Czytaj książkę: «A Royal Baby on the Way»

Prologue

‘‘Alex, I think you should take a look at this.’’

Princess Alexandra Wyndham, the oldest of King Phillip’s four daughters, glanced up from the computer printout she’d been scanning. It was nearly eleven in the morning and she was, as usual, buried in her daily reports. The kingdom of Wynborough might not be huge, but it required a large staff to keep things running smoothly. Despite the efficiency of the palace’s employees and loyalty of the senior staff, Alex insisted on overseeing many things herself. She spent her mornings in her office, looking for potential problems and smoothing them out before anyone noticed they’d been there in the first place. Her afternoons and evenings were reserved for state functions and occasionally, very occasionally, time for herself.

Alex set down the papers and smiled at Laura Bishop, the social secretary who had been with the royal family for five years. ‘‘Another marriage proposal from an American rock star?’’ Alex asked. ‘‘While I don’t understand them, I do confess to being flattered. After all, I’ll be thirty next year. Not exactly the right age to be a bimbo.’’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘‘Is that term still in use or am I being old-fashioned again?’’

Laura grinned. ‘‘I think bimbo still works, although it’s not really appropriate when used to describe a princess.’’ Her smile faded. ‘‘No marriage proposal this time. It’s a little more serious than that. I didn’t know what to do with this.’’ She waved the single sheet of paper. ‘‘I thought about going to the king, but he and your mother are busy with plans for the celebration and I wasn’t sure….’’ Her voice trailed off.

Alex gave Laura her full attention. The royal social secretary was many wonderful things, including efficient. It wasn’t like her to be indecisive about anything.

‘‘All right,’’ Alex said slowly and held out her hand. When Laura gave her the letter, she scanned it quickly, then read it a second time. Her breath caught in her throat and her chest tightened. ‘‘Dear Lord, can this be right?’’

‘‘I don’t know,’’ Laura admitted.

Was it possible? Alex shook her head to clear it, but her confused thoughts refused to be put in order. What to do?

‘‘I’m glad you didn’t go to my parents,’’ Alex said slowly. ‘‘If it’s true, then it’s wonderful news, but if it isn’t, they could be devastated all over again. I don’t want that.’’

Laura nodded. ‘‘That’s what I thought, too. I don’t know the whole story, but I’ve read about the basics.’’

‘‘I don’t think anyone knows the whole story. That’s part of the problem.’’ She set the letter on her desk. ‘‘All right. Tell my sisters that I need to see them immediately.’’ She glanced at her slender, elegant gold watch. ‘‘Have them meet me for lunch in our private dining room at noon. I’ll tell the kitchen to have something simple sent up.’’ She looked at her friend. ‘‘I’ll want you to be there, too, Laura.’’

Laura stared back at her. ‘‘Are you sure? Isn’t this a family matter?’’

‘‘Yes, but I suspect we’re going to need your help. I have a couple of ideas. If my sisters agree with my plan, then you’ll be an important part of things.’’ Despite her shock, Alex managed a smile. ‘‘As usual.’’

‘‘Thank you.’’

After Laura left, Alex turned in her chair and stared out the window. The view was nearly as familiar as her own reflection. She’d spent many hours in this office, working, planning and, during rare moments of quiet, dreaming. While Wyndham Castle was a major tourist attraction, and even now a large group of visitors toured the manicured gardens below her third-story window, it was also her home. She’d been born here, grown up, played, laughed and cried, all within the confines of the old stone-and-wood structure. People she met often asked her what it was like to live in a castle, but for Alexandra it was all she’d ever known. If she occasionally wondered what it would be like to live a normal life, she reminded herself that she’d been blessed by her circumstances and her loving family. She had wonderful parents and three sisters with whom she was very close.

Without turning around, she reached behind her and picked up the letter Laura had brought her. As she fingered the inexpensive writing paper, she considered how she’d thought her future was set. Was that all about to change?

* * *

‘‘We should go skiing over the holidays,’’ Serena said as she scooped some chicken and mango salad onto her plate. She picked up a piece of mango and popped it in her mouth. Impish lights danced in her green eyes. ‘‘There are always so many good-looking men at the chalets and goodness knows you three all need to get married before you’re over the hill.’’

Alex looked at her baby sister and tried not to take the comment personally. As the oldest, she should be married first, and no doubt her parents would get around to arranging a match in the near future. But right now that was not her most pressing issue.

‘‘We have something more important to discuss,’’ Alex said as she glanced around the table.

A lace antique cloth protected the gleaming oval surface. Water, iced tea and soft drinks had been poured into crystal goblets. Alex sat at the head of the table with Serena and Laura to her left and Katherine and Elizabeth to her right.

‘‘You look serious,’’ Katherine said. ‘‘Is something wrong?’’

‘‘Not exactly.’’ Alex paused as she tried to figure out how best to share the news. ‘‘Laura opened a letter this morning and immediately brought it to me. I made the decision not to share the contents with our parents. They’re both busy with the business of running the kingdom, not to mention the celebration of Father’s twentieth year as monarch.’’

‘‘We know all this,’’ Serena said and rolled her eyes. ‘‘Alex, you could make a roller-coaster ride boring if you tried. What has you all in a huff? What’s in the letter?’’

Alex glanced at her other two sisters and saw them nod. She chose to believe they were encouraging her to read them the message and not agreeing with Serena’s assessment of her personality.

She pulled the single sheet of paper out of her jacket pocket and cleared her throat.

‘‘Dear Royal Family. I saw something on the news today about your king celebrating his kingship of your country. While I didn’t find this especially interesting, I happened to see a picture of the family crest—is that what it’s called? That shield with the thingamajigs? Anyway, seeing that reminded me of something that happened a long time ago.’’

Alex heard a catch of breath. She glanced up and saw all three of her sisters staring at her.

‘‘Nearly thirty years ago I was housekeeper for a place called The Sunshine Home for Children in Hope, Arizona. One day I noticed a real fine piece of linen in the laundry. It was some kind of blanket and I decided to take it for my own use. I knew it belonged to one of the children, but I didn’t think they would miss it. It was the nicest tea cozy I’d ever had and now I realize it had your crest on it. With all this fuss about the celebration and all, there have also been stories about your lost boy, James. It got me to thinking. Three boys came to The Sunshine Home that year around the time of the kidnapping. They were all the right age to be your boy. One of them could belong to your family. My memory’s not what it used to be and I can’t remember all of them, but I do sure recall John Colton. He was a real scrapper. I’m not saying John’s the one, but I’ll bet my last pair of boots that he would know where to find the others.’’

Alex put down the letter. ‘‘She signs it ‘Most Sincerely, Grandma Beulah Whitaker.’ Oh, and she would like a picture of the four princesses sent to her if we have time.’’

There was a moment of silence, then everyone started talking at once. It had taken Alex a few minutes to gather her own composure after absorbing the news, so she understood her sisters’ confusion and questions.

‘‘Do you think it’s really possible that James is alive?’’ Katherine asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. ‘‘It’s been what, twenty-nine years? Could he have survived all that time and we never knew?’’

‘‘Let’s go to America and find him,’’ Serena said with a broad grin. ‘‘I’ll go. I can be ready to leave this afternoon.’’

Alex glared at her baby sister. There was no way she would trust that wild young woman alone in a foreign land. Given Serena’s determination to find romantic adventure, she would forget about looking for James and set about getting herself in trouble as quickly as possible.

‘‘First things first,’’ Alex said calmly. ‘‘Do you all agree with my decision to keep this from our parents? I don’t want to get their hopes up only to dash them again, but I would like to hear what you three think.’’

Katherine leaned toward her. Her gray eyes darkened with sadness. ‘‘None of us was born when they lost James, but I can imagine their pain. Mother hasn’t spoken about it much, but when she does mention those days after James was kidnapped, she always cries. They have both worked very hard to bring prosperity to Wynborough. As they prepare for the twentieth anniversary of Father’s coronation next year, they should be happy. Telling them about this letter will only distract them.’’

Elizabeth, normally a close and loving confidant for Alex, looked distracted. In the past couple of months, things had changed for the sister closest to her in age. Unfortunately Alex hadn’t figured out what, and Elizabeth resisted all her gentle questions.

Elizabeth focused on the issue at hand long enough to nod her agreement. ‘‘Katherine’s right. I don’t think either of them want to go through that pain again. We should investigate this ourselves.’’

Alex glanced at Laura. Her social secretary raised her hands. ‘‘I’m just the hired help. I’d prefer not to vote.’’

‘‘You’re more than that,’’ Serena said, giving Laura a quick hug. ‘‘You’re practically one of the family.’’ She grinned at Alex. ‘‘I say we find him ourselves and present him as a gift to Mother and Father. Their lost son returns home after twenty-nine years. Everyone will be so thrilled that there’s finally an heir.’’

Alex stiffened slightly at the words, then tried not to notice as everyone’s attention shifted to her. She knew what her sisters were thinking. That as the oldest, she’d taken on most of the responsibilities of heir. She worked hard and frequently traveled abroad to represent her country. But Wynborough law stated that the heir must be a son. While there had been some discussion about parliament changing the law, to date nothing had been done. After all, King Phillip was still in the prime of his life. There was no concern about the monarchy. But it left Alex in the awkward position of being a potential heir-in-waiting without knowing if that was going to happen.

That’s not important, she told herself, and firmly pushed those thoughts away. Right now she and her sisters had to concentrate on their brother. If James was still alive, how were they to find him?

‘‘Obviously we have to go to America,’’ Alex said. ‘‘That’s where the kidnapping occurred.’’

‘‘I could arrange a publicity tour,’’ Laura said. ‘‘There has been talk of bringing worldwide attention to King Phillip’s years as a successful monarch. If all four of you were willing to travel to the States, you could quietly inquire about your brother while promoting Wynborough and the king.’’

‘‘Of course we’ll go,’’ Serena said. ‘‘At least I will.’’

‘‘No one’s in doubt about that,’’ Alex said dryly. She glanced at Katherine and Elizabeth. ‘‘Is this all right with you two?’’

They both nodded. ‘‘I could use a change of scenery,’’ Elizabeth said.

Again Alex wondered what had happened to make her sister so quiet these days. But if Elizabeth didn’t want to talk, nothing was going to make her.

Alex opened the file next to her plate. ‘‘I think the best plan would be to start the investigation at the scene of the crime. James was kidnapped from the family home in Aspen, Colorado. While the place hasn’t been used in years, I checked and it has been maintained by caretakers. They could have it ready for us in two days—so that will be our base of operation. Laura will put together a publicity schedule that leaves us plenty of time to search. In fact, I intend to go to Arizona to talk with ‘Grandma Beulah’ as soon as we arrive in the States.’’

Katherine leaned forward. Like all the sisters, her hair was a variation on the theme of red. She had thick chestnut hair and wide gray eyes. Sensible as always, she asked, ‘‘How on earth are we going to get our parents to agree to this? They’ve never wanted us to visit America before. Do you really think they’ll let all four of us go there?’’

‘‘Let me handle that,’’ Alex said. ‘‘Laura and I will come up with something. You just get ready to leave.’’

Serena bounced to her feet. ‘‘I’m going to Disneyland.’’

‘‘Not if any of us can help it,’’ Elizabeth murmured under her breath as she stood up.

‘‘Okay, then New York or California or Las Vegas.’’

Alex drew in a deep breath and told herself to remain calm. Serena was a handful and she was going to require around-the-clock watching. ‘‘Make a note,’’ she told Laura as they left the small dining room. ‘‘Put extra security on Serena.’’

‘‘Gabriel Morgan’s our man,’’ Laura said. ‘‘Plus, he’s American, so he’ll be most at home.’’

‘‘Good. The last thing we need is a wild princess on the loose.’’

‘‘What about Elizabeth and Katherine? Or for that matter, you?’’

Alex laughed. ‘‘As if anything would ever happen to us. I promise you that except for possibly finding our long-lost brother, nothing exciting is going to happen while we’re in America.’’