Slow Tango With a Prince (Royal Scandals) (39 page)
Read Slow Tango With a Prince (Royal Scandals) Online
Authors: Nicole Burnham
She wanted to tell him to prove it, but before she could, he busied himself doing exactly that.
Epilogue
Nine Months Later
Fabrizia waited on the garden bench as Prince Massimo and his new wife, Kelly, stood on a gravel walkway behind the palace waiting for the photographer to finish taking his shots. Near her hip, Massimo’s purebred Sarcaccian Shepherd, Gaspare, waited patiently for his master, enjoying a stealthy head scratch from the queen. As handsome as Massimo appeared in his dress uniform and Kelly did in her wedding gown, Fabrizia’s attention kept drifting to Vittorio and Emily, who stood nearby.
Vittorio had proposed to Emily just after Christmas, whisking her away on a trip to Buenos Aires and presenting her with a stunning pink diamond ring he’d designed with the family’s longtime jeweler, Conti & Fancetti. When the couple returned, Fabrizia overheard Vittorio telling Sophia that he knew it wasn’t traditional, but he’d selected the stone because he loved seeing Emily in pink. It warmed Fabrizia’s heart to know Vittorio had put so much thought into the ring and its design.
Emily, for her part, loved it. In fact, she was playing with it now, using her thumb to subconsciously twist it on her ring finger as she watched Kelly and Massimo with a smile on her face.
“Your mind never stops, does it, my darling?” Carlo rested his arm on the back of the bench and spoke quietly. “What is occupying it now?”
“It was a lovely ceremony.” Smaller than she’d have liked, though she understood, given Massimo’s desire for privacy since he’d returned from a grueling military assignment in Africa. Massimo called the family together only three days ago to inform them that he’d arranged to fly Kelly’s family to Sarcaccia from Texas, then to marry Kelly this morning in the palace’s private chapel, a space that held fifty people at most.
“It’s what we want,” Massimo had explained to his parents. “Very low key, with only family and a few close friends. We can issue a press release after the fact and thank the country for the support they’ve shown us since we announced our engagement.”
Carlo’s instinct was to object, Fabrizia knew. The citizens of Sarcaccia wanted and expected a public wedding ceremony for a prince. But to his credit, Carlo had asked once if Massimo and Kelly were certain, had nodded at his son’s confirmation, then cleared his schedule.
His gaze pointedly followed Fabrizia’s. “Odd that you’re studying Vittorio and Emily, then.”
Fabrizia smiled. Her husband knew her well. She put her hand on his knee, which she rarely did unless they were behind closed doors. “We have a lot for which to be thankful.”
“But?”
His expression remained pleasant, though she understood what he was asking.
“I fear it’ll come crashing down.”
“It won’t.”
The photographer asked for Massimo’s siblings to join their brother and his new wife for the next photo. As everyone shifted positions, Fabrizia turned to Carlo. “We never found out who was asking questions in Croatia.”
“No. But Vittorio’s return likely made whoever it was realize they’d made a mistake.”
Fabrizia didn’t believe that. She’d seen the photos of Teresa’s son boarding that yacht in Dubrovnik last year. Rocco Cornaro’s resemblance to Vittorio and Alessandro was uncanny. “I understand that he’s still separated from his wife. And Teresa is ill. Advanced liver disease. I don’t know the details, but I’m afraid it could be terminal.”
A muscle in Carlo’s jaw jumped. “Not only does your mind work overtime, my dear, so do your investigators.”
“She hasn’t told you?”
He gave a minute shake of his head.
“Perhaps she’s waiting for the right opportunity. I’m sure it’s a difficult time for her.” The relationship between Carlo and Teresa was a complicated one. Fabrizia couldn’t imagine how he’d take the news of her health issues. But that wasn’t her emotional battle to wage; it was Carlo’s. He’d confide in her if he needed to.
The queen forced herself to relax against the bench and smile in the direction of her children, though she stole another quick look at her husband. “If ever the past were to come to light, it would be now.”
“Perhaps.” He shifted closer to her on the bench and covered her hand with his, then lifted it to his lips for a brief kiss. “If so, I won’t allow it to harm us. I love you. You love me. That bond cannot be broken. And our children are happy. Look at them.”
His smile widened as he watched his sons and daughter elbow each other in front of the camera as if they possessed all the maturity of grade schoolers. It made Fabrizia’s heart swell to see Carlo so joyful. He deserved it.
He released her hand, but the happy expression didn’t leave his face. “When I asked what you were thinking, I was afraid you were worried for Vittorio and Emily.”
The newly-engaged couple had asked to have dinner with the king and queen a week after returning from Buenos Aires. When the four of them were alone, Vittorio told his parents about Emily’s health history and explained that she might have difficulty getting pregnant. While they were anxious to have children and had already met with a fertility specialist, they felt it important to inform the king and queen.
“Knowing you, Mother, you’d find out another way if we didn’t tell you.” Vittorio hadn’t bothered to hide the accusation in his voice, though he’d laughed as he said it. They didn’t want the information to be shared with the family, however. Even with Alessandro. “There’s no point in placing that burden on him until we know we’re out of options. And right now, we’re optimistic.”
Emily had been quiet for most of the meal, but Fabrizia caught the young woman’s smile at Vittorio’s declaration of hope. When Vittorio had finished speaking, Emily turned to Carlo, her expression sober once more. “All that being said, Your Highness, before we publicly announce our engagement, we would like your blessing. Between the amount of travel I’ll do for my job in the coming seasons and the challenges we would face starting a family, I understand if you feel it would not be in the country’s best interest for us to marry. I take Vittorio’s obligations as seriously as I know you do.”
When Emily uttered those words, Fabrizia saw in Vittorio’s face that he hadn’t been expecting Emily to make the request. Nor would Vittorio have asked for such a thing himself; he was determined to marry Emily no matter what. That flash of fire in Vittorio’s eyes, more than anything, convinced Fabrizia that the two of them belonged together….children or no children. She’d spoken before either Carlo or Vittorio could open their mouths.
“Of course you have our blessing.” Gladness filled her as she looked across the table at Emily. “If we can help with wedding planning, finding the best fertility specialists, or anything else you desire, you need only to ask. We’re overjoyed that you’ll be part of our family.”
The formal engagement announcement had been made less than a week later.
The photographer called for the king and queen to join Massimo, Kelly, and Kelly’s parents for the next set of photos. As Carlo offered Fabrizia his elbow, she told him, “I’m not worried about them. They’re deliriously happy.”
“I think so, too. And in a few short months, we’ll be celebrating their wedding. In the meantime, we’ll be grandparents again very soon.”
“And I plan to spend every moment possible with Anna and my new grandbaby.” Megan was due to deliver a son any day now. She and Stefano planned to name him Dario, a name Fabrizia adored.
The king gave his children a broad smile as they peeled off from where they’d been posing with Massimo and Kelly for the photographer, then he leaned in so his words were for Fabrizia’s ears only. “Croatia can wait until it needs to be addressed. Until then, let’s enjoy the now. It’s too good to miss.”
Knowing she would scandalize her children, Fabrizia took her place in the photo beside her husband, then raised up on her toes to give him a lingering kiss.
As always, Carlo was right. The now was very good, indeed. She planned to enjoy it thoroughly.
Thank you for reading
Slow Tango With a Prince
. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review at your favorite bookseller or book club website. And look for more books in the Royal Scandals series, coming soon!
Learn about Nicole’s upcoming releases and get special insider perks by subscribing to her e-newsletter at
www.nicoleburnham.com
Nicole is also on
Facebook
and on
Twitter
.
The Royal Scandals Series
Christmas With a Prince
(novella), Royal Scandals #0.5
Scandal With a Prince
, Royal Scandals #1
Scandal With a Prince
, Royal Scandals #1 (Print)
Honeymoon With a Prince
, Royal Scandals #2
Honeymoon With a Prince
, Royal Scandals #2 (Print)
Slow Tango With a Prince, Royal Scandals #3
About the Author
Nicole Burnham is the RITA-award winning author of over a dozen romance novels, most featuring modern-day royalty. She has lived and traveled all over the world, absorbing different cultures and visiting the opulent palaces and lush gardens that inspired the Royal Scandals series.
All About Romance
declares, “Nicole Burnham gives life to a fictional kingdom and monarchy that feel as though they could be real” and “gosh darn it, Nicole Burnham is
good
….readers should definitely check her out.”
Nicole currently lives in Boston. She enjoys yoga, games at Fenway Park, taking her dog for long walks, and reading the many romance novels on her bookshelves. Most of all, she loves writing stories about far-off countries, deliciously powerful heroes, and passionate heroines for her readers.
You can read more about Nicole and sign up for her popular e-newsletter at her website,
www.nicoleburnham.com
. She’s also on
Facebook
and on
Twitter
.
Table of Contents