Page 34 of Forbidden Prince
He walked her down the stairs and threw open the veranda doors. She imagined herself sitting on the ledge and taking in the sea air while she relaxed in theshade.
Marco guided her down the cliff, the steps leading to the docks and to what must be his yacht. "Now, at this country club of yours, did they have you hostanything?"
In her parents’ circle, they still thought of her as the poor unfortunate girl with bad judgment. In Miami, she was at least seen as capable. She shook her head. "Not really. But I learned management skills in my classroom." She turned to face him and the sea air tossed her hair around wildly. "So what hosting do you need me todo?"
He winked at her. "Well it would be nice to give the locals a more upscale pageant when you're theprincess."
Princess sounded like they were discussing a job in the newspaper that morning and not her future. She laughed. "Sometimes, I think we're talking about someone else, someone who is notme."
He crossed his arms. "Why?"
Right. This was too new, but she swallowed, stopped laughing and placed her hand on his heart. "I feel like two separate people and part of me wonders when I'll wake up from thisdream."
He put his hand on top of hers to keep her with him and turned, like they were dancing. "So you do want to marry aprince?"
She nodded and followed his lead. "Since you asked so nicely, yes. But before I met you, I was sure I was going to turn out just as my parentsexpected."
His gaze still had the incredible, he didn't believe her blink. Soon he'd see for himself. "And a princess is a bad choice forthem?"
She closed her eyes, smelled the fresh sea and listened to her heart while she mimicked her father's tone. "It gives them a false sense of entitlement for thefamily."
"Hmm." He spun her around and caught her off guard. "I might have to go to this Country Club of yours and see it formyself."
"It’s not mine." Her parents were unique and not the same as the other members. She shrugged, placed her hand on his shoulder and danced again. "I'm sure every other member and their families would love you. Mine are the specialones."
"And what does your brother do for aliving?"
Neil was the perfect son. He did everything just the way they liked and never made a mistake. She hugged Marco's shoulder closer to her head so she could lean on him. "He's an accountant, like myfather."
A shadow passed over them and they stopped to look up. Renee leaned against the marble stones of the ledge and stared higher to see what was now on the balcony they’d just left. "What's Henri doing up there? I thought he worked inside thecastle."
"Let's go find out." Marco took her hand. "Anise, your maid in my parent's house, is his sister. I was having her background check run afteryesterday."
"Good, because she was tied up in my room and then wanted to cleaneverything."
"She never mentionedthat."
There was no way Anise tied herself up in her room, but Renee kept her lips sealed. Perhaps there was a connection. Henri had a smooth smile had made her suspicious—though he was probably not guilty of anything more than being aplayer.
As they made their way up the marble steps, Renee told Marco, "I believe that love knows no boundaries or class system. But I know from research that Europeans who grow up in England can be more strict when it comes to class and rank. What’s the score of that inAvce?"
"People are class-conscious, but since you’re foreign born and best friends with the new princess, it’s not a problem foryou."
"I can't wait to marryyou."
"Good, because I love you too," Marcosaid.
She didn’t get tired of hearing that. They turned the corner and Renee saw a breakfast table set up for the two of them, complete with hot coffee and tea. Renee shook her head. She shouldn't have suspected Henri. Her feelings were known to be wrong in thepast.
She followed Marco to the breakfast table and relaxed. Today was a perfect day. Nothing could go wrongnow.
17
The moment Renee finished eating,her stomach stirred. Today was the day her parents came to Avce and they’d head back to the mainland soon. She glanced at the double doors in the middle of the veranda and assumed it led to the ballroom they'd discussed earlier. This month in Avce had flown by, though it was still the heat ofsummer.
She asked, "Can we go in andsee?"
Marco had no objection. He finished his last bit of coffee and dropped his napkin on the table. Henri would clean up after them. "Also, do castle servants get days off or is this a seven day a weekjob?"
