“And why would that be?”
“Because I’ve invited the Duke of Lamar and his daughter to dinner. You will be there and you will spend some time with her.”
“So this isn’t a state dinner, it’s a matchmaking ploy.”
“Call it what you will, but you can’t put off this marriage much longer. The press is already running negative stories about the royal family and your sister’s wedding isn’t enough to sway the growing discontent with the citizens. They believe you have no interest in governing this nation. And frankly, I’m starting to think they might be right.”
Leo stood. “If you believe that then you don’t know me at all.”
His mother arched a penciled brow. “Then I will see you at dinner.”
He didn’t want to go. He wanted to dine with Bianca. He’d been looking forward to that dinner—to, um, hearing about the latest wedding plans.
“I’ll be there.”
Without a word, his mother turned toward the door. “Don’t keep your visitor waiting.”
And with that his mother was gone.
His jaw tightened. He hated when his mother started throwing her weight around. He knew he’d started it by hiring Bianca without discussing it with the queen. But he knew she would have vetoed the idea. So he figured it was better to hire Bianca and hope for understanding than to mention it first and then go against his mother’s wishes.
When he’d hired Bianca, he’d never imagined she’d be such good company. He wondered what she was doing now. He grabbed his phone to text her.
Are you busy?
He waited. No response.
Can’t make dinner. Sorry. Something came up.
With a sigh, he placed his phone in his pocket. He’d put off meeting with—he glanced at his calendar—Jasmine Ferrara long enough. This was going to be more of a business interview than a date because he didn’t have any interest in romance.
His thoughts returned to Bianca. He hoped cancelling dinner wouldn’t cause any problems. From what he could see so far, Bianca was quite capable of making sensible decisions concerning the wedding. She didn’t need him looking over her shoulder, but he wasn’t willing to let go of their connection. He needed to be on top of things should his mother decide to cause trouble.
Or at least that’s what he told himself was the reason for insisting on dining with Bianca each evening. It had absolutely nothing to do with that unforgettable kiss. After all, he was supposed to be interviewing for a wife. He didn’t have the right to kiss Bianca—even if it had been the best kiss ever.
* * *
How could the day be over already?
Where had the time gone?
Bianca made her way back to her office within the palace walls. She had so many notes. It was going to take her hours to sort through everything. But she was supremely pleased with how much she’d accomplished.
The ceremony, as well as the extensive security, had been planned down to the finest detail. And though it’d been a heated meeting with the queen and her wedding planner, they’d finally struck an agreement where the queen would get to keep her extensive guest list while the princess got to have a sense of intimacy with lots of candles and curtains that would be lowered over the stained-glass windows just as the ceremony was about to begin.
Bianca smiled as she entered the office.
“There you are.” Sylvie glanced up. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”
Bianca pulled out her suspiciously quiet phone. The battery was dead. No wonder she hadn’t gotten any responses to her inquiries from that morning.
Nor had she heard from Leo. Not that there was any particular reason she should hear from him, but that hadn’t kept her from hoping. Just the thought of him had heat rushing to her face.
“What has you blushing?” Sylvie asked.
Bianca swallowed hard. No one could know about the stolen kiss. Not even Sylvie, who was quickly becoming a good friend. The kiss had been a mistake. A moment of passion.
“I’m just warm,” she said, hoping Sylvie would believe her and let the subject drop. “I was doing a lot of rushing around. For some reason, I imagined a palace would always be cold and drafty but that isn’t the case here. Perhaps I should have packed more summer clothes.”
“There are some great shops in the village. I could write down their names.”
She didn’t have time for shopping. It wasn’t on her list of things to do. And she had something to do every minute of every day. The wedding was so close and there were still so many details to take care of, including the after-party.
Still, Bianca didn’t want to be rude. “Sure. If you could jot those down for me that would be great.”
Sylvie smiled. “I’ll do that.”
Bianca glanced at the time on the wall. “It’s getting late. I’m surprised to find you still here.”
“I didn’t want to go home before you got back. You know, in case you had something that needed done ASAP.”
Bianca glanced down at the stack of work she’d placed on her desk. “I do have a lot that needs done, but not tonight.”
“Are you sure? I don’t have any plans.”
“I’m sure,” Bianca said. “I need a chance to sort through my notes. I’ll have a list for you in the morning.”
“Okay. As long as you’re sure.”
“I am.” The truth was she was so accustomed to working on her own that it was taking her some time to get used to having an assistant. “Go get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Sylvie grabbed her things and headed for the door. She paused and turned back. “I hope you have a nice dinner with the prince.”
There was a look in her eyes like she knew what had gone down between Bianca and Leo. Was it possible rumors had started?
“I don’t know what you’ve heard?”
“Heard?” A look of confusion came over Sylvie’s face. “I haven’t heard anything. Oh, gosh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything. I just—I meant that I hoped everything goes well.”
“Oh. Yes. Me too.” She felt so ridiculous for thinking her secret had gotten out. She was going to have to be calmer going forward. “I think the prince will be impressed with what I was able to negotiate between the princess and her mother.”
“I know that I am. I’m really enjoying working with you. I will see you in the morning. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Sylvie closed the door behind her. Bianca moved to sit down at her desk. She’d put an extra charger cord in her desk. She’d been meaning to replace her battery as it didn’t last nearly as long as it once had. But one thing after another kept her from going into the village to buy one. She supposed she could order it online and have it delivered to the palace. Yes, that sounded like the best idea.
She plugged in her phone but it was so dead that it didn’t immediately turn on. She set it aside to do its thing. But she didn’t want to be late for dinner. Leo did have a thing for punctuality.
They hadn’t discussed what time dinner would be tonight. If it was to be at the same time as usual she had to get moving. She didn’t even have time to stop at her room and change clothes.
Bianca checked her makeup with her compact. She powdered her nose before reapplying her shimmery lip gloss. One final glance in the mirror and she decided it would have to do. It wasn’t like she was going on a date. Right?
She stood up and checked her phone. It still had that blasted flashing red checkmark on the screen that let her know it was charging, but it wasn’t ready to be used, just yet. And so she left it behind.
Thankfully she was good with directions because the palace was full of small staircases tucked discreetly in walls at the most unexpected places. When she reached the knight wearing the palace’s coat of arms, she turned and headed up the carpeted steps. They were modest a
nd absolutely nothing like the grand staircase in the front of the palace. If you didn’t know about the steps, you might very well miss them.
At the top of the steps, she turned to the left. The prince’s apartment was at the end of the hallway. It was very private. In fact, as she glanced around, she realized it was the only doorway. And considering Bianca hadn’t passed anyone on her way here, she assumed not many people were welcome in this part of the palace. The fact that she’d been invited into this part of the prince’s world made her feel special. A smile pulled at her lips.
She paused outside the apartment door. It was the first time she’d allowed herself to imagine how this evening might go. She envisioned another candlelight dinner with the prince flirting with her. Would it be proper to flirt back? Oh, who cared about proper? This was a fantasy.
Part of her said that she needed to stay focused on business, but the womanly part of her said that she was crazy to pass up a moment in Leo’s arms. After all, what were the chances that another handsome prince would cross her path?
She halted her thoughts. She couldn’t believe she was having this debate. It wasn’t like the kiss would happen again. It was a fluke. A one-time thing.
With the internal conflict resolved, she leveled her shoulders and lifted her chin. It was time to do business. She inhaled a deep breath, hoping to slow her heartbeat. She raised her hand and knocked.
No response.
Perhaps she hadn’t knocked loud enough. She tried again.
Still nothing.
She turned and retraced her steps. At the bottom of the steps, she came across Oscar.
“Good evening, ma’am.”
“Hi. Would you happen to know where the prince might be?”
“I just passed him heading into the gardens. But he—”
“Thank you. I’m late.” She rushed off.
The gardens were down another floor. But when she got to the window, she saw Leo was already outside. Had he planned on having dinner in the gardens? The thought of such a beautiful romantic setting set her heart aflutter.
She started moving again, anxious to catch up with him. But when she reached the main floor and made her way out to the patio area, Leo was nowhere in sight. She set off down one of the paths but the shrubs and trees acted as walls, making the gardens more like a maze.
And then she spotted Leo just up ahead. She was about to call out to him when she noticed he wasn’t alone. Bianca moved forward just enough to catch sight of a young woman smiling up at him. From that distance, Bianca couldn’t make out what he was saying but whatever it was had his female companion thoroughly enthralled.
But then again, with his deep, rich voice he could be reading the information on the back of a medicine bottle and make it sound engaging. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
Bianca took a step back. She didn’t want them to see her lurking. Her foot landed on a fallen twig. The sound of cracking wood was much louder than she would have expected. Knowing it would draw attention, she jumped behind a bush. Her white heels sunk in the freshly watered dirt.
Tears stung the backs of her eyes. She told herself it was her being upset over ruining her cloth pumps and not the fact that Leo had gone from kissing her like she was the only woman in the world to romancing some other woman in the gardens instead of having dinner with her.
The murmur of voices faded away. They must have moved on. It was then that Bianca glanced around the bush, praying no one was around to witness her most embarrassing moment. To her relief, she was alone.
She stepped back upon the stone walkway. In the waning sunlight, she glanced down at her shoes. They were ruined—along with her daydream that the prince thought she was special. She was just another woman in his long list of admirers.
Avoiding the palace staff, she made her way back to her office where she retrieved her phone and a stack of work. She headed to her bedroom, skipping dinner altogether. She had no appetite.
Once in her room with the door closed, she looked at her phone. Now, it was charged and there were a couple of text messages. The first was from Sylvie. The second was from Leo, cancelling their dinner plans. And that was it. No explanation. No nothing.
She wanted to be angry with him, but she knew that wasn’t logical. It wasn’t like they were seeing each other. The kiss had been a mistake. They had a business relationship. Nothing more.
She would do well to remember that.
She needed to focus on her work. It was the only thing she could count on—the only thing in her life that she felt as though she had any control over.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SHE WAS TIRED of the games.
The prince could not kiss her one evening and then share moonlight walks with someone else another night. It didn’t work that way. It didn’t matter that he was a prince or that her heart raced every time they were in the same room. She had her standards.
And that’s why for the next ten days, she’d reduced their meetings to daily status emails. It was much more efficient. And so much safer for her heart.
However, when she glanced up from her desk to find Leo standing in the doorway of her office, she was caught off guard.
She swallowed hard. “Your Highness, I wasn’t expecting you. Can I do something for you?”
“Your Highness?” He frowned at her. “We’re back to using titles?”
She gave a slight shrug before saving the current document on her laptop. She had a feeling the prince’s visit would take a bit of time.
“Today is the final day of the queen’s la fête.”
“La fête?”
“Yes. Technically it’s my mother’s sixtieth birthday but she refuses to celebrate her birthday. She says she’s too old to have birthdays. So they call her celebration the queen’s la fête.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll make sure to keep out of the way. Besides I have plenty of work to do—”
“No, you don’t understand. You are invited.”
Bianca pressed a hand to her chest. “Me. But I’m a nobody.”
“You are my guest.”
Her heart stuttered. Was he asking her to be his date? Wait. No. He must mean his guest as in a general invitation because he’d moved on to that woman in the gardens. Bianca’s mood dampened a bit.
She shook her head. “I couldn’t intrude. It should be a private family event.”
“It’s not private nor a family-only event. This will be a big state dinner with fireworks afterward.”
“Fireworks?” Now that was her kind of party.
He smiled and nodded. “And there is a place at the table with your name on it.”
“But what’s the dress code?”
“Formal.”
“As in black tie?”
He nodded. “If that is a problem—”
“I’ve got a formal gown, but I had planned to wear it to your sister’s wedding.”
“Then I will see that you get a new gown for the wedding.”
“No, you can’t. That would be too much.”
“You are doing me the favor. It is the least I can do.”
“How so?”
“Because these events are usually stuffy and can veer into matters of state. I would like to avoid that this evening. And with you there, it will make the evening more festive. Perhaps the politics can be avoided for one evening. Your attendance would be in honor of the queen.”
When he put it that way, how could she say no?
“Okay. I’ll go.”
“Good. I can stop by your room on the way to the cocktail hour.”
That would be too much like a date and she needed to make sure the boundaries were clear. She couldn’t let herself get swept up in the evening. She was hired help. Nothing more.
“It’s okay. I’ll make my way.”
His e
yes reflected disappointment, but in a blink it was gone. “Very well. Cocktails are at six in the library.”
“I’ll see you there.” Bianca turned back to her laptop. She had so much work to do.
But she couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that the prince had given her a personal invitation to a very important dinner. The thought of spending the evening with Leo made her heart race.
She told herself not to get too excited about it because they would be surrounded by heads of state and dignitaries. And then there was the queen. Bianca didn’t care how much she told herself otherwise, that woman made her nervous.
* * *
This was it.
This was as good as it got.
Bianca gave her coral gown with its ivory and silver embellishments one last glance in the mirror. Her stomach shivered with nerves. She had no idea if she was overdressed or underdressed. Perhaps she should have consulted Giselle. She most likely wouldn’t have minded giving her some fashion tips. But it was too late for that now.
She ran a hand over her pulled-up hair. It was then that she noticed the slight tremor in her hands. How could she have gone to some of the biggest weddings in the world with Hollywood stars and politicians but this birthday party made her quake.
Bianca sucked in a deep breath. She had to get a grip. She checked the time on the delicate diamond-studded watch that her parents had given her on her sixteenth birthday. It was stunning and something she wore only on the most special of occasions. But when she wore it, no matter where she was in the world, it made her feel like her family was a little closer. And now with her parents both gone, that connection was more important to her than ever before.
Sometimes she felt like a leaf just tumbling in the wind. There was no true place where she fit in. Her brother knew it. Her sister wouldn’t say it, but she couldn’t deny it.
But if Bianca were to make her wedding business a success, she would have a sense of security. She couldn’t control the outcome of the DNA tests, but she could control the success of this wedding—so long as she stayed on top of every detail.
The Prince and the Wedding Planner Page 10
