The Playboy Prince and the Nanny (Royal Duology 1)

The look on the vendor’s face was utterly priceless. Shock, embarrassment, confusion . . . Diego handed over the negotiated amount and the vendor handed her the bracelet. Then he plucked a small pair of earrings from the display and handed them to Emilia. He said something to her and she smiled and thanked him. Rose looked at Diego, and his face was full of pride.

Max was getting tired, so they only went a few steps from the vendor and then Diego hefted the boy on to his shoulders. “What did that man say to Emilia?” she asked, back to holding Emilia’s hand again.

“He said she drove a hard bargain and she was going to make a great queen someday.”

“Oh, that’s lovely.”

“I think so, too.”

“You could have knocked him over with a feather when he realized who we were.”

Diego laughed. “It’s nice that he didn’t at first. And by the way, you have great taste. The bracelet is beautiful.”

“Em picked it out. And thank you for buying it for me.”

“It’s my pleasure. The children are very happy with you, Rose. It means a lot to know that.”

She smiled up at him, and he smiled back.

They made a stop for a small ice cream, at Max’s request. When they were done, they began making their way to the car. Rose had gotten accustomed to seeing their security now, and felt both secure and strange about being watched so closely. A little girl started

straight toward them, and one of the guards stepped forward, but Diego shook his head. The girl couldn’t be more than seven or eight, just a little older than Emilia. She carried a basket with red carnations.

Diego waved off the security.

When the girl was within a few feet, he squatted down so he was closer to her height. “Hola, chiquita.”

She curtsied and then stood and greeted him in return. Rose could barely hear what they said, but she caught him asking the girl’s name. She missed the reply, but Diego immediately introduced Max and Emilia. The darling curtsied to both. Lord, she was adorable.

But it went beyond adorable into heartstrings territory when she took out two carnations and gave one to each of the children. She said something in Spanish—again, Rose was frustrated at not being fluent enough to keep up. Emilia answered back, and Max’s face was dead sober. They spoke for another few moments, and she did catch Emilia saying “Thank you very much.”

Rose looked at Diego, questioning. But any words she might have said died on her lips. His eyes were full of tears. He looked away and cleared his throat, then turned back with a smile.

“Well, here we are, nearly to the car. What a day! Did everyone have fun?”

The children nodded, but their earlier exuberance was gone. Rose was perplexed.

Max fell asleep on the drive home, his carnation clutched in his hand. Emilia was exhausted as well, so she decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon on her bed with a pile of storybooks. Rose gave it fifteen, maybe twenty minutes before Emilia would snuggle down with one of her stuffed animals and be asleep too.

Diego had helped her with the children, carrying Max upstairs, so she went to the little kitchenette in the suite that she used for snacks and teatime and heated a kettle for making coffee. “Would you like one?”

He shrugged. “I’d prefer a glass of wine.”

She laughed. “None here, I’m afraid. I’m on duty.”

“Right. Well, coffee will do.”

She was fairly handy with the press, and before long the fresh brew was in cups and she added her customary milk and sugar. Diego frowned. “Really? It’s not even coffee after you do that.”

She took a sip and smacked her lips, mocking, and finally coaxed a smile from him.

They sat down on the sofa, at either end as was appropriate. Rose let out a long breath, starting to wind down from the busy day. “So,” she said quietly, “do you want to tell me what happened with the carnations?” The flowers were now trimmed and in a tiny vase one of the maids had brought up, and were sitting on the table where the children did their lessons.

“She was sweet, wasn’t she?”

“I couldn’t follow the conversation. It was too fast and there were too many other voices around.”

He took a drink of his coffee before replying. “She gave each of them a flower, and said that she and her mother were very sorry about their mother. That was all. Just an expression of sympathy. But it was . . . I don’t know. She was a stranger but it meant something to them, couldn’t you tell?”