Winning the Queen's Heart: Contemporary Christian Romance (The Brides of Belles Montagnes Book 2)

by Moncado, Carol

“No, sir.”

  Great. He was ready to walk out in three minutes flat. Morning breath didn’t bother him. No one would be close enough, but he felt the need to find his wife. Alexander trotted through the hallways until he reached the main door out to the garden where he’d proposed and where he’d found her the first day she needed to get out again. One thing he didn’t like about living at the palace was the large staff, many of whom he’d never met personally. He needed to fix that and at least try to get to know them by sight.

  Then maybe they wouldn’t look at him like he was nuts when he passed.

  He had to stop to open the heavy door, but as soon as he did he saw the person he was looking for.

  Christiana walked slowly up the steps with the nurse at her side, but not holding onto her. Alexander gave a nod of dismissal to the nurse. “I got it from here.”

  The two women exchanged a glance he couldn’t interpret but didn’t fight him. He wrapped his arm around Christiana’s waist as she went up the last few steps. “How’re you feeling?”

  “Fine.” She didn’t elaborate and the walk back to the apartment was quiet. “I think I am going to lay down for a bit. I am sure you have plenty of other things to do.” Something sounded a bit off, and it seemed to Alexander like she was trying to get him to stay out. He ignored her and walked into the room they’d shared for the last couple of months.

  The first thing he noticed was that the bedding had been changed to something he didn’t recognize.

  The second thing was the IV stand with a bag still hanging from it next to the big recliner.

  His hand dropped from her waist. “Is there something I need to know?”

  Christiana didn’t look at him. “Diana received a call from Elana’s mother that she came down with the stomach flu. It appears I did as well.”

  Everything in him wanted to explode, but Alexander forced himself to take a deep breath and blow it out slowly. “And you didn’t think I should know about this? I would have come straight back. Or did you know before I left?”

  “The first round hit about two hours after you left. I would have told you if you had called to speak with me.”

  “I did call.”

  “Not until you had been gone over a full day. And I was finally sleeping when you did. Diana was right not to wake me.” His wife refused to look at him until she sat carefully in the chair. The nurse moved to her side and helped her take her sweater off. Alexander waited until she’d hooked the tubing back up into his wife’s arm then jerked his head. The nurse rolled her eyes but left the room.

  “And you didn’t think I should know that you were sick? Like need fluids sick. After everything else that’s happened over the last couple months?”

  “You were taking care of your family, just as you should have been. Your parents, your brother, and your grandmother needed you.”

  “You are my family now, Christiana! You and the baby. I thought we agreed you wouldn’t keep things about the baby from me anymore!” Red was starting to tinge his vision. What if something had happened, and he’d been halfway around the world? Could he have made it home in time? What if she had...miscarried without him here with her? “I have to go.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, not waiting to see if she called him back. Not sure if he was glad she didn’t.

  If only he could just go for a run to burn off some steam. Not around here. There was no place for him to do so on palace grounds. Time to head for the island and the Biacampo property where he could pound the pavement until he had a better grip on his emotions.

  Chapter 27

  Christiana closed her eyes and struggled to keep the tears at bay. He had slept in the other room. Even when he burst out into the garden, he seemed annoyed, not happy to see her and had not known she had been sick at that point.

  This marriage stuff was not as easy as she thought it might be.

  It would be easier if her heart never got involved.

  Diana walked in, a tablet in her hand. “Ma’am, there’s something I think you need to see.”

  “Is it bad?” Christiana asked, unable to keep the weariness out of her voice.

  “It’s not good.”

  She took the tablet from her assistant. The picture was one from a different angle than what she had seen with her own eyes through the television camera. Alexander hugging the woman at the hospital. Christiana skimmed the article. Prince Alexander...hugging an unknown woman...not his wife...seemingly long, full-bodied hug...potential extra-curricular activities overseas?

  With one hand she squeezed her thumb and forefinger at the corner of her eyes and with the other she handed the tablet back.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am.”

  “Alexander has not cheated on me.” She did not believe it. She could not. He always made such a big deal out of his family’s commitment to fidelity, out of the fiction the tabloids had made up for him and his brother all those years earlier.

  “Something you need to consider, though, ma’am, and we need to discuss with the PR Office is the fact that there will likely be at least one woman, if not more, coming forward claiming to have given birth to his child. Those claims are an unfortunate reality of his former celebrity status and the revelations of that status in the last day.”

  “I am aware of the tabloids. I also believe him when he says there is no chance at all that he has any children out in the world. He would not have abandoned them if he did, but I do not believe he did in the first place.”

  “I will contact the PR Office. I’m sure they’ve already thought of this and are working on his response.”

  His response. Not hers. Did it matter what she thought about the possibility of her husband fathering a child with another woman who would now try to get what was “due” the supposed step-child of the queen? It happened with Addie’s step-daughter the year before.

  “I am going to take a nap.” One good thing about her cleared schedule. She could send everyone away, tell them she was tired, and wallow to her heart’s content. Now that she felt better, maybe she could even sneak some of the ice cream out of the small freezer in her closet. “Please see I am not disturbed by anyone.”

  Diana opened her mouth as though to protest but snapped it shut when Christiana glared at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  The rest of the day passed slowly. Christiana stayed in her chair, staring out at the Mediterranean beyond the walls of the palace. The walls that both protected and isolated.

  Her hand rubbed across her belly. She did not let herself think, much less think too deeply. Perhaps she should find a book to read. But getting up to find one took more energy than she had at the moment. As darkness descended, she still heard nothing through the door of her room, nothing but Diana taking care of business. Dr. McCall’s nurse came back and removed the IV. After answering the call of nature, Christiana settled into a different recliner with her laptop and mouse.

  Time to get to work.

  Christiana awoke the next morning feeling a sense of loss she could not explain. Her first movement went to her belly where flutters quickly assured her everything was just fine. She opened her eyes and immediately realized why she felt that loss.

  The other side of the bed was empty again. It had not slept in at all.

  Her husband, the one who had been hugging a woman halfway around the world just thirty-six hours earlier, had not slept with her.

  She closed her eyes again and evaluated her physical state. Her stomach seemed growly, but in a hungry way not upset. Good. After checking the time, a luxurious shower helped the day improve just a bit. Breakfast at the small table in the kitchen consisted of a scrambled egg and a couple pieces of toast. The orange juice proved to be a bit much, and she only took a couple sips of it.

  Justin walked in as she took her last swallow of milk. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

  “Good morning, Justin.” She wiped her mouth on her napkin and thanked Paul for his assistance. “What does my husband have on his schedule today?�
��

  Justin frowned. “Nothing. We cleared it when he left for the States, but I haven’t seen him yet.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “The Duke left right after you, uh, talked yesterday. He went to his family’s property for a proper run. He texted that he planned to return yesterday evening, but I never heard from him. I didn’t want to intrude into your private quarters any more than we already have given your working situation.”

  Christiana fixed her face into a stoic mask. “I have no idea if he has returned. You might check the room he lived in when we first returned to the palace. He may be in there, but I did not see him before retiring last night or since I woke this morning.” She knew she was being snippy with Justin, and it was not be his fault, but everything in her wanted to make a much more vigorous attack than she had. She should be commended for keeping her cool as much as she did.

  Something flitted across Justin’s face, and she noted he stood up a bit straighter, sounded a bit more formal. The ache in her chest grew. She and Alexander had a wonderful working relationship with both Diana and Justin. A bit more informal perhaps than with others on staff, but when working so closely with someone so often, it was hard not to. The veneer of formality had now returned with Justin.

  He smiled at her, though she noted the smile did not quite reach his eyes the same way it would have a few days earlier. “Very well. I will see if I can find him. Have a wonderful day, ma’am.”

  “Thank you.”

  She started to pick up her dishes and carry them to the sink, something Alexander always did, but Paul waved her off. “Diana said you have a meeting coming up, ma’am. I’ll see to it.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, searching her brain for who the meeting was with and drawing a blank.

  Her assistant waited for her as she walked out of the kitchen. “Who am I meeting with?”

  “Prime Minister Caruso asked for a few moments of your time. When he heard the Duke had returned, he asked that your husband be included as well.” Diana trailed a half-step behind as Christiana walked to the door leading out of the apartment. What waited for her stopped her in her tracks. “I know you would prefer to walk, ma’am, but the Council Meeting Chamber is quite a distance.”

  With a nod and weariness sinking onto her shoulders, Christiana sat in the wheelchair. Diana kept up a running commentary about what else the day would hold - not much of anything strenuous. Christiana would spend some time in the office, had two phone and one video conference, and a web conference about the dinner she still needed to hold for those who were present the last night of their honeymoon.

  The wheelchair came to a stop two turns from the meeting room. Diana helped her stand and she walked the rest of the way, glad she chose to dress in one of her new pantsuits for the day. Perhaps this was why Diana left it laying out for her. Unsurprisingly, she was the last to arrive.

  Six men and three women all stood as she walked in. She never knew how they knew it would be her coming. Maybe someone made an announcement beforehand? Christiana stood in front of the large chair at the head of the table. “Please be seated.” Her husband, she noted, sat to her right but had barely looked her direction when she walked in. Instead, he looked somewhere over the top of her head. She turned to the prime minister. “How can I help you today, Mr. Caruso?”

  A myriad of emotions flitted across his face before his shoulders slumped, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your Majesty, I wish there was an easy way to tell you this, but there’s not.” He slid a form her way.

  She skimmed the top. “Annual Good Friday Pardon?” The tradition dated back to the fourteenth century, but had been codified, as had so many other things, in the 1700s. “What about it?”

  “Four people are allowed to request pardons. The monarch, the consort when there is one as there now is, the prime minister, and the leader of the minority coalition. All of these pardons are sent before the Pardon Board as all other pardon requests are, but in the last two centuries we can find no instances where they have not been upheld.”

  Christiana nodded. “I filled out the paperwork several weeks ago. A man I believe to have been wrongly convicted. The only witnesses against him have recanted under oath. There was never any physical evidence tying him to the crime. We have taken enough of his life.”

  “Correct. You also know the names are never, ever made public until the Pardon Board Meeting the end of the month prior to Easter. This year, with an April Easter, that meeting takes place first thing Monday. Generally, those being pardoned are released by the end of the business day. The only thing that cannot be pardoned with the Good Friday Pardon is treason. Those are limited to a one time monarch’s special exemption.”

  Her stomach started to churn. Though she had filed the paperwork based on the information given to her for the last several years, she never paid much attention to the process or the restrictions. The first few years, her uncle had recommended people she now knew were his henchmen. The last two years she had one of the royal attorneys find a suitable candidate. “Who is it?” Only two names would cause this much discomfort.

  The prime minister glanced around the room. “I have not shared this with anyone else, yet, ma’am.” Everyone else looked just as nervous as she imagined she did. “The Minority Leader turned in his paperwork to me this morning.”

  “Who is it?” she asked again.

  His face looked grim as he reached over and flipped up the first page of the documents in front of her.

  All of the blood drained out of her body when she saw the name listed there.

  Her uncle.

  Chapter 28

  “How much longer, Mom?” Julia rolled her head to the side to see Alex curled up in the seat next to her.

  “We’re almost there.” She looked at her watch. “A couple more hours. Get some sleep.”

  Her first time traveling internationally, and all she wanted to do was sleep. It was to be expected. They left for St. Louis Thursday evening, spent the night with a friend, and flew out just before noon on Friday. After a short layover at JFK in New York, they flew an exhausting who-knew-how-many hours to Rome, arriving at seven the next morning. They’d both slept some on that flight and, after picking up the tiny rental car, drove to a tour company and took a quick look around the city. There wouldn’t be time on the way home.

  After a full day in Rome, they boarded the ferry about ten at night. Julia debated for a long time about whether to splurge for a cabin or to get the first class seats. She had initially reserved the cabin, but was able to change it to the chairs when they arrived. It didn’t save much money, but at this point, every penny counted.

  The chairs were comfortable, and the ship was only about half full so they had plenty of room. They would arrive in Ravenzario at six after traveling for nearly three full days. Alex seemed to have slept well enough, but Julia’s mind continued non-stop. She came up with every idea she could to save money while not cluing Alex in to what she was doing.

  Their first stop would be the port city where the ship would dock. Acron offered a museum and an old Roman church they’d tour. By nightfall, they’d be in the capital city of Pagosa for the first time. Because she knew Alex was fascinated with the prince he shared a name with, she’d decided to keep the room with the palace view. Just this once. The rest of the trip, the views would be whatever was cheapest. In fact, she was contemplating canceling one or more of their reservations and renting camping gear at one of the national campgrounds.

  But she wasn’t sure yet if her frugality would stretch quite that far.

  Camping meant bugs, and Julia didn’t do bugs.

  She dozed fitfully before finally pulling out her tablet and logging into the ferry’s Wi-Fi. She’d bookmarked the local weather page and checked it first, followed by the country’s main newspaper. What she saw there made her blanch.

  Prince Alexander’s Extra-Curricular Activities Overseas?

  ~

  PHOTO: A couple is seen hugging throu
gh tinted glass

  ~

  This photo, taken in the States during the prince’s recent visit, is making the rounds of the tabloid papers and television shows. With the revelation that Prince Alexander and his brother were the teen heartthrob stars of 2 Cool 4 School, rumors of women in his past have come out of the woodwork. No woman has actually come forward with stories or proof of her relationship with the duke. This snap of what observers said was too long to be just a friendly hug from an old acquaintance, could be the first bit of evidence of such a relationship.

  The woman remains unidentified.

  Julia stifled a groan and closed her eyes. So she was Alexander’s other woman. Not that there was any truth to that accusation. How on earth was she going to live this down? What if someone else identified her?

  An announcement over the ferry’s loud-speakers drew her attention back to the present. They would be disembarking in half an hour. Time to wake Alex up and get ready.

  It was nearly ninety minutes later before they actually moved off the ferry. Breakfast was the first order of business. Then find their first stop, the museum. As she turned, she realized what was taking so long. Some sort of check point had been set up, and they were checking everyone.

  Before they even reached her, she had her passport and driver’s license out and ready. Hopefully they wouldn’t need anything else. With the window down, she smiled at the guard. “Good morning.”

  The sunrise was gorgeous. If only they’d be able to find a place to enjoy it one of these mornings.

  “May I see your ID, please?” The man replied in accented English. Though she knew Ravenzarian English was the official language, it still surprised her to hear it after the Italian of the last day.

  “Of course.” She handed over her documents then decided to grab Alex’s and pass it over as well.

  He looked at both passports for a long time before calling another man over. A glance in her rearview mirror told Julia the people behind her were growing impatient. “Is there a problem, sir?”