H.R.H. (15 page)

“Was?” he asked, looking sympathetic.

“She died when I was five.”

“Mine died when I was fifteen.” It was something they had in common, although she didn't pursue the subject. She didn't want to be rude or intrusive and ask painful questions. “My brother and I grew up alone with my dad.”

“My brother and I did, too.” She smiled.

“What does your brother do now, assuming he's old enough to be doing something?” He laughed, she looked very young to him, mostly because she was so small. She was barely taller than a child, although if she was working for the Red Cross in Africa, he knew she had to be a reasonable age, at the very least over twenty-one.

“He's old enough,” Cricky said ruefully. “He's thirtythree. Actually, most of the time, he travels, chases women, and drives fast cars.”

“Nice work if you can find it,” he teased. “Mine is a doctor, and so is my dad. My father is a surgeon in San Francisco, and my brother is a pediatrician in New York. And I live in Boston.” He supplied all the relevant information, as some Americans did, far more so than Europeans, who gave much less personal information away. But Christianna didn't mind it. She liked the open, friendly American ways. She had missed that since she left Berkeley in June.

“I know you live in Boston.” She smiled pleasantly at him, he seemed nice. “You do research at Harvard.” He seemed pleased that she knew.

“What do you do in Liechtenstein … what's your hometown called, by the way?”

“I live in the capital, Vaduz. And I'm going to work for my father when I go home. But I'm hoping to stay here all year first. If he lets me. He gets a bit nervous when I'm away. But my brother will be home from China soon … that will distract him, I hope. Or drive him insane, depending on what my brother does.” They both laughed.

“Is he a race car driver? You mentioned fast cars.”

“No.” She laughed harder this time, as they walked down a path bordered by bushes, flowers, and trees. The smell of the flowers was heavy and sweet, and one that she would always associate with Africa now. “He's just a very bad boy.”

“Doesn't he work at all?” He looked surprised. That concept was new to him, though not to her. Most princes didn't, especially crown princes like her brother, although most were far more respectable than he was, and found tamer ways to fill their time.

“Actually, he works for my father sometimes, too, but he doesn't like it much. He prefers to travel. He's been traveling in Asia now for several months. He was in Japan before, and now China. He's planning to stop in Burma on his way home.” They sounded like an in teresting family to him.

“And your father?”

“He's in politics and PR.” She had it down pat now, and had said it often enough. She had almost convinced herself. “I'll work for him in PR when I go home.”

“That sounds like fun,” he said generously, and she groaned.

“I can't think of anything worse. I'd much rather be here.”

“And what does he think of that?” he asked, looking at her cautiously. She was beginning to intrigue him. She was a very bright girl.

“He's not too pleased. But he let me come. He agreed to six months, but I'm going to push for a year.” He realized that she was still young enough to be ruled by her father, and somewhat dependent on him. He had no idea to what extent she was bound by her father's rules, and the duties imposed on her as a princess. He would have been stunned had he known.

“I have to be back at Harvard in June, but I love it here, too. It's the most interesting place I've ever been. Africa, I mean. I did some research in Central America a few years ago. My specialty is AIDS in developing countries. This has been a terrific opportunity for me.”

“Doctors Without Borders is a wonderful group. Everyone respects them a great deal.”

“It will be interesting for me in Senafe, too, and nice to stay for a while. What I've been doing for the past month was a little more hit and run, although I've been very grateful that they let me tag along.” She nodded as they slowly turned back. It had been a very pleasant walk with him. He asked her about Berkeley then and if she liked it, and she said she did, very much.

“I was very sorry to go home in June.”

“It doesn't sound like you or your brother like being home a lot,” he said with a mischievous grin.

“You're right. Liechtenstein is a very small place. There's not much to do. There's far more for me to do here.” She was enjoying her AIDS work, and the children she was teaching in the afternoon. She felt useful here, which meant a lot to her.

“I'll have to visit there sometime,” he said politely. “I've been to Vienna, and Lausanne and Zurich, but I've never been to Liechtenstein.”

“It's very pretty,” she said loyally, not sounding convinced herself.

“And very dull,” he added for her.

“Yes,
very
dull,” she admitted with a smile.

“So why go back?” He looked puzzled. In the States, if people didn't like where they lived, they moved, just as he and his brother had. He liked San Francisco, but it was too quiet for him, too.

“I don't have any choice,” she said sadly, but there was no way she could explain. He assumed from what she'd said that her father was pressing her into the family business, particularly if she had an irresponsible brother. It didn't sound fair to him. And the truth of her situation was the farthest thing from his mind. He couldn't have imagined it in a million years. “That's just the way it is. Now I have this year off, and then I have to go back for good.”

“Maybe you can rethink that while you're here.” She laughed out loud at that, and shook her head.

“I'm afraid there's no way I can do that. Sometimes you just have to accept your responsibilities and do what's expected of you, no matter how tedious it is.”

“You can do anything you want in life,” he insisted, “or not do what you don't want. I've never believed you have to play by other people's rules. My father taught me that when I was very young.”

“I wish I could say my father thought that way, but he doesn't. Very much the opposite. He believes in duty before anything. And tradition.” He sounded tough, maybe even unreasonably so, Parker thought, but he didn't say it to her. She looked so happy to be here.

They were back in the camp by then, and Parker said he was going to shower before dinner, as though he were going back to a hotel room.

“You'd better hurry before the water boys go home,” she told him, and explained the system they used to bathe. He had experienced it that morning, but hadn't realized that after a certain hour you could no longer shower, once the water boys left. He thanked her for the information and the pleasant walk, and then hurried back to the tent. And as Christianna wandered back to her own tent, she thought about how easygoing and likable he had been. She didn't know for sure, but she suspected he was about Freddy's age. She was still thinking about him when she went back to her tent, and lay down for a few minutes before dinner.

She was lying on her bed, staring into space with Parker in her mind's eye, and before she knew it, she felt so peaceful she fell asleep.

Chapter 10

T
he team from Doctors Without Borders stayed with them for a week. The Senafe Red Cross team worked hard with them, and their combined efforts benefited the patients they were treating, particularly in the AIDS unit, with Parker's help. And every night the combination of the two groups in the dining tent made for a festive atmosphere. They had a wonderful time together. Particularly Laure and the young French doctor. By the time the visiting medical team left, there was obviously a spark between Laure and her new friend, and when she talked to Christianna about it, she was beaming.

“So?” Cricky asked her expectantly, as they followed their usual path toward the stream. They no longer sat under the trees, however. Neither of them had forgotten the snake that Yaw had spared them from.

“I like him,” Laure admitted with a shy smile, and then just as quickly looked nervous and afraid. “But what do I know? He's probably a liar and a cheat like all other men.” Christianna was sad to hear her say it, and particularly to see the wounded look in her eyes that went with it. Her fiancé had left her with an ugly gift—the gift of distrust for any man who came near her.

“Not all men are liars and cheats,” Christianna said cautiously. The two young women had become fast friends in the short time they'd known each other, and confided much to each other, mostly about their hopes and dreams and fears for the future. Christianna would have liked to share more with her, about her own particular situation, but didn't dare. Her secret was a big one, and she couldn't share it with anyone here, not even Laure, no matter how much she liked her. She was afraid that it would change everything between them, so she continued to keep what she considered her dark secret to herself, the fact that she was a princess. “Some men are actually honorable and decent, Laure. Look at the life he leads, and what he's doing for humanity. That has to say something about him, don't you think?”

“I don't know,” Laure said sadly, and then with tears in her eyes, “I'm afraid to trust him. I don't ever want to be that hurt again.”

“And then what?” Christianna said practically, in her gentle, measured tone. “You enter a convent? You never date again? You give up on life? You stay celibate forever, afraid to go out with anyone or trust any man? That's a lonely life for you, Laure. Not everyone is as rotten as the man who let you down.” Or the best friend who had gone with him. “This one may not be the right man, or it may just be too soon for you to trust again, but I'd hate to see you close that door forever. You just can't. You're too wonderful a person, and much too beautiful to let that happen.”

“That's what he says,” Laure said, drying her eyes. “I told him about what happened. He thought it was awful.”

“It was awful. It was a totally rotten thing to do to you. He was a real cad, in every sense of the word,” Christianna said vehemently, and Laure smiled at her. She loved her new friend.

“He had a right to change his mind about marrying me,” Laure said, trying to be fair. “And even to fall in love with someone else.”

“Yes, but not in the order he did it, and not with your best friend. He must have known sooner than two days before the wedding that he had grave doubts, and he had obviously been involved with her for a while. Any way you look at it, it was a rotten thing to do. But that doesn't mean that someone else will do the same thing again.” She was trying to divide the two issues so Laure could see it more clearly.

“The same thing happened to Antoine,” she said quietly. He was the young doctor in question. “They weren't engaged, but he went out with her for five years, all through medical school and after. She also went off with his best friend, and then married his brother, so he has to see her all the time. That's why he came here to Africa and joined Doctors Without Borders, so he wouldn't have to see them. He hasn't spoken to his brother since they got married, which must be sad for him.”

“She sounds like a piece of work. It sounds like you both got lucky, getting rid of people like that, even though it may not seem like it right now. I really think you should give this guy a chance. When can you see him again after he leaves?” She didn't know exactly when the team was coming back this way again, although they came to the camp roughly once a month, and Laure was leaving in a relatively short time, in about a month, so she might miss him, if the Doctors Without Borders didn't come back before she left. It seemed a shame to Christianna for them to miss an opportunity to get to know each other. There was obviously something there or she wouldn't be so troubled. She clearly felt a pull toward this man, and at the same time felt vulnerable and afraid.

“He wants to see me in Geneva. He's leaving Africa in a few months. He's accepted a job in a hospital in Brussels, specialized in tropical medicine. He said he'd come to visit me when he gets back. I'm going back two months before him.”

“That gives you time to adjust to the idea. Why don't you see how you feel about it when you go back? Maybe the two of you could correspond or something in the meantime.” Laure laughed in answer, and Christianna had to admit that it wouldn't be easy for them to contact each other in Africa, given their locations and the nature of their jobs. But three months wasn't long to wait, and Laure needed the time to heal. “I think you should give it a shot, or at least leave the door open, and see what happens. You don't have much to lose at this point, you haven't invested anything in it. Let him prove to you that he's a good guy. Be cautious, but at least give the poor man a chance, he's been through a lot, too.”

“I don't want to get my heart broken again,” Laure said, still looking worried. But there was no question, she was tempted, and everything Christianna had said to her made sense.

“Nothing is whole that has not previously been rent,” Christianna offered. “That's a misquote, and I think it's Yeats. All hearts get broken at some point, in the end it makes us stronger.”

“And yours?” Laure smiled at her.

“My heart is a virgin,” Christianna answered. “I've liked some people, a lot even, but I don't think I've ever been in love. In fact, I know I haven't.” She had so little opportunity, except for her years in Berkeley, but other than that the scope of her world was so small, the options for her so narrow as to be almost nonexistent. In order to satisfy her father, it would have to be a prince, or at least someone titled, from her own world. If not, it would cause a huge explosion. Despite other young royals marrying commoners in recent years, her father had always insisted that she had to marry another royal. It was a promise he had made her mother before she died, a tradition that meant much to him, and he always pointed out that few royal marriages to commoners had been successful. It was not only about bloodlines for him, he had a profound belief that it was essential not to marry someone too different. And he had always made it clear to her that he would never give her his approval unless she married another royal. She believed him. And she could not conceive of getting married without her father's blessing. She couldn't say as much to Laure.

“I don't recommend it, falling in love, I mean. I've never been so miserable in my life as after he canceled the wedding and ran off. I thought I was going to die.”

“You didn't though. That's a good thing to remember. And if this man, or another one, is a better man, then you were blessed.”

“I suppose you're right,” Laure said, looking more philosophical, and a little braver. Christianna had made some excellent points, and they hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Laure was ready to hear them, although frightened. She truly liked the man she had just met, a lot. There had been an instant attraction and understanding when they met, almost like soulmates, although she wasn't entirely sure she believed in that anymore. She had been convinced her ex-fiancé had been her soulmate too, although he turned out to be anything but and in fact someone else's. But this man was different, and he seemed vulnerable and cautious, too, also with good reason. They were perfectly matched in many ways, and respectful of each other. “Maybe I will see him when I go back,” she said with a shy smile.

“Good girl,” Christianna said, and hugged her as they walked back to the camp. They passed several of the local women, walking with their children. They both commented on how friendly the people of Eritrea were, even among themselves. They spoke nine different languages in the country, but no matter what they spoke, they always wore a smile, and were constantly helpful. They wanted everyone to feel warmly welcomed and comfortable. It made every encounter with them a joy.

The one thing that always pained Christianna when she saw it were the children with malnutrition, usually from outlying rural areas, but sometimes even here in Senafe. They had had years of starvation and drought, and the distended bellies of starving children brought to them for medical treatment never failed to make her cry. There was so little one could do for them to solve all the ills and sorrows and poverty they had endured and faced so courageously. The Red Cross was doing all they could for them, as were other groups, but the country needed more than a handful of compassionate people caring for them. They needed political and economic solutions that were beyond anyone's control. There was a sense of helplessness being there, while at the same time a sense of gratitude and joy just to be among them. Christianna intended to speak to her family foundation about an enormous grant for their benefit when she got home. And in the meantime, she was giving them her time, her heart, her soul. Just being there was an enormous gift to her, and she would be forever grateful to them for welcoming her so generously, to the Red Cross for allowing her this experience, and to her father for letting her come. Sometimes just thinking about it, her heart overflowed.

They reached the camp in time to shower before dinner. The water girls were gone, but the women poured the water for each other, and Fiona joined them when she heard them laughing outside the tent in the makeshift shower.

“Okay, what's happening, girls?” Fiona asked with her standard look of mischief. She was currently having a hard time trying to decide whether to chase Max or one of the visiting doctors she thought was gorgeous. But he was leaving the next day, which didn't give her much time. Max was a better long-term investment as he was going to be around for quite a while. Christianna and the two men weren't planning to go home for months, hopefully not till the end of the year, so he was a much better bet than a one-night stand, however cute. She discussed it with both women, who laughed at her dilemma.

Fiona was single-handedly changing the face of obstetrics in the area of Debub, particularly Senafe. Before her arrival, women had had to travel three days by donkey to give birth in a hospital far from home, and often delivered their babies by the side of the road. With Fiona's help, far fewer infants were dying in the days immediately before and after birth. And when she sensed a problem that would require a physician on hand at the delivery, she insisted that they give birth at the center. The locals were vastly impressed by her kindness and competence, her energy, and how much healthier their infants were when they were born. Both mothers and babies did well in Fiona's care. She was becoming legendary and much loved.

“What have you two been up to?” Fiona asked with interest as she dried off, after showering at the same time as Cricky and Laure.

“Just talking,” Laure said quietly, but she was friendlier with all of them now. Ever since her friendship with Christianna had blossomed, she had been more open with everyone. To Fiona, it seemed a miraculous change, which no longer surprised her. Christianna seemed to have that gift with everyone. “About Antoine,” she confessed with a blush. “He's very nice.”

Fiona laughed. “He's a lot better than that. He's a very handsome man, and I think he's totally smitten with you.” And Laure with him.

“I might see him when I go back,” Laure said quietly, with a glance at her other friend. Christianna had convinced her that afternoon. She was going to at least leave the door open for him, and see what happened after that. It was a major step for her.

Dinner in the dining tent that night was a festive affair. The residents at the camp on the outskirts of Senafe were sorry to see the others leave. It was so much livelier when they were there. There was a great deal of talk and laughter, the food seemed exceptionally good, and Geoff contributed several bottles of decent South African wine. They all had a good time, and afterward Laure and Antoine stood outside the tent and talked. After Laure's conversation with Christianna, she seemed to have opened up considerably. When Christianna and Fiona wandered out of the dining tent, they glimpsed Antoine and Laure kissing at a little distance. They said nothing, hoping not to disturb the young lovers, and walked back to the Ritz in silence, touched by what they'd seen. It was nice to know that after months of grief over her broken engagement, Laure was finally healing. They both hoped that she and Antoine would see each other again once back in Europe. They seemed to be crazy about each other.

“I'm glad somebody is getting kissed around here,” Fiona said with a grin, and Christianna laughed, as they walked into their tent. “I'm sure not getting any,” she complained good-naturedly. They lived in such close quarters and knew each other so well that they were more like sisters and brothers, and romances didn't flourish or even happen. It seemed simpler like that. She was even losing interest in pursuing Max, and was becoming friends with him. He and Samuel had gotten comfortable with everyone and fit right in. They worked every bit as hard as the others, mostly handling and unpacking supplies, making repairs, filling out requisition slips to replace whatever they were running out of, and going to the market for emergency supplies. Everyone appreciated their help and their tireless efforts. They checked in with Christianna several times a day, and were never far from wherever she was, but they didn't hover over her, or intrude on what she was doing. They had managed to achieve the perfect balance. There had been no slips about her identity, either by them or by Geoff.