Her stomach fell into the pit. “I would love for you to show me more when I come to your town.” She would make sure to schedule a visit within the next year. David and so many others would be disappointed when the announcement was made.
As the group moved on, Poppo stayed behind. “Your Majesty, I know it has been many years, but I have never had the privilege of speaking with you before, and I would like to say something.”
Christiana stood with him while Alexander talked with the boys about camping. “Do go on.” She took his arm as they slowly walked after the group.
“The death of your parents and brother caught everyone by surprise.” He shook his head. “Such a tragedy. All of us went through gut-wrenching pain. It hit your nanny’s family hard as well, but I cannot imagine what it must have been like for you, losing your family and becoming queen at such a young age. My family and I have been praying for yours for as long as I can remember. But I’ll never forget the pictures of you that day.” He squeezed her hand inside his elbow. “I’ve prayed for you every day since.”
The biggest problem was that she had few memories of her own. Many of them came from the news stories and videos she had found, most of them online while out of the country, rather than personal times. “Thank you, sir, for your kind words. It has been many years, but your sympathy is very appreciated.” Poppo’s words were the first time anyone had mentioned her family to her in such a way in many years, and they brought tears to her eyes.
Poppo stopped and looked at her, concern in his gentle brown eyes. “I did not mean to upset you, Your Majesty.”
One tear leaked down her cheek, but Christiana smiled. “Oh, no. It is nice to hear that people still think about my family, and that people out there are praying for me.”
“Your mother was one of the classiest women I ever saw. David’s father was at a meeting like this one many years ago, and I accompanied him as well.” He smiled softly. “You are much like her.” They started walking again, slowly to accommodate his gait. “I remember how beautiful she looked on her wedding day. I imagine you will eclipse her.” Poppo nodded toward Alexander. “That is a lucky young man.”
Christiana stopped, her eyes wide.
Poppo chuckled. “Oh, I know the identity of your fiancé is a state secret, but anyone who watched closely could see the glance the two of you exchanged when he walked in.”
Panic settled in her stomach. What did Poppo see that she did not? “Poppo?”
His eyes showed his shock.
“Do you mind?”
Poppo shook his head. “Of course not, ma’am.”
In that moment, Christiana knew her decision had been made. “Poppo, would you, David, and your family be my guests at the wedding?”
This time tears filled the eyes of the older gentleman. “You would like us to be there?”
“Very much so.” They stopped at the back of the crowd of Scouts. “If you would speak to my assistant on your way out, she will make certain the paperwork is taken care of and the invitation sent as quickly as possible.” Security would be tight. Background checks would be more intense than they would have been otherwise, but it had to be that way.
Poppo smiled at her. “We would be honored to come. Thank you.” He bowed slightly at the waist. “I will be praying for both of you.”
As they left, Alexander shook hands with all of the Scouts, promising to stop in at one of their meetings if he was ever in the area. Christiana made sure to introduce Poppo to her assistant, out of Alexander’s earshot, and told Diana to make the necessary arrangements. Diana gave Christiana an odd look but left with the Scouts. Before she did, Diana told her a girls’ football team would arrive in ten minutes.
She turned to see Alexander leaning against the wall, arms casually crossed in front of him. The smile on his face reminded her of something, but she could not quite put her finger on it. He pushed off of the wall, walking toward her until he could take her hand. “Have you thought any more about what we talked about?”
“It has been an hour,” Christiana pointed out, sliding her hand out of his. “I have not had time to think much about it.” Truth was she had thought about little else. “Is that why you changed and came in here looking dapper?”
His grin widened. “You think I look dapper?”
With his dark hair falling over his forehead and his twinkling eyes, he always looked dapper. She felt color flood into her face as she nodded. “You look quite handsome.”
The twinkle dimmed somewhat. “Handsome enough to marry?”
“I will not marry someone because he is handsome.” He was handsome. Pretty faces could not always be trusted.
“I know.”
David and Poppo flitted through her mind. How crestfallen the boy would be when she did not visit on her wedding trip. How Poppo remembered her parents’ wedding. How they were a microcosm of the rest of her country.
Though she knew what she would do, Christiana needed time before telling him, before making it official. “When must the decision be made?” His family ran the venue. He would know these things.
“You’re the queen. You get a lot more leeway on cancellations and changes than most people.”
She glared at him. “I am serious, Alexander.”
Before he could answer, their conversation was interrupted by the door opening. He stayed with her for the next three hours, firmly cementing himself at her side. When she accepted his proposal, word would get out that he had been seen with her several times.
Normally, she enjoyed days like this. Meeting with young people reinvigorated her in a way few other things did, but still, she found herself being very glad for Alexander’s supportive presence. By the time the last person in the final group left the room, she knew it was time.
So many had mentioned how much they were looking forward to her wedding. The older visitors, those thirty and older or so, told her how much it meant to them that she was recovering from the gilded cage her uncle kept her in while lining his own coffers rather than caring for her country. Several besides Poppo had mentioned her parents’ wedding, and one even mentioned the wedding of her grandparents.
Christiana sank into one of the wingback chairs in the sitting room, looking out over the Mediterranean. So many windows in the palace had a similar view, and she loved it more than anything.
“Are you all right?” Alexander asked quietly.
“My answer is yes.”
* * *
Alexander nodded, not ready to let his feelings show. “What changed your mind?”
Christiana sat with her back straight, staring ahead, though he doubted she actually saw much of anything. “David and Poppo. They put a face to the people who will be most affected by this if I do not marry in a couple weeks.”
He sat in the chair next to her. “No, Your Majesty. You are the one whom will be affected the most. You, your life, your legacy, all of it hinges on this decision. Even your children are affected by who you choose to marry and when. It will affect your people. People like David and Poppo and others. But you are the one who will be affected most by it.”
“I understand your point, but part of being queen means I put my people’s needs above my own. You are a good man, Alexander. I would not make this decision if I did not trust that you would make a good prince consort who would never try to take my throne.”
He knew she’d had enough of that to last a lifetime. “Never.”
“And I believe we are well suited for one another. I do not know about falling in love, but I believe there could be far, far worse people to spend my life with.”
How flattering.
“But very few better choices, if any at all.”
That’s better. “I agree, or I never would have offered.” Where did one buy an engagement ring for a monarch? He could afford just about any ring for any other girl, but a queen? If her father were still here, he’d ask for an heirloom of some sort. Did any of it still remain in the royal collection or had her un
cle disposed of it all, somehow? The next week and a half would be spent finding the perfect ring.
The next two weeks would be spent convincing his family this wasn’t the craziest idea he’d ever had.
Groom revealed?
People from several groups who visited the palace today mentioned a man joined the queen in greeting guests, but the identity of the mystery man remains just that - a mystery. Those in attendance said there was a definite spark between the two, even though the queen introduced the man as a friend and not as her fiancé. With the wedding now less than two weeks away, the groom's identity remains the biggest mystery, except, of course, what the bride's dress will look like and who, if anyone, will walk her down the aisle.
Chapter 3
“There is water damage throughout the chapel?” Christiana’s head began to throb.
Her fiancé, a word that still didn’t seem to apply to Alexander, sat in the chair on the opposite side of her desk. He looked completely at ease in her office though she could see worry lines between his brows. “Not only water damage but damage to the roof as well. It won’t be repaired in time for the wedding even if we work around the clock.”
Roll with the punches. “Maybe this is a sign we ought to cancel the wedding.”
“We do have an alternative. There’s another facility on the property that we regularly use for wedding ceremonies.”
She could tell he did not want to tell her.
“But it’s the barn.”
Her incredulity could not be measured. “The barn?”
“It’s not a working barn. It’s been completely redone to serve as a wedding venue.”
“I have been there,” she reminded him. “Many times.”
“Never for a wedding,” he pointed out. “It has proper air conditioning, heating, insulation, and even bathrooms. We often have two weddings a day, one in the barn and one in the chapel, but because it’s your wedding the other venue wasn’t available to anyone else.”
“What will the people and the press say? The queen getting married in a barn?” Personally, she thought it sounded a bit charming, but it was not about her.
“I think the people care more about the queen being happy than where her wedding is, especially due to circumstances beyond her control.”
Perhaps he had a point.
“Your people adore you, Your Majesty. They care about you.”
“Every monarch for the last several hundred years has been married in the chapel.” She twirled a pen in her fingers. “I will be the first to be married somewhere else since the chapel was built.”
A buzz announced her next appointment had arrived. “Please put together some alternative plans? Both at the same location and others within a reasonable distance. I do not, however, want to push anyone out of a wedding venue.”
“I doubt there are many other weddings scheduled. The reception can go on as planned, but if there are other weddings that day, from what I’ve heard through the grapevine, they’re scheduled for the evening. Some will want to share your day with you, but they won’t want to have their ceremony at the same time.”
Christiana nodded. She stood as the door opened. “Thank you for your assistance, Alexander.” They smiled at each other as her next appointment walked in. No need for anyone to know who he was to her just yet. Not until the wedding in a few days.
* * *
“I know you’ve always had a bit of a crush on the queen, Alexander, but are you sure this is a good idea?” Christopher leaned back in his office chair half a world away.
It had been more than a bit of a crush, but even his twin brother didn’t know the extent of Alexander’s feelings for Queen Christiana. They’d texted and e-mailed a number of times since he’d told his family he was the one who would be marrying the queen, but this was the first video chat they’d found time for. “Just promise me you’ll be my best man.”
“Of course. Just because I think you’re making a mistake doesn’t mean I don’t want to be around to watch you do it.” The teasing tone of his voice only masked the sincerity of his words.
“You’ll be on the plane tomorrow?”
“Tonight, actually. At least tonight in Serenity Landing. Mom and I will take off as soon as we can, but Dad’s flying commercial tomorrow afternoon. He has a meeting he can’t miss or telecommute to.”
“If we need the royal jet, the queen has given me permission to use it. I don’t think it could get there in time to pick up you and Mom, but it could for Dad.”
Christopher shook his head. “Not necessary. Have it on stand-by in case there’s a plane malfunction or something, but commercial won’t kill him. He’ll still be there in plenty of time.”
Alexander switched subjects. “Are you bringing a date? The wedding planner is asking.”
“Nope. No girl is tying me down. Not for a long time.”
They’d both been hurt by women in the past, some when they were really too young to be in even a semi-serious relationship, but fame would do that to a guy.
“I have a surprise for you though.” Christopher grinned at him through the webcam. “Don’t bother asking, but if you can get married at the last minute, just be glad I managed to scrounge something up.”
Great. Who knew what it would be. Anything from a mud pie to one of those women the queen had mentioned the day he proposed.
And he still didn’t have a ring for her.
Who could he talk to about that?
“What is it?”
Of course Christopher could see the wheels turning. Sitting back, Alexander sighed. “I don’t have a ring for her. I don’t know where to get one. I’ve been thinking about it for days and a wedding band, sure. That’s simple. But an engagement ring to go with it is proving a bit more difficult. The longer I wait the harder it gets.”
“And they won’t buy that she just wanted something simple to forgo expensive jewelry?”
“People who know Queen Christiana well enough wouldn’t be surprised, but she’s very interested in making sure she gives the people what they want out of this. And the people, especially the women, have been wondering about her lack of engagement ring since the wedding was announced.”
“She’s a queen. You need something fabulous.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Alexander ran his hand through his hair. “I got nothin’. Any other girl I could buy anything, but just buying a ring isn’t gonna cut it for Queen Christiana.”
“Dude, are you seriously calling her that all the time? She’s your fiancée. Don’t you have some sort of nickname for her? Or at least drop the ‘queen’ bit?”
Except for the one time, he’d never called her anything but “Your Majesty”, “Queen Christiana”, or “ma’am”, but he supposed his brother was right. After he moved in, lounging around their apartment, chilling at the end of the day, those titles might feel a bit off. Or maybe he’d just worry about it after the wedding.
So he stuck with the subject at hand. “It’s too late to have something commissioned. I’m afraid at least some of her family heirlooms are gone because of her uncle’s treason. But even if there was a family ring she wanted, how would I get my hands on it without asking her for it and that takes some of the romance out of it?” He amended his statement. “No. That takes all the romance out of it.”
“Is there any family member or staff who could help you? What about someone from her mother’s side of the family?”
Who could get him into the family vault? What about the ring her mother had worn? Could he get it? Would Christiana want it?
How well did he really know his fiancée?
Not well enough, but he already knew that.
A beeping sound startled him out of his thoughts. Alexander looked up in time to see Christopher looking at his phone.
“I gotta go, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” Christopher reached for the keyboard just before Alexander’s screen went black.
Even if they weren’t completely certain he was doi
ng the right thing, his family was being supportive. Queen Christiana had never really had a family. He knew enough about her history to know she’d spent many of her growing up years at boarding school in nearby Montevaro. Her holidays were often spent with the Montevarian royal family, but she hadn’t had a good old fashioned family Christmas since she was four, if ever.
Leaning forward, he pulled up the itinerary she’d sent him for their wedding trip. Two nights at the exclusive honeymoon cabin on the Baicampo property, a week on the royal yacht visiting the more populated islands, then eight weeks traveling the country. He gave a slight shake of his head. You could drive around both main islands in less time than it took to drive from his childhood home in southwest Missouri to Los Angeles, California where he spent most of his teen years. The next page had the schedule broken down further. Two or three stops a day in different towns, spending the night at local establishments.
A good will tour. It wasn’t so much a honeymoon as it was a tour of the country trying to foster her relationship with her people. Though most of them were sympathetic to her plight, some were talking about using her weakened status to get rid of the monarchy all together. As much as he admired and respected the queen, Alexander wasn’t opposed to a non-monarchy government, in theory, but the most vocal members of the movement advocated a weird cross between anarchy and communism. He couldn’t advocate that.
A quick shake of his head brought him back to the question at hand. When would they return to the palace? With a flip of his finger, he scrolled through the detailed, dated itinerary. The day before Christmas, they were scheduled to return to the capital city.
In the meantime, he still had to figure out what to do for an engagement ring for a queen.
* * *
Christiana’s heels clicked on the rustic wood floors of the barn, the staccato rhythm keeping time with her tripping heart. She looked around at the high ceilings, rustic chandeliers, and white chairs in rows.
Winning the Queen's Heart: Contemporary Christian Romance (The Brides of Belles Montagnes Book 2) Page 2