The Royal Collection. Rebecca Winters

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      It was the perfect lightweight summery outfit to wear while walking around the City of Lights. Low-heeled off-white pumps and an off-white jacquard designed clutch bag with gloves completed her ensemble.

      She’d worn her hair parted sideways into a high bun with one loose, hanging side longer than the other. Two white sticks for her hair with pearl tips matched her pearl stud earrings. Christina hadn’t worn perfume in Africa in order to avoid attracting insects. Back home now, she used a soap with a delicious flowery scent. Her makeup consisted of a tarte lip tint. She needed no other color.

      When she was ready, she walked to the door of the sitting room and knocked. “Antonio? Our breakfast is waiting.”

      “Grazie. I’ll be right out.” His deep-timbred male voice curled through her. It sounded an octave lower than usual. He must have barely awakened.

      She wandered out to the terrace to wait for him. Her eyes filled with the beauty of the Tuscan countryside. The peaceful scene reminded her of a picture in a storybook where the rows of the vineyard formed perfect lines. All around it the gold and green of the landscape undulated off in the distance dotted with a farmhouse here and a red-roofed villa there.

      Too bad she felt anything but peaceful inside.

      All of a sudden she sensed she wasn’t alone and turned to discover a clean-shaven Antonio studying her from the doorway wearing a casual summer suit in a tan color with a cream sport shirt unbuttoned at the throat. With his olive skin and rugged features, he was so gorgeous she couldn’t believe she was married to him.

      “Buongiorno, esposo mio,” she said softly.

      His blue gaze roved over her body from her hair to her heels, missing nothing in between. She’d never felt him look at her that way before, as if she were truly desirable. Her legs went weak because she hadn’t expected that look after he decided not to sleep with her last night. She honestly didn’t know what to expect.

      “How are you this morning?” he asked in a husky tone of voice. A small nerve throbbed at the corner of his mouth. What were his emotions after having gone to his own bed last night instead of spending it in hers?

      “I’m fine, thank you. I’m excited that we’ll be walking along the Champs-Élysées later on today. Aren’t you?”

      A strange smile broke the line of his mouth. “Shall we eat while we talk over our itinerary?” A question instead of an answer. Something was wrong.

      He held out a chair for her. When she sat down, his hands molded to her shoulders for a moment. Warmth from his fingers coiled through her body. “As bewitching as you were to this man’s eyes last night, I find the sight of you right now even more beguiling.”

      Because of the way he’d been looking at her when no one else was around, she believed he’d meant what he just said. But she hadn’t been beguiling enough to go to bed with her. She decided to accept the compliment graciously instead of throwing it back in his face.

      “Thank you.”

      “You’re welcome.” His hands left her shoulders and he took his place across the table from her. They both started eating the rolls and fruit. After drinking some coffee he said, “How did you sleep?”

      “The truth?”

      “Always.”

      “Probably as poorly as you. I doubt that couch was long enough to accommodate your feet.” She was glad to hear a chuckle come from him. His eyes lit up with amusement. “When everyone sees us, they’ll think we’re sleep-deprived because of a passion-filled wedding night and they’ll be happy to think that a new royal heir could be on the way already. You know that’s what’s on everyone’s mind.”

      He flashed her a piercing glance through narrowed lids. “But our business is our own.”

      “Of course.”

      After eating another roll, he sat back in the chair. “My mother left it to my father to give me some last-minute advice.”

      That didn’t surprise Christina. “What did he have to say?”

      “It isn’t what they said. It’s what they did.”

      “I’m not following you.”

      “Read this.” He handed her a note from his suit jacket pocket.

      She opened it.

      Dear Antonio, your mother and I want you to have the perfect honeymoon. We know you wanted to spend a few days touring Paris and the environs before the coronation next week. But we’ve thought of something much better and it has all been arranged. All you have to do is be ready by eight in the morning. A helicopter will fly you to Genoa, where you’ll take the royal jet to a dream spot for your vacation. It’s a place neither you nor Christina has been to before. As always we remain your devoted parents.

      They weren’t going to Paris?

      Her pulse raced. She’d thought there would be so much to do there and they’d have time to get to know each other while seeing the sights. Just what kind of dream vacation did his parents have in mind?

      To be gone for a whole week together alone— It worried her that in a week’s time he might find out she was unlovable. That old fear never quite went away.

      What was Antonio’s reaction to the news? Christina’s first impulse was to tell him she didn’t want to go on any dream vacation. But she couldn’t refuse to do the first thing he was asking of her, especially when it was a wedding present from the king and queen themselves.

      “I can hear every thought running through your head, Christina. The look in your eyes is all I need to see to know this is the last thing you expected or wanted. If it’s any help, it’s a surprise to me too. The idea of our honeymoon being scripted by my parents at the taxpayers’ expense is typical of the lavish way they’ve lived their lives and expected me to do the same. If you still want to go to Paris, that’s what we’ll do.”

      “And hurt your parents?” It took a courageous man to say that to her. She was touched that he would put her feelings first. Her watch said it was almost eight now. “No, Antonio. We have the rest of our lives to plan our own vacations when we can get away. I don’t want us to start off our marriage by alienating your parents. What difference does it make where we go?”

      Something flickered in the recesses of his eyes. “Thank you for saying that. I like it that my new bride is adaptable and sensitive enough not to hurt their feelings. Have you done all your packing?”

      “Yes.” It was a good thing Elena had done some shopping with her and had insisted on her buying a couple of bikinis. “You never know when you need beachwear,” her friend had confided. Maybe Elena had known about the location of the vacation spot her parents had planned for them and wanted Christina prepared for any eventuality. “How about you, Antonio?”

      “I’m ready as I ever will be.”

      “Then I’ll freshen up and meet you downstairs.” She got up from the table and hurried into the bathroom for one last look in the mirror. After applying a new coat of lipstick, she walked into the bedroom and noticed her suitcase СКАЧАТЬ