Hand-Me-Down Princess

by Carol Moncado

  He went back into the apartment to find Jessabelle seated in her favorite chair in their room, looking out over the mountains beyond. “I thought you were making cookies.”

  She held up a spoon. “Nope. Just cookie dough.” Another bite, and then, “Did you find out anything?”

  He sat down on the couch near her. “Not really. A lot of the information was a duplicate of what you already have. Your parents’ health records and adoption application, things like that.”

  “So what did you learn?”

  How to tell her? “I found out you’re the biological daughter of a powerful man and his mistress. That’s all I could find out. It looks like you were born in Ravenzario, though, not Mevendia like we thought. Your official birth certificate says you were born in Erres and lists your adoptive parents. It’s not uncommon to have birth certificates reissued like that after an adoption, but it is a bit odd to change the date or location of your birth.”

  She looked over at him, spoon dangling from her mouth. “The date was changed?”

  “I’m not sure. I need to look more closely,” he answered honestly. It looked to him like it was, but he didn’t know for sure. “Listen, I contacted Jamison Genealogy a while ago, and I have all the information if you’d like for them to look into it. I filled out the paperwork but waited to tell you until it seemed like you were ready. We’d need to update it a bit, but we could have them start immediately.”

  It took a minute, but she nodded. “I think that’s a good plan. Where do I sign?”

  “I’ll get it in a minute. There’s something else we haven’t talked about recently.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Moving to the States to attend university.”

  “Right.” Another bite of cookie dough. “I don’t think I want to right now. It’s too much. Maybe in six months or a year, we can reevaluate.”

  Part of Malachi wanted to take her and run. The rest of him valued the wisdom in her decision. Too much change could be too stressful, and he’d let her decide how much was too much.

  “Did your father have that meeting?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I would imagine so, but I haven’t heard for certain.”

  “Would he tell you about it?”

  “Not likely. If I hear anything, it’ll be through the grapevine.”

  “Is the family just sort of ignoring the whole thing officially?”

  “Yes. If you get any questions about it, just say you have no knowledge of anything or no comment. No comment is probably better.”

  “I can handle that.”

  Malachi reached out to brush back her hair. “You should have lunch with Mrs. Padovano. Maybe she knows more or if she looked through those papers, she might see something we missed.”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll call her.”

  “Or have your assistant set it up. Have you picked one yet?” He needed to give her a gentle nudge. Yvette mentioned it to him. She adored both Melinda and Belinda and missed them working with her full-time.

  She sighed. “No. Stefan sent me a couple of names that he highly recommended. I just need to meet with them and make it official. I’ll see if I can do that tomorrow.”

  Malachi chuckled. “Stefan won’t recommend anyone he doesn’t trust with your hair. He’s very particular.”

  “So I gathered. I have another appointment with him this week.” She shifted until he could see her face. “I thought it shouldn’t matter what I did with my hair and make-up, and I guess on one level it doesn’t. But when my hair and make-up are done, I feel better about myself and more confident. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but that’s the way I feel.”

  He gave her a gentle smile. “I would imagine most people feel that way. When they feel they look good or lose those few pounds, or wear clothes they love and look good on them, they feel better and more confident.” He hesitated, then went on. “But Mia Belle, there’s something I’ve had to learn over the years. My intrinsic value as a human being doesn’t come from who my parents are or the fact that my job title is Prince of Mevendia.”

  She watched him, interested, but not speaking.

  “My value as a human being comes from being a child of the King. Not my father, but my Heavenly Father. Your value doesn’t come in the title of princess you received on our wedding day. You have value because you are a child of the King. Your worth has to come from Him, not in your title or status here on earth.”

  A tear streaked down her cheek. “I know that, I believe that on some level, but it’s hard to take that truth and really live it.”

  “It’s something I struggle with all the time,” he told her honestly. “There have been a lot of times when this royalty thing has gone to my head, but every time God finds a way to humble me.” A smile found it’s way onto his face. “Did you see the video of me that played over and over and over a couple years ago? The one where I tripped and fell over nothing?”

  She replied with a small smile of her own. “I remember it. I felt bad for you.”

  “I’d been too big for my britches, I think the saying goes. I was a Prince of Mevendia. I was important because of who my parents were. Through some quirk of genetic happenstance, I was born with a silver spoon. Tripping like that, having it all over the news, that was God’s way of reminding me I put my pants on one leg at a time like everyone else.”

  Jessabelle snickered, but covered her mouth with her hand.

  “What?”

  “It just hit me. When firefighters go out on a call, they put their pants on both legs at a time, don’t they?”

  It struck Malachi as funny, too, and they both laughed until tears rolled down their cheeks. He held his hands out to her and helped her up, pulling her into his arms and holding her to his chest. “You’re beautiful and valuable because of who you are inside, Mia Belle. Because God redeemed you and called you His own. You are a joint heir with Christ. That’s why you’re valuable. Not because of a title you received when we married or because of who your birth parents might be.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes soft. “I know. But it helps having you here to remind me.”

  He couldn’t help himself. Malachi kissed his wife and forgot all of the reasons why he shouldn’t want to do so much more.

  * * *

  Three days later, Jessabelle woke up alone. Malachi had an early meeting, and she’d known that, but she missed him. A look at her schedule let her know she had an interview with both a stylist and an assistant recommended by Stefan. She was to meet both of them in the small salon on the other side of the palace. She arrived without doing anything to get ready except brush her hair and pulling on an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

  Stefan’s presence filled the whole room, but both of the young women with him seemed at ease, a good sign.

  He spread his arms wide when he saw her. “Ah! Your Royal Highness!” After a slight bow, he greeted her with a kiss to each cheek. “It is finally time for you to select your own staff. May I introduce Emily Nester and Debra Marshon?”

  Jessabelle smiled and shook their hands after they each gave a small curtsy. After Malachi’s words last night, she realized more than ever it could go to her head and vowed it wouldn’t. In just a few minutes, Debra had begun work on her hair with only the barest instructions of what kind of event she was preparing for.

  In less than half an hour, her hair and make-up were done. Stefan voiced his approval, while Jessabelle just smiled and nodded. She still barely recognized herself in the mirror.

  The four of them returned to Jessabelle’s apartment. A decent chunk of her wardrobe had been moved into the sitting area. While Debra looked through them, deciding what options she would give Jessabelle for this event, Jessabelle talked with Emily. Stefan did more to guide the conversation than Jessabelle did, but he knew the right questions to ask, and she found herself trusting his judgment. She also knew, to make it this far, both young ladies would have undergone rigorous background checks.

&n
bsp; Before long, Debbie as she’d insisted Jessabelle call her, had selected a total of nine outfits. There were three different events, all requiring different attire. Her make-up would be touched up between, but it was best to get moving on the clothes now.

  Or so she was told.

  Stefan, as well as recent arrivals Belinda and Melinda, all praised Debbie’s choices. Jessabelle was inclined to agree, though she asked Debbie to explain the rationale behind the suggestions. Satisfied with the answers, she picked her first choice for each event as well as a second choice in case of a mishap with the first one.

  After texting with Malachi for just a moment-he encouraged her to hire them, but only if she truly felt comfortable with them-she gave them the good news. That was a weight off her shoulders. It was a reminder that she was supposed to be touring a new library the next day and would need to leave early to travel to another city. In the afternoon, she would be at an elementary school planting a garden in the other city, before meeting Malachi for a formal dinner. All four women would be accompanying her for the next few days while Belinda and Melinda helped train Emily and Debbie on the assorted things they’d need to know to do their jobs properly.

  It would be quite an entourage, though Jessabelle knew they would stay out of sight for the most part. She took her e-reader with her since she was alone in the back seat of the limo.

  The head librarian was a lovely woman, if a bit uptight. Jessabelle supposed that could be because of her own presence, though she tried to put the woman at ease. Her own butterflies churned at a frenetic pace. She would be required to give an address for the second time, but this would be to a much smaller group of people, ones she would have spent time with prior to marrying Malachi. The other one had been to the upper crust, a group she still wasn’t comfortable with.

  This time, thank God, the speech went off without a hitch. She was whisked to a local hotel where she ate a quick lunch, changed clothes, and had her hair and make-up fixed. This time, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore jeans and a button-down shirt with boots that were supposed to be work boots but likely cost more than her entire wardrobe until just a few months earlier. Before long, they were back on the road, this time to an elementary school where she would help plant a garden with the students.

  She enjoyed the visit. She liked the children and the workers, who were about her age. It was nice to get her hands dirty, planting vegetables they would use in the school cafeteria or donate to one of the local shelters.

  The visit seemed all too short and before she knew it, Jessabelle weas headed back to the palace to get ready for her third event of the day. This time she would be joining Malachi at the big Adoption Option fundraiser he and Lizbeth had been working on for the last several months.

  Though she had come to a truce with the other woman, and even seemed to be forming a friendship, Jessabelle wasn’t thrilled with going to a dinner where her husband and another woman would be the center of attention. Malachi was in the shower when Jessabelle and her entourage made it back to the apartment. They took all of the things she needed into one of the other bedrooms. Jessabelle took her own quick shower, and, wrapped in a luxurious robe, let Debbie work her magic. Five minutes before it was time to leave, she had slipped on the sea foam green chiffon gown and silver sandals.

  Time to go.

  Chapter 28

  Jessabelle seemed to possess a new poise when she walked into the living room. Malachi couldn’t hold in the low whistle. “You look fabulous, Mia Belle.” He didn’t even care there were other people around to hear his nickname for her. People hired to work directly with the family had strict confidentiality clauses, but none would have been hired if they weren’t imminently trustworthy in the first place.

  He rested his hands on her hips and pulled her close. “I’m going to be the envy of every man there tonight.”

  She ducked her head and turned a most becoming shade of pink. “I happen to think I’ll be the envy of most of the women there.”

  That was one way to stroke a guy’s ego. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead so he wouldn’t mess up her lipstick and let her go. He extended his elbow. “Shall we?”

  Her hand slid inside, and he relished the feeling of it there. They’d come a long way in the last few months. In a couple of minutes, they were on their way. Jessabelle seemed nervous as they pulled up to the actual red carpet leading into the venue, but not as bad as she often had in the past. This time, rather than tucking her hand in his elbow, he held her hand. In some ways, it seemed more intimate, though they didn’t link fingers. They walked slowly up the carpet, stopping to wave several times and paused for official pictures. When they made it inside, they were shown to an ante room where they would wait until they were introduced.

  “You did wonderful,” he told her when they were alone for a moment. “I’m very proud of you.”

  “Thank you. I’m doing better at faking it until I really do feel confident.”

  He slid an arm around her waist and tucked her into his side. “I pray you’ll be confident for real sooner rather than later.”

  Before they could talk any more, the door opened again and Lizbeth entered accompanied by her father. Greetings were exchanged though Malachi noticed an undercurrent he never had before. When was the last time he’d seen the man? Before the wedding? Maybe that explained it. Had he really thought Malachi would marry his daughter?

  He kept Jessabelle close to his side. She couldn’t be comfortable in the presence of the other man, not with this tension.

  The event coordinator walked in and addressed Malachi. “Are you ready sir?”

  He nodded and noted Mr. Bence’s increased annoyance. Really?

  The coordinator went on. “Mr. Bence, Ms. Bence, you’ll enter first.”

  Malachi hung back with Jessabelle and waited as Lizbeth was introduced and hid his smirk when her father was referred to as her escort. A bit of polite applause greeted them. A moment later, Malachi entered when he and Jessabelle were both announced by name. This time, those assembled rose to their feet. It was a greeting Malachi was used to, but it had to irk Mr. Bence.

  He released Jessabelle’s hand to shake a few hands and kiss a few cheeks as they walked to the head table. He noticed Jessabelle doing the same, though she accepted cheek kisses from the men in the room. When they reached their seats, Malachi held his wife’s for her then seated himself between his wife and Lizbeth.

  As expected dinner was excellent, but Malachi was a bit nervous about the dancing portion of the evening. The last several years, the first dance had been for the organizers of the event-Lizbeth and himself. They had never discussed what would happen this year. The hostess of ceremonies had done the job long before he and Lizbeth had taken over as co-coordinators.

  He leaned over to whisper to Jessabelle. “The last several years, Lizbeth and I have had the first dance because we were the coordinators. I’m not sure what’s planned this year. If it hasn’t changed, you are my second dance.”

  She nodded but didn’t reply. He wanted to kiss the side of her head, but settled for squeezing her hand. A few minutes later, the announcement was made and he stood, extending a hand to Lizbeth. When they made it to the dance floor, she seemed to automatically move as close to him as she used to.

  “I’m married, Lizbeth,” he reminded her quietly and by the second set of steps, there was an appropriate distance between them. “Thank you.” They didn’t speak for the rest of the dance, and when it ended, he bowed politely before handing her off to her next partner. One of the women he’d met a number of times tried to solicit his next dance but he simply smiled. “Perhaps you will save a dance for me later? I believe my wife is next on my dance card.” She smiled, and that was the end of it. Word would get around he valued dances with his wife, and that would be a good thing.

  He bowed to Jessabelle and held out a hand. “May I have the honor of this dance?”

  “Of course.”

  In just a momen
t, they were on the dance floor along with a number of other guests. This time he did hold his partner close, not just because he knew word would get around, but because he wanted to. He bent close until he could whisper in her ear. “You will have to dance with others tonight.”

  “I know. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m proud of you.” This time he did kiss her temple. “You’re becoming the woman I know you can be. I’ve been praying for you for months, and I’m so glad to see it happening.”

  Malachi couldn’t see the blush, but he was sure she did from the way she ducked her head. The dance came to an end, and they spent the next hour circulating. After a dance with a particularly trying, but very generous, donor, he decided a short break was in order. He used the men’s room but as he returned to the ball room, he heard his name mentioned.

  “I’ve been given assurances by the king that, should the new princess fail to conceive by the deadline in June, Prince Malachi will be required to set her aside and find a new wife.”

  Malachi’s blood began to boil. Had his father said that?

  Another man chuckled. “I suppose you want the prince for a son-in-law?”

  “I certainly wouldn’t object, even with his first marriage being an abject failure.” The two men laughed in a way that made Malachi uncomfortable. “I guarantee my daughter will be certain he won’t be a philanderer like his father.”

  “So there’s no truth to the rumors that he and your daughter are already involved?”

  “Do you really think Prince Malachi would violate those wedding vows?”

  Another laugh, but no actual response to the suggestion. So others had noticed the lopsided vows. It shouldn’t have surprised him, but the implication that he was having an affair with Lizbeth infuriated him. He tugged first on one shirt sleeve where it came out from under his jacket then the other. Whatever the men said when he came into view, he couldn’t let them see his anger.