poitier family.
So much happiness.
Gisele had a lace-edged handkerchief clutched in her hand and she had a feeling she would need to use it very soon. She could feel tears of joy gathering as the music paused and then swelled into the triumphant opening bars of Wagner’s Bridal Chorus. She rose to her feet, as did everybody else in the cathedral.
It was beginning.
The tears started as soon as she saw her beloved husband by the side of this exquisite young bride. They continued as her heart caught at the sight of all the children following the pair. It had been Mika’s idea—to go to the orphanage and choose everyone who wanted to be a flower girl or a page boy. The girls wore long white dresses and had colourful garlands of flowers on their heads and the boys looked adorable in sailor suits.
Mika looked beyond adorable. She had approached this intimidating occasion with the same kind of good-humoured determination that she was applying to every aspect of royal life she’d been learning in the last few months. The design of her dress was simple and didn’t accentuate her growing bump. Mika had asked for a ‘swirly’ dress that would look pretty when she danced with her new husband later and the dressmakers had been delighted to oblige. With an empire line, it fell in soft folds, the beaded bodice having a sweetheart neckline.
Gisele had offered a diamond necklace to match the tiara that was holding her veil in place but Mika had been right in choosing something else.
Her own necklace of that tiny, silver dolphin charm.
The priests leading the procession up the aisle reached their positions at the front of the cathedral now and there was nothing to obstruct the lines of vision as Raoul and Mika got closer to each other.
Henri left Mika by Raoul’s side and came to sit beside Gisele. Would the television cameras pick up the way their hands touched and then held? It wasn’t exactly protocol on a formal occasion but Gisele needed the touch. Her heart was so full it almost hurt.
Squeezing his fingers, she watched as Raoul lifted his bride’s veil back and revealed her face. And then, for a heartbeat, and then another, the bride and groom seemed to be lost in each other’s eyes.
And those smiles...
Gisele had to let go of Henri’s hand, then. She needed her handkerchief too much.
So much joy was simply too contagious...
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE BEST MAN’S GUARDED HEART by Katrina Cudmore.
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The Best Man’s Guarded Heart
by Katrina Cudmore
CHAPTER ONE
SOFIA’S VOICEMAIL. AGAIN. Grace Chapman gave her smartphone’s contact photo of her best friend a death stare and muttered, ‘You can hide, Sofia, but I’ll find you.’
Grace loved Sofia to bits; during the madness of the past few years she’d been her rock of cheerful good sense. But every now and again, when life got too intense, Sofia lost the plot big-time. Like today. Yes, Grace might have missed her flight and ended up arriving in Athens seven hours late. But she’d had everything under control. Until Sofia had obviously panicked and called in the big guns: the Petrakis family. Which meant that instead of catching the last ferry of the day at Piraeus port, as she had hoped, Grace was now stuck in the VIP lounge of Athens airport, awaiting the arrival of Sofia’s soon-to-be father-in-law. A man who brought the word intimidating to a whole new level of meaning.
The Forbidden Prince Page 15