The Princess (23 page)

“Come on in.”

Nikolai joined his wife in the spotless hospital room and saw a small woman on the bed. She had a golf cap atop her bald head and smiled as soon as her eyes met his.

“Natty,” Shelby began, “this is Nick. Nick, this is Natty Carlson.”

Nikolai put his hand out. “It’s good to meet you, Natty.”

“Thank you for coming. My husband just left. He’ll be sorry to have missed you.”

“Maybe I’ll meet him next time. Do you have children who visit, Natty?” Nikolai asked as he took a seat.

“Yes. They’re all grown, though. We have an empty nest.”

“Natty’s daughter is a nurse here at the hospital,” Shelby filled in. “They see each other a lot.”

“Does she actually work in this ward?”

“No, she’s on the children’s floor, but when I’m admitted she comes after work each day.”

“Do they want to keep you for a while?”

“About a week total. I go home Monday or Tuesday.”

Nikolai smiled.

Natty’s gaze shifted to Shelby, and she smiled.

“I had forgotten how pretty your hair was, Shelby. All we ever see are the wigs.”

“I have my eye on a new one.” Shelby’s smile was mischievous.

“What color?”

“A strawberry blonde, all curly and wild.”

Natty crowed with laughter.

“Where is it?”

“At Bergdorf’s. They also have a gray one I like, but I don’t think I can pull that off yet.”

“Give me some warning,” Nikolai chimed in dryly. “If anyone ever spots me moving around town with all of these different women, my reputation will be shot.”

The women clearly took no pity on him. They teased him for a while before one of the interns wanted to check Natty. The exam held the possibility of being quite lengthy, so the royal couple said their goodbyes.

“Thank you, Nick,” was all Shelby said when they arrived back at the car.

Nikolai only kissed her cheek, unable to speak. So many things were starting to make sense about his wife—her kindness and way with people, her tender, compassionate heart. Something was happening to him, something scary and exciting all at the same time, and he didn’t know what to do with it. He wanted to tell Shelby that the trip to the hospital was his pleasure, but at the moment he couldn’t have spoken if he’d tried.

The day of the King’s Fair dawned lovely and warm. Shelby dressed according to the schedule on her desk. The children’s games were first. After lunch came skeet shooting. Following dinner that evening they would attend the concert on the palace grounds. All of the events were fairly casual, but Shelby wanted to look nice. Her family would be arriving that morning and staying for the next two nights. She was very excited about this but also a little nervous about their having a good time.

She need not have worried. They arrived when she was getting some last-minute instructions from the queen, and Murdock saw to their comfort. She didn’t see them until the children began to gather for the games, and the first thing they told her was how comfortable and beautiful their rooms were. Shelby was able to move on and not worry.

“Shelby,” Nikolai called to her almost as soon as she left her parents. She turned to see him with a boy.

“Hi. Did you need me?”

“Yes. I want you to meet Peter Owens. Peter, this is my wife, Princess Shelby.”

“Hello, Peter,” Shelby said warmly as she put her hand out to shake his. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you excited about the games?”

“Yes, but I can’t do some of them. I have to perform.”

Shelby looked to Nikolai.

“He’s doing an act with Great Grandma.”

“That’s fabulous!” Shelby told Peter. “I’ll bet you’re good.”

He smiled a little and ducked his head.

“Peter, the queen just gave me a schedule of all the games, and the magic act isn’t for a little while yet. Can you come and meet my parents and my brother?”

“They’re here?”

“Yes. They just arrived.”

“Do they live here?”

“No. They live in Henley, but they’re going to visit me for the weekend.”

“I get to stay too.”

“With the queen mother?”

Peter nodded.

“Did you bring some of your family with you?”

Nikolai held his breath on this question, but Peter just shook his head.

“They can’t come.”

“You’ll have to tell them everything you did. You can even have your picture taken and take it home.” Shelby saw the look on his face but went on as if everything was normal. “In fact, I hope you’ll have at least one picture taken with me.”

“We can do that?”

“Yes! You’ll want pictures of the magic act too.”

Peter nodded, a little dumbfounded by all she was offering.

“Come on. My folks are over here, and then you’ll need to meet the king and queen.”

Nikolai followed along, a smile on his face. It was good to know he wasn’t alone. There was something very vulnerable and yet appealing about Peter Owens. Nikolai didn’t know if he was to play a major part in the boy’s life or not, but it was good to see Shelby just as taken with him as he was.

Her family was no different. They all questioned Peter about his magic and delighted in the serious little way he explained himself. When Brice decided to get a little closer to where they were setting up the food tables and invited Peter to go with him, Shelby took an opportunity to speak to Nikolai.

“Who is he, Nick?” Her eyes searched his in appeal.

“He’s Toby’s neighbor. His mother deserted all of them when he and his sisters were very small. His father is in a wheelchair; he was injured at work. They have the money from the settlement, but he’s a very bitter man. Peter’s world is a very cheerless place.”

“How old are the sisters?”

“Both older. One is out of the house, and she’s even willing to take Peter to live with her, but the father won’t allow it.”

Shelby nodded, her face intent.

“Don’t let it ruin your day, Shelby. It’s a step ahead that Mr. Owens even allowed Peter to come for the weekend. Just pray with the rest of us.”

“I’ll do that.”

Ten minutes later the whistle blew and the games began. Shelby did pray for Peter whenever she saw him, and as she hoped would be the case, the magic act was the highlight of the morning.

Nikolai and Shelby opted for one of the blankets. They had been held up for a few minutes inside, and the bleachers and chairs were pretty full by the time they came out for the concert. The staff had spread thick quilts on the lawn, and the prince and princess sat down as unobtrusively as possible. They were toward the back of the crowd, and although the music had started, Nikolai wanted to speak to his wife while they had a semblance of privacy.

“Have you had a good day?” Nikolai whispered. His chest was close to Shelby’s back, one hand stretched out to support him. Shelby turned to find his face very close.

“Yes. How about you?”

“Very. It’s been fun to see the fair through your eyes.”

Shelby’s brow lowered. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“I probably take parts of this for granted, but you’ve never seen my grandmother perform or had the pleasure of cheering at the finish line. Your face reminds me how special this is.”

The face he spoke of went a bright pink within seconds. Nikolai studied it for several heartbeats.

“Is your skin as soft as it looks?”

“I don’t know,” Shelby said with a nervous laugh.

Nikolai took a breath and plunged into new territory. “Are you afraid for me to find out?”

Shelby’s own breath became labored. All she could do was nod in the affirmative.

As was becoming a wonderful practice for Nikolai, he leaned and kissed her cheek.

“Don’t give it another thought,” he said softly.

Shelby looked into his eyes, and Nikolai just smiled at her. She turned back to the singers up front. Their songs and voices were wonderful, but it took a little time to do as her husband directed. Not giving someone like Nikolai Markham another thought was nowhere near as easy as it sounded.

“How are you?” Daria asked her daughter right after lunch the next day. They had gone to services—Shelby had signed the sermon—and enjoyed Sunday dinner afterward. The tug-of-war was not scheduled for two more hours, so mother and daughter
slipped into the park for a walk. They didn’t get far. The first bench looked very inviting, and they opted to sit.

“I think I’m all right. Is there some reason you asked?”

“Yes. Not because of you, but because of Nick. He’s different toward you.”

Shelby nodded. “I’m starting to notice that. What do you think it means?”

“That he’s starting to care, at the least.”

“What do you mean ‘at the least’?”

“Maybe he’s starting to love you, Shelby.”

Shelby shook her head. “I don’t think so, Mother. I really don’t.”

Daria didn’t try to argue with her but simply asked, “Are you ready for what’s ahead?”

Daughter looked at mother. “You mean intimacy?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“Not right now,” Shelby answered honestly, “but then I’m not convinced we’re to that point.”

“Are you happy, Shelby?”

“Most of the time. You’ve always told me that joy is a choice, and I have that, but this job has its lonely moments.”

“So it still feels like a job to you?”

“Yes,” Shelby answered without hesitation. “I’m open for changes, but I still feel that my heart would be intact if I had to leave here. I’m not planning on leaving—I know I never will—but I wouldn’t be brokenhearted. That’s the type of thing I ask myself, just to see where I stand.”

“Since you don’t feel Nick loves you, it’s probably easier on your heart that you don’t love him.”

“I think you must be right, but I might be more willing to give of myself to my spouse if I did love him already.”

The words were no more out of Shelby’s mouth than she thought,
Or am I afraid of being in love alone?

Not for the first time Daria Parker thought her daughter the most precious in the world. She was not a selfless, sinless individual, but she was in very good practice of putting others ahead of herself. Indeed, Daria remembered that the first verses Shelby learned after salvation were Philippians 2:3,4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

“May I ask you a very personal question, Mother?”

“Yes.”

“Is Fa ever interested in you, you know, in that way, and you’re not interested right then?”

Daria smiled. “Yes.”

Shelby nodded, her face getting warm.

“Don’t you want to ask me what I do?”

“I want to, yes, but I feel as though I’ve pried enough.”

“Go ahead and ask me.”

“What do you do?”

“If I’m tired, I simply tell him, and we plan another time. If not, I get interested as soon as I can. If I feel irritated, I see that as sin, confess it, and work to give myself to my husband selflessly. Not an easy task at times, but always worth it.”

Shelby nodded, her face still a bit pink.

“I hope you know that he’s going to fall for you,” Daria said suddenly, still studying Shelby’s face.

Shelby only looked at her.

“Do you know how I know?”

“No.”

“Any man who’s delighted when his wife blushes will keep finding ways to make it happen. He’ll have to get closer and closer to do that.”

Shelby’s eyes closed.

“I frightened you, didn’t I?”

“Yes. For so many weeks he avoided me and even apologized for it. Now he’s getting into my world, and I’m scared to death.”

“Have you tried getting into his world?”

Shelby looked pained. “With his family, but not with him. I never want to upset him or mention Yvette, so I keep my mouth shut and hope he’ll talk.”

“Does he?”

“No. He only asks about me.”

“You’re going to have to ask some questions, dear. I don’t know how else you can show him you care.”

“Just the thought makes my heart feel like a stone in my chest.”

“You’ll find a way,” Daria spoke with confidence.

Shelby hugged her mother. “Thank you,” she said softly.