The Princess (7 page)

“Of course, sir. What day?”

“This Friday.”

Shelby stopped attending at this point and simply watched him. He was in slacks, white shirt, and tie; clearly his jacket had been discarded elsewhere. And she had been right—he was very tall. Handsome too. His hair was jet black, and although she couldn’t see his face clearly, she had seen through her veil that his eyes were a startling sapphire blue. Shelby was still just watching him when he turned and noticed her.

“Hello,” he spoke kindly, smiling a little in her direction.

“Good morning,” Shelby said softly, keeping her seat.

The prince finished his business with Murdock and finally turned to look at her again.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said conversationally, shocking Shelby into silence. The redhead stared at him until he laughed a little and glanced at Murdock and Arlanda.

“I take it I have met our guest and forgotten.”

But the two servants were staring at him in equal shock, and a cold feeling swept down his spine. The face he turned back to Shelby was not at all friendly. That lady stood to her feet before speaking.

“I’m Shelby,” she said breathlessly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

The red in Nikolai’s face could only be matched by Shelby’s, which was nearly purple with mortification.

“The apology should come from me,” Nikolai said stiffly. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.” He said not another word, gave a slight nod in her direction, and strode from the room.

Shelby watched him leave but couldn’t bring herself to look at the housekeeper or minister. She gathered her papers, her eyes downcast.

“Thank you for breakfast,” she said just before she walked out, still not looking at either of them.

On her exit, Arlanda and Murdock shared a long look, both feeling as miserable and confused as the princess had looked.

The prince felt a headache coming on as the day limo took him to his first appointment. He had told himself that if he just had a little time it would be easier, so he had stayed away for a week. Now he’d made a complete fool of himself.

He was not accustomed to seeing anyone but the staff in the kitchen. Having the princess sitting there was the last thing he had expected.
You have no one to blame but yourself, Nick, and you know it. You could have stayed and talked to her a little, but no, you ran like a fool.

“And that’s just what I am,” he said softy. “A fool.”

“Did you need something, sir?” Ivan, his driver and companion, asked from behind the wheel.

“No. Thank you, Ivan.”

Nikolai gave himself a little shake. He had to meet with a Council member in a few minutes, and his head must be clear. Much as he needed to think of a way to handle this marriage that he found himself a part of, he welcomed the excuse to put it from his mind for a little longer.

“The king said he had a picture,” Shelby said in the quiet of her room. “I assumed he’d shown it to his son.”

Shelby sat down on the sofa in the small sitting area in one corner of her bedroom, her gaze on the window. As had become her routine, she was scheduled to meet with Kris, a man the palace referred to as her companion, just before lunch, but right now she wondered if she had time to go home for a little while. She didn’t want to talk about the scene in the kitchen, but she thought it might do her some good to see her mother.

She bit her lip as she tried to remember if she was to call ahead to the garage or not. She was on the verge of going to the phone when someone knocked on her door. Shelby opened the door to find Murdock waiting in the hall.

“Oh, Murdock, I was just wondering whether I should call ahead to get my car or just walk down to the garage?”

“It’s up to you. If you do call, they can have it started and waiting for you or even delivered to the door. Or if you like, one of the limos can take you wherever you wish.”

Shelby nodded.

“Are you ready to go over your schedule, Princess Shelby, or should I come back?”

In truth, Shelby had forgotten all about reviewing her schedule, but she covered nicely and told the house minister to come in. By the time the two of them had gone over everything, it was too late to go to Henley. She went down to the garage before lunch to meet with Kris, telling herself the worst was over and hoping it was true.

The prince was glad to be done with his meeting and headed back to the palace. He had a good deal of paperwork staring at him
and some phone calls to make. He still hadn’t decided how to handle his encounter with Shelby.

Ivan sat competently behind the wheel while they were at a stoplight, and although Nikolai’s mind was busy, his gaze began to roam. What he saw at the corner caused his brows to rise.

“Is that Kris sitting on a bicycle, Ivan?”

“I believe it is, sir.”

“What is he doing?”

Ivan had summed up the situation in a heartbeat. “He’s watching over the princess, sir.”

Nikolai’s eyes began to scan the street before he realized he was staring right at her. Clad in long bike shorts, a baggy T-shirt, helmet, knee guards, elbow guards, wrist protection, sunglasses, and in-line skates, stood his wife. While he watched, the light changed and she took off in a smooth glide, Kris just ten feet behind her on a bike. Nikolai knew his mouth was open but was too amazed to care. Gawking until they were out of sight, he tried to find her when the car pulled forward into traffic. He caught a glimpse of her as she maneuvered down the street, but she was clearly not headed back to the palace. Nikolai was only glad that he was. He still had paperwork and phone calls, but they were going to have to wait. He needed to see Murdock first.

“Not only does she enjoy skating, sir, she has a bike. She’s been out a few days on that.”

“And Kris goes with her?” Nikolai asked for the second time, needing to make sure.

“Always, sir.”

“Does he keep a close watch on her? Faraday is much busier than Henley.”

“I believe they are both very careful, sir.”

Nikolai leaned back in his desk chair, his eyes on the ceiling, his brow lowered in thought.

“Does she always eat breakfast in the kitchen?”

“Yes. I can tell she’s quite comfortable there.”

“What about lunch and dinner?”

“When she’s here, we serve those in the dining room and she eats there.”

Nikolai didn’t need to ask if she ate alone; he’d eaten plenty of meals alone in the dining room. It wasn’t at all unusual for him to ask for a meal in his sitting room just to avoid the loneliness of the spacious room.

“Is she home tonight?”

“No, sir. She’s been invited to dine with some of the Council members and their wives.”

“I was asked to that, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, but you declined. Councilman Royden was already expecting you.”

Nikolai was torn between relief and disappointment. He had to find a way to see his wife and get to know her on some level, but the thought alone left him at a complete loss. What would he say to her? How did one talk to a wife who was nearly a stranger?

“Is there anything I can do, sir?”

“Just this, Murdock. I would like Hank or Kris to call as soon as they leave the Lindells’. If I’m still at the Roydens’, call Ivan.”

“I’ll take care of it, sir.”

Murdock took himself back to his duties then, his heart very light. He had lost a bit of hope in the kitchen that morning, but the concern on the prince’s face was very encouraging. It might take some time, but it looked as if there might be a happy marriage after all.

“She is the sweetest girl I’ve ever met,” Moyra Lindell, Shelby’s host, told her husband, Tyler, as soon as she had a chance. “I’m so sorry Nikolai couldn’t be here. He must hate to be separated from her.”

“We’ll have to have them again,” Tyler decided, thinking of how lonely the prince had seemed at times and how much he would enjoy seeing him with his new wife.

Across the room with a woman she knew from her Bible study, Shelby was blissfully unaware of the Lindells’ plans. She was very pleased to see her friend—she hadn’t known anyone else—but the evening as a whole had been something of a trial. She hadn’t had over five bites of food. Every time an hors d’oeuvre or her fork had headed toward her mouth, someone had asked her a question. For the most part, the people were very kind, but she was quickly seeing that she was something of a fascination. Shelby could have told them that she was no such thing, but until they all grew used to seeing her, it looked as though she was going to be invited out to dinner but not allowed to eat.

The evening ended on a friendly note, but Shelby couldn’t stop the growling of her stomach as Hank let her into the car. She had no more than taken a seat in the formal limousine when the phone next to her rang.

“Hello,” Shelby answered uncertainly.

“Princess Shelby, could you lower the window for a moment?”

“Oh, certainly.”

Shelby cast about for a switch, and when she couldn’t find one, listened as Hank told her where to look. The moment the window between them was lowered, he turned to speak with her. Shelby finally remembered to hang up the phone.

“Princess Shelby?” her chauffeur began.

“Yes, Hank?”

“Is there anything I can get for you?”

For a moment Shelby sat in embarrassed silence, knowing that he had heard her stomach growl. Thinking he must be tired, she was tempted to say no, but he’d put the light on over his head, and she caught his look, a look of compassion and an eagerness to serve.