A Prince For Sophie (20 page)

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Ah, Stephan. You’re the second person in recent times to say that to me.”

* * * *

“I can’t believe my father has done this!”

“Believe it,” Stephan said ruefully. “These chains seem real enough. Are you all right?”

She and Stephan were sitting side by side in very comfortable plush chairs. The room—or rather, she thought, the cell—was cast in shadows. There was a small round table between their chairs, and on that table were cups of tea and an assortment of thin, delectable sandwiches and pastries. In fact, if it weren’t for the leg shackles holding them to the chairs and the manacles securing one arm each—his left and her right—the scene had all the appearance of a genteel repast from decades past.

“You mean other than being furious with my father? Of course I’m all right.”

“I don’t think he did this to upset you. I think he just wanted to give us the opportunity to talk.”

“You’re not angry?”

“Well, I cannot hold or kiss any part of you, other than your hand. That doesn’t make me very happy. On the other hand and please pardon the pun, you can’t run off from me, either.”

There
was
a trace of anger in Stephan’s voice, but she was astute enough to understand it wasn’t directed at her father.

“I’m sorry, Stephan. I probably should not have left without telling you.”

“Probably?”

Sophie ignored his autocratic tone for the moment. “It was rude of me to leave without so much as writing you a note. After all I was a guest in your home.”

“You are going to make me say words that I have never used in the presence of a lady.”

Ignoring his warning growl, Sophie continued with righteous hauteur. “However, I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.”

“Sophie, how could running away be the right thing?”

“Well. That’s just what I was trying to tell you upstairs in father’s office when you were issuing orders and commandments like some sort of...of...”

“Future king?”

The look on his face was pure Stephan. One part devil, one part saint.

“You’re very funny. I had never seen that side of you before. It didn’t take very much for that arrogant, domineering trait to rise to the surface, either,” she noted. “A little emotional upset—”

“A
little
emotional upset? First, the woman I love vanishes from my bed without so much as a by-your-leave or thanks-for-the-sex. Then, I’m forced to wait an entire day to follow because of a sudden, unexpected storm. Then I arrive but can barely step foot off my plane because a phalanx of guards, led by my beloved’s future brother-in-law are ready to tear my heart out. Then I finally convince everyone that I mean no harm, I arrive where I need to be, open a door and hear the woman I love, the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, who even now may be carrying my child, telling her papa that she has decided to join a convent and you think I was a
little
upset?”

Sophie waved her left hand, dismissing his complaint. “That is not important. What is important is this new and disturbing trait I’ve seen in you. Am I going to have to worry about you ordering me around like one of your minions after we are married? Because, my love, that is not something that holds any appeal for me whatsoever.”

She turned to look at him, and had the pleasure of watching his face as her words, their meaning, penetrated. When he reached for her hand, she gave it. When he kissed hers, then brought it to his face, her heart melted. There was such love in his eyes, such joy, that she knew the spectres of the past would soon be completely banished for good.

“I cannot promise that you will never see that side of me again, but I’ll try. I can promise that I will never cease being grateful that you’re my wife. I’ll never tire of doing all that I can to make you happy. I promise that there will always be family time, for you and me, and the children we have together. I promise to never,
ever
stop loving you.”

“I promise to never let anything come between us, ever again—not even my own fears. I promise that I will never cease being grateful that you’re my husband, and I will never tire of doing my best to make you happy. I love you, Stephan, and I want, very, very much to have your children.”

“No joining any convents?”

There was teasing in his voice and laughter in his eyes. “No convents. If you had barged into that
private
conversation just earlier little bit sooner, you would have heard me tell papa that it was an idea I’d had years ago, but did not have to use. Most happily, now, as it turns out.”

Sophie wanted to kiss him, but knew she couldn’t. The chains didn’t give them much leeway. Frowning, she jerked her right arm, testing the strength of the metal.

“We’re good and truly shackled together, love. How long do you think your father is going to leave us down here like this?”

Sophie couldn’t reach Stephan’s mouth with hers, but she could rest her head on his shoulder. She smiled as he automatically adjusted the way he was sitting to better accommodate her. “Well,” she said softly in answer to his question, “before today I never would have believed he’d have done this at all. But as to how long we’ll stay this way, my guess would be about thirty seconds after Hannah finds out what he’s done.”

As if her words had summoned them, the sound of the outer door to the corridor opening and her new stepmother giving her father merry hell reached them.

“So, Your Highness,” Stephan began, speaking quickly, “I didn’t ask, and you didn’t answer. Yet. But I will now. I want you as my best friend, my wife, and the mother of my children. Sophie, will you marry me? Will you be my princess, and one day, my queen?”

“Yes, Stephan, I will.”

They reached for each other automatically. But it wasn’t until their kiss ended that they noticed the chains that had so recently held them apart had fallen to the floor. From the sounds of their voices, Hannah was still giving Alex a dressing down in the next room.

“Do you smell lilacs and hear music?” Stephan asked.

Sophie laughed, as she looked from the chains to her fiancé. “I do. Just like that day that Catharine accepted Philip’s proposal. Perhaps their fairy godmother stayed around for a while.”

“Oh, that wasn’t their fairy godmother, darling.”

“No?”

“No, that was ours.”

Sophie opened her eyes, the soft haze of sleep cocooning her and keeping her warm beneath the blankets. Standing with his back to her at the end of the bed, Stephan, gloriously naked, spoke softly. Soft moonlight spilled into the room, dappling his bronzed flesh, illuminating him in a way that she thought almost looked angelic. His pose—his arms gathered to the front—and the tilt of his head were enough even without the soft words to tell her what he was doing up in the middle of the night.

For a moment she decided to simply enjoy this sight. There’d been many such moments in the last month. Watching Stephan in this, his newest role, was fast becoming her
favorite
pastime.

“Is she hungry?” Sophie finally asked, sitting up and gathering pillows behind her back.

“Mmm. She may be, a little. She was definitely wet, and we couldn’t have that.”

“Come back to bed darling. Bring her with you.”

A tiny gurgling sound was enough to stimulate Sophie’s breasts so that her milk was ready by the time the tiny mouth fastened greedily on her left nipple.

“I will never get over the wonder of her, or you,” Stephan whispered. His finger continued to caress their daughter’s tiny cheek. “Alexandria Sophia Isabella Marie...what a big name for such a tiny angel.”

Sophie relaxed, so filled with joy and contentment she thought it a wonder she didn’t burst. “It is a big name,” Sophie agreed. “At the christening today, Catharine dubbed her ‘Allie’. I think I like that.”

“Allie. Yes, that is a very good name for our daughter.” He looked up at her, then leaned in for a quick kiss. “I didn’t get much of a chance to visit with your sisters today. I’m glad they’re staying for a few days. How are they?”

“Both are past the morning sickness. Did you know that they are due within days of each other?”

“That I did know. Peter and Philip were considering placing wagers, but I think Hannah’s appearance beside them stemmed that plan.”

“Thank you, Stephan.”

“For?”

“For this happiness in my heart that grows every day. I love you so much. Thank you for stealing kisses and keeping after me. And thank you for this beautiful baby.”

“I am the one who should be saying thanks. One taste and I knew I had found my soul mate. I am the luckiest man in all the world.”

“I’m the lucky one, husband. I’ve been a princess all my life, but it never seemed special or magical until you. Marrying you has been like living a real fairy tale.”

“There is no doubt in my mind at all that there will be nothing but magic and love in our home, forever.”

Sophie knew he spoke nothing but the truth.

* * * *

“Well, sister?”

Invisible to human eyes, the two fairy godmothers hovered close to the ceiling and looked on as the young family snuggled in to enjoy the intimate moment.

“Gwendolyn, I have to admit that you were completely right. He is a good boy. And such a good father, too.”

“And the perfect match for our Sophie?”

“Indeed.”

Leaving the bedroom, they continued to rise above the castle in Korvan, the official residence of the royal family in the capital city of Montgermane. Because they wished it, by simply looking down, they could see into the interior of the castle, to the guests who’d arrived that day for little Allie’s christening. Hannah and Alex, Catharine and Philip, and Rachel and Peter, were all sound asleep, all warm and safe and happy. Love thrived here and in the resting hearts, filling the air with the scent of lilacs, the sound of soft music, and the rosy color of joy.

“We’ve done good work here, sister,” Eugenia said softly.

“We have. We surely have. But there is just one thing.”

“Yes?”

“I have so much magic left, Eugenia, I wonder what on earth I’m going to do with it?”

“Oh, that’s easy.”

“It is?”

“Yes.” With a wave of her hand, she and her sister began to drift on the breeze. “Time for us moves at a different pace than it does for them. It won’t be all that long before we’re needed again. The next generation of Benets and Jones and de la Croix are on their way. And, don’t forget, there’s that delightful little Michelle over in Canada. Since that little sweetheart was the one who began this entire adventure, we can’t forget her.”

“Yes, of course. How wonderful! We
will
be needed again before long.”

“Quite right. And as for these others, there’s really only one thing left to say.”

“I know.” Gwendolyn’s eyes danced with joy. “May I say it, sister? Please?”

“Gwendolyn, I do believe you’ve earned that right.”

Gwendolyn smiled. The air began to sparkle around her. Holding out her hand, her fingers closed around the glowing wand that appeared. Raising it high she then gently dipped it over the castle. Her words, when she spoke, were bathed in the lyrical beauty of ages past.

“And they all lived happily ever after.”

A PRINCE FOR SOPHIE

Magic and Love 3

WWW.MORGANASHBURY.COM

Morgan has been a writer since she was first able to pick up a pen. In the beginning it was a hobby, a way to create a world of her own, and who could resist the allure of that? Then as she grew and matured, life got in the way, as life often does. She got married and had three children, and worked in the field of accounting, for that was the practical thing to do and the children did need to be fed. And all the time she was being practical, she would squirrel herself away on quiet Sunday afternoons, and write.

Most children are raised knowing the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. Morgan’s children also learned the Paper Rule: thou shalt not throw out any paper that has thy mother’s words upon it.