Part of His Royal World, page 4
Sure enough, her screen lit up with her father’s photo and the icon for an incoming video call. For just a split second, Elle was tempted to ignore it. After all, she could have still been in the shower. But that would just be putting off the inevitable. Her father would simply call back until she answered, and the delay would only serve to make him irate.
Too late. When she clicked to accept the call, it was clear as day that her father was already irate. To make matters worse, he appeared to be in full power attorney mode—his silver-gray hair perfectly coifed, dark navy tie around his neck, collar stiff and straight.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Elle, how are you?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer. “What’s this about you being unemployed?”
How in the world did he know? If Lizzie had told him about her predicament, she was going to throttle her sister as soon as she saw her again. But Elle tossed that assumption aside as soon as it had hit. That didn’t sound like Lizzie at all. Her sister had promised.
“Just a temporary setback, Dad. I already have other prospects lined up. But how...?”
“Your former employer called the house. To see if this address was where to send your final paperwork.”
Diego strikes again.
“He said you’d neglected your duties.”
“That’s not what—”
But he cut her off again.
“Are you finally ready to stop gallivanting around the world and come back home?”
“I’m not exactly gallivanting, Dad. I was here on tour,” she said, telling him what he already knew but refused to acknowledge.
Her father waved his hand in dismissal. “Just come back. We’ll have you reenrolled in your studies in no time.”
Elle gripped the phone tightly in her hand. She really didn’t have the energy for this same old argument. Simply didn’t have it in her. So she remained silent, pacing and nodding until her father was finally done. It took much too long.
“I’ll think about it, Dad,” she lied when he’d finally finished his rant.
“See that you do.” With that, her screen went dark.
The sound of someone clearing their throat behind her startled Elle into dropping her phone. “Oh!”
With no small amount of mortification, Elle realized she’d paced herself right out of her room and into the common lounge area. Riko stood a few feet away by the wet bar, a glass tumbler in his hand. Even at this time of night, he looked like something out of a cologne ad. Polished and handsome and definitely prince material. He’d unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt, rolled his sleeves up to the elbow. And here she stood in nothing but a towel, her wet hair a messy nest atop her head.
“You heard all that, huh?”
He nodded once. “Sounded intense.”
She rubbed her forehead. “My father is nothing if not intense.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not particularly.” What she wanted was to somehow forget that her father considered her to be flaky and impulsive, with no direction in life.
Riko nodded once and took a sip of his drink. “Well, if it helps, I heard back about the job proposal I had in mind for you. It’s a go. You got the job. If you want it.” He lifted his glass to her in a mini salute.
Elle had to bite down on her urge to squeal in delight. Finally, some good news. “Thank you! Will I be working at another resort?”
“Not quite. You’ll actually be working at the castle. For the royal family.”
CHAPTER THREE
Three days later
“MS. STANTON. On behalf of the royal family, please allow me to welcome you to Versuvia.”
Elle walked down the steps of the prop plane and approached the middle-aged smiling gentleman who waited on the tarmac to greet her. A sleek black sedan with shiny silver tire rims idled behind them, the windows tinted dark gray. She glanced around, a tinge of disappointment in the pit of her stomach. What had she expected? That the crown prince himself would be there waiting for her? How silly to think someone that important would run such a common errand. Besides, he’d done more than enough for her already. Plenty in fact.
“I’m Phillipe, Prince Eriko’s steward,” the man announced, taking her carry-on from her and extending his hand. Silver-haired, tan and wearing a pinstriped gray suit, he looked straight out of central casting for the role of royal assistant.
Elle swallowed a nervous lump in her throat and smoothed the skirt of her muslin dress. Perhaps she should have taken more care with her appearance. She was dressed pretty casually, in a summery sleeveless dress and flat leather sandals. Her chaperone appeared as if he was about to attend a state dinner.
She took the hand he offered and followed him to the vehicle. The driver’s window rolled down slowly, and a hatted, mustached younger man gave her a friendly smile and slight nod of greeting before rolling the glass back up.
Phillipe helped her into the car and soon they were driving down the runway, eventually turning onto a lined paved street.
“How was your flight, Ms. Stanton?”
Elle cleared her throat. She fervently hoped this level of formality wasn’t going to be the norm during her tenure here. Phillipe and the driver seemed friendly enough, but there was no mistaking the all-business atmosphere.
“Quite lovely, thank you. Ri—” She stopped before completing the word. Even if Riko had explicitly told her over coffee few days ago that she should use his first name, somehow it felt inappropriate under the circumstances. Clearing her throat, she began again. “His Highness was very generous to have arranged the flight for me.”
Generous was hardly a sufficient word. He’d given her three extra days’ stay in his suite so that she could get her affairs in order and enjoy a little rest.
She’d spent those days on a cloud of relief. Before he’d knocked on her door, she’d had no idea what her future was going to hold. Riko had presented her with a dream job—working in a palace with good pay and an elegant roof over her head. But now, as she sat in the back of a late model SUV in a plush leather seat with a tuxedoed driver and someone who called himself the prince’s steward, a blossom of anxiety spread in her chest and spread lower to her stomach.
What exactly had she gotten herself into?
* * *
Riko had no doubt his personal secretary was fed up. He could hardly blame the man. This had to be at least the fourth time he’d had to repeat himself. Riko couldn’t recall the last time he’d been this distracted.
Once more, he forced his mind to focus on the numbers before him on the spreadsheet the other man was referring to—something about a discrepancy in reports about an upcoming change to the euro exchange rate and the effect it might have on the kingdom’s many casinos.
Had she arrived at the palace yet?
There he went again. Riko puffed out a breath of frustration and flung his handcrafted gold pen on the top of his mahogany desk. The action earned a small gasp of surprise from his exasperated assistant.
“I’m sorry, Marco,” he said, running his hand down his face. “I’m a bit out of sorts this morning. Perhaps we can resume this meeting later in the afternoon.”
The truth was he’d been out of sorts since he’d left Majorca three days ago. His mind replayed the events of the afternoon repeatedly. His café date with Elle had felt like a breath of fresh air.
Marco didn’t need to be told twice. He immediately stood and snapped the cover of his tablet closed. “Of course, sir. Ring me whenever you’re ready.” In no small amount of haste, he strode to the door and shut it behind him.
Riko stood and paced over to the large bay window across the room. For the first time he could recall, he regretted the fact that his office faced the back gardens and not the mountain road that led to the main entrance of the castle. Usually he loved to be able to gaze out at this view, the myriad colors, the lush greenery of the expertly manicured shrubbery.
Today, he wished he were watching the road instead.
There was nothing for it. Without giving himself time to think any longer, he made his way out of his office and down the circular stairway to the first floor to see if she was here yet.
He might not fully remember the afternoon of the boat accident, but thoughts of Elle Stanton seemed to occupy his mind without end.
* * *
Elle wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. But she certainly hadn’t been prepared for the breathtaking view that met her as they drove through a tall, automated metal gate and up a circular road meandering around a high stony mountain. Before long, a majestic castle appeared in the distance like something out of a fairy tale movie. Her breath caught in her throat at the scene before her as the car drew closer.
With red stone walls and two towers that reached the clouds, the structure was framed by the ocean on one side and an emerald green field on the other. She still hadn’t quite recovered from her awestruck reaction by the time the car came to a stop in front of a grand brick stairwell that led up to a massive pair of wooden doors. A uniformed footman appeared out of nowhere and immediately opened the car door for her. Phillipe spoke to him in Spanish, and he gave a quick nod then made for the doors.
“This way please, Ms. Stanton,” Phillipe said, then took her arm and led her up the steps. The doors seemed to magically open on their own, and Elle found herself stepping into a foyer that reminded her of the Art Institute of Chicago, the city’s historical art museum. Marble tile floors, high arched ceiling and ionic columns on either side of a wide circular staircase. A chandelier the size of a small car hung glittering high above her head.
No doubt about it, she’d entered an honest to goodness castle.
“I’ll show you to your room to give you a chance to freshen up,” Phillipe told her, his voice echoing slightly off the massive walls.
“If you would follow me,” he added. If he had any indication of just how awestruck Elle was, he showed no sign of it. Though she was certain her wonderment had to be written all over her face. She’d never seen such a magnificent structure in her life, let alone been inside one. To think, she’d be living here. A week ago what she’d been referring to as home was a dark, six by six foot room in the basement of a hotel with one solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling as her only source of light.
Phillipe cleared his throat, looking at her expectantly. That’s right. He’d asked her to follow him. Fully expecting to be led up the staircase, she was surprised when he led her around the sculpted banister instead and through a wide hallway behind the steps. He stopped at a glass panel and pressed a button. The wall slid open to one side to reveal a steel door elevator. He motioned for her to step in then joined her inside. A moment later, the doors opened once more to reveal a wide corridor.
“These are the staff quarters,” Phillipe explained, removing a key from his jacket pocket as he led her to a wooden door several feet away. He unlocked it then handed her the key. “This is your personal room, miss. Though I’m certain you will also have lodging in the Granada wing.”
She blinked at him. “The Granada wing?”
He nodded. “Where Prince Manuel and Princess Isabel reside with their children.”
Right! Her employers. Thanks to them, and Riko, she’d gone from barely having a place of her own to being able to claim two rooms in a castle.
“Maribel, our lead housekeeper,” Phillipe continued, “will be by in a few moments to give you a tour and present you with a preliminary schedule.” He executed a small bow that Elle mimicked though she had no idea if that was the right protocol. She really was out of her element here. A true fish out of water.
“If you’ll excuse me.” With that, the man turned and left the room.
Elle clasped a hand to her chest as soon as he was gone. A sliding screen door led to a balcony that overlooked the ocean. The furniture in the room appeared handcrafted and expensive. Again, the feelings of inadequacy she’d managed to brush off during the ride here began to resurface.
Suddenly, she felt completely disoriented and alone. She was in a strange land, where she didn’t even really know the language. The resort where she’d worked less than a week ago drew guests and employees from all over the world.
She’d been merely one more visitor there among many. Here, she was a complete outsider. So far, there’d been no sign of the prince who’d invited her here. Now that she thought about it, it had been beyond foolish of her to think that she might have any kind of interaction with him.
No matter. Prince Eriko Rafael Suarez was not the reason she was here. She was here to do a job and nothing more. The sooner she got that into her head, the better off she’d be and the sooner she’d be able to adjust to her new surroundings.
Or so she told herself.
Before she could do any more wallowing, a gentle knock sounded on her door. That must be Maribel, here to show her around. Not a moment too soon.
“Come in.”
Elle’s breath caught in her throat as the door opened. Then she sighed in relief. Riko had shown up to welcome her, after all.
But her smile froze before it could fully form on her face as she instantly realized her mistake. The gentleman standing before her might have had the same friendly smile and the very same facial features of the man she’d pulled out of the water that day, but there was no question it wasn’t him.
Elle’s heart sank, but she forced the smile she no longer felt. This had to be Prince Manuel. Riko’s twin brother, the man she’d be working for.
The one who had really hired her.
* * *
“This is the second time I’ve seen you in this hallway, big bro. Why don’t you just go ahead and ask where she is?” Manny asked with no small amount of glee as Riko rounded the corner and nearly barreled into him.
He adjusted the collar of his shirt and tried to look clueless before he answered. “I have no idea what you might be referring to. I was just on my way to find Marco in order to resume our meeting that was unexpectedly delayed this morning.” Never mind that he’d been the reason for that delay.
Manny gave him a knowingly suspicious smile. “Honestly, I have no idea why you bother trying to lie to me. After all these years, you have to know it never works.”
Riko shrugged. “It’s always worth a try.”
“Save it, man. Maribel is taking her around the gardens until Isabel is up to seeing anyone for the day. I already introduced myself. I take it you’d like to find her.”
“Fine. You’re right,” Riko admitted. “Just trying to be polite and cordial.” It was the truth. Riko was merely being courteous. It was only polite to welcome Elle to the castle on her first day. He had been the one to hire her, after all. His intentions were completely innocent and honorable. The small voice in his head that wanted to argue that point could easily be ignored. For now.
Riko stepped around his brother to make his way to the back door leading to the royal gardens, but Manny stopped him before he’d gone more than a couple of steps. “Funny thing is,” his brother began, “I have no doubt she thought I was you at first.”
“That’s hardly novel, it happens all the time.”
“Sure it does. But you should have seen the look of disappointment on her face when she realized it was me and not you at her door.”
Riko decided to ignore that as he resumed his path, as well as the clear tone of mischief in Manny’s voice. Though it was much harder to ignore the electricity buzzing along his skin at his brother’s words.
...the look of disappointment on her face...
Warmth curled in his core at the thought before he shrugged it off. His brother was probably exaggerating about Elle’s disappointment at finding Manny at her door instead of himself. An attempt to try to goad Riko into some kind of response, to see if he reacted at the possibility that Elle might be excited to see him.
Luckily, Riko had managed not to take the bait.
It took him a good ten minutes to find them, the Suarez royal garden being one of the most immaculate and extensive this side of Europe. She stood next to their lead housekeeper, listening with her head tilted to whatever the older woman was telling her. Even with her back turned to him, there was no mistaking the thick, long braid of fiery red hair. An insane image of undoing that braid and letting the thick waves of hair flow through his fingers ran through his mind before he forcibly pushed it out.
Riko felt his pulse quicken as he approached. How utterly silly of him to feel such excitement to see her again. It had only been three days, for heaven’s sake. What in the world was wrong with him? He almost turned around before the two women could notice he was there. Which only led to more self-disdain. He was the crown prince of Versuvia. He wasn’t supposed to turn tail and run from any woman.
“The children particularly like to picnic in this spot,” Maribel was explaining, gesturing to the wooden table and matching child-sized chairs. “They often take their lunches here.”
Elle bobbed her head up and down in an enthusiastic nod, then seemed to take a quick note on her phone. It appeared Ms. Stanton was taking her nanny duties seriously already.
Suddenly, Elle’s shoulders stiffened and her fingers paused in the act of clicking on her phone screen, as if she’d sensed his presence. She turned to face him slowly when he was just a few feet away. The smile that spread over her face when her eyes met his had his steps faltering.
“I can take it from here, Maribel,” Riko said once he’d reached them.
The woman’s eyes grew wide at the suggestion. “Are you certain, sir?”
Riko made a show of glancing at his watch. “Most certainly. I could use the fresh air, and I find myself between appointments.” He added the latter lie with an almost bored tone to try to sound a bit more convincing.
