Along Came A Prince (17 page)

What did she have
to offer him? A green tank top? That hardly seemed enough. Maybe when he called
tomorrow, she should tell him something came up, and she’d be too busy to see him.
Would that be fair to him? Could he help it if he was born a prince? No more
than she could help being a farmer’s daughter.

Her phone rang,
and security informed her they were bringing up a package a courier had
delivered to her from Starlit Studios. When she heard a knock at her door and
answered it, she was handed a bulky envelope. The script had arrived. She
dismissed her thoughts of Clay and tore open the envelope. Pulling out the
thickly bound pages, she plopped on the sofa and curled her legs under her as
she started to read.

When the room
began to grow dark, she turned on the light and kept reading. Memorizing this
script was going to be easier than she’d thought. As she dwelled on her role in
the movie, she felt as if she already knew her lines. How could that be? Had
her little vacation in Europe swept her memory so clean that she could now
remember lines after reading them once? She’d seen the movie twice, which must
be why the dialogue sounded so familiar. Mesmerized by this seemingly
impossible attainment, she kept reading. The deeper she went into the story,
the more she knew her part.

Finally, she came
out of the subconscious fog she’d drifted into and wondered what time it was. She
had evidently turned on a lamp when darkness had appeared without even missing
a beat in her reading. After glancing at the clock, Stacia rubbed her eyes and
walked out onto her balcony. She watched Hollywood’s lights twinkling beneath
her. She reflected on the beauty and riches in her life. Not like a prince
would have, but what she’d earned had bought her a gorgeous condo and almost
anything she desired for her parents and herself. Her work had brought her
credibility and respect. She’d done well so far in her life. SwissDen was a
Brigadoon...a Camelot...a dream existence. This was her reality and where she
belonged.

And Clay...he was
a prince. Had she been under a spell and dazzled by him and everything SwissDen
offered? When he got here, he probably wouldn’t fit into her life at all. Well,
he’d only be here a couple days. Then, they’d say good-bye forever. She’d never
see him again, but he could always see her on the movie screen. Maybe she
wasn’t a princess, but she sure could
act
like one.

♥♥

The Zeppelin
bombers were coming again.

On the fringe
of London, a woman, dark as the night in her black-hooded cape, ran against the
wind in a desperate attempt to be the victor in the race against the arrival of
the bombs. A futile effort, one she couldn’t win, but cold fear can at times
turn luck around. She had to find shelter. She must. But where? Breath coming
in loud gulps, heart chilled to a deathly beat, she plunged ahead. In the
inkiness of the evening, she could see nowhere to hide from the explosives that
would drop within seconds.

Why had she
tried to make her pilgrimage to the wishing well? Did she think that for one
day this world war would magically stop long enough to allow her to make her
trip and return safely?

Loneliness had
driven her here where her lover and she used to meet secretly. Where
else could they go with the taboo of royalty and
peasant together so strong an opposition against them?

He’d tossed a
coin into the water, as he always did at the end of their last kiss. “This will
bring us luck, and love will keep us together forever,” he’d whispered
intimately into her ear.

But it hadn’t. He’d
disappeared after their last rendezvous. No matter how many times she’d visited
their special place after that, he was never there.

She tried to
run even faster but was blinded by her stinging tears. She stumbled and fell,
rolling over and over on the road. Loose pieces of gravel bit her face,
grinding her tears even deeper into her flesh. The bombers were closing in on
her now – five seconds at the most, and it would be over. She didn’t want to be
blown apart; she didn’t want her life to end that way. Terror raged within her.

Suddenly, two
arms scooped her up, carrying her farther and farther away as second after
second ticked by. They reached the runner’s destination – a cave cut into the
hillside she wasn’t aware even existed. As his arms enfolded her, his body
covered hers as closely and gently as possible. The bombs were dropped outside
their shelter. She could hear their explosion as they cracked the earth, but she
was safe inside the cave surrounded by the arms of love.

As quickly as
the Zeppelins appeared, they were gone, leaving in their wake a trail of bright
lights and popping thunder resonating from the target area. She turned to see
who her protector was, although she was certain it was her lover. It was their
anniversary, and he’d remembered and come back to see her, to take her with him.
Everything would be fine now. But he’d vanished. Or had he been there at all? He’d
always said love would keep them together forever. Had it? Was it possible
their love had penetrated the existence between two worlds? If so, which one
was she in now?

Stacia awoke with
a start, the dream tugging at her senses to return to that world while her mind
demanded she stay awake. Where was this dream coming from? And why was she
dreaming it? She was convinced it took place in London, but why was it so
different than
London Affair?
She partially knew the logical answer.
London
Affair
took place during World War II. Her dream, because of the Zeppelins,
had to take place during WWI. But why, above anything else, was she so positive
this woman had been her? She glanced at the clock and because of the late time,
knew she’d have to deposit the dream back where it belonged – into her memory
bank.

Jumping out of
bed, she ran to the shower and turned it on. Feeling refreshed after drying off
and dressing, she walked into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, realizing that
because she’d read so late, she hadn’t had a chance to arrange a limo ride this
morning.

She sighed,
deciding to forego breakfast because she’d have to drive herself to the studio
for her meeting with Nathan and Arthur. She grabbed her necessities and headed
for the garage where her car was parked.

On the way to
Starlit Studios, she relaxed on the freeway, enjoying the driving and the wind
from the open windows whipping her hair around her face. Suddenly, she was
surrounded by rush-hour traffic. No wonder she preferred a limo to take her to
the studio in the morning. She couldn’t even use the car pool lane because she
was alone in the car. She flipped on the radio and scanned the stations until a
news broadcast grabbed her interest.

“Louisville,
Kentucky, the home of Churchill Downs where the Kentucky Derby is run each
year, is getting ready to welcome a different kind of world champion. This one
is a globe-trotting ice sculptor, and he’s also a prince. Prince Clayton
Alexander will be the star of the Ice Derby Gala to be held next week at the
Kentucky Derby Museum. This event will draw all the major race horse owners and
the world’s richest people, all contributing $35,000 each to charity for dinner
and the privilege of seeing Prince Clayton’s ice horse, Aristides, the
thoroughbred who won the first Kentucky Derby in 1875. The sculpture will be a
replica of the bronze statue of the horse which guards the Clubhouse Gardens at
Churchill Downs. A true ice artist, the prince’s specialty is not only the
magnificent sculptures he creates, but also his use of spot lighting, which
everyone admits is a phenomenon in itself.

“An interesting
side note of all this is the question, will Stacia Saunders, the red-haired
goddess of the movie screen, be on Prince Clayton’s arm at this party as she
was at Harrods in London?”

Stacia hit the radio
off button and a break in traffic all in the same second. She sped on to the
studio. A short time later she walked into the sound stage where Nathan and Arthur
were already busy with the setup for the movie.

“Over here,
Stacia,” Nathan said as he motioned to her. “We appreciate you cutting your
vacation short to help us out. It seems our backer decided he wanted to see
some actual scenes of how this will work. He wants a video of you doing a small
scene. And he also would like one of Arthur doing his specialized skill, as
well as his finished product. As soon as he receives these, he’ll sign the
check for the final financing of
London Affair.
”

Well, now I
know one thing. Our backer is a male. Thanks, Nathan.
Stacia smiled. “Glad
I could help you out with something so easy.”

“So you did
receive the script?”

“Yes.” Stacia
didn’t say how easy it was to memorize.

“Did you memorize
enough for us to shoot a scene? Any one will do.” Arthur said.

“How about when
they’re in the restaurant?” The ending was her favorite scene, but this one
ranked second.

“You have that one
memorized?” Arthur asked as if he were astonished.

“Stacia, look
ahead of you, to the right and to the left,” Nathan directed. “Those big movie
screens will project
London Affair
as you act out the part of Victoria.
No matter which way you turn, you should be able to see one of those screens.
This should help you with the timing of your lines, plus, we’re hoping it’ll
make you feel as if you’re acting next to whomever you’re saying your lines to.
As you know, we have to have quiet on the set, so we’ll be using a small
earphone, which your hair will cover.” He nodded at the woman walking toward
her. “Good. You can fit that into her ear now.” Then he turned toward Stacia.
“You’ll hear all of the sounds of the movie, the music, the dialogue, etc.,
with only one missing voice – Audra’s – which, of course, you’ll be supplying.
Well, basically that’s it for today. Any questions?”

Stacia shook her
head.

“How about you, Arthur,
are you ready with the camera?”

“Affirmative.”

Nathan nodded at
his assistant standing next to him. “Is the film ready to roll?”

She nodded back.

“Then let’s start
with Take One. Remember, we’re not expecting much from today’s work, just
enough to let Arthur do his magic.”

Four takes later,
Stacia was amazed at how well she knew her lines, and how much it helped having
the movie shown on the giant screens to play off of.

“That’s all we
need from you, Stacia. You acting was awesome,” Nathan said. “We’ll see you on Monday
when we begin the real thing.” He turned away from her and called out in a loud
voice, “You can all leave now. Arthur and I’ll take over from here.”

Stacia left the
set and the studio and drove home as quickly as she could. One commitment was
off her list for the week. Now all she had to do was wait for Clay’s call and
then phone Helen with Sam’s answer. Then, starting tomorrow, all she’d have to
contend with was making Hollywood as enjoyable as SwissDen.
Big job…Small
chance!

...During their
time together on his grand-mère’s estate, Victoria and Dean enjoyed running and
playing with Spotty, horseback riding, walking in the gardens – and the last
night, an intimate dinner in an elegant restaurant.

“I can’t
believe you’ve been here a week, Dean.”

“It has gone
fast, hasn’t it?”

“And you have
to leave tomorrow?”

“I’ll come back
as soon as I can get away.”

“You know,
whenever we’re together, we talk about everything,” Victoria said. “Everything
about me, that is. We don’t talk about you. You’re very good therapy for me. I
miss Lily so much. There’ll always be a hole in my heart where she belongs, but
I do feel somewhat at peace now. It’s easier to smile and laugh and be
interested in things. That’s because of you and your grand-mère, and I really
want to thank you both.”

“How about
Spotty? He did his part, you know.”

“Yes, he did,
but I want to talk about you tonight. I want to know about your wife, your
children, what you like or don’t like, why you decided to be a doctor, etc.,
etc. and etc.”

“You’d find all
that boring, I’m certain.” Dean put his elbows on the table and leaned into his
hands.

“Not where
you’re concerned, I wouldn’t.” Victoria suddenly glanced away.

“I doubt I
could tell you anything about my boys that Grand-mère hasn’t already told you.
Am I right?”

“She has filled
me in on them. How wonderful she loves them so much.”

“As far as my
wife, her name is Elizabeth. She thinks she’s writing a novel, her first one,
but then everyone has to start with number one. Anyway, she keeps making these
trips to our beach house where she spends a week or more writing, or so she
says. I’m not sure I believe her. In fact, as time goes on, suspicions of what
she’s really doing keep gnawing at me. The problem is she won’t let the boys or
me go with her, which waves another red flag at me. We’ve grown apart, and
since I have new interests, I plan to ask her for a divorce when she gets back
from the beach. I hadn’t planned on telling you this tonight.” Dean picked up
his champagne flute and took a big gulp from it.

Victoria sipped on hers. “Why?” she asked shyly.

“You don’t want to hear the answer to that yet.”

“Yes, I do.” She stared straight into his eyes.

He gazed back into hers. “What if I were to tell you that you have the
most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen? That’s a clue, in case you don’t
recognize it. Then, what if I were to say I’m in love with you?”

She
sat very still and said nothing. Finally she opened her mouth to speak. “I
guess you’re right, Dean. I wasn’t ready to hear that answer.”

“I
know, and I apologize. It’s too soon. I want to be free before I tell you I’m
in love with you. I have nothing to offer you now. And you...you’re not healed,
so you don’t know how you feel. That is, I’m assuming you don’t love me.
However, if you do…” Dean hesitated and then continued. “Does any of this make
sense?”

Victoria
sat back in her chair. “I do know one thing. For only being eleven years old,
Lily was a huge romantic. I believe she would have liked nothing better than
for the two of us to fall in love.”

“Are you in love with me?”

She looked down. “I’ve never been in love. I haven’t had the chance to
be with anyone who could love me. The war was on, and after my brother died, my
father forbid me to go out with anyone in service, so I was rather limited on
dating. Then when my parents were killed, I had to support Lily. There was no
time left for me, and certainly no time left for boyfriends, although I
wouldn’t have changed that for anything or anyone. Lily and I learned how to be
happy again. That was the most important thing in the world for me. Her
happiness was mine. The only love I’ve known is what my parents and my sister
gave me, and now, everything’s gone.” Her eyes filled with tears.

Dean took her hands in his. “Victoria, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt
you. I know what you’re saying when you say her happiness was yours, because I
feel that way about you. I have felt your pain. I only want to feel your
happiness – now and forever, and I guarantee we won’t stop until we find it.
I’ll wait until you’re ready to be loved by me.”

She looked up into his eyes before answering. “That’s the biggest
problem of all. I am ready to be loved by you, and I do love you. I’ve known
that for a long time. This last week has put everything into the right
perspective, and I have recognized and realized how much I do love you.”

He brought her hands up to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “Thank
you for making me the happiest man in the world. I said you’d find happiness,
and along the way, we both found love...”

♥♥

How do you entertain a prince and one of the world’s richest men? Stacia
wondered. When she’d asked Helen that question, her reply was to “Just be
yourself. Suggest doing things you enjoy.”

Stacia was glad Helen and Sam had both agreed to their “pretend dating.”
Their decisions had taken away some of the stress of her upcoming SwissDen vs.
Hollywood bout. And because Clay and Sam were best buddies and obviously liked
doing the same things, it made the task of choosing what to do erase some of
the panic out of her dilemma.

Well, she didn’t have to worry about tonight, at least. Clay had called
and said he and Sam would be at her house at seven to pick her up, and the
three of them would swing around and pick up the other half of their chaperone
team. Then the menu was dinner and dancing.

She’d chosen a short, slim, black dress and matching stiletto heels for
the evening, but not the same shoes she’d worn for Clay on that fateful
temptress
day. A
reserved for Clay’s second chance
tag hung on them. Her
black-beaded bag blended well with her outfit. She’d styled her hair to fall
into ringlets around her face, allowing the rest to curl and flow loosely down
her back.

After checking the time as it was zeroing in on seven, she started to
walk back and forth between her living room and patio. Maybe she should call
her mother and tell her who she’d be spending the evening with. She closed her
eyes and imagined what her parents would be doing at the moment. After a hard
day’s work on the farm, they’d probably be snacking on popcorn in the living
room while watching their favorite television programs. She’d always enjoyed
spending supper time during her growing-up years that same way. Her parents,
her brother and herself eating her mom’s home cooking on TV trays, laughing,
being close and enjoying each other’s company and sharing the television.
Well,
TV trays certainly were a long way from where she’d be dining tonight!

Her phone rang. Perhaps it was Clay and there was a change in plans.

“Hi, Stace.”

“Ryan? Are you psychic? I was just thinking about you, and you call. What’s
up?”

“I’m planning a surprise dinner party for Josie tomorrow night at our
house. I finally got her to say yes and set a date. You’re the first to know.”

“I knew Josie wouldn’t be able to resist you much longer. When’s the big
day? Did you give her a diamond? Where’s the wedding going to be?”

“Slow down, Stace. One question at a time.”

“So...start with the answers. I’ve been waiting forever for this.”

“I asked her to marry me while we were camping on Catalina Island last
weekend. We were lying on a blanket outside our tent staring at the moon when
we saw a falling star. I said, ‘Guess what, Josie, look where that star fell.’
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the box with her ring in, and said,
Right
here
, and handed it to her.”

“And how did Josie react to all this tenderness from her macho
boyfriend?”

“She started crying and sputtering about how romantic I was and how much
she loved me. Before I could ask her to marry me, she began to hug me and kiss
me. When I did get the question out, she kept repeating, ‘any time.’”

“And what would you have done if that star hadn’t fallen when it did? How
would you have proposed then?”

“I didn’t have anything planned. It just
fell
into place – pardon
my pun. Josie later said it was the synchronicity of the Universe working for
us. That it was an omen we were meant to be together, and she wants to get
married as soon as possible.”

“That’s good, because I’ve never had a sister, and I couldn’t be happier
to have Josie in our family.”

“When she talks to her mother, then I’ll know about the wedding date,
which can’t be soon enough for me. I don’t want her backing out.”

“Come on, Ryan, you know Josie loves you and only you. She wouldn’t ever
back out on marrying you. She just wanted to get her career jump-started before
she settled down to be a wife and have kids.”

“Like someone else I know.”

“There’s one difference. No one’s waiting around for me. I can take as
long as I want with my career.”

“How about Prince Charming?”

“Clay? Can you see me with a prince on a forever basis? I’ll bet he’d
love to have dinners at Mom and Dad’s in front of the television. I can’t even
decide how to entertain him while he’s here. How could I possibly think of
anything that could compare with the grandeur he’s used to every day of his
life?”

“I can think of one thing...”

Stacia laughed. “Forget it. You know my views on that. I’ve waited this
long for the right guy. He’ll come along at the right time...when I’m ready.”

“Right, right, right, Stace. You have a lot of
rights
built into
your timetable.”

“Now you sound like Clay. Speaking of which, I do have one problem with
tomorrow night. Clay’s in town for a couple days, and he brought Sam Prescott
with him. I’m already committed to spending the time he’s here with him, along
with Helen Ashley Shores.”

“Sam Prescott, the billionaire? You know him? No way. Might as well bring
‘em all.”

“How many people will be there?”

“Did I forget to mention you’re the only one? I wanted it to be intimate.”

“It sounds great. I’ll have to call you back tomorrow to confirm the
other three, but I’ll be there for positive.” Stacia glanced at her watch. “Ryan,
I have to go. Clay’s going to be here any minute.”

“My little sister’s dating a prince. Who’d ever believe it?”

“Bye, big brother. Love you.” With a smile on her face, she put the phone
down.

Seconds later, it rang again. Security asked for permission to send the
prince up. Clay had arrived. Soon he was at her door, and she checked him out
through the peephole. He sure was handsome even in that tiny view. Unable to
wait any longer, she opened the door, and he walked into her entrance hall.

“I’ve missed you, Stacia,” he said and took her in his arms and kissed
her. “That’s better. Now we can take up where we left off.”

His kiss had the same effect on her as in Switzerland and London. The
same tingles ran through her and she wanted more, more, more. “It’s nice to see
you again,” she whispered breathlessly.

“Ditto,” Clay said and smiled. “If you’re ready, we’d better go. Sam’s
waiting in the limo. Can you believe he’s nervous? I’ve been laughing at him
ever since we left our hotel. It seems he had a secret crush on his date years
ago.”

“On Helen?”

“We’re playing Cupid, I guess. At least, on his part. His crush didn’t develop
into anything because he was too busy making money. Then he fell in love with
his late wife. He said he met Helen once years ago but didn’t elaborate on
their meeting.”

“Helen hasn’t had the greatest life, but she certainly is devoted to her
son, just like your mother is.” She picked up her purse. “I’m ready to go,” she
said.

On the way to Helen’s home, Stacia agreed with Clay,
Sam was nervous
.
She’d bet there wasn’t a person in the world who made him nervous, no matter
how big and important they were. He had to be a wild tiger in the business
jungle, or he wouldn’t have gained the financial empire he had, yet here he was
filled with stressed-out anxiety over a pretty little blonde lady.

“How do I look?” Sam asked, running his hand down to smooth out his
pants.

“Just perfect,” Stacia said, wondering if Helen was as nervous as he was.

“Why don’t you pretend you’re entering into a competitive business deal? Maybe
then you can calm down.” Clay grinned at Stacia. “See, I’m not a bit nervous
being with this gorgeous woman.” He put up his hand and wiggled it. “See how
steady my nerves are.”

Sam chuckled. “Maybe I am making too much of this. After all, she’s only
half of a chaperone team for you two. All we are is a decoy. All we are is a
decoy,” he repeated, then shook his head. “No, it doesn’t work. I’m still
nervous.”

“We’re here, Sam,” Clay said when they pulled up to Helen’s place. “Are
you brave enough to go to her door, or do you want this little, defenseless
woman to go get her for you?”

“I’m not defenseless,” Stacia said, making a fist and trying not to laugh
at the same time.

“That was a bad choice of words,” Clay agreed. “Believe me, no one knows
better than I that Stacia and defenseless do not belong in the same sentence. She’s
many things – smart, tempting, luscious, irresistible, beautiful – but
defenseless? Not her. No way.”

“I’m leaving before the conversation in this limo gets X-rated,” Sam said
as he got out and walked toward Helen’s door.

A smile crept over Clay’s face. “X-rated? Has he got the wrong woman! Well,
maybe she is, just a little, if I remember right one afternoon when –”

Stacia interrupted his conversation as she playfully hit him. She and
Clay began laughing until he grew serious and drew her close to him. “You are
tempting and luscious, you know, and easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever
seen.”