by Leslie North
“Well, we don’t get many royal visits out in these parts,” she said. “Being on the fringe of the kingdom seems to often leave Thistledown Valley last in line when it comes to the monarchy’s priorities.”
Piper hoped she wasn’t saying too much. She didn’t want to come off as disrespectful, but since she had the audience of someone who could make a real difference in her hometown, she felt the need to say something.
“What do you mean?” Aldon encouraged her.
“Well, Thistledown Valley has been in somewhat of an economic slump in recent years.” She took a sip of coffee and continued. “We were once something of a touristy place, but at some point, the money wasn’t being invested anymore. When infrastructure started breaking down, the most popular tourist attractions were affected—and after that, the tourists lost interest in coming, and that just hit the town harder. Businesses began closing and local families started struggling to make ends meet. All of that means less tax revenue to address a growing number of problems—and little by way of federal support to get us back on our feet.”
Aldon’s eyes dug into Piper’s, showing that he was listening intently. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Honestly, I’m not very involved with issues like these. They’re more my brother Edward’s area of expertise. He works in urban planning and development.”
“Well, perhaps you could mention something to him,” Piper said, smiling. “Any help we could get out here in our little town would be much appreciated.”
She wanted to sound friendly and noncombative—but still get the urgency across.
Aldon nodded but didn’t respond, leaving Piper to wonder if she’d said too much. She stood up and began clearing dishes from the table.
“Please, stop,” Aldon said. “Let me clean up.”
“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” Piper said and continued clearing, but Aldon put a hand on her hand to stop her. At his touch, tingles ran over her body.
“Listen, Piper,” he began, his hand still over hers. “Breakfast was wonderful, but you’ve got a full-time job looking after the house, the grounds, and your daughter. It’s not your job to wait on me. The least I can do is clean up.”
Piper pressed her lips together and was silent for a moment. Part of her was giddy at the feel of his hand over hers. The other part wanted to challenge him, if just for the sport of it.
“You want to clean up?” she asked and fluttered her eyelashes with purposeful flirtation.
“Yes.” He began picking up plates and silverware from the table.
“Okay,” she said. “As long as you know where everything belongs.”
Aldon was silent then. He glanced around the kitchen then shrugged.
“I don’t know where anything belongs,” he admitted, looking defeated.
Piper laughed. “I’ll show you,” she said, and the two began working together, loading dishes into the dishwasher and wiping off the counters.
“It’s probably good for me to learn how to do things for myself,” Aldon said as he handed her the butter and juice to put into the fridge.
“Oh, yeah?” she asked. “Why’s that? Are you considering leaving your royal status in the dust to become a commoner?”
Aldon snickered. “No, but I am going to be out here in the country for longer than I planned, sans staff.” For a moment, he considered whether he wanted to hire in some locals to see to things—but he quickly decided against it. It seemed like too much fuss and bother for just a few weeks. And it might be uncomfortable for Piper, since she was used to having the servants’ quarters to herself.
His words stopped Piper in her tracks. She tried to wipe the shock off of her face before looking at him. “How long is longer than you planned?”
He sighed and explained to her that his ex-fiancée had taken over his condo back home and that he’d be staying here for three weeks.
Three weeks?
She’d have to play nice for three more weeks?
“I might as well help out while I’m here,” he said.
Well, that was certainly thoughtful of him.
Piper’s heart bounced around like a ping-pong in her chest. Once again, she was torn between a pull of attraction toward Aldon and the discomfort of having someone else sharing the space she and Willa usually occupied alone.
“Well, Willa and I are happy to have your company as long as you’ll be staying,” she said and smiled sweetly at him.
She couldn’t lie to herself.
The thought of having a gorgeous prince hanging around for a couple of weeks was pretty exciting. It had been a long time since any man had made her heart pound the way he did.
Maybe, if she was really lucky, she’d even get another look at him with his shirt undone.
“Thanks again for breakfast,” Aldon said as he dried his hands with a tea towel at the kitchen sink. “I’m going to head up to my room for a bit, but I’d love a tour of the grounds later if you’d oblige me.”
“Of course!” Piper said cheerfully, taking in his chiseled face and perfect jawline. God, he was a candy for the eyes. She had work to do, but it could wait.
“I’ll fetch you in an hour or so?”
“Sure thing,” Aldon said and patted his middle. “Full belly. I might take a nap.”
A shirtless nap, perhaps?
A girl could dream.
Piper watched him walk out of the kitchen, noticing that his backside was eye candy too.
She hoped she could control her sweet tooth for the next few weeks.
4
“The work you’ve done in the garden is amazing, Piper,” Aldon said. Before their stroll around the grounds of the castle, he’d never realized so many different varieties of flowers could grow in this climate. “It’s easy to see you’re passionate about nature.” And skilled too.
Piper blushed. “Well, thank you,” she said. “It’s a great pleasure to care for the gardens here.”
The summer sun glinted against Piper’s red hair, giving it the appearance of flames. As he took in the sight of her against the backdrop of the day, he couldn’t deny she ignited something in him too. He looked away, trying to gather himself.
“Momma.” Willa tugged on Piper’s hand. “Can I pull the weeds?”
“Sure,” Piper said and pointed her daughter toward an impressive copse of rosebushes.
“She’s a big help to you,” Aldon said as he watched Willa tugging weed after weed out of the ground.
Piper beamed. “She is. I’m teaching her everything I know, and I’m grateful that she enjoys it as much as I do.”
Something about the simplicity of Piper’s lifestyle, the joy with which she approached the mundane, was so attractive to Aldon. He found himself moving closer to her, almost close enough for their hands to brush. The air was heavy, laced with a sensual current that flowed between them. He wondered if she felt it too.
“Thank you for sharing all of this with me,” he said. “It’s so peaceful out here. Easy for a man to forget his troubles in this environment.”
“I’m glad to help,” she said and nodded.
A stray crimson tendril fell over Piper’s cheek, and Aldon had to fight the urge to reach out and move it.
Suddenly, his phone rang, jolting him from the electric moment.
“Excuse me,” he said to Piper and glanced at his phone. “It’s my father.”
“Hello.” He walked a few feet away from Piper to continue the call.
“Aldon.” His father’s voice boomed into the phone. “I’m told Carrie is staying in the apartment for a few more weeks. Glad to hear you two are trying to work things out then. Much better for the family’s reputation to have a reunion on the table.”
Oh, hi, Dad. Sure, I’m fine. How are you? Glad to hear it.
No time for niceties or normal conversation when it came to the King of Sovalon. As always, business first.
“Carrie and I are not working things out, Father.” Aldon gave the king a brief rundown of his conv
ersation with his ex that morning. “She’s moving out and moving on. And besides, she cheated, remember? Even if she wanted to reconcile, I wouldn’t take her back.”
“Son,” his father began, “don’t make up your mind so swiftly. The last thing the royal family needs is another scandal right now.”
“Father—” Aldon said, but his father interrupted.
“Your mother and I are still reeling from your brothers’ choices of partners,” he said, but Aldon knew it was his father, not his mother who believed that Clementine and Kyra, his brothers’ wives, were ‘below their standing.’ “Now we have to deal with your relationship shake up.”
“It’s not a shake up, Father,” Aldon said, seething. “It’s a break up.”
“Listen, son,” he said. “I’m going to make myself clear.”
The king paused, and Aldon sighed. He recognized the authority in his father’s voice but found it difficult to respect it.
“You will win Carrie back,” he said. “Or you will find a suitable replacement in an extremely timely fashion.”
“A suitable replacement?” His father acted as if finding a life partner was akin to choosing a good pair of shoes. It was completely exasperating.
“As far as the press knows, you’re still planning to marry, but you both need a bit more time to prepare,” the king said. “Your prenup isn’t completely ready, so there’s that holdup. It’s good optics for you to stay in the country for now. It appears as though you’re there on official business, while we work damage control over the engagement on our end.”
“I’ll lie low here, Father, but the plan is for Carrie to move out,” Aldon said and sighed. “That’s that.”
“Aldon, remember your position in this family and in our nation.”
Oh, for Pete’s sake.
“Yes, Father, I will.”
Aldon pushed the end button on his phone and stuffed the phone into his pocket. He looked up to see Piper pretending to fuss over a rosebush around the corner.
Aldon grinned.
As if she hadn’t been eavesdropping.
A slow warmth bloomed in his chest and his heart began racing as it hadn’t done for a long time. Not even for his ex-fiancée. Romancing a woman with a child was a terrible idea… but just enjoying the company of a beautiful woman—in a casual, uncommitted way—couldn’t do that much harm, could it? What was wrong with just seeing where things went?
One foot after the other, he made his way over to Piper.
She looked up at him and smiled.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He gazed into her gorgeous green eyes and answered.
“It will be.”
“I know you heard the entire conversation,” Aldon said, and Piper blushed.
“I couldn’t help but overhear,” she lied. Admittedly, she’d been nosy. Who wouldn’t be? “So, I gather the king isn’t happy about your broken engagement?”
“No, he’s not,” Aldon said and looked at the ground.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about me leaking anything to the gossip rags. I’m tight-lipped,” she said. “And I’m sorry to hear your ex cheated. I know how painful that is. Willa’s dad cheated on me before I got pregnant with her.”
“Oh,” he said, looking uncomfortable.
Piper wondered if she should say more, but the floodgates were open.
“I took him back, stupidly, but while staying in the relationship was a mistake, I can’t say I regret it. I got Willa out of the whole debacle, and she is a gift.” Piper watched Willa happily weeding flowers and smiled. It was probably for the best that Willa’s dad had walked out on Piper before Willa was born. That way Willa never knew the hurt of having been left.
“Thanks for your openness,” Aldon said, pulling her from her painful memories.
“Oh, I’m an open book,” Piper told him. She didn’t mention that Aldon, more than most men she knew, made her want to open up.
“You know, now that it’s over, I look back and realize that my relationship with Carrie felt like it was always about putting on a show,” he said. Piper was quiet, surprised but glad by Aldon’s sudden forthright manner. “The fancy parties, the travel in our capacity as ambassadors.” He rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’m pretty sure she was mostly in it for the status boost and not because she actually cared for me, but my father seems really disappointed that it ended.”
“He liked Carrie then?” she asked.
“I never get the sense that he likes anyone, really. People are either useful or they’re not. She was useful because he wanted me to marry someone with status, especially after both of my brothers married commoners.” Aldon put air quotes around the word commoners and shook his head, but the word rubbed Piper the wrong way immediately. Aldon obviously didn’t share his father’s sentiments, but still Piper couldn’t shake her annoyance at the elitism.
“There’s a lot of pressure on me now to get it right when it comes to finding a wife,” Aldon said. “Unfortunately, my father and I don’t agree on what ‘getting it right’ means.”
“Well, it’s your life, so it’s your decision, right?” Piper asked. “Surely your father doesn’t believe he has the right to choose for you.”
“My father is the King of Sovalon, Piper. He believes he has the right to do whatever he damn well pleases.”
Maybe this was what Aldon had alluded to during breakfast—not being able to choose for himself. Could the king actually believe he had the right to tell his sons who to marry? Irritation itched at Piper’s nerves, not just at the unfairness to the princes, but also at the idea that someone’s worth as a bride was derived solely from their social status.
“I find it quite offensive that the king of our nation believes in arranging marriage according to class.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far—” Aldon began but Piper spoke over him.
“Wouldn’t you?” she asked. “How do you think the ‘little people’ feel, hearing about how your father refers to us as commoners? I find it to be mildly disgusting at best.” She could feel the heat rising on her neck and knew she was in danger of losing her temper.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it. He’s just set in his ways,” Aldon said.
“I’m shocked you’d excuse his behavior,” she said. “You don’t seem to share his views, so why go along with them?”
“He’s not that bad.”
Why was Aldon defending the king’s bad behavior? It was the final spark needed to fire her aggravation. “Most rich people, especially royals, simply ignore those of us who exist in a lower social class. Look at Thistledown Valley, with all the problems we’re having here. Our town sits on the fringes and is filled with working-class people, who apparently don’t deserve the attention of the castle. Thistledown Valley has been neglected for too long by the Crown and their differing priorities.”
“We’ve always taken care of our people,” Aldo argued, but Piper shook her head in disagreement.
“Not always,” she bit back sharply. “You’re all very busy—wrapped up in your fancy parties and foreign relations. Perhaps you don’t take the time to look in your own backyard and see what the people of Sovalon need.”
Aldon looked taken aback and perhaps even hurt at her sudden outburst. She realized she needed to bite her tongue at the risk of losing her job. Had she gone too far?
She forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, attempting to calm herself down. “I apologize for getting heated,” she said and ran the palm of her hand across her sweaty forehead. “I’d better go help Willa with those weeds.”
Her pulse quick with irritation, she strode away from Aldon, unable to shake the feeling of his eyes on her as she walked across the grounds.
5
The next morning, Piper woke to the sound of heavy rain pelting against the window. The sky promised no hope of a clear-up, so her plans for cutting the grass were a wash-out. Apparently, today would be used for indoor chore
s, such as getting Aldon’s valet situated—she’d heard him arrive very early that morning with the rest of the prince’s things from the city. She still felt a little guilty about her heated conversation with Aldon the day before. She’d definitely overstepped and wanted to make up for it. After mopping the plethora of muddy footprints from the blue-gray slate tile in the foyer, she hurried to the study where Aldon was putting away what looked like an impressive book collection the valet must have brought.
“What ugly weather,” she said as she breezed into the study with Willa at her heels. He looked up from his task and met her eyes. “At least the gardens will be watered.”
“True,” he replied. “I’m going to be in the study, arranging my books.”
She wondered why he didn’t let his valet unpack his books for him. Wasn’t that what the valet was for?
“I’m a bit obsessive when it comes to my collection of texts,” he said, seeming to have read her thoughts. “I’d prefer that no one else handles them. I’ll be awhile, so don’t worry about me for lunch.”
Piper stared into his eyes, willing her heartbeat to slow down. His good looks were alarming! “My outdoor plans have been utterly sunk by the will of Mother Nature, so I’d be happy to help you get these put away.”
He studied her for a moment, as if he were trying to gauge whether she was being sincere. Her breath caught in his gaze.
“Sure, I’d like that,” he said.
Phew. Olive branch accepted.
“Great!” Piper said and began unpacking books and stacking them on top of the heavy mahogany table in the center of the room.
The quiet seemed to calm Aldon, relaxing him enough to start reminiscing a minute later. “This place hasn’t changed a bit,” Aldon said, his eyes bouncing from the high ceilings to the dark wood bookshelves. “It still smells like books and pipe tobacco.”
Piper laughed. “I don’t know about pipe tobacco, but you have enough books to make every room of the castle smell like paper and ink!”