Читать книгу The Princess's New Year Wedding - Rebecca Winters - Страница 11

A STRANGE LAUGH broke from Lanza, who got to her feet. Maybe she was having a bad dream.

“Stefano? What kind of a joke is this? For one thing, that’s impossible! He was relieved of his royal duties years ago by their parliament.”

Lanza had taken a personal affront to the news at the time, even though she knew it didn’t have anything to do with her. How could it? She’d only been eleven years old.

But she still remembered how shocked she’d been when she’d heard Stefano had walked away from royal life. She’d always found him more attractive and headstrong than Alberto, but she’d never told anyone her true feelings.

Her father shook his head. “His royal title has just been restored to him through an emergency act of that same parliament. Now he has officially proposed marriage to you.”

Lanza let out a cry, incredulous that Stefano wanted to marry her when he’d hardly noticed her growing up. “Is it so important that our two countries combine our money and resources to the point that Stefano has been sent in to salvage the situation? He’s the brother who wanted nothing to do with royal life!”

She knew she’d shocked her parents with an outburst that was totally unlike her. Never in her life had she dared speak her mind to them like this. But she felt frustrated and angry.

Her mother stood up and walked over to her. “We can understand your anger, darling, but please just listen. These have been dark days for all of us, but it’s true that Stefano wants to take his brother’s place and honor his commitment to you. It’s what both our families want.”

“But it’s not what I want and I’m over twenty-one!” Lanza stared at her parents in sheer disbelief. What they were asking went beyond rational thought. “You do know Stefano gave up the royal life years ago because he hated it.”

“That’s in the past,” her father murmured.

“Papà—he’s a gold-mining engineer and, according to Alberto, has had various love affairs with women where he’s lived around the world. You’re asking me to marry him? Are you serious?” she cried out.

Her mother’s eyes implored her. “We’re asking you to think about it and what it will mean for our two countries, for the future of both royal lines.”

“I’m getting older every day,” her father murmured. “Worse, I’m plagued by a fatigue that is growing more serious. I need a son-in-law to lean on who is fit to be king. Prince Stefano was raised like his brother, Alberto, and will make a splendid husband for you.”

“But he’s been a playboy!”

“No,” her father argued. “What he has done in his nonroyal past is what most men do before they find the right woman. There’s been no scandal about him in the media. He’s brought no shame of any kind. Quite the opposite. His brilliant business acumen is known around the world and has helped enrich his country. He’s Basilio’s son, after all.”

“But Father—”

“Hear me out, Lanza. His private life before now has no bearing on the future. That part is over.”

“How do you know he doesn’t have children somewhere? I’m not trying to be cruel by saying that, only practical.”

His expression hardened. “I’m going to forget you said that. He’s prepared to be a husband to you.”

Lanza was too stunned to talk. She studied her father, worried if it was true that he was ill. This was news no one had told her about. “Why haven’t I heard about your health before now, Papà?” She’d noticed he moved a little slower these days, but she attributed it to his growing older.

Her mother put a hand on her arm. “Because we didn’t want to burden you while you were preparing for your wedding day. We were assuming you wouldn’t have to worry about it, but with Alberto dying, everything has changed. Under the circumstances we’ll leave to give you time to think about everything.” She turned to Lanza’s father. “Come on, Victor.”

As Lanza watched them go, her two older sisters came in and shut the door. She sucked in her breath. “I take it you could hear us talking.”

They nodded.

“Is it true? Is Papà ill?”

“I only know what Mamà said.” Donetta spoke first. “Papà’s physician is concerned about his health and says he needs to slow down.”

Fausta nodded. “I have a feeling it’s his heart, but they won’t tell us.”

Lanza shivered and walked over to the fireplace. “Why didn’t you two tell me?”

Donetta drew closer. “We were ordered not to.”

“In other words, I’m the baby who can’t handle bad news.”

“No. They’ve been living for your wedding and didn’t want anything to mar it.”

She closed her eyes tightly. “What they’ve asked me now is impossible, but I shouldn’t have gotten so upset with them.”

“Yes, you should have!” Fausta blurted. “I’m proud of you. You haven’t seen Prince Stefano in years. Naturally, we’re all worried that something is wrong with Papà, but even so, you shouldn’t let this news make you do what you don’t want to do.”

Donetta nodded. “I hate to tell you this, Lanza, but you’ve always been a lot like Cinderella from your favorite fairy tale. She, too, was sweet and believed everything would turn out in the end. But you don’t have a fairy godmother to save you. Otherwise, Alberto wouldn’t have died. You need to wake up before it’s too late.”

“She’s right!” Fausta chimed once more, adding to Lanza’s turmoil. “Cinderella was a fool. She should have gone out into the world to find a man of the people, not some puppet prince, and enjoy a life away from a royal world. That’s what I’m planning to do.”

Lanza understood her sisters well. Twenty-five-year-old Donetta had no intention of getting married and her parents knew it. But the day would come when they would demand that she marry some prince they approved of.

She’d grown up wanting to be queen, with no man telling her what to do, but it would be impossible because of the succession law of their country that excluded women from ruling.

As for Fausta, their twenty-four-year-old sister, she’d dreamed of marrying a commoner and having a life like her close friends in the city. Fausta thought she was safe, but in the end their parents wouldn’t allow it and she’d end up marrying a prince they’d picked out for her.

That left Lanza as her parents’ hope for finding the perfect royal son-in-law. But Alberto’s death had rendered that null and void. Or so she’d thought!

“We know how upset you are. Would you rather be alone?”

Lanza turned to Fausta. “If you don’t mind, I’ve got a lot to think about.”

“We’ll eat dinner and then come back up to talk. We’re here if you need us.” Donetta gave her a peck on the cheek before they left the apartment.

Lanza turned toward the fire once more. What in the name of heaven was she going to do? She loved her father. The last thing she’d ever want would be to disappoint him or her mother, or do something that could make his condition worse.

But to be asked to marry Stefano, who’d turned his back on everything in order to be free…

She remembered one weekend in August when Alberto had come to see her and she’d asked him why he sometimes seemed sad. Lanza wanted to know the truth so she could understand him better.

Alberto told her he missed his elder brother terribly since he no longer lived at the palace. They’d been incredibly close. A few days later Alberto sent her a letter with a picture of Stefano enclosed, looking gorgeous in a safari shirt. He’d been twenty-two in the photo, taken when he’d been working in Kenya.

“I love that smile of his, Lanza. He’s my idol and always has been. There are times when I miss him like crazy. After you and I are married, I hope he’ll come around more often. I’d give anything to see more of him.”

Lanza stoked the fire, recalling those words that had come straight from Alberto’s heart. He’d gotten his wish far too late. Stefano was back, and had proposed marriage to her.

Stefano was an important, sophisticated man of the world and had been intimately involved with various women over the years, according to the media, so there were no surprises. If Alberto had been with other women this past year, Lanza knew nothing about it, but assumed he’d had a few girlfriends in the past.

Marrying Stefano would mean having a normal intimate relationship that would produce a family in time. Her attraction for him had never changed, even though they hadn’t seen one another for a long time, but for some reason the thought of having relations with him made her nervous. She was an inexperienced and naive virgin. A shudder passed through her body.

Would she be a disappointment as his wife?

Could she bring herself to accept another royal proposal of marriage?

If she did, it might increase her father’s longevity and give him the help he needed to rule. She loved her father. Perish the thought if he died early because she’d refused to go through with this marriage. How would she be able to bear the burden of that knowledge?

Lanza was a mess.

Her sisters were right. Her favorite fairy tale had been about Cinderella, who’d met her heart’s desire at the ball and had lived happily-ever-after with her prince. But that was never going to happen to her now.

When Lanza finally turned away from the fire, she accepted the fact that she’d been a fool her whole life…

I’ll never know love or be in love.

On that note she left the apartment to find her parents and tell them she’d made her decision to accept Stefano’s proposal, but was stopped on her way out the door by her personal maid.

“This came for you personally by courier from the royal palace in Umbriano, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Serena.”

Lanza went back into the apartment to open it. Letters of condolences had poured into the palace for days through the post, but this had been hand delivered. There was no writing on the outside of the envelope. Who would be sending her a letter?

Curious, she opened it and found a brief missive.

Dear Lanza,

What you and I are about to do is unprecedented. I’ve already had to leave the country for Kenya, where I’ll probably be working for at least six weeks. After that I must fly directly to Australia, and from there Bulgaria.

I’ll try to get to Domodossola at some point to see you. If I can’t, I’ll email you so we can talk regularly and get prepared for the wedding. Phone calls are difficult because the mines where I work rarely have cell phone service.

I’m afraid our life will have to begin after we meet at the altar.

Don’t worry about our wedding night. We’ll spend it away from everyone while we sort out the rules of engagement.

Stefano

She gasped in surprise. Before she’d even given her parents or him her answer, Stefano had already sent this message assuming she would have fallen in line with their parents’ wishes.

What on earth did he mean about the rules of engagement, unless he was implying he had a solution they could live with?

Lanza sank down on the side of the bed, confused and unsettled as she reread it. Stefano’s work truly did take him around the world. When would he have time to help her father? Maybe she shouldn’t marry him, after all.

“Lanza?”

“Just a minute.” Hearing her sisters’ voices, she quickly buried the letter beneath a cushion on her bed and hurried over to the door to open it. “Come on in.”

“We thought you might want company.”

She didn’t know what she wanted.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

“Not yet. Papà said this marriage has the blessing of the cardinal. He says the citizens of both countries will accept it. But I think it seems like a sham and I feel guilty about it. Do you think it sounds honorable for Stefano to take Alberto’s place?”

Fausta eyed her with concern. “It’s a year away, and they were close. I do remember that.”

“But I don’t love him.”

“Did you love Alberto?”

She lowered her head. “No, but I liked him well enough. If I say yes and agree to marry Stefano, it will be because Papà needs a son-in-law to rely on.”

“No.” Donetta came back with a friendly smile. “That won’t be the reason. You can’t fool Fausta and me.”

“What do you mean?”

“We both know you always had a crush on Stefano. Who could blame you? As the tabloids say, he’s the dishiest bachelor on the planet.”