“Go on.”
“I told Amand that I have been contacted again.”
“Do they want money or information?” my elder brother asked.
“Information. They are particularly curious about the port.”
It was as I suspected. With one of the few deep water ports along the Ispian, greedy eyes often looked our way. Now, was not an optimal time for that to happen.
“What do you think, Constantin?” I asked, wanting to see if his opinion coincided with my own.
“I think Ricard must continue to feed them information. Drop a hint that we have been speaking with a powerful ally about allowing their naval vessels docking rights.”
Ricard’s eyes widened. “But, Constantin…”
The Crown Prince, looking every inch the King he would one day become, stared at our younger brother haughtily. “You will do as you are told. Your recklessness has placed our country in a precarious position.” He waved his hand. “Leave us.”
A part of me felt a pang of sympathy for Ricard. He was in many ways much younger than his actual years, a product perhaps of being the baby of the family. But everyone had to grow up at some point. As the door closed behind him the Crown Prince pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I think there is more behind this than simply the European mafia,” he said.
“I have to agree. They would be much more inclined simply to want money…with interest of course. Their desire for information could be an effort to sell information to another source…”
“Or it is a front. They might not actually be mafia at all.”
“Another country?”
“It seems logical. We are in the midst of a sensitive trade deal that only you, me, and Papa know all the details to. If we negotiate the rights to the use of the port, one of our neighbors benefits greatly…the other does not.”
Our concern, of course, was over the fact that the country that would not benefit from the deal was larger and more powerful from a military standpoint. Our people had always been a friendly people, able to maintain neutrality—and sovereignty—through centuries of wars and the more recent upheavals in southern Europe. It was a delicate dance.
“We must keep them off balance then until the deal is done. I hope Ricard will be able to hold up to that.”
The Crown Prince sat back and crossed his legs at the knee. “I will assist with that. So tell me about the American. Do you think he is involved in any way?”
“I see no evidence of it, Constantin.” I had discovered him yesterday ensconced in the garden alcove where I had played my cello the other evening. Sunlight filtering through the trees overhead had sparkled in his golden hair. When he looked at me, there had been a momentary vulnerability in his expression before he’d masked it with an easygoing smile. He was as adept at hiding his feelings as I was. What I did with a frown, he accomplished with a smile.
“The guards tell me he has done nothing but tour the city, take pictures, and play on his laptop,” I added.
“Play? I thought he was a writer. Does he not work?”
I flicked my wrist in dismissal. “I suppose that is what they meant. At any rate, his activities appear to be entirely above board. Never fear. We are keeping him under surveillance as well. He is an intelligent man with surprising depth. It could just be that he keeps his activities much better cloaked than our baby brother.”
As the Crown Prince stood, I did as well. “Please keep me informed.”
I nodded, waiting to sit again until the door had shut behind him. Thoughts of the American flooded my brain again. Did I want his activities to appear innocent only because of the attraction I felt? Yet, there did not appear to be anything about Daniel to mistrust. I ran my fingers back through my hair, surprised to find them slightly unsteady. Perhaps it was myself I needed to doubt. I might be allowing my feelings to cloud my judgment.
Perhaps avoiding Daniel wasn’t the correct way to go about this. Didn’t Sun Tzu say, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”? I didn’t want to think of Daniel or Ricard as enemies, but I did need to keep a closer eye on them. Hell, I wanted to keep a lot more than a closer eye on Daniel.
A casual dinner in my apartments in the palace would serve two purposes. I would extend an olive branch and throw them off guard. A quick phone call to Stephano, my assistant, and it was all arranged.
If I spent an inordinate amount of time deciding what to wear, it was only because I wanted to hit the right note. No suit tonight. I had made sure my assistant stressed to Daniel and Ricard that dinner was to be casual. I opted for charcoal gray slacks, a black oxford cloth shirt, and black loafers. Probably still too formal for Daniel, but I doubted I could ever be as free and easygoing. Those days were done.
Ricard arrived with Daniel right behind him. Curiosity lurked in the American’s bright blue eyes, but he said nothing. That fell to Ricard.
As I handed them both martinis, Ricard grimaced. “Trying to suck up? Throw me off my guard?”
“Why would you need to be on guard, Ricard?” Daniel asked, his expression clouding. “He’s not your enemy.”
“No, I’m just his stool pigeon.”
Daniel’s gaze widened in surprise. However, Ricard had opened this conversation, so I was not going to avoid it.
“I must have your help to catch these people wanting information from you. It’s of vital importance they be stopped.”
Ricard had fallen right into what I most desired. I needed to see Daniel’s reactions to this discussion, needed to be able to gauge the depth of his knowledge.
The American’s gaze narrowed as it shifted from me back to Ricard. “What exactly is going on, Ricard? Is this all tied to having my personal finances scrutinized? Of being grilled as if I were some sort of criminal?”
“It is nothing you need to worry about. Like I told you the other day, it’s just family stuff,” Ricard tried to reassure him. “Why don’t we go ahead and eat?”
I pointed the way to the dining room, but the American wasn’t happy. Daniel set his drink down and waited until after the servants had placed our food in front of us and left the room. He crossed his arms over his chest. His easy smile was gone, his gaze uneasy. “When I’m asked to allow people to search my laptop and my phone, when I’m temporarily confined to the palace as if I had done something wrong, I do think it is my business. I value our friendship, Ricard, but I will not be treated like an idiot.”
His disillusionment with Ricard was nearly palpable.
“I borrowed some money. When I couldn’t pay it back, the people who I owed said they would forgive some of my debt if I gave them information instead.”
Daniel shook his head. “Why would you borrow so much? Debt is never ideal, but when you seek out strangers to loan you money—it’s foolish.”
“How could you possibly understand? You have always had financial independence. You’ve never had to answer to someone else on how you spend your allowance.”
Daniel’s brows rose and his eyes widened. “My allowance? Ricard, every penny I have I have had to earn. There have been months, as you well know, that I have barely had enough money to eat once I paid my bills. But I paid them.”
“Trust me,” Ricard said, “As independent as you are, you would detest having someone constantly questioning your every expenditure, someone holding the purse strings shut and telling you what you should be doing and how you should be spending your money.”
His glance at me reaffirmed that I was yet again being turned into the ogre elder brother. Daniel’s gaze shifted in my direction for a heartbeat. I wasn’t sure what I saw there in that instant, but it certainly wasn’t hostility. In fact, it felt as though I had an ally.
He focused on Ricard. “I would give almost anything to have what you have—”
“Wealth you can’t touch and people who look down on everything you do?”
“Ricard,” I interjected. “We simply want you to be a part of running Calonia.”
Daniel shook his head. “You have a family who loves you, a legacy, a home—maybe more than one for all I know. You are surrounded by a rich culture and heritage you shouldn’t take for granted.”
There was passion in Daniel’s speech and his expression. He was saying some of the very things that I had said. If only Ricard valued those things as much as Daniel appeared to.
“Your family and their rules are not a chain, Ricard,” Daniel said softly and more seriously than I had ever seen him. “Don’t take their interest and their concern for granted. You have no idea when those things can be snatched away from you forever.”
He pursed his lips and stared at his plate. As I watched the emotions chase across his face, it finally dawned on me that Daniel’s yearning wasn’t for freedom or wealth; it was a yearning to belong to something bigger than himself. It was the reason he had come to our country trying to track down family.
What was an eye opening experience for me, Ricard took in an entirely different way. With a toss of his napkin, he stood, glaring at his friend. “You are beginning to sound remarkably like the rest of my family, Daniel. If you’ll excuse me, I’m not really in the mood to be lectured to…again.”
I started to order him back to his chair, but remained silent until Daniel set his napkin aside and began to rise. I waved him back.
“Please,” I told him, “Enjoy your meal. There’s no need to leave.”
Daniel’s gaze when it met mine was a bit flinty. “I apologize, Your Highness, for chasing him off. It was not my intention.”
“I should apologize for my brother. Stay. Let us enjoy the rest of our meal.”
When Daniel nodded, I steered the conversation to some of the sights he had seen around the capital and the countryside. I relaxed as I listened to his description of the farmer and his wife who had invited him in for a lunch of blood sausage and bread, and laughed as Daniel admitted the sausage really had been quite tasty.
By the time we finished the meal, Daniel was back in his usual sunny humor.
“It’s a pleasant night,” I commented. “Why don’t we go out to the balcony and finish our wine? I can have coffee brought out as well.”
Daniel hesitated for only a moment. “Thank you, Your Highness. That would be great.”
As we leaned against the balustrade, I asked, “How is your genealogy research progressing?”
In the glow from the living room lights, I saw the surprise on Daniel’s face. “Slowly, but I do have some leads. I’m hoping I will be able to meet some relatives before I have to leave Calonia.”
I felt a shock as though I had touched some source of static electricity. Leave? Before I gave myself any time to think, I surprised myself. “You have no need to leave. You are welcome to visit with us long term. Use Calonia as a base for your travels and enjoy our hospitality for as long as you choose.”
Daniel sipped his wine and stared out over the gardens below. “That is a kind offer, Your Highness.”
“It is a selfish offer. I have read some of your work and studied the photography you post on your blog. Your writing is entertaining and witty, with a keen insight into the local cultures. Yet you remain respectful of them, as you were earlier in relating your tale about the blood sausage.”
Daniel laughed. “I’m flattered you bothered to read my work. I haven’t felt as though we got off to a good start.”
“I would be even more interested if I could convince you to write about Calonia. After all, you have the best sources right at hand.”
Daniel snorted, his brows raised. “Here? A prince isn’t the best source. I need a real man.” There was a moment of awkward silence. “That did not come out as I wished it to. I simply meant that my work focuses on everyday people that I meet at markets or working on farms.”
I set my glass aside and took a half step closer until his body heat singed me. “I am a real man, Daniel. Being a prince is a title, a trapping, but not who I really am.” Our gazes locked and my heart accelerated. As he started to step back, I brushed against his waist to grab his wine glass and keep it from falling. Daniel swallowed, his eyes wide.
“I—I should go,” he said, sounding a little breathless. He tried to cover his discomposure with a smile. “I have work I need to complete.”
I stepped back, giving us both room to breathe, and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your company this evening.”
I watched his retreat, my eyes on the way he moved with such grace. Would it be so wrong to go after what I wanted? He might be wary, but I didn’t get the feeling Daniel would be unwilling. Besides, hadn’t I just decided to remain closer to him to keep an eye on him? One couldn’t be much closer than sharing a bed. Keeping Daniel by my side would prevent him drawing Ricard in to any more trouble. At least, that was how I justified it to the logical part of me. Physically, I couldn’t imagine anything much hotter than being able to stroke him and hear the passion in his voice as he begged me to fuck him.
9
Daniel
I had tossed and turned all night long, plagued by thoughts of my bizarre dinner with Ricard and Amand. Had the world suddenly turned upside down? Ricard had been angry and his coldly austere brother had a human side after all. Who knew? It was enough, though, to keep me sleeping only fitfully, so that when I did fall into an exhausted sleep, I overslept and just managed to grab a late breakfast.
Hoping it would clear my head, I took my coffee into the garden to finish. As I sipped the strong brew, I decided that what had me so torn up was that Amand had actually made a pass at me. But why? First, I had never even suspected I might be on his sexual radar. I figured he was like Ricard and…No. I stopped myself. The truth was I had begun to feel a strange sort of vibe from him the night of the concert.
The question was why someone like Prince Amand would even look at me. I was no one. He was royalty and no doubt had his choice of any man he chose. What could I possibly have to offer a prince?
The thought didn’t make me happy. I finished my coffee and prepared to return to the palace to collect my camera and laptop before heading into the city. As I reached an intersection in the path, Bernat Masdu waylaid me. I couldn’t very well snub the Queen’s brother.
“Daniel,” he greeted me with a smile. “I have not seen you for a few days. How are you enjoying your stay in Calonia and here at the palace?”
“Quite well. Thank you, sir.”
“There is much to see in our fair country. I hope you will be able to stay long enough to take in all the sights.”
Uncle Bernie certainly was on a fishing expedition. I had to wonder if it was to get me to go…or stay.
“I’m not sure exactly how long I will be here,” I said noncommittally. “I have toured the city pretty thoroughly, but I do want to explore the mountains a bit more.”
“They are spectacular during the winter, but I must admit to enjoying the greenery and the flowers in the high meadows this time of year. Perhaps you can see them during both seasons.”
“Perhaps. My plans are not definite at this point.”
Bernat smiled again. “No matter. You must stay as long as you like. Ricard can well afford to host you, as can the rest of the royal family. I have to admit I have noticed what appears to be some distance between you and Ricard recently. I hope nothing is amiss. Ricard can sometimes be a bit immature still.”
I shrugged. “We’ve known each other a long time. He does his own thing. I do mine. He’s been a little distracted recently. You know, coming home after so long, but we’re solid. Always have been.”
“As the youngest, Ricard always has been more relaxed than his brothers, particularly Amand. How do you find the Prince to be?”
“Prince Amand?” I tried to keep my tone even, but Bernat’s questions were beginning to hit too close to home. “I can’t say I know him all that well. We’ve had little to do with one another.” A blatant lie. I had the feeling had I not left last night, Amand and I would have had a lot to do with one another.
; Bernat pursed his lips before smiling. “Yes, he can be difficult to know.” He paused, pressing his hands together before continuing, “Well, if you will excuse me? I have business to attend to.”
I watched him until he vanished around a curve in the path and shook my head. It was hard to visualize him being the Queen’s brother. It wasn’t difficult to see who’d come out on the better side of the genetic pool when it came to graciousness and personality, though.
I needed to shake off the dust of the palace for a while. All this rarified air was giving me a headache. What I needed was the press of humanity, and I knew just where to find it. An hour later, I was seated at what had become my favorite outdoor café off the city’s Market Square. I even knew Margot, the waitress, and the fact she was working to save money so she could go to school to become a chef.
Today, she confided that she had made the pierogis.
“Well, dish some of that up for me.” I winked. “I’ll give you my inexpert opinion and a line or two in the article I’m writing.”
“Truly?” Her green eyes lit with pleasure. “I will bring some fresh for you with more coffee. No?”
“Yes.” I laughed, suddenly feeling immensely better about life.
While I waited, I worked to finish an article and upload it to the travel blog. Cha-ching. That would put some more cash in my pocket. Margot was back in a few minutes with the pierogis. The savory dish was filled with delicately seasoned potatoes and cheese. Really. How could anyone go wrong with potatoes and cheese?”
I swallowed my first bite while she hovered anxiously. “Absolutely fantastic,” I told her.
With a grin and a laugh, she headed off to wait on some new customers and I was able to dig into one of the most delicious lunches I had eaten since arriving in Calonia. Part way through the meal, a man dressed in jeans and a dark shirt approached me.
“Is this seat taken?” he asked, indicating the one across the table from me. Even with all my travels, it still felt weird to me as an American to share my table with strangers, but it was a common practice in a lot of countries.
The Prince’s Passion: A Fake Engagement Royalty Romance Page 6
