Winning the Queen's Heart: Contemporary Christian Romance (The Brides of Belles Montagnes Book 2) (9 page)

He nodded to her. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Then Alexander. “Your Royal Highness.”

They stood, Alexander with his left arm around her as he shook Matthew’s hand. Together, they were projecting a much more united and comfortable front than the reality behind closed doors. The reality was Christiana had seldom seen her husband while on board the yacht. Was he avoiding her? Giving her time to adjust and respecting her space?

Or was there more to it?

Christiana pushed those thoughts out of her head. He had given her no reason to think that. In fact, she had done her research. There had never been any serious allegations of infidelity against any of the men in his family. A moment of small talk, and they moved on. Lunch would be served with students from the local schools joining them.

As they walked around the campus with the high school students, Christiana noted how good Alexander was with the young men. When they reached the gymnasium, her husband played basketball with several of them. He was a good shot.

“He’s cute, Your Majesty.”

Christiana turned to the young woman standing next to her. “He is, is he not?”

“Don’t you ever use contractions?” The blonde girl sat on the bottom of the bleachers.

“Pardon?”

“Contractions. Don’t. Can’t. Won’t. Isn’t. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use one.”

Christiana tilted her head. “I have never thought about it. I spent many of my school years in Montevaro. Their royal family was my closest friends. Queen Mother Alexandra has very strict ideas about what is proper for a member of any royal family. Contractions do not exist in her household. I would imagine I picked up on that.”

“You should loosen up a bit. Be a bit more casual. I think people would like you more.”

Something about the words cut Christiana to the core. “People do not like me?”

The girl shrugged. “I don’t think they
dis
like you, but like you said. You didn’t grow up here. We all know it was your uncle being manipulative. Now we do anyway, but I remember my parents saying they wished you were here because how would you know how to be queen if you’d never lived here.”

“Sadly, that sentiment does not surprise me. I do hope I can change some of that thinking while I am on this tour.”

“I hope so.” The girl spoke frankly. “I like you. I hope everyone else does, too.” She nodded toward Alexander who held his hands above his head in victory as his shot went cleanly through the hoop. “Plus, you married a really cute guy.”

“I did not marry him because he is cute.” Her husband started toward them with the young men at his side.

The girl flashed a grin. “I’m sure you didn’t, but it is a nice bonus.”

Alexander held out a hand to help her up. Did she imagine the tingle that ran up her arm as his fingers curled around hers? She squeezed his hand.

He really was pretty cute, wasn’t he?

* * *

Alexander followed Queen Christiana up the gangplank back onto the yacht. Overall, it had been a good day. He’d enjoyed his time with his wife. He always did, but seeing her first with the young children and then with the teens, he caught a glimpse of their future. What he hoped their future would be.

“Your Majesty?” He stopped her before she went into her suite.

She sighed. “We are alone, Alexander. You are my husband.”

“Would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?”

She hesitated.

“Please?” She wanted him to call her something less formal, but wasn’t sure about joining him for dinner?

“Of course.” She gave him a tentative smile and closed the door behind her.

Alexander went to the galley to see what he could find. The cook, Paul, was in there working on dinner for the crew.

“Can I help you, sir?” Paul looked up from carrots he chopped on a cutting board.

“I’d like to have a romantic dinner with the queen tonight. Candles on deck, good china, the whole nine yards.”

Paul’s face lit up. “Of course. What do you have in mind?”

Alexander shrugged. “I’m open to suggestions. I know it’s too late for you to shop. What do you have?” They spent ten minutes going over dinner options before they settled on an entrée, side dishes, and dessert that could be prepared in the next hour. Alexander offered to help, but Paul sent him away. A steward would take care of the table setting.

Instead, Alexander knocked on Christiana’s door.

“Yes?”

“May I come in?”

The door opened. She had changed into something much more comfortable than she’d worn earlier in the day. Yoga pants with a rugby shirt from one of the country’s universities and the Rensselaer family name on the back. “Is it time for dinner?”

Alexander shook his head. “No. Not yet. We have about an hour before it’s ready. I did want to see if you wanted to dress up for dinner or dress down?”

He could see her turning it over in her head. “Would you mind if we dressed down? I am quite comfortable and would prefer not to get dressed up again.”

“That’s fine with me.” With one finger, he touched the side of her face. “You always look beautiful.”

A blush spread across her cheeks as she ducked her head. “Thank you. The girl I spoke with at the gymnasium told me she believed you were very cute.”

He could feel the twinkle in his eyes as he leaned closer. “And you, Queen Christiana? Do you think I’m cute?”

Her face reddened further. “Yes.”

“I’m glad.” He turned, whistling as he walked away. “I’ll see you in an hour.” Despite her desire to dress down, he would wear one of several tuxedos he had with him. He wanted to woo her. He wanted to go all out and sweep her off her feet.

Nearly an hour later, he tweaked his bowtie as he waited for her to join him on the upper deck of the yacht. When her head came into view, he heard her gasp. The white twinkling lights provided the sole lighting, save the moon and two flickering candles on the table.

“Has the ship stopped?” she asked as she turned.

“Not completely, but we have slowed down so we could enjoy our meal by candlelight while not worrying about the candles blowing out.”

“What did Paul make us for dinner?”

Alexander grinned. “That, my dear, is a surprise.” He bowed to her with one hand outstretched. “May I have this dance?”

“There is no music.”

As though on cue, soft jazz filled the air. “May I?”

Christiana put her hand in his. “Of course.”

He pulled her to him, far closer than the other night. There was no one watching. No one but the two of them.

“I did not think we were going to dress up.” The white lights behind him reflected in her eyes.

“I wanted you to be comfortable.” He shrugged. “But I wanted to have a romantic, very nice, candlelit dinner with my wife. To me that means tux.”

He pulled her a bit closer, loving the feel of her close to him.

They moved slowly around the deck. “Were you okay with the interview today? I’m sure you weren’t ready for some of those questions.”

“No. I was not. But I knew they would be coming sooner or later. I avoided planning my answers and hoped they would not, but they always do.”

“I know I told you the other day, but I am so glad you asked Poppo and the others to participate.” After the interview, thoughts that had been trying to coalesce in his mind since the wedding came closer to taking shape. The question became, could he pull off the idea without her knowing about it? And in the next eight weeks. Before the anniversary of her parents’ death.

“I think I know why the interview was scheduled for today.” She moved even closer to him, resting her cheek on his chest.

“Why is that?” He tucked her hand close and hoped her answer wasn’t the same one he’d come up with.

“I was to be dead by now. It would have been his first interview as the bereaved king. A few days after my death but quickly enough it would help him establish legitimacy. It just furthers the idea that he did not know the specifics of Nicklaus’s marriage contract or the Commonwealth’s pact.”

Alexander didn’t know what to say so he just kept dancing.

“You had come to the same conclusion, had you not?”

“Yes, ma’am, we had. Or I had. I never discussed it with anyone else.”

He sensed she wanted to say something about his continued formality in the way he addressed her, but she didn’t. It made no sense to him why he kept on being formal with her, not coming up with a nickname or pet name for her. It seemed wrong somehow. Not when they weren’t yet growing closer as people in a relationship for life. With his cheek against her hair, they danced for several more minutes. “Are you ready to eat?”

She nodded. He had every intention of dancing with her again before the end of the night. Alexander held her chair, before lifting the silver dome off the platters and setting them to the side.

“Do you mind if I pray over the meal?” They hadn’t eaten together much. Most of the crew of the yacht didn’t know much about either the situation or what life was like for them on board. She and Alexander were left alone.

“Please go ahead.”

He held her hand as they bowed their heads. A few brief words of thanks, and they began to eat.

Chapter 10

“Tell me your favorite part of today?” Alexander asked her as she took a bite.

Christiana thought about that as she chewed then took a sip of her wine. “Talking with the girls at the school, I think. Or playing with the children at the orphanage. They have lost so much but are still so happy. I love that. What was your favorite?”

“Seeing you with those kids,” he answered without hesitation. “You were a natural.”

Her eyes widened. “Me? A natural with children? I have not been around them much. Not even when I was one.”

“Then you are a natural because they adored you, and it was clear you adored them.” He appeared to be considering something else to say. “In fact, based on what I saw today, I believe you will be a wonderful mother.”

She could not contain her incredulity. “You do? Me?”

Alexander nodded. “Do you want to know what I saw while I watched you with them?” Taking her rapid blinking as assent, he went on. “I saw us, in your apartment at the palace. You were rocking a toddler as you both looked out over the sea. I looked down and saw, in my arms, an infant. Two children, conceived together, borne of our commitment to each other. The continuation of your family line. A family of your own, something you’ve never had.”

His image blurred. “You saw me? As a mother?”

He covered her hand with his. “Yes.”

“You see us with children?” She knew, on some level, it was required of them. They were required by law, after all, to begin trying to conceive as soon as possible. But the actuality of it was quite foreign to her. She never imagined herself as a mother, holding a child.

He gave her a tender smile. “Yes. I do. Someday.” Alexander picked up her hand and gently kissed the back. “When the time is right, you’re going to be a wonderful mother.”

She did not say anything, but began to eat again.

The rest of the meal passed in near silence until Alexander asked her to dance again. Christiana shook her head. “No. I am quite tired. I believe I will turn in for the evening.” He stood and held her chair for her. He really did look quite dashing in his tuxedo. “Thank you for a lovely meal.” Before he could say or do anything, she turned and walked away. She waited until she was out of his site to pick up the pace and nearly run to her suite. The suite she should be sharing with the man she had just left. The man who was invoking feelings in her she did not know how to deal with. As they danced, she had wanted him to tip her chin up, to kiss her, to hold her even closer.

But at the same time, she was not ready to open herself up for the hurt that could come from allowing someone into her life.

She wanted it while at the same time actively repelling the very connection she longed for.

The restless night that followed was the last they would spend at sea. For the next three weeks they would tour Corsisnos followed by five weeks on Ichnusia. And those nights, she would be expected to sleep in the same room with her husband. Eight weeks until she could escape to separate quarters.

How could she handle being in the same room with the man so often, much less sharing the same bed, without her fragile heart being severely compromised?

The answer was she could not, but she would have no choice.

All too soon, their time on the yacht ended and they entered the first of many hotel rooms.

“Queen Christiana?”

She looked up from where she sat at the desk in the hotel room. For over an hour she had looked through information on charities and approved them followed by signing checks drawn up based on the approvals she had made last month. Alexander stood there, but not dressed as she had last seen him.

No.

He wore a pair of pajama bottoms emblazoned with the emblem of a sports team from the States. She was not familiar enough with them to venture a guess as to which sport, much less which team.