The Playboy Prince and the Nanny (Royal Duology 1)

“He was drinking?”

“Apparently. Can you meet with us as well? Damage control is going to be front and center today, I’m afraid.”

“I’ll be right there.” He gave a grim smile. “And make sure there’s lots of coffee. Though I expect Raoul has sobered up rather quickly.”

After Stephani’s departure, Diego grabbed his phone and did a quick internet search. The gossip sites were picking up the picture already. Those headlines were horrendous, too. Raoul hadn’t been a widower that long. The vultures were circling and they were going to be merciless. What about the children? appeared more than once, and Diego winced.

He slid his phone into his pocket and made the walk to the office wing of the castle. A plan had already started to form in his mind, and time was of the essence. Before entering his father’s domain, he made a quick call to Camila and asked her to come to the office as soon as possible. Then he took a deep breath, let it out, and opened the door to his father’s inner sanctum. His whole life he’d dreaded coming through this door; it usually meant he’d done something wrong. But today that would change. Today he’d do something right . . . because he was finally needed.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Rose woke and stretched, then looked over at the space beside her. Diego was gone. She wasn’t sure if she should be upset that he hadn’t woke her first, or touched that he’d let her sleep after their long night.

She stared at the ceiling and smiled. First Diego, then the support of his brother . . . for the first time, she felt as if things might actually fall into place.

That she might actually be able to be with Diego. A bloody prince, for God’s sake! She giggled a little and rolled herself up in the covers, indulging in a few moments of girlish triumph. But the truth was, the prince thing just felt weird. She’d discovered the Navarro family to be kind, generous, and hardworking. Certainly they lived according to their status

, but there was no extravagance simply for showing off. The qualities of honor, duty, and loyalty to the family were threads that kept everything together.

It was a privilege to work here. And a dream come true to be loved by a man like Diego. That they might have a future . . .

She couldn’t wait to see him later, but first she had the children to tend to. She got out of bed and hit the shower, then dressed and prepared to take the children downstairs for breakfast. Rose thought she noticed some strange looks headed her way from some of the staff, but she ignored them for the moment. It had probably got around that she’d danced with Diego last night. Sitting with the children at a banquet was different than dancing with a prince, after the children had gone to bed. As Raoul had assured her, they’d come up with a plan.

It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that she wondered if something was wrong. Clouds had swept in during the late morning, and now a low rumble of thunder and the threat of rain kept them indoors. Normally Diego would pop by to see Emilia and Max shortly before two o’clock, but as the minutes ticked by and he didn’t arrive, a sense of unease put her nerves on edge. At three Max fell asleep watching a movie and Emilia looked to be right behind him, as they’d had a later night than usual at their father’s party. Their tea arrived, carried by Ernestina. The maid smiled tightly and put the tray on the table, but Rose reached out and touched her wrist.

“Ernestina, is there something going on? We’ve hardly seen a soul all day.” She swallowed and met the maid’s eyes bravely. “Is there . . . any gossip I should be aware of?”

That the maid hesitated spoke volumes.

“What is it?” She looked over at the children. They had both nodded off and wouldn’t hear any details.

“This morning’s paper. You haven’t seen it?”

Rose shook her head, wishing she didn’t have such a heavy sense of dread. “We went to breakfast but I didn’t see a paper, and we’ve stayed inside most of the day because of the weather.”

“It . . . oh, Miss.” Ernestina looked genuinely distressed. “None of the staff believes any of it. Just remember that when you see it.”

“When I see what, Ernestina.” She didn’t bother to phrase it as a question; instead the words came out forceful and frustrated.

When the maid didn’t answer, Rose let out a huge sigh. “Please stay with the children for a few minutes,” she instructed. “I’ll explain to the Senora Romero so you don’t get into trouble, and be back as soon as I can.”

“But Miss Rose—”

She didn’t wait to hear Ernestina’s protests. The atmosphere had seemed oddly strained and clearly she wasn’t imagining things. The first thing she needed was a newspaper to see what all the fuss was about. Then she’d figure out why Diego had avoided her all day. Her heart chilled for a moment. He’d said he loved her last night. She’d believed him. She’d been right to, hadn’t she?

The office area was quiet, and Rose went to Camila’s office first, searching for Diego. But his assistant was on the phone, and she looked alarmed when she saw Rose standing in the doorway. She held up one finger, but Rose waved her off and headed to Stephani’s desk.

Stephani was focusing on her computer monitor when Rose approached, and the same look of alarm crossed her features before she consciously smoothed it away. More worrisome to Rose was the flash of sympathy on the other woman’s face.

“Stephani,” Rose said carefully. “Camila is on the phone. Is Diego in?”

“I’m sorry, no.”

The dread tightened into a painful ball in the center of her chest. “And Raoul?”

“With the king, in Alexander’s office.”

“Steph, what’s going on? Everyone’s looking at me sideways today. Diego hasn’t been to visit the children, and I know something’s wrong. What could have happened between last night and this morning?”