Until now.
She felt a cold, slithering fear crawl over her as she entered the castle for the first time, Royal Protection agents leading the way, the movers using an alternate entrance into the Royal Wing. She wasn’t afraid of the castle walls or their history. She wasn’t even afraid of Lorenzo.
She was terrified of depending on that luxury – of depending on anything, really – only to have it slip away.
What if someone came between them again? Lorenzo had said he would protect them, but he didn’t have all the facts.
What if she and Liliana were told to go – or worse, she was asked to go without Liliana – and leave this beautiful place which, despite her fears, felt reluctantly like coming home? In its own way, the Royal Wing was comfortable and cozy, and the gilded moulding and marble floors was more a reflection of Valleria’s history than it was the preference of its current residents.
“Welcome,” a warm voice called, and Lily turned to see Princess Rebecca standing there, a bright smile on her face. She stepped forward and Lily hastily curtsied.
Rebecca stopped in front of her. “Please, there’s no formality between family. You’ll need to curtsy if we’re in public, I’m afraid, but please don’t bother with it when we’re alone, unless you’d prefer it.”
“Oh, well, thank you, Your Highness.”
Rebecca winked. “That also applies to names. Rebecca, please. And who is this lovely little girl with you?”
Liliana’s exuberance had faded as they’d stepped inside, and she’d clung to Lily ever since. Perhaps the change was too much for her. “This is Liliana.”
Rebecca crouched down, expertly balancing herself on the toes of her high-heeled shoes. “Well, hello. But I think this is Princess Liliana, isn’t it?”
Liliana nodded, but still clung to her mother’s leg.
“Do you know I’m a princess, too?”
“You are?” Liliana whispered.
Rebecca nodded, a wistful smile on her face. “I married a prince, so that makes me a princess.”
“She married Prince Alexander, honey. Remember when I told you I was going to the royal wedding a few months ago? And we watched the replay together when I got back? It was her wedding.”
Liliana gasped and stepped forward, one hand still clutching her mother’s. “On the tele-wision, they said he was the king.”
Rebecca grinned. “He will be, and one day I’ll be the queen. Right now, though, he’s just an acting king and prince, and I’m a princess.”
“Will I be queen one day?”
Rebecca smiled. “You might be, but it’s not very likely. You’ll probably stay a princess your whole life.”
“Oh.”
“That’s still a very important job.”
“It is?”
“Mmm-hmm.” Rebecca stood and held out her hand to Liliana. She looked at it a moment, then looked at her mother. After another glance at Rebecca, Liliana slowly removed her hand from Lily’s and took Rebecca’s hand. Together, they began walking down the hall, Lily following.
“A princess’s job is to help people. There are lots of different ways to help people, so different princesses do different things. Now that you’re part of our family, you’ll meet a lot of princesses.”
“What should I do?”
“What do you mean?”
“How should I help?”
Rebecca smiled wide, picked up Liliana and gave her a quick cuddle, then hitched her on her hip. Lily was amazed she managed that on four-inch heels.
“That’s very sweet that you want to help, but right now I think you can help your Mama unpack and get settled before you start helping others.”
“Okay.”
“Now, are you excited about living in the castle?” Rebecca and Liliana chatted as they made their way down the rest of the hall until Rebecca paused. “Well, here we are. Liliana, this will be your room.” She put her down and walked her inside.
It was gorgeous. It wasn’t small, by any means, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The furniture was a little grander than perhaps a little girl should have, but they could decorate it, make it more comfortable for her.
Since Liliana’s current look was a frown, Lily tried to reassure her. “It’ll look more pink once we unpack your things, honey.”
Liliana nodded sagely then gasped and ran past Lily to the door behind her. “Papa!”
Lorenzo chuckled and lifted her up as she reached him. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Hello, my darling girl. How do like your new room?”
“It’s not pink enough.”
Afraid Lorenzo might be offended, or think Liliana didn’t like the room, Lily quickly added, “But it’s very nice and will be wonderful for Liliana.”
Lorenzo’s smile faded slightly as he turned to her. “Thank you. I’m glad to hear it. And you’ve met Rebecca, too.”
“She’s a princess like me.”
He chuckled again. “Yes, she is a princess.” He leaned over and kissed Rebecca’s cheek. “Thanks for greeting my girls.”
Rebecca grinned at him. “You’re very welcome.”
“Well, Liliana? Shall we do a quick tour? I want to make sure you know where everything is. This door leads to your closet.”
“It’s so big, Papa. How will I fill it?” It was indeed big; her closet was bigger than her old bedroom had been.
Liliana’s face suddenly brightened. “Oh! I know. We can go to the store and buy more princess dresses. That would help.” Everyone laughed.
“Yes, my darling girl, I’m sure it would. For right now, let’s just get continue with the tour. This door leads to your bathroom.”
“I have my own?”
“Yes, but if you need either me or your Mama, you can come get us, too.”
Lily’s firm mom-voice spoke to Liliana. “Though we’ll keep the door mostly closed or locked. You know you’re too young to take a shower or bath by yourself, remember? So, if that’s what you need, it’s better you come get me and I’ll help you.”
“Or I will,” Lorenzo added, his voice tense.
“Yes, of course, or you,” she hastily added. Damn. It looked like he hadn’t forgiven her for their fight this morning, and now her foot was firmly stuck in her mouth.
Lorenzo looked down at Liliana and smiled. “Let me show where our rooms are.” He walked across the hall and stood between two doors. “That one over there is my room. If the door’s closed, you just need to knock and I’ll open it for you, okay? And the room right next to it is your Mama’s room. So, you see? We’re just across the hall if you need anything.”
“Do you have a bathroom?”
“Both your Mama and I do, and we’ve got a small kitchen, so if you need some water or anything to drink when it’s late at night, you can come to us.”
“What if I’m hungry?”
“We have food in our small kitchens, but if you need something else, the castle has a big kitchen that can make almost anything. I’ll take you down there another time, and you can see it for yourself.”
Liliana turned to Lily. “This house is big, Mama.”
Lily gave her an indulgent smile. “It’s a castle. They tend to be very big.”
“Have you ever since pictures of the royal palace, Liliana?” Rebecca asked and she nodded. “Well, that’s where your Papa grew up, and it’s where I live. It’s much bigger than this castle.”
Liliana’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”
“Really. But don’t worry. Just make sure you’re with someone when you’re walking around, and you won’t get lost.”
“Like Bob?”
“Who’s Bob?” Rebecca asked.
“He’s my age-nent,” she said, pointing to one of the Royal Protection agents down the hall, who was smiling and shaking his head.
Lorenzo grinned. “Yes, you can go with Bob, or you can go with one of us or any family member.” His grin faded as it turned serious. “But you must be careful. You’re not allowed to go wandering with jus
t anyone. Strangers aren’t always nice people.”
Liliana nodded. “Mama told me when we saw the people at the house.”
“The movers?”
“No, there were others lingering outside as the movers packed up the truck,” Lily whispered. “We’ll talk later.”
He pursed his lips. “Yes, we will.” The sounds of the movers interrupted them. “It looks the movers are here with your things. Let’s get you unpacked, shall we?”
He gave Lily one last look, before taking Liliana back to her room.
Damn.
Chapter Ten
After initially directing the movers, Lorenzo spent the next two hours showing Liliana around the family wings. As efficiently as they’d packed and shipped, the movers unpacked and organized at Lily’s direction, so they were finished just in time for lunch.
“Now you’re going to meet some of your uncles.”
Liliana, her little hand clutched in his, looked up at him with eyes that mirrored his own. He felt that tightening in his chest, the well of love he’d never felt before until he recognized her as his daughter. “They’re princes, too?”
Lorenzo nodded. “Most of them are. One of them, his name is Eddie, won’t become a prince until he marries my sister, who’s a princess.”
“What should I call him?”
Lorenzo looked over to Lily, who was holding Liliana’s other hand. It was times like these he felt inept as a parent. Shouldn’t he know the answer to this, just as he should have known she still needed some supervision in the bathroom? He had eight other siblings – two born after him – so why hadn’t he paid attention to details like this as they’d all been raised?
Lily took his cue. “You can call him Uncle Eddie, honey.”
“Even Rebecca is your aunt now. And tomorrow, you’ll meet your grandpapa and grandmama.”
Liliana’s eyes widened. “Are they the king and queen?”
Lorenzo nodded.
“Wow.”
Lorenzo chuckled, then glanced Lily. She’d gone pale and her smile seemed forced. Was she nervous about meeting his parents, or worried about something else? He was pulled from his thoughts when Liliana spoke again.
“Am I going to school tomorrow?”
Something else he and Lily had yet to discuss. “Right now, you’re taking a few days off, just until we get settled.” He gave Liliana’s hand a little squeeze. “Do you like your school?”
“Oh, sure. Miss Jane is nice and she lets me color and play dress up.”
“Do you like learning, too?”
“It’s okay. I like dress up better.”
“And the other children in your class? How about them?”
“Oh, they’re okay. Some don’t like that I’m the best color-er and the best at dress up, so sometimes they’re not nice but Miss Jane is nice.”
His brows drew together as he turned to Lily, who was mouthing ‘Later’ again. Oh, they’d have a lot to discuss later.
They entered one of the smaller dining rooms in the Royal Wing, though that wasn’t saying much as it was still large enough to accommodate the nine of them for lunch. He’d timed it so that they’d enter first; he didn’t want Liliana overwhelmed by a room full of people. This way, she could greet everyone, just one at time.
He introduced Lily and Liliana as his brothers arrived. They each saw the resemblance between him and Liliana was unmistakable. Lorenzo had known his family would be friendly and charmed with Liliana, but he wasn’t sure how they’d react to Lily. They were cautiously polite and Lily was a little reserved, except when speaking with Liliana. Once his brothers saw her as a mother, polite disappeared and welcoming took its place. He only hoped his parents welcomed her as well when the time came.
Lunch was an easy affair. Eddie, who had three nieces of his own, was used to caring for little girls and asked Liliana questions about television and movie characters Lorenzo knew nothing about. It was just one more thing he’d have to learn. Suddenly, he felt as incompetent as his brothers thought he was.
After lunch was over, Alex pulled him aside for a moment and his brothers followed. “I just received word from Tavin. The press releases hit.”
Lorenzo crossed his arms over his chest. “And?”
“The press have already descended on the castle here and the palace in Valentia. Mama and Papa are all right, but the tabloids are being particularly vicious this time.”
“That’s my fault,” Marcello said as he glanced at his phone. “They’re claiming my order to the Election Commission is a ruse to detract attention away from the Liliana story.”
Lorenzo’s hands curled into fists. “She’s not a story; she’s a little girl.”
Nate squeezed his arm. “I know that, and you know that, but that’s not how things are always reported. We’re doing our best to manage the situation.”
Lorenzo pulled out his phone. “Why didn’t Rio let me know?”
Eddie gestured to Lily and Liliana, who were standing with Rebecca. “He probably thought you’d be too busy with their arrival, and didn’t want to disturb you.”
Ethan pursed his lips. “I also hate to say it, but I think you’ll need to call off your meet tonight. If the press are as bad as Alex says, there’s no way you’ll be able to make it past them to take a meet, and chances are you could be followed even if you did.”
Lorenzo felt panic start to skitter towards the surface, as the feeling of being boxed in started to take over.
You aren’t trapped.
This is not the jungle.
He glanced over at Lily and started to feel better, at just the sight of her.
Then he glanced at Liliana, his little light, and his body relaxed.
He turned back to his brothers; none of them seemed to notice his brief struggle. It wouldn’t be the first time. “I understand what you’re saying, but I think we need to have the meet. The country knows there might be an impending strike. My going to the docks would not be unexpected, no matter what time of night.”
Nate turned to the Marcello. “Paget’s in town now, isn’t he? Undergoing talks to supposedly stop the strike before it starts?”
Marcello nodded.
“Then why don’t we use that? Lorenzo should technically be there, since he does manage Valleria’s largest port.”
Marcello pursed his lips. “He should, but as part-owner in a shipping company as well – even one focused on charity work – that creates a conflict of interest for him. If the strike happens, he can step in but, anything before that would likely be seen as royal overreach.”
Alex quirked a brow. “We’re the monarchy; nothing’s out of our reach.”
Marcello shook his head. “Perception, big brother. You know all about that.”
“Oh, that I do. Which I why I think I’ll go with you tonight.”
Lorenzo blinked, then thought of Rebecca. “Alex, what about–”
“The royal plane was called back to Valentia by Cat, so I’m assuming all our sisters will be descending on you earlier than expected.”
Alex grinned at Lorenzo’s whispered curse.
“Rebecca and I will stay a bit longer and, if need be, we’ll drive back. The drive only takes a couple hours or so anyway. I’ll go with you.”
“That means a full royal escort, and a lot of splashy pictures in the press tomorrow,” Eddie said.
Alex nodded. “So be it. We won’t hide, and we won’t be bullied. All of this will die down as we get closer to Christmas and the new year. The press have short attention spans.”
“It won’t be short tonight,” Lorenzo murmured.
“You still need me there?” Ethan asked.
Alex shook his head. “Take a break, enjoy one of your last nights on land.”
“All right. The meet’s set for ten, and I’ve set dinner earlier at six-thirty, since that’s when Liliana typically eats. I want to make sure she’s settled for the night before we leave. I’ll give Peter and the others a heads up that we may be a little
late, just in case it takes longer to leave the castle than anticipated.”
He caught sight of Liliana rubbing her eyes. He didn’t know if she napped, but he’d check with Lily. “I’ve got to go. We all set for now?” His brothers nodded and he walked to his little girl.
He picked Liliana up and she settled her head on his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back as her little arms wrapped around his neck. “How’s my darling girl doing? Did you enjoy meeting your uncles?”
She nodded, then mumbled something.
“What, Liliana?”
“She’s tired,” Lily said with a small smile. “She usually has a nap at pre-school around this time.”
Another thing learned: nap after lunch. He tucked the information away, so he could get better at anticipating Liliana’s needs. He would not fail at being a father. “Then let’s get you to bed. Do you think you’ll be able to sleep in your new bed?”
She yawned. “It’s comfy. Good for jumping.”
“No jumping on the bed, honey.”
“Mama,” Liliana whined. “It’s so bouncy. You can jump with me.”
Lorenzo chuckled. “I think right now we can use the bed for sleeping and we can discuss the jumping later.”
“Okay.”
Why did a child seem heavier when they slept, he wondered? Light as a feather while she drifted away, and now a warm, soft weight against his chest he never wanted to let go.
When they arrived at her bedroom, he softly kissed her head, then laid her down. There were still some boxes strewn about – some opened yet not unpacked, others still taped up – but her blankets, some toys, and other things had already been arranged. Liliana’s pink-hued everything clashed with the dark, neutral tones in the room, but he loved it.
Lorenzo pulled the blankets over her, brushed her hair back, then turned to Lily and pointed to the hallway. “Let’s head to my sitting room where we can talk,” he whispered.
Lily had seen his rooms earlier, along with hers. It was a master suite that connected to hers via a secret passage. Lorenzo had shown her how to access it as well as the passage which led to Liliana’s room.
His rooms were large, yet comfortable. What wasn’t comfortable was the tension in the air.
Lorenzo & Lily (Royals of Valleria #8) Page 14
