Now the four of them were back in the rental car, with Brad driving toward Washington by the same route they’d come.
“This is the way Grady directed you, huh?” Hunter commented from the back seat.
From the corner of her eye, Katie thought she saw April poke him. But she’d been preparing to look out her side window – to ensure she wasn’t looking at Brad when they passed the entrance to Tanner Inn – so she couldn’t be sure.
Brad’s next words convinced her he hadn’t been thinking about last night at the inn. “You’ve got a reservation to fly back home Sunday afternoon, don’t you, Katie?”
“Yes.” Why? Buzzed in her head, but she didn’t speak it.
“So tomorrow’s the last day you could have the DNA test here.”
She breathed slow and even. Once, twice, a third time. “I could have the test in Ashton, couldn’t I, Hunter?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not now or never,” she said to Brad’s profile.
“You told that man back in March that you’d make up your mind by now whether to take it or not. There’s nothing keeping you from taking it now.” He shot her a glance, holding her gaze for a flash before returning his attention to the road. “With the basketball office, I mean.”
He didn’t mean that at all and they both knew it. He meant now that a passport in her married name – his name — had come through.
Was he tired of this charade? Want his freedom? She couldn’t blame him. How unfair of her to hold on to him this way.
Thanks to Brad and the passport, she had the safety of knowing she could return home to Ashton, no matter what. That’s what held her back. Only that. So, as Brad said, there was nothing keeping her from taking a DNA test now.
She looked out the passenger window again, chewing on her lip. There’d been something else in what Brad said… That man – not King Jozef, not the king, but that man. A man who’d lost his family and had a right to know … whatever there was to know.
“I’ll take the test as soon as you can arrange it, Hunter.”
She heard April release a breath. She thought Brad sucked one in.
Hunter said, “I want you to be clear about this, Katie. There might not be a slam dunk answer. The most likely result is a sliding scale of probability, not anything like a certainty.”
“You already warned me, Hunter. That first afternoon at Bette and Paul’s house.”
“Listen to it again, because I’ve got to be sure you know there’s little chance this will bring you a definitive answer. If the test hits one end or the other of the scale, the experts will give high or low percentages that you and King Jozef are related. But there’s a whole lot of territory in between. If your results fall in there…”
“Then there’s no way of knowing. I get it. It’s okay, Hunter. It won’t be any less uncertain than it is now.”
April said, “King Jozef is certain. If anyone should know, he should.”
“But DNA—” Katie started.
“Think about what Hunter’s saying, Katie,” Brad said.
She chuckled, a little rusty but not bad. “Now you’re saying not to take the test?”
He remained serious. “I’m not saying that. But think it through. You might be moving from certainty to uncertainty. One alternative is to accept King Jozef’s certainty now.”
She shook her head. “This can’t rely on his belief. It has to be as sure as it can be one way or the other.”
Hunter broke a silence. “Okay. Let me make a call.”
Before they reached the hotel he had the test set for the next morning in Katie’s room.
****
For all the thought, concern, uncertainty – drama, even — the test was entirely anticlimactic.
A swab dipped into the inside of her cheek, swirled around and that was it. Oh, they did it a couple times with multiple swabs, to be sure. And, granted, there were officials there – Hunter representing the State Department, Madame silently representing Bariavak, and three employees of the testing company on hand to make sure nothing went awry.
April was also there. And so was Brad.
The experts packed up carefully and left. Madame gave her a long look, dropped her head, then departed wordlessly.”Well, that’s done,” April said with only slightly forced cheerfulness. “Katie and I have to go, or we’ll be late for Maurice’s final fittings. And if we’re late for Maurice, we’ll be late meeting Bette and Tris and Leslie at the spa. And if we’re late for that we could be late to the embassy for dinner. And then we’ll have Madame on our case.”
“Your case, April. I’m not coming to your rehearsal dinner,” Katie said.
“It’s not a rehearsal dinner. We did that Wednesday in Charlottesville. You’re coming.” April spun around to Brad, who’d opened his mouth to say something. “Both of you.”
Hunter chuckled. “Give my regards to Maurice. If you need us, call. We’ll be at—”
“I know. The ball game. Have a great time.” April stretched up and Hunter met her for a kiss.
Their movements left Katie looking right into Brad’s eyes.
“C’mon.” April tugged on her arm. “We’ve got to move.”
****
As the front of the group began to exit the Ambassador’s office to head for the next stop on Madame’s tour of the Embassy, Bette rested a hand on Katie’s arm and said, “We’re so glad to be here with you tonight, Katie. We’ve all grown quite fond of King Jozef.”
There were undercurrents in that statement that Katie feared could drag her under.
But the other woman showed her diplomacy or her innate niceness or maybe both, by squeezing her arm and skirting a clot of kids to catch up with Paul at the doorway.
Katie watched the group move away. For an instant it seemed to her a special glow surrounded them. One made up of all the talking, the joking, the love.
“Lucky kids, aren’t they?”
At April’s question she looked up quickly. April also was looking after the departing group.
“All of them are lucky. Kids and adults,” Katie said.
“There was a point in my life when I thought families like that and especially kids like that were an alien species, one I had absolutely nothing in common with.”
It was as if April had read her mind … and her memories. How often had she watched other kids and felt a distance, a difference she thought could never be bridged.
“That was after my dad had died when I was little. My mother…” April sighed. “Maybe she was the alien species, doing the best she could on a planet where she didn’t belong. You know?”
Katie met the other woman’s eyes. “I think I do.”
April nodded. “I think you do, too.” She rested her hand on Katie’s wrist, an unexpectedly consoling touch. Then the touch turned to a tap, repeated three times, which felt like an exhortation to both of them to shake off this mood. “The thing is, these folks didn’t get handed happiness – well, maybe the kids have been, but not their parents. To look at them you’d think they’d all had ideal families. Michael once said to me – his parents have been married to a slew of people each and he’s got so many step-brothers and step-sisters he’d have to a hire bus if they all wanted to drive somewhere together. Anyway, Michael says you don’t have anything to say about the family you’re born into but you’re entirely responsible for the one you create.
“That’s what they’ve done. All of them. Created a family. The three best things that have ever happened to me are loving Hunter, having Leslie, Grady, and Great-Grandma Beatrice take over my upbringing, and being included in that.” She gestured toward the group, now mostly out of the room. “My family.”
Katie’s eyes burned.
April gripped her arm. “You have a chance to create a family now.”
“The Royal Family of—”
“I know that part sounds daunting. But it’s still family. Family. And you’ll decide what to make of it, between the two of you.”
“King Jozef and I aren’t—”
“Oh, I wasn’t thinking of King Jozef,” she interrupted with a sly look. “Guess I should have said the three of you.”
Katie took the only safe way out. “We’d better catch up before Madame comes back for us.”
“Heaven forbid.” April gave a mock shudder. As they started along the hallway, she added, “I don’t want you to think I missed how you changed the subject.” She looked ahead to where Brad was standing holding the door to the next room, waiting for them. “Changing a subject doesn’t make it disappear, you know.”
****
The Saturday departure for the wedding in Charlottesville went off like clockwork. As each guest boarded the bus, all electronic communication was turned over, sealed in an envelope with the guest’s name and filed alphabetically in bins, part of the special security.
Katie joined Sharon Johnson and her family on the bus. She’d met Sharon’s husband Ross at the embassy last night. Now they chatted easily.
She saw Brad find a seat with Derek Kenton, clearly off duty today, and from a few words that floated her way, their conversation immediately settled on basketball.
With the suburban houses barely starting to spread out beside the highway, they exited to rendezvous with a third bus, which had loaded up here for those who opted out of the downtown pickup. They entered what could have been an airplane hangar, stopping alongside two other buses. In front of them were three more identical buses. The buses in the front row started pulling out.
“I thought all the guests fit on three buses,” Sharon muttered. “What are they up to?”
Bette stood up next to the driver and spoke into a microphone. “We hope you’ll forgive a bit of deception. As you know, media interest in this wedding – legitimate and not-legitimate media – has raised security issues. So, we arranged a decoy event in Charlottesville. Decoy buses are heading there now. We’ll stay here a bit longer to be sure any followers – and there were quite a few – continue on after the decoys. We, on the other hand, are returning to Washington for the wedding and reception.”
A buzz rose from the guests. Bette answered a few good-natured questions, then started down the aisle for individual conversations. When she reached their row, Sharon asked, “What about April’s great-grandmother?”
Bette laughed. “We offered to have her driven into the city last night, but she insisted on staying in Charlottesville this morning to throw off suspicion. Right this minute her helicopter should be landing, then she’ll be whisked to the church. I think she likes the drama.”
The drive back to D.C. brought them to a historic church across from their hotel. The trip was quick, cheerful, and full of camaraderie.
The church wore its status with respectable reserve, rather like Hunter. But it brimmed with flowers as bright and welcoming as April. Shortly after the other two busloads of guests filed in, the music struck a bridal chord.
Hunter came from a side entrance to stand at the altar, with Grady beside him.
Grady and Leslie’s children, Jake and Sandy came down the aisle first, followed by Leslie, as matron of honor.
Then came the flourish that announced the bride and all turned to see April on the arm of King Jozef of Bariavak. The bride appeared to float.
Katie’s throat closed and her eyes filled, and she couldn’t have said what part of her reaction was for April and what part was for her own whirling complex of thoughts about grandfathers, weddings, brides … and most of all grooms.
Her gaze, following April’s progress toward Hunter, caught sight of Brad, across the aisle and a few rows behind her.
For an instant she thought— No, she couldn’t read the emotions in his eyes. Though she thought the emotions there were strong.
She jerked her head back to the front of the church.
Nearly at the altar, King Jozef took April’s hand and kissed it. Grady stepped forward for the final steps, while the king went to stand with Hunter. The two men had beautifully shared the honors of escorting the bride and of best man.
There was not a dry eye to be seen.
Not then and not as April and Hunter exchanged their vows of love and hope, then put on the rings that symbolized those vows.
Katie found herself rubbing at the empty spot on her own ring finger. She clasped her hands together hard.
Pronounced husband and wife, Hunter and April were invited to kiss and accepted with gusto.
Brad’s lips on hers. For the first time during their wedding. Then a week ago on her couch. At the inn…
She shook her head, concentrating on the scene before her. When April and Hunter were presented to the guests as an officially married couple, both grinned widely. So did their attendants, who followed them back up the aisle. Pew by pew the guests joined the progression, every one of them smiling.
When it came to Katie’s turn, she exited the pew and saw those behind their row were also smiling.
With two exceptions.
A toddler who had fallen asleep on his father’s shoulder. And Brad Spencer who looked almost grim.
She tried not to look at him, standing so straight and handsome in the same suit he’d worn at their – no. She wouldn’t let her thoughts go down that path.
He was staring straight ahead, apparently oblivious to everyone around him.
She didn’t see him outside the church or in the stream of people walking across the street to the hotel, where smiling employees directed guests to elevators reserved for those going to the reception at the top of the hotel.
Katie took another elevator to her room for a moment alone to repair her calm and her tear-damaged makeup.
And there, as she started back toward the elevators, was Brad, opening the door to his room, several doors down and on the other side of the hall from hers.
He was in the room, about to let the door swing closed when she reached the doorway.
“Brad.”
She thought for an instant he was going to let go of the door. No, he held on, but for how long?
She stepped inside.
“What’s the matter, Brad?”
He looked down at her, expression unchanging. “I’m sorry, Katie.”
“Sorry? Why?”
“For robbing you of this.”
“Of what?”
He jerked his head in apparent reference to the reception rooms above them. “All this. The church, the flowers, the guests. It’s what you should have. It’s what you deserve.”
And then he leaned forward. And no thoughts could form except one.
He was going to kiss her.
He leaned closer…
… and kissed her on the nose.
On. The. Nose.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Squirt. His fingertip on the tip of her nose. Kiss on the top of the head. And now this.
“What I deserve? What I deserve is to not be kissed on the nose like a … like a puppy.”
“A puppy? I didn’t— What are you— Hold up, Katie.”
But she was already out the door and turned toward the elevators. She was aware of Brad coming after her, but if she had to take off her heels and sprint, she’d get to an elevator before he reached her.
Then she recognized King Jozef coming toward her, with three people behind him.
Her determination to keep going wobbled as King Jozef neared and she saw his expression. This was the face of a king. Of a ruler. Of a man responsible for the welfare of many. A man who took that responsibility completely to heart.
Her own heart dropped.
The DNA test was in. His face told the result. He was so solemn because he was here to tell her the test wasn’t positive enough. He would claim only the irrefutable princess as his granddaughter.
She’d worried so much about the other result that she hadn’t considered this.
No family.
No history.
No one who had been looking for her all of her life.
Until
this instant she hadn’t known how she had counted on that in some hidden part of her.
She forced herself to straighten. “Your Majesty.”
He was nearly in front of her. “You must come with us now.”
“Come with you? To the reception?”
“To the airport. Immediately.”
“What? No.” The king reached for her arm. She stepped back. Directly into Brad. She knew it was his chest against her back, his hands gripping her arms to steady her.
“She's not going anywhere she doesn't want to,” Brad said.
“Young man, you are no part of—”
One of the men behind King Jozef murmured something. The king's jaw tightened. “Yes. This is no place for discussion. We shall go into your suite, Katrina.”
He strode past Katie to stand in front of the door.
“It's my room, actually,” Brad said.
The king's face stiffened even more. Brad held his gaze an extra beat then unlocked the door, following it in to hold it open.
The king entered first. The older man – the ambassador – and Madame inclined their heads, indicating Katie should precede them. She joined the king by the windows, aware of those two, then Derek Kenton, his day off apparently canceled, following them in. As Brad let the door close, the king said, “We shall not detain you.”
Brad turned to her. “Do you want me to go, Katie?”
“No.” She shot a look toward the king, then back to Brad, and said stronger. “Please stay, Brad.”
“Sure thing.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall.
“Katrina, this is not for outsiders—”
Brad interrupted. “I’m not going.”
The ambassador gasped. King Jozef remained still for two breaths, his shoulder to her, which didn’t allow her to see what was in his face. Brad’s held unshakeable determination.
Abruptly, the king turned to her.
“We must waste no more time. The test you took is conclusive. A higher percentage match of DNA than even the most experienced expert had seen across two generations. You are – as I knew you were – Josephine-Augusta, daughter of Princess Sofia and Prince Leopold and thus the Princess Royal of Bariavak.”
The Surprise Princess Page 18