Expecting Royal Twins! (10 page)

“Well, I hope Boyd is neither of those things, but I’d better find out.” She curtsied. “If you’ll excuse me, sir.”

Dmitar dismissed her. As soon as she exited, he grinned wryly. “I never thought there would come a day when I’d hear you admit to being not only a fool, but also an idiot.”

“I didn’t.”

“Not directly,” his father said. “But you are married to Izzy and don’t want to be her husband.”

“It’s not the same situation,” Niko protested. “Julianna brings a large dowry, one bigger than Isabel’s inheritance, Aliestlian trade support and investors, a royal pedigree that will provide alliances with other European kingdoms and the knowledge necessary to be queen. Even the Separatists support her. Isabel is an American, a mechanic. She doesn’t know the first thing about being a princess or Vernonia. She has no qualifications to be queen.”

“Isabel is honest, loyal, smart and has royal blood running through her veins,” Dmitar said. “You say she has no qualifications yet this American mechanic is willing to marry someone she doesn’t love for a country she hadn’t stepped foot in until twenty-four hours ago.”

Each word stabbed at Niko like one of the soldier’s bayonets on display at the National Museum. He stared at the ground.

“You may want to redefine what makes a queen, my son,” his father counseled. “Not only for your own sake, but your wife’s. Otherwise you really will look foolish.”

“Come on.” Izzy checked the reception bars on her cell phone. Nothing. She shook the phone. “What’s a girl gotta do to get coverage around here?”

The castle wasn’t that far from town. There had to be a cell tower somewhere. She’d tried using one of the phones inside the castle, but couldn’t figure out how to get a dial tone. If only Niko were here…

Strike that. She didn’t need his help or those blue-green eyes of his to make her heart go pitter-pat.

Izzy walked past the garden and down three steps.

Her eyes burned from exhaustion. The stone path hurt the bottom of her feet. Her fault. She’d ditched her shoes ten minutes ago. But she couldn’t give up.

The king had given his approval. Now she needed Boyd’s.

Time was ticking. Izzy needed to make this call. She checked the display. No bars. “I bet this place still uses dial-up internet connections.”

“A few villages in the mountains rely on dial-up, but the castle has a wireless network,” Niko said from behind her.

“What are you doing out here?” She was surprised to see him. It was as if her thoughts had conjured him up like some magic wish. “I thought you had stuff to do.”

“I do, but I thought I’d see if you had reached Boyd.”

“Not yet.” She held up her lousy excuse for a cell phone. “No service.”

His smile turned to a laugh. “So that’s why you were threatening to feed your phone to the fish.”

“I—” Okay, she had said that, but he hadn’t been there. “How did you know that?”

“A gardener warned the staff about a barefoot American screaming at her cell phone.” Amusement danced in Niko’s eyes. “I had a feeling it might be you.”

Heat stole into her cheeks. “Jules said when you’re royalty someone is always watching even if you can’t see them.”

“Yes.”

“But I wasn’t screaming,” Izzy defended herself. “At least not that loudly.”

Grinning, he punched in a couple of numbers and handed his cell phone to her. “It’s a satellite phone. I put in the country code for America. You’re all set.”

“Thanks.” She appreciated Niko’s help. It wasn’t only the phone. He’d stuck up for her with his father this morning. If only Niko could make the call…

Nerves battered at her stomach. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly full of cotton. This was her future, so much depended on the outcome of this one call. She stared at the phone in her hand.

He rocked back on his heels. “I can give you some privacy.”

“It’s up to you.”

“I’ll stay.”

Izzy figured he would. Niko took his responsibilities seriously. That included her, even if she was his wife in name only. She punched in Boyd’s number and held the phone to her ear.

Niko watched her intently.

Izzy focused on the phone ringing. Once, twice, three times.

“Hey.” Boyd sounded sleepy, as if she’d woken him up, but his voice came across strong and clear.

“It’s Izzy.”

“Good to hear from you, Iz. Is that prince dude treating you nice?” Boyd asked.

Her gaze met Niko’s, and her pulse skittered. “I’m, uh, calling you on his phone.”

“I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

Izzy glanced over at Niko, taking in his broad shoulders and athletic physique that his suit couldn’t hide. His appreciative gaze traveled the length of her. She liked how he looked at her very much. “Don’t worry about that, but…”

“What is it?” Boyd’s voice sharpened.

She gripped the phone tighter. “I’m in a bit of a jam and need your help.”

“You want my help?”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”

“Okay, but I am,” Boyd said. “Doesn’t matter, though. Whatever you need, my answer is yes.”

“You might want to wait to hear what I have to ask you.” As she smiled, her gaze met Niko’s again. He gave her a conspiratorial wink. This time her heart stuttered. “It, um, might change your answer.”

She needed to focus. Something she found hard to do with Niko around. But this was too important to let a pretty face distract her.

As Izzy studied a leaf on the ground, she explained to Boyd what had happened between the Separatists and the Loyalists in the past, what could happen in the future and how she had become drawn into the mess.

“So what do you need from me?” Boyd asked.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need a husband. Not forever. Just a few years.” She took a deep breath. “Will you marry me, Boyd?”

Niko watched Isabel as she waited for Boyd’s answer. Her toes wiggled. She kept readjusting the phone at her ear.

The man was a fool for making Isabel wait so long.

All of a sudden, a smile brightened her face. “Thanks, Boyd. You don’t know what this means to me.”

She laughed, a delightful sound that floated on the air. “Okay, you’re on.”

On what? Niko wondered. He would have liked to hear both sides of the conversation.

Izzy flashed him the thumbs-up sign. She was happy. Good. But he should be feeling relief, not the regret and disappointment playing ping-pong inside him.

“I’ll have Jovan call you with all the details.” She bounced from foot to foot. “Yeah, I know. I’ll see you soon. Bye.”

Izzy disconnected the call. She ran to Niko and threw her arms around him. “I don’t have to marry a total stranger. Boyd said yes!”

Her soft curves molded against Niko. Heat pounded through his veins.

She hugged him tightly. “Thanks.”

Niko wasn’t sure what he’d done to earn this reaction. He didn’t really care. He wrapped his arms around her. She fit perfectly against him.

“We did it,” she said.

“Yes.” The scent of her hair filled his nostrils. “We did.”

He stared down at her face. She looked up at him.

Isabel’s mouth was so close. Her lips were parted. An invitation?

He wanted to kiss her, more than he’d ever wanted to kiss a woman before. He wanted to know what her kiss tasted like. Sweet or tangy? So tempting.

Longing filled her eyes. With each breath she took, each beat of her heart, it became clear. She wanted him to kiss her.

Yet he hesitated.

Julianna was ready to marry Niko.

Isabel was his wife, but another man had just accepted her proposal to marry her. Anything they did would be wrong. Illicit. Hurtful to the two people they’d agreed to marry.

Niko lowered his arms and stepped out of her embrace.

Disappointment pinched her face. Her smile faltered, but only for a moment. She handed him his phone. “I’m sorry for getting carried away with my celebrating.”

“You do not need to apologize.”

Izzy glanced around. “If someone saw…”

“You are my wife. We hugged. That is not a crime.”

“Yeah, a hug.” She sounded disappointed. “No big deal.”

“Right.” Though it had felt like a bigger deal to him. He missed her body touching his. Her warmth. The feel of her moist breath.

“Jules wants to work with me today.” Isabel wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Princess lessons.”

He couldn’t deny the chemistry between them, but that was a complication he couldn’t afford. Whatever he was feeling was strictly physical. He hardly knew Isabel. “I have things to take care of myself.”

“I’d better get going. I need to remember where I took off my shoes.”

“If you can’t find them…” He was about to offer to help her, but he couldn’t. He needed to limit his time with her. “Ask one of the staff to assist you.”

Izzy nodded. “See you later?”

She was a fair princess. And he didn’t want her anywhere near him.

The words of—it might have been Shakespeare—swirled through Niko’s head.

“Perhaps.” Unless he could convince Julianna to join him for dinner after they went sailing. He needed her to take his mind off Isabel. “Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast.”

Two hours later, Izzy walked through the library with a book on her head. Okay, “through” was a slight exaggeration. She only made it three steps before the book fell off and landed on the wood floor with a thump.

“I don’t see why I need to do this.” Izzy blamed her lack of concentration on not sleeping last night, but the real reason was Niko. She couldn’t stop thinking about hugging him and wanting to kiss him. “It’s not like anyone will ever be watching how I walk.”

“Princesses need to have perfect postures,” Jules said.

“But I’m not going to be a princess.” Izzy stared at the etiquette book she’d been balancing on her head. None of this stuff Jules was trying to teach her mattered. Not now anyway. “I’m going to marry my friend Boyd and go back to Charlotte. As long as I put my napkin in my lap at mealtime, I’ll be good.”

“Being good isn’t enough. You must be the best. People have certain expectations,” Julianna said, proving once again why Niko wanted to marry her. “You are a princess no matter where you live.”

“Yeah, but if someone ever calls me by my title I might have to deck them.”

Jules cringed. “Izzy…”

“I know.” Izzy sighed. “Princesses don’t punch.”

“You are allowed to fight back if attacked.”

What defined an attack? Since arriving in Vernonia, she felt as if she’d gone nine rounds. She was exhausted, confused and frustrated. Not to mention attracted to her soon-to-be-ex-husband and the soon-to-be-husband of her new friend. “I just want to go home.”

“I’m so sorry, Izzy.” Compassion filled Jules’s eyes. “I know exactly how you feel.”

The beautiful princess who would marry the handsome prince and live happily ever after as they ruled Vernonia had no idea how Izzy felt. No one could. Still she didn’t want to be rude. That went against princess protocol. “Thanks.”

Jules started to say something, but pressed her lips together. Niko and King Dmitar used the same gesture. Maybe it was a royal thing, stiff upper lip and all that.

“I’m good. Really,” Izzy added. “At least I get to pick who I marry, right?”

“Yes. You are quite fortunate in that regard.” Jules removed a heavier book from one of the shelves. “Try again. Remember…shoulders back, chin up and smile as you walk.”

Izzy placed the book on her head. “I’m going to have the best posture of any mechanic east of the Mississippi.”

“That’s the spirit.” Jules checked her watch. “I’m going sailing with Niko. Would you like to come along?”

Izzy remembered the “faking her death by drowning” suggestion, and a smile tugged at her lips. She would like to go, but she didn’t want to be a third wheel. Jules was the closest thing to a girlfriend Izzy had here, yet she had wanted to kiss Niko. That went against princess protocol as well as the friendship code. She needed to distance herself from the prince. “Thanks, but I need to practice. Then I want to take a nap.”

“You could sleep on the boat,” Jules offered. “We’ll be going out to dinner afterward. It should be fun.”

“Sounds like it, but no thanks.”

“You’re sure?”

Was there a hint of disappointment in Jules’s tone? No, Izzy had to be mistaken. The lovely princess was just clarifying her position.

You are allowed to fight back if attacked.

She remembered Jules’s firm handshake. Izzy had a feeling the princess could hold her own in a fight especially when it came to another woman hitting on Niko. Not that Izzy would, but she didn’t want to put Jules or herself in an awkward position by intruding on their evening. “I’m absolutely positive.”

And maybe if Izzy repeated the words enough times, she might actually believe them.

T
HE
next day, Izzy ate breakfast alone in the morning area. That was what she called the smaller dining room because the only time she ever saw it being used was in the morning. At least for the two she’d been here.

Izzy took a bite of the cheese blintzes covered with a raspberry sauce and swallowed. Delicious.

Add yummy food to the list of princess perks.

Jules entered and sat opposite Izzy. The princess looked stylish in a polka-dot, short-sleeve dress with her hair worn loose.

“Good morning, Izzy.” A server filled Jules’s cup with coffee. “You look more rested today.”

“I am.” Izzy had woken feeling a little more like herself. She’d realized her attraction to Niko was nothing more than a crush. Yes, he was gorgeous and had come to her rescue, so to speak. That had been fine with her world imploding yesterday, but she saw things more clearly this morning. “A little sleep can go a long way.”

Or maybe it was common sense kicking in. She didn’t want a man to see her as anything but an equal. Niko came from a totally different world and viewpoint. She would never want to even try to be his equal. So why spend any more time thinking about almost-kisses or dreamy blue-green eyes?

Izzy sipped her freshly squeezed orange juice. “I hope you had a nice sail and dinner.”

She squelched the pinprick of jealousy. She’d tried hard last night not to think of the two together out on the water. And she’d mostly succeeded.

She had more important things to think about. Boyd arrived today. Tomorrow her marriage to Niko would be annulled. She would receive her inheritance and marry her coworker and friend. She would return to Charlotte with more than she ever imagined. Perhaps not the same happily-ever-after Jules and Niko would share, but a good one just the same.

“I did. It was very enjoyable. Thank you.” Another server placed a plate in front of Jules. “I love sailing. There’s nothing I’d rather do.”

“That’s how I feel about car racing.”

“We have more in common than you realize.” The sincerity in Jules’s voice wrapped around Izzy like a hug. “I hope you enjoyed your evening.”

“I had dinner with the king and queen.”

“And?”

Izzy recalled the conversation. Well, inquisition. “It was…interesting.”

“How so?”

Her head and throat hurt thinking about all the talking she’d done. “They asked me so many questions I felt like a game show contestant.”

Jules sipped her coffee. “What did they want to know?”

“Everything and anything.”

“Intriguing.”

“They may have been wanting to make me feel more comfortable,” Izzy admitted. “I had a couple mishaps at dinner.”

“Oh, dear.”

She smiled. “That’s exactly what the queen said. After my third mistake, Queen Bea was laughing along with King Dee and wondering if she was using the correct fork or not.”

“Laughter makes everything better.”

Niko stormed into the room with a stack of newspapers in his hands. His lips were pressed together, his eyes dark. “We have a problem.”

Izzy had no idea what sort of problems could put so much worry on a prince’s face, but it couldn’t be good.

Jules set her fork on the plate. “What has happened?”

Niko opened one of the papers and showed them the front page headline written in English.

Princess Isabel Zvonimir Kresimir Lives!

Jules gasped. She covered her mouth with her hands.

Izzy stared at her name with a strange sense of detachment. It almost seemed surreal to see herself called a princess and her first name paired with two different last names. “What does the article say?”

“It’s a complete biography of you, including your return to Vernonia.” He handed the paper to Izzy. “Whoever leaked this information to the press will pay.”

“It’ll be okay.” Izzy wanted to put a positive spin on things. They had a plan. They didn’t need to get distracted. “We knew my identity would come out at some point.”

“We wanted to control when that happened.” Niko tossed the rest of the papers on the table. “Read the article.”

Izzy did. Each time she read the words wife or bride, she squirmed. The details in the story made the knot in the pit of her stomach grow. “Whoever leaked the information must have overheard my conversation with your parents last night.”

Niko frowned. “We have never had any problems with the staff before.”

“Some of the article is word for word what I said. It’s also kind of strange.” Izzy scanned the article once more. “There’s very little about my life before I arrived in Vernonia. Your parents and I discussed my job, but nothing is mentioned. This article makes it sound like I was living the life of an exiled royal hiding out in North Carolina, not a mechanic working at a garage to make ends meet.”

“That is good,” Jules said. “People will only see you as a princess.”

Izzy straightened. “There’s nothing wrong with being a mechanic.”

“No,” Jules admitted. “But as King Dmitar said the other night, there’s a perception.”

Niko’s frown seemed permanently etched on his face. “I would have rather they called you a grease monkey than my wife or princess bride.”

Izzy winced. Okay, that hurt. “Why don’t we head to the High Court now, then you won’t ever have to hear that about me again.”

Jules shot her a compassionate look. “I don’t think Niko intended his words in that way.”

His hard gaze met Izzy’s and softened. His cheeks reddened. “No, I…I did not. I apologize. But the wording, especially the usage of husband and wife, suggests a closer, more intimate relationship than what we have.”

“The article is slanted that way,” Izzy agreed. “But once the annulment—”

“Jovan is at the royal offices in town,” Niko interrupted. “People are assembling. The Separatist colors are flying in support of you. The people want you to be the next queen.”

Her mouth gaped. “The people just found out about me.”

His jaw thrust forward. “Word travels fast.”

“You need to talk to them.” Her eyes implored him. “Tell them Jules is going to be your wife. Explain how I’m engaged to Boyd.”

Jules’s gaze met Niko’s. Some unspoken communication passed between them. “I cannot,” he said.

The sudden silence increased the tension in the room tenfold. Izzy felt clueless. She struggled to put the pieces together.

The Separatists have wanted your bloodline to rule their portion of Vernonia.

Your father believed that a union between the two royal families would appease the Separatists and avoid war. His goal, our goal really, was to unite Vernonia with your marriage.

History has shown a marriage between rival sides can ease the strife and lead to peace.

I hope you aren’t suggesting we remain married, sir.

Something clicked in Izzy’s brain. The shocking realization made it hard for her to breathe. The weight of a people, a country, pressed down on her chest, on her heart.

She wanted to believe she was wrong. She had to be wrong. “There isn’t going to be an annulment, is there?”

A muscle flicked at Niko’s jaw. “The response by the Separatists this morning is similar to how the conflict began twenty-odd years ago.”

Conflict. She heard the anguish in his voice. What he really meant was war. A bloody civil war that had killed her parents and caused a nation to suffer.

“The High Court and my father will not allow an annulment now,” he added.

Vernonians have quick tempers. Our loyalty is our strength, but our biggest weakness. We will cling to our causes until the bitter end. Whether right or wrong.

Izzy trembled. She couldn’t give in to the emotions raging through her. “You mean, for now.”

Regret shone in his eyes. “I mean, ever.”

Niko’s words snuffed out her spark of hope.

No annulment. Niko would remain her husband. She would remain…here. Her life, her dreams…

She stared at the table, struggling not to lose it completely. And then she remembered. She wasn’t the only one affected by this.

Guilt at her selfishness coated her mouth. Her gaze bounced between Niko and Jules. “What about the two of you?”

“A dowry can’t stop a war. Only you can, Isabel,” Niko said as if he were already resigned to his fate. “None of us want this, but for the sake of Vernonia, will you consider remaining my wife?”

That was romantic. Not.

“This is crazy. Our marriage didn’t stop the war twenty-three years ago.” The words poured from her lips like steam from an overheated engine. “We don’t know that it will work this time or if it will even come to that. We shouldn’t be forced to give up our dreams for a what-if.”

Niko’s eyes sharpened with disdain. Tight lines bracketed his mouth. “I will not risk my country and my people so you can return to America to play with race cars.”

The abrupt change in him unnerved her, but she met his accusing eyes without flinching. “I was talking about you and Jules.”

“I’m okay with this, Izzy.” Jules sounded encouraging, but that was her nature. The princess wouldn’t show how she really felt.

“Well, I’m not.” Fighting her emotions, she stood. “The two of you are perfect together. You’re in love. You should be able to get married.”

“Isabel,” Niko said. “You should know—”

“I know enough.” The desperation in her voice matched the way Izzy felt inside. She might be attracted to Niko, but that wasn’t enough reason to marry a man who didn’t love her, a man who wanted to marry someone else. “This country is completely whacked. I want nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.”

She pushed back her chair, not caring that it clattered to the floor, and ran out of the room.

Izzy disappeared from sight before Niko could stop her.

Regrets assailed him. He had hoped she would eagerly do what was required of her, not get emotional and run away. He needed to make her understand what was at stake. “That did not go well.”

“She is young. An American.” Julianna stared into her coffee cup. “All this is foreign to her.”

“I’ll go after her.”

“Give her a little time.”

“Isabel is upset. She shouldn’t be alone.” He’d hurt her thinking she was being selfish. He needed to explain about his relationship to Julianna, too. “It’s my responsibility.”

Julianna sighed. “Izzy is not a responsibility. She’s a person. Your wife. A woman can tell if you’re there because you want to be or because you feel obligated.”

“I do feel obligated.” Frustration tightened the muscles in his neck and shoulders. “Isabel is not prepared to fulfill this role. Not the way you are.”

“Isabel is not a typical princess, but her heart is in the right place.”

“She does not want to be my wife.”

“She is upset and frightened. Your behavior only served to make her more so.”

His jaw tensed. He didn’t like being called out on his behavior. “Isabel’s feelings about arranged marriages are very clear.”

“I will stay and help her adjust,” Julianna said. “Perhaps if I do not return home, my father won’t try to make another match for me right away.”

Niko studied Julianna’s face. Her eyes looked brighter. Her complexion had more color. “You’re happy things turned out this way.”

“Not happy. I would never wish this upon dear, sweet Izzy. But I am…relieved,” Julianna admitted. “No one should be forced to marry someone they do not love. No offense.”

“None taken.” This side of her surprised him. “Yet you agreed to the marriage.”

He cringed. His words sounded a lot like his father’s.

She lifted her shoulder in a delicate shrug. “I was only doing what my father told me to do. What was expected of me. As I have always done my entire life.”

Her words sounded similar to what Niko had said in the past. “I have done the same thing.”

She raised a finely arched brow. “Are you certain about that?”

Her question offended him. He squared his shoulders. “Everything I have done has been for Vernonia.”

“If that’s the case, why would your parents go to the press about Izzy?”

“My parents would never—”

“They were the only ones who could have done this,” Julianna interrupted. “While you and I were at dinner, they quizzed Izzy about her past. Her answers appear in the article. Isn’t it strange that only positive information was published about her? The press rarely works that way.”

I may not be a stickler for tradition, Father, but I will always do what is best for the country.

As will I.

Niko’s stomach knotted. “I need to speak with my father.”

Julianna rose. “I’ll find Izzy.”

He appreciated her help and her friendship. “You would have made a fine queen.”

“Thank you.” She bowed her head. “I have no doubt you will be an excellent king, especially with Izzy by your side.”

If only he believed that could be true…

As if on autopilot, Izzy followed the directions given to her by a butler. The stone path should lead her to the garage. That was the only place she could think of at the castle where she might not feel so out of place, the only spot that reminded her a little of home.

The tower loomed above Izzy, as if mocking her. The castle no longer seemed part of a romantic fairy tale. It belonged in a terrifying Gothic novel.

Would she ever be allowed to go back to Charlotte? If only to visit? Or would she be forced to stay in Vernonia forever, married to a man who didn’t want her for his wife?

Izzy’s insides twisted. She might have found Niko attractive. She might have wanted to kiss him. She might have even dreamed about him, too. But Izzy couldn’t fathom spending the rest of her life married to a husband she didn’t love, a husband who didn’t love her.

She stumbled on a rock. Stupid heels. Somehow she managed to catch herself before falling flat on her face. Surprising since she felt as if she were carrying two tires—the hopes and dreams of Vernonia—on her shoulders. She was about to collapse from the load.