“Enough ‘though’s’ already. I get the point.”
“Petitions have I here signed by myriad subjects, attesting to the pain one Prince Ferrama hath suffered these many weeks. Long is his sorrow and deep the hole left in his life by the absence of his soulmate.”
Cynthia’s mouth dropped open. “I’m impressed. Who wrote this drivel? Elmer?” She didn’t really consider it drivel, but if she acknowledged how deeply touched she was, he’d take advantage; she knew he would.
He tossed back his head, affronted…and almost lost his crown. “I did, and many a nub did I break on my quill seeking the perfect words.”
“Well, then, I suppose they’re satisfactory.”
He flashed her a smoldering glance. “This final pledge do I make to my lady wife. Let all hear it said…I, Prince Perico Tomas de la Ferrama, do love thee, Princess Cynthia Katherine Ferrama, with all my heart and soul. If thou wouldst give this cur another chance, I wouldst make thee the happiest woman in all the kingdoms of the world. And I wouldst make a home for thee…thou…whatever…in the Dakota or the Poconos or the suburbs or Camelot, whate’er be thy whim. And we wouldst drive pickup trucks or BMW’s or limos or horses if thou choose. We will dance Irish jigs, or flamingoes”—he grinned at that misspeak—“or line dances. Yea, we may listen to Elvis music till the cows come home, or the record player breaks. Just know”—his voice cracked—“just know that I cannot live without my fairy princess.”
Cynthia couldn’t speak.
He stared at her, silence resounding in the air like cymbals, fear and vulnerability apparent in his dark eyes, despite his absurd, touching words. When she didn’t react, he jerked his head for one of his guards to approach. “Bring forth the coup de grâce.” Under his breath, he added, “I hope.”
He handed her a silk-wrapped gift. “For you, my lady love, the latest creation of Ferrama.”
Tentatively, Cynthia unfolded the scarlet fabric and saw inside two glass slippers…well, they were some synthetic material designed to replicate glass. She raised her eyes in question.
“’Tis called Cindy’s Dream. I thought about calling it Cinderella, but this name seemed more appropriate.” He took one of the pumps from her hand, removed a loafer from her foot and slipped the shoe on with ease. It was probably a size nine, as the lout had once pronounced her size to be, not her real size, seven and a half. Whatever.
With one hand around her ankle and the other clapped over his heart, he pleaded, “Will you be my Cinderella?”
“Yes,” she whispered. How could she say anything else? How could she not forgive a man who would risk making a perfect fool of himself to win back his love? How could she face the rest of her life without this rogue in it? “Yes,” she repeated, louder now.
“Yes? Did you say ‘yes’?” He closed his eyes, as if saying a silent prayer. “Thank God!” he whooped, rising creakily. “My knee is killing me.” He pulled her into his arms with a jubilant laugh, his crown falling to the floor with a clunk.
His face turned somber as he regarded her. “You will never regret…” he started to say, but had trouble continuing as tears filled his beautiful eyes. He pressed a palm to his mouth and closed his eyes, fighting for control. When he opened his eyes, he told her in a raw voice, “I am so sorry for hurting you.”
“I know that,” she whispered. And she did.
Realizing that they had a huge audience witnessing this touching scene, she pulled him into a storage room.
“If I could be a real prince for you, Cynthia, I would,” he swore between soul-searing kisses and breath-stopping hugs.
“You are such a fool, Ferrama,” she said. “Don’t you know you are my prince? For always.”
Epilogue
Prince and Princess Perico Tomas de la Ferrama lived a happy life amid their various kingdoms in the Upper West Side and the Poconos.
The prince learned to fish, and his princess wore an apron on certain occasions.
Their creative shoe designs ended up in museum collections. And they amassed great wealth from a pumice stone industry located on their island homeland, where volcanoes flourished, to their great fortune.
They had two children. Tom took over the shoe company and added a line of millinery, for which he was credited with single-handedly bringing back into fashion upscale women’s hats. Siobhan gained fame as an Irish folk dancer.
Enrique Alvarez and Naomi Friedman were married on Valentine’s Day 1999. He gave up lawyering and together they restored and operated the Castle Bed ’n’ Breakfast. The waiting list for reservations ran two years’ long. Their five children grew up to help with the vastly popular establishment. Everyone who met the couple swore they were made for each other…a match made in heaven.
Elmer Presley and Ruth Friedman headed off to Memphis, where Elmer gave up his singing career for a highly lucrative Elvis memorabilia store. Ruth did glow-in-the-dark manicures in the back.
Some say that Elvis died on August 16, 1977, but his fans know there was an everlasting magic in the King. Some even say they catch a glimpse of Elvis here and there.
For those who believe, the legend lives on.
And for those who believe, fairy tales surely can come true.
Praise
RAVES FOR ROMANTIC TIMES CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD—WINNER
SANDRA HILL!
LOVE ME TENDER
“Leave it to Sandra Hill to take this modern fairy tale and make it a wildly sexy and hilarious romp. Her fans will be delighted.”
—Romantic Times
A TALE OF TWO VIKINGS
“Hilarious, sexy…a must read.”
—The Best Reviews
THE VERY VIRILE VIKING
“With its boisterous humor and lovable characters, [The Very Virile Viking] will charm the socks off of readers.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The Very Virile Viking has all the outrageous humor and sizzling sexiness for which Sandra Hill is well known…. This very virile Viking puts your libido into overdrive. A fabulous read!”
—Newandusedbooks.com
MY FAIR VIKING
“A singular blend of humor and romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
THE BLUE VIKING
“This book was hilarious. Another keeper!”
—Paranormal Romance Reviews
TRULY, MADLY VIKING
“Once again the ingenious Ms. Hill brings a megadose of humor to her captivating and fun-filled time travels. Another winner!”
—Romantic Times
MORE PRAISE FOR MS. HILL!
THE BEWITCHED VIKING
“The Bewitched Viking is just the book for that night you absolutely must have a story that skillfully incorporates rollicking humor with sensual romance.”
—Reader to Reader
THE LAST VIKING
“This book is priceless…. Ms. Hill is superb! She makes you laugh out loud with her humor…. Whatever you do, don’t miss this book.”
—The Belles & Beaux of Romance
THE LOVE POTION
“The very talented Sandra Hill adds to her already impressive list of reading gems with this delightfully funny and sexy tale.”
—Romantic Times
SWEETER SAVAGE LOVE
“A fast-paced, sensual yet tongue-in-cheek story peppered with plenty of dynamite dumb-men jokes and riddles. This funny and uplifting read will brighten any day!”
—Romantic Times
DESPERADO
“Humorous repartee and a high degree of sensuality mix well in Hill’s tale of a wisecracking poor boy and the aristocratic woman he loves.”
—Romantic Times
THE TARNISHED LADY
“Filled with engaging humor, poignant emotions, lusty romance and stirring adventure. The Tarnished Lady is a jewel of a read.”
—Affaire de Coeur
Other books by Sandra Hill:
A TALE OF TWO VIKINGS
THE VERY VIRILE VIKING
MY FAIR VIKING
THE BLUE VIKING
TRULY, MADLY VIKING
THE LOVE POTION
THE LAST VIKING
FRANKLY, MY DEAR…
THE TARNISHED LADY
THE BEWITCHED VIKING
THE RELUCTANT VIKING
LOVE ME TENDER
THE OUTLAW VIKING
SWEETER SAVAGE LOVE
DESPERADO
About the Author
SANDRA HILL is a graduate of Penn State and worked for more than 10 years as a features writer and education editor for publications in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Writing about serious issues taught her the merits of seeking the lighter side of even the darkest stories. She is the wife of a stockbroker and the mother of four sons.
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
LOVE ME TENDER. Copyright © 1998 by Sandra Hill. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © June 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-202493-0
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