Not-So-Perfect Princess

by Melissa McClone

  “Cat isn’t a child.”

  “No, he’s your pet.”

  Children and a family weren’t something he’d considered before. Saying he had a pet was pushing the level of commitment he was comfortable with. Love and commitment didn’t last so why bother? His mother had claimed to love him. But she’d abandoned him to a father who disapproved of him and a brother who antagonized him. Alejandro rocked back on his heels. “Cat’s a stray.”

  “Living in a palace.”

  Her voice teased. Okay, she had a point. “If I give the cat a proper name, I’ll have to keep him.”

  She pursed her lips. “Do you plan on releasing him when he gets bigger?”

  Alejandro fought the urge to squirm under her scrutiny. He hadn’t done anything wrong or irresponsible. At least not yet. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. But cats take off when they get tired of you.”

  She peered around him and motioned to the sock tied in a knot, piece of rope and empty boxes strewn across the floor. “You’re going to need to buy a suitcase when he goes so he can take his toys with him.”

  “I just had that stuff lying around.” Alejandro shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll probably keep him. At the boatyard when he gets older,” he clarified.

  “Then you might as well come up with a more original name for him.”

  “He’s a cat. The name fits.”

  “True, but look at his green eyes. His handsome face. The white boots on his paws.” She held the kitten up as if he were a rare treasure. “He is so much more than a generic cat.”

  Alejandro laughed, enchanted by her tenacity. “If you ever get tired of being a princess, you should become a trial lawyer.”

  She scrunched her nose. “I’ve never considered such a career, but I would be happy to provide more evidence for changing the kitten’s name.”

  “For someone who wants me to take them sailing,” he lowered his voice, “you’re not very agreeable.”

  Her eyes widened. Her complexion paled. “Oh, I’m—”

  “Kidding.” Alejandro didn’t think she would take him seriously. But he could make it up to her. He thought about her description of the kitten. One word popped out at him. “Boots.”

  A line creased above her nose. “Excuse me?”

  “Cat’s name is now Boots. Satisfied?”

  “Very.” She smiled, visibly relieved. “Thank you.”

  Pleasing her felt better than it should. Just trying to make her happy so she’d want to marry Enrique.

  Yeah, right. Alejandro leaned against the doorjamb. “It’s the least I could do after the way you argued for his rights. Perhaps you should do the same for your own. And your countrywomen.”

  Her smile disappeared. So did the light from her eyes. He didn’t like the change in her.

  “I would if I could, but that’s not the kind of princess Aliestle or your brother wants.” She touched one of the kitten’s small paws. Her expression softened. “The least I could do was support a fellow underdog.”

  “I don’t think Boots would like to be associated with anything having to do with a dog.”

  The corners of her mouth slanted upward. “You’re probably right about that.”

  Alejandro reached out to pet the kitten. His fingers brushed against the bare skin on Julianna’s arm. Tingles shot outward from the point of contact. He jerked his hand away.

  She didn’t seem to notice.

  Good. He didn’t want her to know she had an effect on him. “You like cats.”

  “I do, but I’ve never had one.” She rubbed the top of the kitten’s head. “My father didn’t want any animals in the palace. He claimed they were too dirty and too much trouble.”

  Alejandro hadn’t expected to have anything else in common with her except sailing. “We had a dog growing up, but after she died my father didn’t want another one. He said dogs were too much trouble.”

  Julianna eyed him with curiosity. “Yet you have Boots.”

  But Alejandro didn’t live in the palace. He doubted his family would want Julianna to know he was here for appearance sake and would be departing after the wedding. “Black sheep, remember?”

  “I haven’t forgotten. I hope your reputation means you’re an expert at subterfuge and not getting caught.”

  He winked. “You’re in experienced hands, Princess.”

  “Excellent.” The sparkle returned to her eyes. She glanced behind her as if to make sure they were still alone. “Have all the arrangements been made?”

  The princess’s hushed voice made it sound as if they were going to undertake an important, secretive mission. Alejandro realized in her mind they were. The least he could do was play along.

  “Almost,” he whispered back. “Check your closet this afternoon. Everything you need for tonight will be in there.”

  Her mouth formed a perfect O. “My closet? You’re going to go into my room. Isn’t that risky?”

  “No one will see me.”

  “You can’t be certain. My maid might be—”

  “There are secret tunnels and passageways throughout the palace.” He didn’t want her to worry. “You access them through hidden latches in the closets.”

  “Oh.”

  The one word spoke volumes of her doubt.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked.

  She handed the kitten to him. “I don’t have a choice if I want to go sailing.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  Alejandro felt like a jerk. He was the last person she should be putting her faith in. He had the most to gain by her marrying Enrique. She had the most to lose by saying “I do.” Okay, his brother wasn’t that bad. But she was still sacrificing for the marriage.

  “Not many people would understand how important tonight is to me,” she said. “I trust you won’t let me down.”

  He appreciated her earnest expression and words. He was used to those in the palace being unable to see past his rebellions as a teen and his wanting to change the monarchy from the archaic monolith it had become.

  But Julianna was far too trusting. She must have lived a sheltered life in Aliestle. Things would be better for her on the island. “You’re the perfect fairy-tale princess.”

  Defiance flashed in her eyes, but disappeared quickly. “A princess, yes. Perfect, not so much. Though I try my best.”

  “Trying is an admirable trait, but not if it makes you unhappy.”

  “Doing what is expected of me is all I know.”

  Julianna was nothing like he imagined she would be. She wasn’t jaded in spite of being a royal prisoner her entire life. She was the closest thing to perfection he’d ever met. Alejandro would make sure Enrique treated her fairly. “You do a good job.”

  She rewarded him with a closemouthed smile. He would have preferred to see one with her straight, white teeth visible. “I plan to continue to do so.”

  Except tonight.

  Crossing the line had become second nature to him growing up. Alejandro didn’t do it as often now. Still he didn’t care what anyone thought about him. The lovely princess did care. The way she dressed, spoke and acted made it clear. She might feel the need to rebel in this one-time act of defiance. A brief escape from an impending arranged marriage and a curtailed freedom. But he didn’t want Julianna to have any regrets over what they were going to do.

  “Are you certain you want to go against your father and sail tonight?” Alejandro whispered.

  “Most definitely.

  “You may regret—”

  “I’ll regret not doing so more,” she interrupted. “This is the right thing to do. Even if I’m caught.”

  Julianna was saying the right words. Alejandro hoped she meant them. Because if she got caught, the price she would pay might be higher than either of them imagined.

  That evening, the hands on the clock in the dining room moved slower than the Council of Elders. King Dario sat at the head of the table. His two sons sat on his left with Jules and Brandt on the king’s ri
ght.

  She tapped her foot, impatient the meal was taking so long. Servers scurried about with wine bottles and platters. She wanted dinner to end so she could excuse herself and prepare for the sail with Alejandro.

  He sat across the table from her. No tuxedo, but a designer suit and dress shirt sans tie. He looked more like a CEO than a boatbuilder. Well, except for his hair. The dark ends brushed his shoulders. She preferred his casual, carefree style to Enrique’s short, conservative cut.

  She kept hoping Alejandro would say something to turn the dinner conversation away from the upcoming royal wedding and onto something more interesting.

  He didn’t. He barely spoke or glanced her way.

  No doubt trying to keep anyone from guessing about the rendezvous later. Jules suppressed the urge to smile about her impending adventure.

  King Dario yawned. “I’m going to skip having a brandy.”

  Alejandro straightened. “Are you feeling okay, Father?”

  The king waved off his son’s genuine concern. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  “Dealing with the demands of the island takes a lot out of a person.” Enrique narrowed his gaze as he spoke to Alejandro. “Something you would know little about, brother.”

  Jules waited for Alejandro to fire back a smart-assed comment. He took a sip of wine instead. When he finished, he wiped his mouth with a napkin. His dark eyes revealed nothing of his thoughts. “Sleep well, Father.”

  With that, King Dario departed.

  Silence filled the dining room. The servers seemed to have vanished along with the king. Jules counted to one hundred by tens in Japanese. When could she say good-night without drawing suspicions to herself?

  “I have work to attend to.” Enrique scooted his chair away from the table. “If you do not mind,” he said to her as if an afterthought.

  Perfect! Her entire body felt as if it were smiling. “I don’t mind.”

  “I was planning to hit the clubs,” Brandt said with eager anticipation in his voice.

  Yes! She couldn’t have arranged this any better if she’d planned it. “Take Klaus with you.”

  Brandt rolled his eyes.

  “Listen to your sister,” Alejandro suggested. “You’ll be thankful you have a bodyguard should things get out of hand.”

  “My brother knows the island’s club scene intimately.” Derision dripped from each of Enrique’s word. “He’s often at the center of the melees.”

  Jules didn’t like his tone. She often gave her four brothers a hard time and teased them, like any big sister, but she never spoke with such disrespect.

  “Please, Brandt,” she said. “Father would never forgive me if something happened to you.”

  “And vice versa.” Brandt directed a warm smile full of love her way. “I’ll have Klaus accompany me.”

  Relieved, she smiled at him. “Thank you.”

  Enrique remained seated in his chair, but he looked ready to bolt out any minute. She wished he’d go.

  “What will you do tonight, Julianna?” he asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know.” She forced herself not to look at Alejandro. “Read. Watch TV. I’ll find something to do.”

  She wiggled her toes in anticipation of what she would actually be doing.

  Enrique rose from the table. “Then I’ll bid you good-night and see you tomorrow.”

  Jules watched him exit the dining room. The atmosphere seemed less stuffy with Enrique gone. Her uncharitable thought brought a stab of guilt. He was her future husband. She’d best accept him as he was.

  Alejandro rose. “I’m going to say good-night, also.”

  “Will I see you later?” Brandt asked.

  “Not tonight,” Alejandro said. “I have a prior engagement.”

  Yes, he did. She bit back a smile. In two hours and twenty-two minutes she would meet him at a private dock. The map, a headlamp and everything else she needed were sitting inside a duffel bag she’d found in her closet this afternoon.

  “Blonde or brunette?” Brandt asked.

  Alejandro laughed at the innuendo. “I wish I could say differently, but unfortunately it’s not that kind of…engagement.”

  Jules tried to figure out what Alejandro meant. That he wished he were seeing a different woman or he wished he were meeting her under different circumstances? Not that he would or she could. But still…

  “You can meet me at a club later,” Brandt said.

  Alejandro glanced her way. “Maybe I will.”

  “No.” The two men looked at her with surprised expressions. Jules’s heart dropped to her feet. She hadn’t meant to say the word out loud. “I mean, do you know how long you’ll be, Alejandro? Brandt might not want to stick around one club waiting for you to show up.”

  Brandt shook his head. “Stop being such a big sister, Jules. He can text me when he arrives.”

  “Oh, right,” she said. “You know how often I go clubbing.”

  “You’ve never been to a club,” Brandt said.

  She’d never been allowed to go. She always wondered if her bodyguards were more concerned protecting her or ensuring she remained a virgin so her father could use that in marriage negotiations. “Exactly.”

  “Your sister’s correct, though,” Alejandro said. “I have no idea how long I’ll be. I may not make it.”

  Brandt shrugged. “More lovely ladies for me.”

  “Save some for us tomorrow night.”

  Her brother grinned. “You’re on.”

  Jules didn’t want to think about tomorrow and the life waiting for her as Enrique’s bride and future queen. She wanted tonight to last forever. She wanted it to start now.

  She rose from the table. “Good night, gentlemen. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

  “I hope you’re not too bored here alone,” Brandt said.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t be bored at all.” Her gaze met Alejandro’s for a moment. “Tonight is exactly what I need.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  TWO HOURS LATER, Jules stood in the walk-in closet in her room. The headlamp she wore illuminated the dark space. She wore sailing clothes two sizes too big, a short, dark wig and a cap. She clutched a map in her left hand. With a steadying breath, she searched for the hidden latch with a trembling right hand.

  She’d never disobeyed her father or anyone else for that matter. She’d never come close to doing anything illicit unless you counted eating an entire bag of chocolate in one sitting. But this…

  Her heart pounded against her chest.

  You’re in experienced hands, Princess.

  Alejandro’s words gave her a needed boost of courage.

  Jules’s fingers brushed across something. She sucked in a breath. The latch. She pressed the small, narrow lever. Something squealed. She stepped backward. A secret door opened to reveal a staircase.

  Her insides quivered with a mix of nerves and excitement and a little fear.

  She stood at the threshold and glanced down the pitch-black stairwell. The headlamp illuminated the narrow steps.

  Jules ventured forward onto the first step with a slight hesitation. Nerves bubbled in her tummy. She found a latch on the inside of the passageway and closed the secret door.

  The steep staircase led to a tunnel that looked as if it had been there for decades, possibly a century or more. She wondered what the tunnel had been used for in the past. Had other princesses used it to escape?

  Her feet carried her across a packed dirt floor. Weathered, thick wood beams reinforced the walls and ceiling. The map said the tunnel was two kilometers long. The distance felt longer with the inky shadows stretching out in front of her.

  Something gray darted across the floor at the edge of the headlamp beam.

  Her breath caught in her throat. She shivered with a sense of foreboding. Nothing like being in an underground tunnel with rodents for companionship.

  Not rodents, she corrected. Mice.

  “No rats in the palace,” she muttered. “No rats
in the palace.”

  With the words as her mantra, Jules continued forward. Adrenaline quickened her pace. More creatures scurried across the floor or ran along the walls. Her nerves increased. She wanted out of here. Now.

  She came to a wrought-iron gate secured with a combination lock. She pulled the lock toward her and dialed in the digits written on the map: 132823. The lock clicked open.

  The sound of freedom.

  Jules opened the gate and stepped through with all the excitement of Christmas morning back when she was a child. She exited the tunnel and found herself in a grotto. No one would ever guess inside one of the rocks was a secret tunnel. She memorized the spot where she’d come out.

  Following a paved path, her apprehension rose. She had no idea where she was. Insects chirped and buzzed. But she saw no people, no other lights.

  Keep going.

  Alejandro had planned the outing so she wouldn’t get caught. A good thing, Jules knew. She trusted him for the reason she’d told him. She had no other choice if she wanted to sail. She couldn’t have pulled this off on her own in spite of her bravado on the beach last night.

  She continued walking, unable to shake her uneasiness at being out here secluded yet exposed. Not that she was about to turn around. This opportunity was too important.

  Being out here alone, without servants, bodyguards, chaperones or family, was something she rarely got to do. She might be fighting nerves, but the experience gave her a little thrill.

  The canopy and walls of rocks gave way to a large field of grass with gardens on either side. The moonlight eased some of her anxiety.

  The path led her up a rise. She heard the sound of waves crashing against the shore. At the top, she stopped, mesmerized by the sight of the sea. The beach had to be below her somewhere, but she focused on the water. Light from the full moon shimmered like silver on the crests of the waves.

  Jules’s breath caught in her throat.

  So beautiful.

  As she descended the path toward the water, she noticed a light shining. A lone lamppost stood on a short dock with a sailboat moored at the end.

  Her pulse rate quadrupled, as did her excitement. She’d found the place without getting lost or caught.