A Prince For Sophie (9 page)

Nothing, Hannah was certain, would be more eye-opening for Sophie than to suddenly be surrounded by scads of eligible men, all vying for her attention. When she found herself sought after she would have no choice but to accept that she was indeed a warm and loving and desirable human being.

Hannah saw the degree to which Sophie reined in her annoyance in the face of her own apparent anxiety. A truly cold woman, Hannah could have told her, would not give a damn if she, Hannah, were anxious or not. Too bad Sophie wasn’t ready to simply listen to reason.

“Of course I’m pleased to do whatever I can to help.”

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart. The notices have been sent out. The orchestra has been contracted for the ball, and Robert has been given carte blanche to arrange tasty treats to serve Friday evening. Mostly what we need you to do, as the hostess, is simply collect the pledges from the participants, and preside at the tournament. The winner will be declared your champion, but all that prize awards the donor is the right to carry your flag in the parade.”

“Is
that
what Father meant?”

Her question was wrapped in such a sigh of relief that Hannah chuckled. “You didn’t think your father was going to auction you off to the highest bidder, did you?”

“No! No,” Sophie repeated, ruefully shaking her head. “I think I didn’t get enough sleep last night. Of course Father would never even consider such a thing. This really is a unique and wonderful way to celebrate your marriage. And he was absolutely right. Everyone else does have a full plate. I’m the perfect one to lend a hand.”

“I’m so glad you feel that way, honey. There isn’t a whole lot left for us to organize. I think this event was meant to be, because the details are all coming together as if aided by magic. Even so, I feel so much better knowing that your experienced eye will catch anything I might miss. I don’t want to start off as Queen on the wrong foot.”

Hannah impulsively hugged Sophie, then hurried off on her way before the young princess could ask any more questions. She just hoped Alex was ready to play his part.

* * * *

“I’m so pleased that you’ll be helping Hannah,” Alex said. “She wanted to do something to, I think she called it, ‘jump in with both feet.’ Knowing you’ll be helping her relieves me greatly. I don’t want her to feel overwhelmed by all that she’s going to be taking on when she marries me.”

Sophie could have sworn she heard the sound of a cage snapping shut around her. It didn’t seem to matter that logically she knew it wasn’t so. It didn’t even matter that she understood and agreed with her father’s reasoning completely. She felt as if she’d just been neatly trapped, and that some ominous fate awaited her.

It was time for her to acknowledge the awful truth. Her emotions, which had always been so calm and so bland, were now in turmoil. She wanted to blame the state on today’s nuptials, but was very much afraid there was another source entirely responsible for her state.

And that other source was likely waiting for her in her rooms right now.

“Will you sit with me awhile? We can sit and talk and have tea brought in. It would be like old times, before Michael and Helene married.”

Sophie wondered at the flicker of surprise that crossed her father’s face. Almost, she thought, as if the invitation had been not what he meant to say. Acting on impulse herself, she hugged him, hard.

“Thanks, but no. I want to return to my suite and change.”

She was nearly at the door when her father called her name. Turning, she tilted her head to one side. “Yes?”

“Everything’s all right with you, isn’t it? With first your brother and then your sister deciding to settle down, and my marrying Hannah—”

“Everything is fine, papa. I’m so very happy, for my brother and my sister, but especially for you. I like Hannah very much.”

She hoped she’d reassured him. She wondered what had prompted that sudden parental concern, even as she marveled that her usual shield of aloofness seemed to be slipping away from her.

“I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Stephan closed his eyes at the sound of Michael’s voice. Just ten seconds more, he mused, and he would have been inside Sophie’s suite. Another few moments after that and he would have been inside
her
. Shaking his head at the uncharacteristically crude thought, he turned to face his friend with a carefree grin.

“And you have found me. What can I do for you?”

He thought the look that flashed across Michael’s face was one of utter confusion. It was almost as if his friend had forgotten whatever had been on his mind.

“I haven’t been a very good host,” he said at last. “I’ve left you to fend for yourself entirely too much this week.”

“I would not expect you to toss off your duties just to entertain me.”

“We’ve become depressingly responsible, have we not? There was a time when we would have done exactly that, the both of us. What the hell. My brother got married today. That deserves a reprieve from work, I think. Care for a game of billiards?”

There was no way Stephan could refuse the invitation, as much as he wanted to. And there was no way in hell he could let on that he’d had something better planned. Allowing himself one quick, regretful look at Sophie’s closed door, he accepted.

“I think we’ll see if we can drag Peter away from my sister long enough to join us,” Michael said as they descended the main staircase.

“It doesn’t bother you that your friend is going to marry your sister?”

“No. Relieves me, in truth. Rachel is a tempestuous soul. I don’t have to worry about her now that Peter has claimed her.”

Stephan laughed. “Better not let your sister hear that opinion.”

“No,” Michael agreed immediately, “that wouldn’t be wise.”

Despite that comment about pulling Peter away from Rachel, the man was, in fact, in his office.

“I can’t play hooky, not after that bombshell your father dropped on us this morning,” he said with a sigh. “The palace is about to have its doors thrown open to admit anyone with the price of a ticket. I
hate
this kind of thing.”

“You take your job too seriously,
mon ami
,” Michael clapped him companionably on the shoulder. “As I believe your future father-in-law said recently, you have a competent staff. Delegate to them for a couple of hours.”

Stephan enjoyed their banter. He didn’t know Peter Jones that well, having only met the man a couple of times. But clearly, he’d been considered a member of the family even before his engagement to Rachel.

“You can try to hold up against Michael, but by the time he gives in and goes away, likely those couple of hours will have passed, regardless,” Stephan advised. “Might as well spend them doing something more pleasant than arguing.”

Peter raised one eyebrow and seemed to consider first him and then Michael.

“You’re right, Your Highness. A couple of games of billiards does sound more enjoyable than playing tug of war with a bulldog.”

“Ah, but you cannot join us unless you call me Stephan.”

The balls had been racked and Stephan had just delivered the break shot when Michael said, “I imagine this is a poor substitute for what you had planned to occupy your time this afternoon.”

Still stretched out across the billiard table, Stephan turned his head and encountered two very serious male stares.

“And that would be?”

Peter turned to look at Michael. “How close was he to knocking on her door?”

“It did not appear to me as if he was even going to bother to knock.”

Stephan straightened and leaned one hip against the table. The implacable expressions on their faces triggered a stiffening of his spine, and he felt his right eyebrow arch. He knew he looked imperious, but couldn’t seem to do anything to relax his stance. Perhaps there was some truth in his mother’s opinion that he did not handle being challenged well.

* * * *

She wanted to kick something, hard.

Frowning with the unfamiliar impulse, Sophie folded her arms and paced the sitting room of her suite.

She supposed the only thing she could be thankful for right now was that neither Stephan nor Michael had seen her door open that little crack, so neither was aware that she’d witnessed that scene in the hallway.

Looking all over for him indeed.
Sophie was aware of the irony of the situation. Only a few short days ago she would have welcomed Michael’s interference. And no mistake about it, he
had
interfered. She supposed she should be grateful to her older brother for his protective instincts. And she was—on an intellectual level, at least.

Sophie wanted Stephan. She wanted to feel his weight pressing her down into her bed, wanted his hands on her flesh as he joined his body to hers. That first time had been more than she could express, and she wanted to taste it again. It seemed, however, as if fate and family were conspiring to prevent an encore performance.

She was almost,
almost
beginning to feel desperate.

How did one deal with this craving and not having? Sophie was not a woman used to being denied something she wanted. Not as a result of being spoiled, but because she had allowed herself to want so little in life. She’d learned at a very young age how to mask her emotions with an air of indifference. As she’d grown to adulthood, it was a habit well formed. Her days were filled with doing that which was required of her. She followed the rules, and almost automatically fulfilled the expectations that had been placed upon her throughout the various stages of her life.

Her emotions had been as frozen within her as she knew her mother’s had been. But lately, everything inside her was in turmoil. She blamed this on the overabundance of romance in the air and on her own sexual initiation.

Frustrated with her emotions, frustrated with her life, she needed to escape. Going to the farm was not an option, as it was serving as a honeymoon site. But there had to be
some place
she could go where she could get her mind off herself for a while.

An image of the Medieval Fair sprang to mind, and she seized on the idea immediately. Awash with sights and sounds and scents, it was the perfect place to lose herself.

* * * *

“What do you expect me to do?”

“Tread very carefully.”

Michael’s answer wasn’t exactly what Stephan had expected. He ran an impatient hand through his hair. “Do you imagine for one moment that I am not doing so? Do you think I don’t realize how delicate this entire situation is? I didn’t plan on this.”

“Lord, my friend, you look miserable as hell.” Michael said, smiling.

“And this is cause for you to grin like a hyena?”

“Oh, most definitely. I was concerned that you were looking at my sister as yet another conquest. But now that I know you’re in love with her, I feel much better.”

“I did not say anything about being in love.”

He scowled as both Michael and Peter laughed.

“My shot,” the latter said. Approaching the table he lined up behind the cue ball. “Two in the side pocket.”

Stephan watched the two-ball sink. When Peter looked up he said, “Not only in love, but stupid in love. This is good. I find myself in the position of liking all three of my brothers-in-law.”

Stephan suddenly felt short of breath. “Brother-in-law? I
never
said anything about being in love
or
getting married.”

“Denial,” Michael said in an aside to Peter. Stephan didn’t know what he resented more, this entire conversation or the look of pity both men gave him.

“Definitely denial,” Peter agreed.

“Look,” Stephan hesitated. He knew he had to choose his words wisely. Then he reminded himself that Michael, his best friend, was only trying to look out for his sister. “I don’t know what’s going on between us. But it is between us, so I would appreciate it very much if you could respect our privacy. I cannot promise what may come in the future. I can, however, offer you this promise. I won’t be careless with her.”

Michael looked as if he would say something more, but then shook his head instead.

“I know the label the press has given you isn’t deserved. I don’t know why I allowed myself to play the big brother so heavily today.”

“You are her big brother. Both of you are. I’m not offended. Truly.”

“Just a little frustrated with your change of plans for the afternoon.”

There was a definite snicker in Peter’s voice. He couldn’t let that go unpunished. “Which means only one thing,” Stephan motioned for Michael to take his shot.

“And that would be?” Peter asked.

“I’m going to have to humiliate the both of you by winning this game,” Stephan announced, smiling. A part of him thought that this little heart-to-heart should have made him decide to leave Sophie de la Croix alone. Instead, getting his hands on her seemed more desirable, and imperative, than ever.

* * * *

The breeze carried hints of ocean and candy. The nostalgic music of flutes and guitars rode the gentle wind into every nook and cranny, every corner and under every tree. The Medieval Fair was an annual, summer long event and a popular destination for tourists. A few short weeks ago, Sophie had come here at the request of her father, and had watched as Philip had proposed to the woman he loved. And that, Sophie acknowledged, was the first time in years she’d set foot on the grounds, although she sat on the board that oversaw the attraction. Inhaling deeply, she wondered why she’d never done this before, why she’d never just strolled about on a hot summer day and enjoyed being here, and being alive.

As she walked, and was recognized, there were some surprised expressions on the faces of visitors, and some bows and curtsies on the part of costumed staff. None of it made her feel awkward or ill at ease. In fact, she was filled with a carefree elation, and it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced in her life. Late afternoon sunshine sparkled on glass and metal, but over by the knights training area, the light gleamed and glistened even more brightly.