HOW TO MARRY A PRINCESS (9 page)

Noah flew to Maryland to check on his new stallion and then flew from there to Los Angeles for another series of meetings that would go on over the weekend. They kept up an ongoing conversation in text messages, and he called her each night, which rather impressed her. He always called around eight, a perfect time for her since she was sticking close to home and usually at the villa for the evening by then. With the nine-hour time difference, though, it was eleven in the morning in California when he called. Somehow he always managed to call her anyway.

It pleased her, the way he made a point to take the time to get in touch with her consistently. It pleased her a lot. Maybe too much, she kept telling herself.

On Saturday she was expected at a gala charity auction in Cannes. A driver and her favorite bodyguard, Altus, showed up at seven to take her there. It was nice enough as those things went. She bid on several items and visited with people she’d known all her life and had her picture taken with people whose names she couldn’t recall. At the end, she wrote a large check for the decorative mirror and antique side table she’d won.

On the drive home, she felt a little down somehow. For some reason, that made her want to talk to Noah. She got out her phone to text him—and it buzzed in her hand.

A text
from
him.

Still @ auction?

That down feeling? Evaporated.

It’s over. Cn U tk?

WCU 1 hr.

She was back at her villa when the phone rang. They talked for two hours. She explained how she’d somehow ended up with a mirror and a side table she didn’t even want and he told her all about the movie people he’d met with to discuss a film project he was considering investing in. They laughed together and she felt...understood somehow. Connected. And she couldn’t help remembering that dream she’d had right after they’d first met, the dream where they rode through a meadow of wildflowers and talked and laughed together like longtime companions.

Monday, she found pictures of him on the internet. And yes, it was becoming a habit with her, to look him up online. In the pictures, he was having lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel with a famous movie producer and a couple of actors she recognized. She teased him about it when they talked that night.

He said, “You’re checking up on me.” He didn’t sound the least bothered by the idea. “How am I doing?”

“So far, so good. Not a single scandal since you left Montedoro. No hot gossip about your newest girlfriend.”

“You told me I had to be monogamous, remember?”

She half groaned, half laughed. “If you’re only sleeping alone because I told you to, you’re missing the point.”

“Spoken like a woman. Not only does a guy have to do it your way, he has to
like
doing it your way.”

“So you’re feeling deprived, are you?”

“Only of your company.”

She groaned again. “You
are
good. Too, too good.”

“Exactly what I keep trying to tell you.”

* * *

Tuesday, her mother invited her to lunch at the palace in the sovereign’s apartment, just the two of them. Alice wondered what she’d done now. But it was lovely anyway to get a little one-on-one time with her mother in the elegant sitting room where Alice and her siblings used to play when they were children.

They chatted about Alice’s plans for the stables and her breeding-and-training program, about how happy Rhia and Marcus were. They laughed over how big Alice’s nieces and nephews were getting. Her mother had six grandchildren now, seven once Rhia’s baby was born. It was hard to believe that Adrienne Bravo-Calabretti was a grandmother so many times over. She remained slim and ageless, her olive skin seeming to glow from within.

“We missed you at Sunday breakfast,” Adrienne said a little too casually when they were sharing a dessert of white-chocolate raspberry-truffle cheesecake.

“I had that thing in Cannes Saturday night.” And then there’d been that long, lovely chat with Noah. It had been after three when they’d said good-night. “I didn’t make it to the stables for my early ride, either. I was...feeling lazy, I guess.”

“Dami got me alone and asked for a word with me,” her mother said softly. “He’s worried about you.”

Alice lost her appetite. She set her half-finished cake down on the coffee table. “I’m going to make a real effort not to roll my eyes right now.”

Her mother’s smile was patient. “Dami loves you. As do I.” Alice kept her mouth shut. She couldn’t help hoping that this wasn’t about Noah after all. Her mother went on, “Your brother is concerned about your relationship with a friend of his.”

So much for her hopes. “Oh, really?” Seriously annoyed and unwilling to make a lot of effort to hide it, she laid on the sarcasm. “Which friend is that?”

“The man from California who bought your stallion Orion. Noah Cordell?”

Alice wanted to grab the small cloisonné vase on the coffee table beside their lunch tray and hurl it at the damask-covered wall. “This isn’t like you, Mother.”

Adrienne had the grace to look chagrined. “You’re right. Your father and I have always tried to stay out of the way, to let our children lead their own lives. But your brother was insistent that I speak with you.”

“And since Glasgow, you don’t trust me.”

Adrienne set down her dessert fork. “That’s not so.”

“I hope not.”

“Please, darling. Don’t be upset with me.”

Alice let out a low sound of real frustration. “I’m not upset with
you.
Not really. But I think I want to strangle Dami. All of a sudden he’s worried for my...what? My virtue? It’s laughable—besides being more than a little too late.”

“Forgive him. He loves you. And I think he’s finally growing up. He’s changing, starting to think about his life and his future in a serious way, yet not quite sure how to go about making a change.”

“Great. Fabulous. Good for him. But what does that have to do with me?”

“He doesn’t want you getting hurt by a man who’s just like he used to be, a man you met through him.”

“He
told
me he would mind his own business. Instead, he came crying to you. And he has no right to bad-mouth Noah. Noah’s never done anything Dami hasn’t done. Plus, he and Noah are supposed to be friends.”

Her mother raised a hand. “It was nothing that bad, I promise you, only that Noah Cordell is a heartbreaker. Dami just doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

Alice really did want to break something. “I might have to kill him. With my bare hands.”

Her mother reached across and clasped her arm, a soothing touch. “My advice? Let it go. On reflection, I honestly do think that this is more about the changes in your brother than anything else.” Adrienne tipped her head to the side, considering. “And I think you do like this man, Noah. I think you like him very much.”

Alice had nothing to hide. Why not just admit it? She sat a little straighter. “I do like him. I’m beginning to...care for him. He’s tough and competitive and way too smart. He calls me every evening. I can talk with him for hours. He’s come a long way in his life and he’s very proud and more than a little controlling. But he’s also tender and funny and generous, too.”

Adrienne’s expression had softened. “I see that Dami isn’t the only one of my children who is changing, growing more thoughtful, more mature, more capable of truly loving— And how about this? I will speak with your brother again on this subject. I will remind him that your life is your own and I have faith in your judgment.”

Her mother’s words touched her. “Thank you. Noah’s invited me to come and visit him in California.”

“Will you go?”

“Yes, Mother. I believe that I will.”

Chapter Six

T
hat night when Noah called, Alice told him she would like to come for a visit.

He instantly tried to take over. “Come tomorrow. I’ll send a plane for you. I’ll handle everything.”

She was prepared for that. “Thank you. But no. I’ll make my own arrangements. I’ll need a little more time.”

He made a growling sound. “How long is a
little
more time?”

“A couple of days.”

“Thursday, then. You’re coming Thursday.”

“Friday, actually.”

“That’s three days. You said two.”

“It’s so nice that you’re eager to see me.”

“So, then, you’ll come Thursday.”

Rather than allow him to keep pushing her when she’d already made it clear she would arrive on Friday, she let a moment of silence speak for her.

“Alice. Alice, are you still there?”

“Right here,” she answered sweetly.

“I’ve been patient.”

She couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Oh, you have not.”

“Yes, I have. I’ve waited for you to be ready to come to me. Don’t you dare change your mind on me now.”

“I’m not changing my mind, Noah.”

“How long can you stay?”

“A week?”

“Not long enough,” he grumbled. “You should stay for a month, at least. Longer. Forever.”

“Let’s leave it open-ended, why don’t we? We’ll see how it goes. I’ll have to return by the middle of next month for Montedoro’s annual Autumn Faire.”

“A fair? That sounds like something you could skip this year.”

“I never skip the Autumn Faire. There will be a street bazaar and a parade. I’ll wear traditional dress and ride one of my horses.”

“Sounds thrilling.” His tone implied otherwise.

She held her ground. “I have to return for it. I’ve already agreed to participate.”

He relented. “All right, then—and I have a meeting in San Francisco on Friday,” he admitted at last. “No way to reschedule it.”

“It’s not a problem. I can come later, when you’re at home.”

“But if you came Thursday, you could fly with me up to the Bay Area. We could—”

“Noah.”

“What?”

“Just tell me when you’ll be back.”

“Never mind,” he grumbled. “Come Friday. Lucy and Hannah will be here to welcome you. And I’ll be home Saturday.”

“Wonderful. I’ll see you then.”

* * *

She took Altus and Michelle with her—Altus because her mother insisted that they all use bodyguards when traveling outside the principality. And Michelle because the housekeeper was an excellent companion who never got flustered by long lines or inconveniences and could pack weeks’ worth of gear and clothing in a small number of bags.

With the time difference, they were able to leave Nice Friday morning and arrive at Santa Barbara Airport that afternoon. Altus transferred their bags to the car they had waiting and off they went.

It was a short ride along El Camino Real, less than half an hour from the airport to the gates of Noah’s property in Carpinteria. The black iron gates parted as the car approached and they rolled along a curving driveway, past vineyards and orange trees and an olive grove, up the gentle slope of a sunlit hill to the white stucco villa with two wings branching off to either side of the carved-limestone entrance.

Even prettier than the pictures Alice had seen of it online, the house was a beautifully simple Italian-style villa, complete with wrought-iron balconies and a red-tile roof. Four wide arches to the left of the entrance framed a front-garden patio centered around a koi pond and landscaped with tropical flowers and miniature palms.

The coffered mahogany door swung open as Altus stopped the car. A slim pixie-haired young woman in skinny jeans, pink Chuck Taylor high-tops and a pink-striped peplum T-shirt bounded out, followed at a more sedate pace by a taller, older woman with thick black hair parted in the middle and pinned up in back.

The girl had to be Lucy, and she looked so eager and happy to have visitors that Alice pushed open her door and called out, “Hello.”

“Alice!” The girl blushed. “Er, I mean, Your Highness?”

“Just Alice. Please.” She got out of the car and shut the door. “And you must be Lucy....”

“It’s so good that you’re here.” Lucy ran up and embraced her. Laughing, Alice returned the hug. And then Lucy was grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the older woman. “And this is Hannah. Once she was my foster mom, and now she lives with us. She takes care of us—of Noah and me....”

The older woman nodded. “Welcome, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Hannah. Noah’s told me about you, about how much he appreciates all you’ve done for him and Lucy—and call me Alice, won’t you?”

“Alice, then,” said Hannah with a warm smile. “Let’s get you settled. Come this way....”

* * *

An hour later, Alice was comfortably installed in a large west-facing bedroom suite that overlooked the estate’s equestrian fields and tree-lined riding trails. She could see El Camino Real and the endless blue Pacific beyond that. Michelle and Altus each had smaller rooms above Alice’s, on the third floor.

Hannah had provided an afternoon snack of cheese, fresh fruit and iced tea. Alice and Lucy sat on the small balcony off of Alice’s room, enjoying the view and the afternoon sun.

Lucy chattered away. “I’m
so
glad you’re here. Noah told me all about you, and of course I had heard of you before. Who hasn’t heard of your family? It’s such a totally romantic story, isn’t it? Your mother, the last of her line, visiting Hollywood and falling in love with an actor. I adore the pictures of their wedding, that fabulous dress she wore, all that Brussels lace, the gazillion seed pearls, the yards and yards of netting and taffeta and tulle....” Lucy sighed and pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, my racing heart. Like something out of a fairy tale.” She plucked a strawberry from the cheese tray and popped it into her mouth. “And they still love each other, don’t they, your mother and your father?”

“They do, yes. Very much.”

“Wonderful. Perfect. Heaven on earth. My mom and dad were deeply in love, too. But then he died before I was born. And we lost our mom when I was nine—did Noah tell you?”

“Yes, he—”

“Ugh! Noah!” Lucy pretended to strangle herself, complete with the bulging eyes and flapping tongue. And then she laughed. And then she groaned. “Honestly, I love Noah more than anything, but sometimes I wonder if he’s
ever
going to let me get out on my own. I used to be sick a lot—he told you that, didn’t he? Did he also bother to tell you I’m
well
now? Hello! I am. And that I got accepted to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York for the spring semester? I did! FIT New York. It’s the best fashion and design school in the country. They
loved
my portfolio, and my entry essay was brilliant, if I do say so myself. But I swear, Noah’s so careful and so sure I can’t handle it. I’m afraid that he won’t let me go.” She pulled a fat grape off the bunch, ate it—and kept right on talking. “Noah says you’re twenty-five. Just two years older than me. But you seem so mature, so sophisticated.”

Alice smiled at that. “You’re making me feel ancient, you know.”

Lucy blinked—and then laughed some more. “Oh, you’re just kidding. I can see that.”

Alice wasn’t kidding, not really. There was something childlike about Lucy. She came across as much younger than twenty-three. But she didn’t seem the least bit ill. On the contrary, she bubbled with energy and glowed with good health. “I’m sure Noah only wants the best for you. But on the other hand, every woman needs to get out and mix it up a little, to make her own way in the world.”

“Oh, Alice. That is
exactly
what I keep trying to tell him. I mean, he’s done
everything
for me, to make sure I had a chance when I was sick all the time, to get me the best doctors, the most advanced surgeries, the care I needed so I finally got well. I owe him everything, and like I said before, I love him so much. But I
am
well now. And one way or another, I have to make him see that I’ve got a great chance here. And I’m not passing it up just because he won’t quit thinking of me as his sickly baby sister. Do you want to see my portfolio? I’m really ridiculously proud of it.”

“I would love to see it.”

So Lucy jumped up and ran to get it. She was back, breathless and pink cheeked, in no time. She shoved the cheese tray aside, plunked the zippered case down on the balcony table and started flipping through her designs.

“They’re fabulous,” said Alice. Because they were. They were very much like Lucy. Fun, lighthearted and brimming with energy. She favored bright colors and she freely mixed flowing fabrics with leather and lace. She had skirts made of netting in neon-bright colors combined with slinky silky tops worn under studded structured jackets. And then there were simpler pieces, too. Everyday pieces. Perfect little dresses, tops that would make a pair of jeans into something special.

Lucy chattered on. “I always loved to draw, you know? And it was something I could do in bed when I wasn’t well enough to go anywhere. I used to make up stories to myself of where I would go and what I would do—
and
what I would wear—when I finally got well. So I started drawing the clothes I saw in my fantasies, the clothes I saw myself wearing. I got Hannah to buy me a sewing machine and I taught myself to sew. I started making those clothes I dreamed of.”

“Seriously. These are wonderful. You ought to be on one of those fashion-design shows.”

Lucy put her hands over her ears and let out a silent squeal of delight. “Oh, you had better believe it, Alice. One of these days I will, just you watch and see.” She flopped back into her chair—and then she sat straight up again. “Oh! I heard all about your beautiful horses, your Akhal-Tekes. I’ll bet you want to get out to the stables, huh? Meet the guys and the horses. Ride.”

“I would love to ride, but maybe I should wait for Noah.” Noah. Just saying his name brought a hot little stab of eagerness to see him again. “He might want to show me around himself.”

Lucy beamed. “You are so gone. You know that, right? But it’s okay. So is he.”

A shiver of pure happiness cascaded through her. “You think?”

“Are you kidding me? He was beyond pissed off that he wouldn’t be here when you came. He wanted everything to be perfect for you. And he kept nagging poor Hannah about how it all had to be just so, giving her endless new items for the menus, insisting over and over that there had to be Casablanca lilies in your room, as though Hannah doesn’t always remember what he asks for the first time.”

Alice glanced through the wide-open French doors at the big vase on the inlaid table in the sitting area. “The lilies are so beautiful, and I do love the fragrance of them.”

“Yeah. But he was impossible. Hannah finally had to talk back to him. She hardly ever does that, but when she does, believe me, he listens. She told him to back off her case and not get his boxers in a twist.”

“No...”

“Yeah. It was so funny I had to clap my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud—because I’m barely speaking to him lately and if he saw me laughing he would start thinking I was giving in and accepting that I’m not going to New York after all.” Lucy lowered her voice then and spoke with steely determination. “But I
am
going. You watch me. One way or another. I’m going no matter what.”

* * *

A few minutes later Hannah bustled in and shooed Lucy out so that Alice could rest after her long flight. “Dinner at seven-thirty,” she told Alice. “It will only be you and Lucy, in the loggia off the family room downstairs. Now, you lie down for a little, why don’t you? Put your feet up.”

Alice stretched out on the bed, just for a minute or two....

When she woke up, the sun beyond the balcony was half a red-gold ball sinking into the ocean, the sky a hot swirl of orange and purple. The bedside clock said it was quarter of seven. She had a quick shower. When she got out, Michelle was in the bedroom laying out a white dress with a square neckline and a pair of high-heeled red sandals for her.

Alice put on the dress and sandals and went downstairs to the family room off the ultramodern kitchen. The doors were open to the loggia and a table was set for two. Alice sat alone for a few minutes, sipping the iced concoction Hannah had served her, enjoying the fire in the outdoor fireplace that pushed back the slight evening chill, admiring the infinity pool just visible from where she sat and appreciating the expanse of the equestrian fields below.

Eventually, Lucy bounced out to join her, wearing the cutest striped top in mustard and yellow with a pair of cropped black silk pants and high wedge sandals.

“Adorable,” said Alice.

Lucy fluttered her lashes and pulled back her chair. “I do my best. You’re not so bad yourself.” She giggled. “This is nice, isn’t it? Just us girls.”

“Yes, it is. Very.”

“Oh, I knew I would like you. I adore Dami, and I always had a feeling I would get along great with all you Bravo-Calabrettis.”

“I didn’t realize you knew Dami.”

Lucy shrugged. “He’s come to stay here several times when he was visiting California. He’s always funny and so charming. Right away he insisted that he would just be Dami, not His Highness or anything—the same way you did. I love to talk to him. I could talk to him forever. He takes time, you know, to pay attention to me, even if I am just Noah’s little sister.”

“You are a lot more than just Noah’s sister,” Alice chided. “And you’re right. Dami
can
be a sweetheart.” She’d been so annoyed with him lately she’d lost sight of his good qualities, his lightheartedness and generosity of spirit. She made a mental note to remember the good things about her bossy big brother.

Hannah brought the food and Lucy chattered on. After the meal, Lucy led Alice to the media room, where they shared a bowl of popcorn and laughed over a comedy about four sorority sisters lost in the jungle. It was still pretty early when the movie ended, but Alice couldn’t stop yawning. Jet lag had taken its toll. She went upstairs, climbed into bed and was asleep five minutes after switching off the light.