Royal Secrets (11 page)

Now if she could just find the kitchen, she hoped to fix the boys something for breakfast before heading into town for some basic supplies.

A maid turned the corner and approached them. She smiled down at Giancarlo and Dante before asking Alora, “Are you looking for the kitchen?”

“We are. Are we heading in the right direction?”

She nodded. “It’s the next door down on the right.”

“Thank you.” Alora moved to the door and pushed it open to find a huge kitchen that looked more like it belonged in a restaurant rather than in a home. Patrice was standing at a stove frying bacon, and Alora instinctively grabbed both of her boys by their arms to keep them away from the splattering grease.

Patrice turned and smiled at them. “
Buon giorno
! Are you ready for some breakfast?”

Both boys nodded eagerly, and Alora shrugged awkwardly. “I was going to go into the store a little later for supplies, but I was hoping to feed the boys first.”

“I’d be happy to show you around town after breakfast,” Patrice offered. “But for now, why don’t you tell me what you would all like to eat. How about waffles and bacon?”

“Anything would be fine. Thank you.”

“Okay then. You go right through there into the breakfast room.” Patrice motioned to the door on the far side of the room. “I’ll bring your food in to you in just a minute.”

“Thank you.” Alora followed the boys into the breakfast room, where a dozen chairs surrounded a large, square table. Her eyes widened when she saw Prince Stefano sitting in one of them, trying to butter a croissant one-handed.

He looked up, a brief moment of surprise registering on his face. Alora froze in place, not sure whether to continue to the table as Patrice had instructed or to usher her children back out of the room so they could leave the prince alone. The surprise on his face melted away, replaced by an unexpected look of frustration.

“I don’t suppose I can get you to help me with this? I’m afraid I’m not very good one-handed.” He looked unexpectedly sheepish as he held out the croissant and motioned to the butter dish.

“Of course.” A smile tugged at her mouth as she considered the absurdity of the situation. Here she was about to dine with a prince for the second time in less than a day while others prepared her food and waited on her and her children. Alora motioned for her boys to sit down as she slid into the seat next to Prince Stefano. She took the croissant from him, sliced it in half, and spread butter inside before handing it back. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” He passed her a basket filled with croissants and offered her a wry grin. “This injury is making me feel like I’m their age again.”

Alora’s smile broke free. “I imagine it isn’t an easy adjustment.”

“A loss of independence is never easy,” he agreed.

Alora buttered another croissant, broke it in half, and handed a piece to each of her boys. She caught the amused look on the prince’s face when both boys set their food down on the table in front of them and folded their arms. A little flustered, Alora instructed Dante to say the blessing. As expected, his prayer was short and sweet, and the boys quickly busied themselves with the food she had given them.

Before serving herself, Alora gathered her courage to ask, “How long do you have to wear the sling?”

“About six weeks.” He lifted his eyebrows as though remembering she hadn’t read about the details of his accident. He touched his right hand to his shoulder. “Broken collar bone.”

Alora’s voice was sympathetic. “That must be incredibly painful.”

“Only when I refuse to wear the sling and don’t take my pain medication.” He started to reach for a pitcher of orange juice and winced. “Or forget how short my reach has become.”

“Here. Let me get that.” Alora stood up and poured him a glass. She then turned to serve her children. “Were you wearing a sling when I first met you yesterday?”

He shook his head. “I was doing great until I sat down at my desk and reached for my keyboard. Apparently I need the sling to remind me not to do simple tasks.”

“I’d be happy to help out if there’s anything I can do for you.”

“I may take you up on that.”

Patrice and another servant walked in, each holding two plates. Alora’s eyes widened when she saw the huge Belgian waffles garnished with peach slices, a dollop of fresh whipped cream, and three slices of bacon.

“Oh wow,” Giancarlo said, edging forward in his seat.

Alora looked up at Patrice. “This looks wonderful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Enjoy your breakfast.”

“Mama, will you cut mine up?” Dante asked as Patrice left the room.

Alora nodded. She slid his plate closer and cut the waffle into bite-size pieces. Then she repeated the process with Giancarlo. When she looked up, Prince Stefano edged his plate toward her and looked at her expectantly. Her eyes lowered to his plate to see his breakfast was still untouched. With a laugh, she reached for his plate and then took her knife to his waffle as well.

Chapter 13

Stefano stared at the eighteen file boxes stacked along the wall in his office. He knew analyzing the latest environmental studies was a necessary step to ensure that the new U.S. naval base wouldn’t create any significant impact on Meridia’s local waters or wildlife, but he had hoped the newest batch would be sent to him in summary report form instead of boxes of raw data.

He had requested that the reports be redone only to find that the engineers responsible for gathering the data were already conducting the next set of soil and water tests off the coast of Bellamo. Resigned to the reality that he would have to sort through these boxes himself, he looked down at his sling and considered having his personal secretary join him from the palace in Calene.

As he thought of all the scheduling details Lorenzo was juggling for him because of his accident, he shook his head. If he had someone to help search through the boxes, he knew he could get everything done within a few days. Immediately he thought of Alora’s offer to help.

Turning away from the boxes, he picked up his phone. “Martino, I need a favor.”

* * *

Alora unpacked the last of her clothes into her dresser and slid the top drawer closed. She nested her smaller suitcase inside her larger one and then moved to her walk-in closet to store them. Even though all her clothes were now hanging neatly, half of the closet was still completely empty. Maybe with the steady income Janessa had promised her, she would finally be able to improve her wardrobe as well as buy her children a few new things for their upcoming school year.

Patrice had pointed out the school when they had ventured into town earlier that morning. The building itself had been neat and tidy, the grounds impressive. Alora smiled as she remembered Dante and Giancarlo’s excitement about exploring the playground. Since returning from town, her children had been unbelievably quiet, playing in their bedroom as they continued to discover toys that had previously been buried in the bottom of their toy box.

Alora padded quietly across the thick carpet to peek into their room. She grinned when she saw both boys leaning against their new play table, the train set Janessa had given them surrounded by little green army men. Giancarlo was busily arranging his troops while Dante perched a ratty stuffed dog on the edge of the table, where it could supervise the coming battle. “How are you boys doing?”

“Good,” both boys echoed without looking up.

“Are you about ready to take a break and have some lunch?”

Giancarlo shook his head. “Not yet, Mama.”

“You need to eat something,” Alora told him. “Tell you what. You keep playing, and I’ll make you both a sandwich.”

“Okay.” Giancarlo reached into a plastic bucket and pulled out another handful of army men.

Alora left them to their toys and walked into the kitchen to fix lunch. She started gathering her supplies, wondering if she could convince the boys to leave their toys for a while after lunch to go outside. She prepared the sandwiches as she enjoyed the picturesque view of the Mediterranean through the window. Another walk on the beach would do them all some good, she thought.

Alora put two plates on the table and called out, “Boys! Lunch is ready.” She turned to fix herself something to eat when a knock came at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Dante rushed to the door and pulled it open to reveal Brenna standing outside.

“Well, hello there, Master Dante. How are you today?”

“We’ve been playing with our new train.” He lowered his voice as though sharing a secret. “An army’s about to attack it!”

“Oh my. That sounds pretty scary,” Brenna said in a completely serious tone. “Are you going to let me see?”

“Okay.”

“Dante, you need to eat first,” Alora told him and waved at Brenna to come in. “Hello, Brenna.”

“Prince Stefano asked if you would be willing to assist him with some work in his office this afternoon.” Brenna motioned to the children. “I can watch the boys for you here in your suite, or I can take them outside to play.”

Alora nodded automatically. She wasn’t sure what to think of Prince Stefano requesting her help, but if she was going to work here, she supposed she should do what was asked of her. “I guess that will be okay.” She glanced down at her cotton pants and T-shirt. “I should probably change.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Brenna shook her head. Then she stepped closer and lowered her voice. “By the way, is it okay if I take the boys swimming?”

“They don’t know how to swim yet,” Alora told her quickly. “They would probably enjoy playing on the beach though.”

“I’ll make sure they’re entertained,” Brenna assured her. “And that they stay safe.”

“Thank you.” Alora glanced toward the kitchen, considering if she might have time for a quick lunch. Afraid to keep the prince waiting, she turned back to Brenna. “Where is the prince’s office?”

“Just go past the main staircase. His office is the third door on the right.”

“Okay.” Alora leaned down and kissed each of her boys on the forehead. “You boys be good for Brenna.”

“We will,” Giancarlo told her around a mouthful of sandwich.

“And don’t talk with your mouth full.” Alora laughed and leaned down to kiss him again. She looked at Brenna. “Let me know if you have any problems.”

“We’ll be fine. I’ll plan on having them all washed up and ready for dinner. We’ll meet you in the dining hall at six if you don’t finish before then.”

“Thank you.” With a last glance at her children, Alora walked into the hall and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Stefano looked up, relief and gratitude showing on his face when Alora walked through his open office door. She was dressed casually, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, making her eyes look more exotic somehow. Her T-shirt looked like it was designed to be fitted, but it was several sizes too large and hung loosely past the waistband of her khaki colored pants. Her eyes were wary as they had been when she first spotted him in the breakfast room that morning, but she offered him a timid smile.

“Thank you for coming.” He motioned to the stack of boxes and returned her smile. “I’m afraid I’m in a bit over my head.”

“What’s all this?” Alora moved closer.

“Environmental impact studies for the expansion of the military base. I need to review them before construction begins on Thursday, but sorting through these files one-handed . . .”

“Is painful,” Alora finished for him, her smile widening.

“I was going to say difficult, but painful is probably a more accurate statement.”

“Tell me where you want me to start.”

“Let’s start with box number one. It should contain a summary of where everything is filed.”

Alora shifted boxes until she could access the correct box and pulled off the lid. “Okay, here it is.”

“Great.” Stefano reached out with his good hand and took the stack of papers she handed him. He moved over to his desk and lowered himself into his chair. “It’s going to take me a minute to get organized. Would you mind calling Patrice and having her send up some lunch? You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“Actually, I haven’t.”

“Good. I hate to eat alone.” He motioned to the phone on the corner of his desk. “Just dial five for the kitchen. Patrice said she was fixing roast beef sandwiches for lunch, but if you want something else just let her know.”

“Whatever she’s fixing is fine,” Alora said. She picked up the phone and called in Stefano’s request.

He listened halfheartedly to Alora’s side of the conversation. When she laughed in response to something Patrice said, he looked up inquisitively. She grinned at him and spoke again into the phone. “No, that’s not the reason. I’m actually helping him with something else.”

After she ended the call, he asked, “What was that all about?”

“Patrice thought you asked me to have lunch with you so I could cut up your food.”

Stefano’s laughter joined hers, and he shook his head in amusement. “I can’t say her logic is flawed.” He glanced down at his sling and considered for a minute. Humor lit his eyes when he added, “Maybe I should plan my meals to coincide with yours while I’m here.”

Her smile didn’t fade, and Stefano felt a sense of satisfaction when she spoke as she might to a friend. “I’m happy to help with whatever I can.”

Chapter 14

To Alora’s amazement, she was given free run of the chateau and treated more like a guest than an employee. She and her children started each day in the breakfast room with Prince Stefano. Her original plan to fix breakfast for her family in their quarters had been overruled by both Patrice and the prince. He had teased that he would go hungry without her help, and Patrice had insisted that it was no trouble to cook for three more.

Alora gave in as soon as Patrice promised to let the boys help with a few simple chores so they wouldn’t get too accustomed to being waited on. After their chores were done each morning, Brenna stepped in to oversee the boys’ activities. And Alora’s concern that they would miss her during the day was completely unfounded.

A swimming instructor arrived every morning to teach her children, after which they played in the pool or on the beach under Brenna’s watchful eye. Alora still wasn’t sure who had arranged for the swimming lessons. When she had asked Brenna about it, her answer had been simple. The boys needed to know how to swim to make sure they were safe around the pool. The conversation had ended there, and Alora had been too grateful to argue.