Heart of Mine

by Lindsay Bergman

  The Royal Family had returned to Coradova five days ago in time for the trial. I’d heard from Arianna that Paul had been convicted of conspiracy, assault and kidnapping, while the Merciers had been charged only with misdemeanors. I felt satisfied by their verdicts. Paul deserved to be imprisoned for his crimes, whereas both Simon and Charlotte had done nothing to physically harm me, and had only acted out of fear from Marie’s threats. Simon had been the Head of the Lower House in Parliament; Marie had threatened to discredit him and destroy his career. Charlotte and her husband, Marius, had been part of the palace staff for thirty years, proudly serving the Royal Family they adored; Marie had threatened to have them fired and destroy their livelihood.

  I heard footsteps on the deck behind me, but before I could turn around to see who it was, long arms slipped around my waist and pulled me back against a firm chest. Lips brushed my cheek and jaw, his breath warm on the skin of my neck.

  “Stop thinking about tomorrow,” he commanded.

  “I can’t help it,” I muttered bitterly, turning around to face him. “You’re leaving tomorrow.”

  Dark blue eyes met mine, filled with compassion. “But for right now I’m here with you, dolcezza.” With one hand on my waist, Alexander slowly trailed the fingers of his other hand up my left arm and over the curve of my shoulder to cup my neck. He gently tilted my head back, bringing our faces even closer. “Now stop thinking and let me kiss you.”

  His lips were soft against mine, his tender kiss brimming with patience and restraint as Alexander took his time kissing me. His every touch was filled with love, and a passion that sought to please more than to take. I luxuriated in his sweet kisses, allowing my mind, body and soul to be surrendered into the affectionate hands of the prince who held my heart. It was several moments later before he slowly eased back and smiled warmly, his blue eyes bright with love.

  He took my hand, twining his long fingers with mine. “Come on, cuore mio. Take a walk with me.” Alexander led me down the steps and onto the lawn, pausing to speak with his Head of Security.

  “Everything is secure, Your Highness.”

  “Thank you, Pierre.”

  We began walking down to the river. The prince squeezed my hand. “I want to show you something,” he said, shooting me a grin. I smiled back, feeling drawn in by his excitement.

  Honestly, it didn’t matter what he wanted to show me down by the river. I was happy simply being with him ... until he went back to Coradova tomorrow. My heart clenched painfully, and I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

  Alexander led me down to the river, then along a trail that I hadn’t noticed from the house. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the guards following at a discreet distance. Since we were alone for the moment, now seemed as good a time as any to ask Alexander about something that had been bothering me.

  “Alex, I wanted to talk to you about Marie,” I announced, peeking over at his face.

  His hand tightened briefly around mine. He glanced at me apprehensively. “What’s on your mind, dolcezza?”

  “When I was in the forest with Marie ... she seemed unstable,” I began, thinking back on her unpredictable behavior. “She seemed unbalanced, like her emotions were all over the place. She was violent, aggressive, and even delusional. She was convinced that I’d stolen you from her and that you two had a secret past relationship I never knew about. I was wondering if she had a mental illness.”

  “It could have been Schizophrenia,” Alexander suggested. “She may have inherited it from her grandmother. That would explain a lot, actually.”

  “Was that information in Marie’s file?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

  “No, it wasn’t,” Alexander sighed, looking uncomfortable. He stopped and turned me toward him, his grip firm on my arms. “I knew about her grandmother because Marie told me when we were teenagers—”

  Upset, I pulled away from him and turned to look back down the trail. The guards had stopped and hovered quietly in the distance, ensuring our privacy. I knew it shouldn’t matter that he’d dated Marie. We weren’t together anymore. I had no right to care about Alexander’s past relationships. But that didn’t make the pain in my heart any easier to bear. I felt betrayed, even though I knew it was ridiculous.

  “Maddy, please don’t be upset,” Alexander pleaded from behind me. “It was five years ago! I was young and immature, and stupid enough to be smitten with any pretty girl who walked by.”

  “Oh, I know,” I snapped. “I saw you take plenty of pretty girls out into the garden with you.” I whirled around to glare at him. “Do you remember that night on Ashton’s seventeenth birthday, when I caught you kissing some girl behind the hedges?”

  Alexander grimaced slightly and his ears turned red. “Yes, I remember.”

  “It was Marie, wasn’t it?” I demanded. “She told me it was. She threw your past flings in my face while I was tied to a tree, left at the mercy of your secret ex-girlfriend!”

  His face darkened as he stalked toward me. “She was never my girlfriend,” Alexander growled, his words clipped. “We went on two dates when I was nineteen—and I stole a few kisses behind the hedges, but that was it! Why are you making more out of this than it is?”

  “Because I’m hurt, Alex! Why did you date her, of all people? Were you just too smitten with her gorgeous face to look past the surface?”

  “Honestly, yes.” Alexander crossed his arms defensively and glowered at me. “I was immature and let the popularity of my title go to my head—not to mention, I was crazy about you but had been warned by my father to keep my distance. I tried to date Marie as a distraction. After our second date I realized there was something off about her, so I ended it. And that night on Ashton’s birthday changed everything for me. Do you remember what happened after I stopped William from kissing you?”

  I arched a brow. “You almost kissed me.”

  Alexander smiled as he stepped closer and slid his hands up my arms, his eyes intent on my face. “Yes, I did. But I’m talking about how you said every guy was nothing but a frog. Do you remember?” His voice was low and husky, his thumbs tracing distracting circles along my arms.

  “Yes, I remember,” I said breathlessly, leaning toward him.

  His hand trailed up one shoulder to cup my neck, drawing me even closer as his other hand slipped around my waist. Alexander smiled slow and dazzling, then lowered his head, pausing a breaths-width away from my lips. My eyes closed in anticipation.

  “Am I just a frog, dolcezza?” He brushed his mouth softly against mine, teasing me with the mere whisper of a kiss. “Is that all I am to you?”

  My eyes blinked open to meet his steady blue gaze. “Alex ...” I paused to run my hands up his chest. “You know that you’ve always been my Prince Charming.” My hands slipped up into his hair, fingers threading through the black strands. “Now stop talking and kiss me.”

  Then his mouth met mine, effectively banishing all thoughts of frogs and princes from my mind until there was only Alexander, and the raging passion that erupted between us. When we finally broke apart, my face felt flushed and I was breathing heavy.

  Alexander reached out to run a finger down my burning cheek, and grinned smugly. “I nearly kissed you that night on Ashton’s birthday.” He smiled ruefully, then tucked my arm through his and continued down the trail toward our destination. “I never saw it coming. Out of all the available girls in Coradova, I had fallen in love with the one girl I couldn’t have.”

  When we passed a row of pine trees, the landscape opened as a beautiful meadow sprung into sight with a picturesque white gazebo resting at the river’s edge. The water curled around and beyond, extending into the tree line and shadows of the mountain. A late-blooming wisteria plant twisted up and around the pillars of the gazebo, dipping past the eaves in curtains of violet. It was breathtaking.

  “I’m your Prince Charming, and you’re my Cinderella,” Alexander said, steering me into the gazebo. “Even if it’s only for
one more day.”

  His blue eyes filled with regret, but he forced a smile and gathered me into his arms for a dance. I laughed through my tears as he twirled me around in circles, making my pink summer dress flare up around my knees.

  After a few dances, we moved to the edge of the gazebo and looked out over the rippling water. Alexander leaned a shoulder against a pillar and drew me to him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I kissed his jaw and snuggled into his chest. One hand stroked my hair. For a while we were silent, simply enjoying the closeness. Savoring these final precious moments together.

  There was the snap of a twig behind us. I raised my head to see Ashton step under the curtain of wisteria. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, his blue eyes fixed on Alexander. “I’m sorry to intrude. I know you wanted some time alone, but you’ll both want to hear this.”

  Alexander sighed. “What is it?”

  “Word has spread through Coradova about how Maddy risked her life to protect the crown prince,” Ashton said, turning his gaze to me. “And now the entire country loves you, including Parliament.”

  I lowered my eyes and tried to stem the surge of bitterness. Too little, too late.

  “Is there a point to this, Ashton?” Alexander asked impatiently, his arms tightening around me.

  “In six weeks, Parliament is going to reintroduce the bill to abolish the Royal Marriage Act.”

  Alexander stiffened, and my head snapped up.

  “You mean, they’re going to vote on it again?” I held my breath, barely daring to hope.

  Ashton nodded, a dimpled smile spreading across his face. “From what Father told me, they expect it to pass almost unanimously. The people of Coradova have fallen in love with you, Maddy.”

  I looked up at Alexander, to find that his eyes were already fixed on my face. I saw the hope that had suddenly blossomed in the dark blue depths, matching the hope that had burst to life within my heart.

  “There’s still a chance for us to be together,” I murmured.

  A dazzling smile lit up his face. He kissed me tenderly, his touch brimming with hope. “Do you believe in happily-ever-afters, dolcezza?”

  I smiled softly. “I’ve always thought of my life as a fairytale.”

  On a cold day in October the river flowed slow and lazy, appearing more gray than blue. Bursts of gold and auburn trees surrounded me on one side while across the river I could see the jagged snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance. My breath blew out like a puff of smoke. I snuggled deeper into my warm winter jacket.

  I knew I should head inside, but was too restless to face my family. The sky overhead was dark and stormy. I glanced up at the threatening storm clouds, fearing that they were a bad omen. As it was, today was Friday the 13th.

  A bad omen, indeed.

  With numb fingers, I pulled my beanie down farther over my ears and shoved my hands back into my pockets, shifting anxiously from foot to foot as much for warmth as from nerves. Five days ago Parliament had reintroduced the bill petitioning to abolish the Royal Marriage Act. Alexander was told that they would have a final decision by today. I’d barely slept all week and couldn’t even remember if I’d had a single bite to eat. This was it—our last chance to be together.

  Alexander had refused to leave Montana until we knew the outcome, determined to stay with me in case these last seven weeks were all that we would have left together. I hadn’t objected in the least, and had savored each and every precious moment with my prince, just in case.

  I heard the door open behind me and whirled around as my heart leaped into my throat. It was Alexander. Dressed in a thick black winter jacket and jeans, he walked briskly across the deck and took my hands in his. I searched his face, but his aristocratic mask was perfectly in place.

  “Just tell it to me straight,” I demanded, my heart hammering anxiously.

  Alexander reached out to tug on a loose strand of my hair as a smile spread across his face. “The bill passed. Father granted royal assent this morning—”

  I threw myself into his arms without waiting for him to finish. He laughed and squeezed me tightly, holding me so that my feet dangled inches above the ground.

  He kissed me and set me back down on my feet, meeting my gaze with blue eyes full of joy. “The Royal Marriage Act has officially been abolished. I’m free to marry anyone I want—and I want you, Maddy.”

  He pulled a small, black box from his pocket and opened it. Nestled inside was the engagement ring that had belonged to his grandmother. He took my left hand and slid it carefully into place on my finger, where it would stay for the rest of my life.

  “Marry me, cuore mio,” Alexander said, gathering me close in his arms. His eyes blazed with love and promises. “My heart is yours forever. Today, tomorrow, and every day for the rest of our lives I will love you, Madison. Sono tuo.”

  “Sono tua,” I replied, touching his cheek, my heart brimming with joy. “Yes, Alex! A thousand times, yes! I love you, and I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  His smile was dazzling before he kissed me passionately. Held close in the arms of my prince, I believed in true love and fairytales with happily-ever-afters. Scattered rays of sunlight burst through the storm clouds overhead, warming my face and heart with a bright and burning love. Looking up to meet Alexander’s striking blue eyes, I believed that dreams really could come true.

  Epilogue

  Peering into the floor-length mirror, I studied my reflection. My face practically glowed with joy. The navy chiffon summer dress flowed down to my knees, the orange and white floral print bright and cheerful, matching my mood. It was mid-January in Coradova, but the Mediterranean weather was typically mild this time of year. Today was a warm high seventies.

  Alexander suddenly appeared in the reflection over my shoulder, his warm eyes appraising me. Dashing as always in a pale blue dress shirt and beige slacks, my handsome prince was breathtaking. I turned around with a smile and held out my hands. He clasped them tightly and brought one up to his lips. “Bellissima, you are stunning.” His hot gaze was very intimate and sent a potent tingling all the way down to my toes.

  I could feel the passion rising and my pulse quickened in response. “If we don’t leave now, we’re not making it out of this bedroom,” I pointed out, watching his dark blue eyes smolder with desire.

  Indecision flickered briefly across his face, then he pressed a quick kiss to my lips and stepped back. “All right, dolcezza,” he sighed in exaggeration, then winked at me. “Let’s go before I change my mind.” Threading his long fingers through mine, he grinned and escorted me through the door.

  Waiting for us at the bottom of the staircase was Gerard, as stoic and intimidating as ever. He bowed, and smiled when his brown eyes met mine. “Good morning, Your Highness. Your car is ready.”

  The prince nodded. “Thank you, Gerard.”

  We sailed down the front steps. I nearly tripped over my feet when I caught sight of the sporty red convertible waiting next to a black sedan. Alexander grinned and ushered me into the passenger seat. The beige leather was as smooth as butter.

  Anticipation curled eagerly through my stomach. “This is pretty fancy, Alex,” I told him as he slid into the seat beside me.

  “Only the best for you, dolcezza.” He tossed on a pair of black sunglasses and flashed me a heart-stopping smile.

  The engine roared to life and we sped down the long drive, through the front gates and past the red uniformed guards. I glanced over my shoulder to see the black sedan following behind us. Because of my kidnapping five months ago, I was relieved that our security was never far behind.

  The wind whipped against Alexander’s black hair as he down-shifted through a turn. When we rounded the corner the glistening sea spilled into view. I brushed my wind-blown hair away from my face and gazed in admiration at the shimmering blue water. To the left of the curving road were towering white stone cliffs and tall waving palm trees. The salty smell of the sea surrounded us, and the breeze a
gainst my skin was cool and crisp. We raced past rows of tiny beach cottages, their white-washed siding faded by wind and sun.

  “This car drives like a dream,” Alexander laughed, as he fearlessly sped around each curve. It was clear that we were both enjoying our scenic drive.

  Eventually, we reached a long stretch of open road that was surrounded only by the gorgeous paradise of this Mediterranean island kingdom. Alexander parked the car in a turn-out near the empty beach and hopped out. He rounded the shiny red hood, opened my door and held out a hand. As I stepped out, I noticed Pierre and Gerard were already waiting patiently beside the black sedan parked behind our convertible.

  “Did you enjoy the ride?” Alexander asked, his eyes bright with excitement.

  “It was thrilling.” I leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him and asked hopefully, “Do I get to drive it back?” The speed and adrenaline rush reminded me of the excitement of riding a horse at full gallop.

  Alexander laughed as we stepped out onto the pristine white sand and pulled off our shoes. “As long as you don’t drive it the same way you ride a horse—with reckless abandon,” he said wryly with a sidelong glance. “I’d hate to ruin the paint job.” He winked and I nudged him with my elbow.

  Holding hands, we walked leisurely down to the water’s edge. The expanse of sparkling blue sea filled our view, venturing out as far as the eye could see. This part of the beach was deserted; I assumed our security had purposefully blocked off this section for privacy and safety. We talked quietly as we strolled along the sand, the sun warm on our faces and the cool sea breeze ruffling our hair.

  “I can’t believe how crazy it’s been in the palace this month,” Alexander commented, squeezing my hand. “After all the pomp and circumstance from last week, I was ready for some time alone with my wife.” He looked at me meaningfully, and my heart skipped a beat, loving the sound of the word wife on his lips.