by Emily Forbes
But she knew that if he told her he loved her and asked her to stay she would do everything in her power to make it happen. She felt as if she was the person she wanted to be when they were together. She felt they were meant to be.
But would she be prepared to sacrifice her title for him? She knew it was unfair of her to expect him to make sacrifices for her if she wasn’t prepared to do the same.
It was complicated.
She’d thought love would be simple.
Somehow Viktoria had made it through the final day. The past two days had passed in a blur of exhaustion and despair but there was now only one final event—the four by fifty-metre swimming relay. She had one more medal presentation to get through before the closing ceremony tonight and then tomorrow she would be on a plane, going home to a life she wasn’t sure she wanted.
Her life felt totally out of control. Nothing was going the way she wanted. Three weeks ago, she had never set foot in Australia and now she didn’t want to leave. She could imagine a future here, with Cam. She could imagine herself with a real job, perhaps working with the veterans and therapy horses. But it was all a fantasy. There was no way she could stay.
She had fallen in love with a man who didn’t want her and now she had to go home to a life that she didn’t want—a life that was being planned for her. She’d mucked that up too, but she couldn’t see a way out of it. Her title and her duty were a burden she had to bear.
She made her way back to her seat after the medal presentation as the next lot of competitors came out onto the pool deck. The teams were announced over the loudspeaker and she was only half listening, lost in her own thoughts, when she bumped into Mark.
‘Mark! Why are you not with your team?’
‘I’ve decided not to swim. My shoulder is still sore, and I don’t want to let my team down.’
‘But it is a relay! What will they do without you?’
‘We have a reserve. Campbell is swimming.’
‘Campbell!’ Just the mention of his name made her heart race. ‘Really?’ she asked as she saw Skye walking towards her.
‘Skye! Hello.’ What was she doing there? There could be only one reason. ‘Did you know Cam was swimming?’
‘Of course; he called to tell me.’ Skye frowned. ‘Surely you knew?’
Viktoria shook her head as they kept walking towards the tiered seats. She felt as if she was the only one who was out of the loop. ‘Non. We have not been speaking. He is upset with me.’
‘What? Why not? What’s happened?’
‘He is unhappy with me. He thought I was keeping something from him. I cannot blame him—I was. But I had my reasons.’
She wondered what he would say if he found out she had kept more than her royal connections from him. What would he say if he knew she would be returning home to choose a fiancé?
They took their seats as the teams were being introduced and Viktoria thought the crowd noise might prevent Skye from asking further questions but she was not deterred. At least the volume of voices would make it difficult for anyone else to overhear Viktoria’s summary of the past few days as she explained to Skye what had happened. She figured it didn’t matter if Skye knew her story; it was likely that Cam would tell his sister what had happened at some point.
Viktoria finished bringing Skye up-to-date just as the Australians completed the third leg of the relay. Cam was swimming the final leg and the Americans were leading as he dived in. They were three metres ahead. He had fifty metres in which to catch them.
The British swimmer dived in seconds after Cam. The race was close. The crowd was deafening.
Viktoria wished she could cheer and scream from the stands along with the crowd but since she had taken over Freddie’s duties everyone knew she was a princess, which meant she had to behave with decorum. She had duties and obligations to fulfil; she couldn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, not when she and Cam were not officially a couple.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She felt as if she was swimming alongside Cam.
He was making ground, but the end of the pool was only a few metres away. Would he run out of time?
He drew level.
There were two more strokes and they seemed to touch the wall simultaneously, Cam and the American.
Everyone looked to the screen to see the result.
Cam had touched point zero one of a second in front of the American. The Australians had won. The crowd erupted and Viktoria couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She turned and hugged Skye as the crowd cheered.
Viktoria made her way down to the pool deck, preparing to hand out the final round of medals in Freddie’s place. She managed to say the right things and to congratulate the third placed British swimmers and the American silver medallists but the closer she got to the Australians the more nervous she became. Their team was lined up in the order that they swam so Cam was the final competitor to get his medal. Her hands were shaking as she hung the medal around his neck.
She kissed him on both cheeks as she wondered if that would be the last time she would do that.
‘Congratulations,’ she said as she stepped back. She needed some space; she needed some room to clear her head. ‘You swam a fantastic race. When did you know you were swimming?’
‘Only this morning,’ he replied.
She was hurt that he hadn’t told her. But, then again, everything hurt at the moment and saying goodbye was going to hurt most of all.
Hordes of people, family and friends, waited to congratulate the relay team as they emerged from the changing rooms after the medal ceremony. Cam knew he should be pleased. He’d swum well, he hadn’t let anyone down and they had won. They were victorious. But once again life had lost its lustre; he could feel no pleasure.
He missed Viktoria.
But there was nothing he could do about that.
He searched the faces of the crowd, knowing he was hoping to see her, but she was nowhere to be found. Instead he saw Skye making her way towards him. She was frowning. He recognised that expression and knew she was about to reprimand him about something as only an older sister could. She certainly didn’t look as if she was about to congratulate him on his race.
‘What’s going on with you and Viktoria?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She just told me that you aren’t speaking to her because of who she is.’
Cam led Skye away from the crowd, out of earshot. He was not going to have this conversation where anyone could hear them. ‘That’s not exactly true. I am speaking to her; I’m just distancing myself.’
‘Why? Because she is a princess?’
‘Among other things.’
‘I thought you liked her?’
‘I do, but it was never going to be serious. She was always going to leave.’
‘You don’t have to let her go.’
‘I do. She’s a princess. She has duties and obligations that I can’t compete with. She’s not going to give those up for me and I wouldn’t ask her to.’ He didn’t like the idea that he was going to lose her. He’d lost Gemma because of a sense of duty and he was going to lose Viktoria too, but he couldn’t stand in her way.
He understood her duty and he didn’t begrudge her, but he knew he couldn’t expect her to choose him over the throne. He thought he was doing the right thing by letting her go. Her sense of duty would always come first, and he didn’t want her to feel torn between him and her role as a princess, but he also didn’t want to play second fiddle. He couldn’t see how they could make it work. He didn’t know if she would want to try.
Meeting Viktoria had shown him that he was lonely. She had shown him what was missing from his life and he realised now he wanted another meaningful relationship, he was ready, but it was ridiculous to think that Viktoria was the woman for him. He’d only known her for two weeks.
> He was going to miss her, but he’d get over her. But the more time he spent with her the harder that would be and the more it would hurt when she left.
And it didn’t matter what he thought or what Skye thought; ultimately the decision was Viktoria’s.
‘She’s leaving, Skye. She’s not going to choose me.’
Viktoria took a deep breath as she stood up in front of one thousand athletes and their families and prepared to give Freddie’s speech at the closing ceremony.
‘Most of you will know by now that Prince Alfred had emergency surgery two days ago for a burst appendix.’ The emergency had been heavily covered in the media. ‘He is extremely disappointed that he is unable to be here tonight to share in the celebrations of what have been an amazing event, but he has entrusted me to deliver his message to you all.
‘I want to commend all the athletes for your commitment, service and sacrifice for your countries. You have been brave in battle and brave also in the face of adversity, injury and illness to compete in these Games. If you have been watching these Games and thinking, I could never do this, know that you can. Every one of this year’s competitors is willing to be a mentor to the next competitor, the next survivor. Be brave. Reach out. Together, anything is possible.
‘Hopefully, these Games challenged your bodies, your minds and restored your spirit. Your resilience. Your efforts have captured the hearts not only of the Australian public but of the world. You should be proud of what you have achieved. Hold your heads high, continue to set goals and enjoy your lives, your friends and your families.
‘I want to congratulate not just the athletes but also the families for your determination, courage and pride. Together, you’ve shown everyone what is possible. I am so proud to be associated with these Games and I will see you again next year in Vancouver.’
Viktoria paused while the crowd applauded Freddie’s words before adding her own.
‘And now I would also like to add my congratulations and my thanks to all of you. I feel very privileged that I got to meet so many of you over the past few days and that you shared your stories with me. Thank you for letting me be a part of these Games. Your friendships have inspired me and I hope that by sharing your stories with the world I have been able to inspire others to strive to achieve, to persevere and to embrace opportunities. To embrace life. To dig deep. To support each other and to reach out.
‘Set goals and you can achieve something amazing. Many of you started with something simple, a goal to get out of bed in the morning, have a shower, walk around the block, talk to someone in the supermarket, to connect with people, and then you set the bar higher and that eventually brought you here, to the Games. Congratulations—you should all be so proud of your efforts.’
She had been aware of Cam standing just to the left of the stage throughout her speech. She’d tried to block him out, tried to avoid looking in his direction, knowing it would be difficult to hold her emotions in check and impossible to speak if she made eye contact with him but at the end of her address she made her way down from the stage and sought him out. There was something she did need to say.
‘Dr Hamilton, do you have a minute?’
She was going to be brave. She could do this.
‘I wanted to say goodbye before I left.’
‘You’re leaving now?’
She was always going to leave. She had obligations and promises to keep but she was going to take some lessons from the Games.
‘Oui. I have learnt a lot from this experience—mostly about myself—but I think I am stronger and more focused, which is not a bad thing. I am going to use my position as a royal to make real change. I am not going to be content with presenting ribbons and trophies; I am going to get more involved with causes. If I am going to have a life of duty, I am going to make sure it is one I am proud of.
‘But I wanted to thank you too, for everything. For making time for me. I realise I made some mistakes; I realise I am complicated, difficult even, and that my situation is unusual, but I enjoyed getting to know you and I will not forget you.’
She leant forward and kissed him on each cheek before turning around quickly and walking away before he could see her tears.
She wanted to have a public and private life. A purpose and a relationship.
She knew that the Viktoria she wanted to be had to co-exist with Princess Viktoria. If Cam couldn’t accept both parts of her then the fairy tale ending she dreamed of was impossible.
She had thought he might fight for her—she’d wanted him to fight for her—but perhaps she had built a fantasy around him. His commitment to his family and his career made her think he was a strong, dependable person and his strength appealed to her, but he didn’t want the Princess.
She had enjoyed almost every minute of her adventure but now she had to leave. Just like Cinderella, it was time for her to go but she didn’t think her Prince was going to come after her. Not this time.
CHAPTER TEN
VIKTORIA HAD ONE final check of her reflection in the mirror and readjusted her tiara before making her way down the palace corridors to her mother’s wing. She took a deep breath and knocked on her mother’s door.
She ran her hands over the skirt of her ball gown, nervously smoothing out creases even though she knew Brigitta had steamed every last one out of the pale pink dress. The sleeveless floor-length gown had a fitted bodice with a silk underlay and a flowing chiffon skirt. The dress had been embroidered with hundreds of tiny flowers, each of which had a crystal stitched into its centre that shone and sparkled with every movement. It was stunning, a gown fit for a princess, but Viktoria barely noticed. She was too nervous.
Tonight was the gala ball to mark her father’s twenty-five years on the throne. It was the penultimate night of a week of celebrations and Viktoria knew that Tomas, the Duke of San Fernando, would be in attendance. Tomas was her parents’ choice as the man deemed worthy of their daughter’s hand in marriage and Viktoria had known him since they were children; she supposed that was somewhat comforting. But less comforting was the fact that he was not who she would have chosen to marry.
A couple of months ago she had told Freddie that, of the men on her parents’ shortlist, Tomas was her preference. But that had been before she’d met Campbell.
Her thoughts returned to Sydney, as they had done so often over the past week. Back to Cam.
That wasn’t helpful.
That had been nothing but a holiday romance, but she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head. Granted, she’d been home for less than a week, but this was not the right frame of mind to be accepting another man’s proposal when her head and heart belonged to another.
But she was never going to have that opportunity again. It was best just to move on.
Marie, her mother’s lady-in-waiting, opened the door and Viktoria stepped into her mother’s suite, ready to be reminded of her duty.
‘You look lovely, my darling,’ her mother greeted her. ‘Are you looking forward to seeing Tomas again?’
‘Oui.’
‘And you will accept a proposal of marriage from him?’
Viktoria fought back the feeling of dread, of missed opportunity. She was tempted to say no, but she was a dutiful daughter, a dutiful princess, and she would do her duty as she’d promised. It was not as if she had another option, she thought as she nodded her agreement.
‘I am glad,’ her mother said. ‘Your father and I thought he would be a suitable match. You’ve known each other since you were children and he is a sensible, good-looking man.’
Viktoria wanted passionate, not sensible. She wanted someone who took her breath away when he smiled, who made her feel like she could dissolve when his lips brushed hers, when he took her in his arms. She wanted to be with someone who made her feel alive. She wanted to be with someone who needed her—Viktoria—to complete them and who compl
eted her.
She didn’t bother arguing her case. What was the point? That door had closed. She had made a promise and she would do her duty.
She nodded her agreement. He was a sensible choice. ‘Do you know the role I will be expected to play as the Duchess?’ She had given this a lot of thought over the past week, when she hadn’t been thinking about Cam, and she was eager to get started on some charitable events. If she could put plans in place before she married, then she might have more autonomy. ‘I do not want to just hand out trophies and cut ribbons.’
‘I imagine you’ll start a family.’
‘I’m fifth in line to the throne now; I don’t have to have children right away.’ Her eldest brother had produced heirs and she didn’t want to think about having a family just yet. She wanted time to get used to being a married woman. ‘Philippe, Nicolas and Philippe’s sons are all ahead of me.’
‘Tomas will probably want children though, and what else would you do?’
She could think of so many things. ‘Being part of the Legion’s Games and seeing Freddie’s involvement, I’ve been thinking about starting a charity,’ she said.
‘You and Tomas can work that out together. He’s very involved in several charities. Perhaps you could assist him.’
She didn’t want to assist Tomas; she wanted to be in charge. But she knew that wasn’t how things worked. Hers would be the supporting role, not the other way around. But she wanted to be an equal. She wanted to feel that her voice was heard.
Marie came back, knocking on the door. ‘His Royal Highness has asked if you are ready to join him in the ballroom.’
Viktoria pasted a smile on her face as she followed her mother downstairs and prepared to spend the evening making small talk with her father’s guests—as she prepared to endure her last night of freedom before she became engaged to a man she barely knew. Although she had known Tomas since they were children, she’d seen him only a handful of times in the past fifteen years. He was virtually a stranger.