Reclaiming the Prince's Heart

“Yes.”

“Did I know her well?”

“You avoided the subject of marriage as much as possible.”

“So what are you saying about us?”

She flashed him a smile. “The moment we met we knew we were in love. That was it, and you broke off with her. You told me you were never in love with her and I believed you. Otherwise, how could we explain what happened to us?”

He eyed her for a quiet moment. “Were my grandparents upset?”

“If they were, they hid it well and allowed you to marry me, a woman of the people. That’s something no other royal has ever done in your bloodline. From what I understood, you often defied convention, but you are your own person and your grandparents’ favorite.”

At this point he got off the bed and started pacing, then stopped. “What happened to my parents?”

“They died in a boating accident in a ferocious storm four years ago on Lake Diamanti on the outskirts of Asteria. I’m so sorry and wished I could have met them.”

He moved closer to her. “What about your parents?”

“They died when I was two in a plane accident, so I don’t remember them. I was raised by my grandparents. My grandfather managed a bank. They died separately of pneumonia. I ended up getting my degree in business administration from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. I worked later, but didn’t find satisfaction, so I applied for jobs elsewhere, even outside the country.

“Being bilingual in Italian as well as Romansh, I was able to interview at the Baldasseri Gold Mining Corporation here in San Vitano. Fabio Machetto, the office manager, offered me a position. I liked the staff and atmosphere and felt I could be happy there.

“Two weeks later you came into the office. I fell so hard for you it was embarrassing.”

His hands went to his hips. “Apparently, that worked both ways.”

“Yes, thank heaven! My grandparents would have loved you. As for the rest, you and I started to speak Romansh and you took me to lunch. From that time on we were inseparable.”

“What about other boyfriends?” he rapped out, as if he couldn’t take in the information fast enough.

“I dated some, but meeting you altered my universe. Now, enough about me. I’ve answered your questions and want you to tell me why you were sent in the helicopter without your belongings.”

She heard a sharp intake of breath before Rini got back into his bed, stretching out before turning to her. “As I told Doctor Romano, I tripped and fell on the side of the highway. A kind man drove me to the hospital, but I don’t remember what happened. Maybe someone came by before he did and stripped me of everything. When I was dressed in hospital scrubs, they probably threw my clothes away. I don’t know. No one in there spoke my language, or I theirs.”

Luna groaned. “But the contents of your wallet would have told someone everything.”

“Maybe I lost it in the cave-in. Once in that hospital, I figured that one day I wouldn’t wake up. I prayed for that eventuality.”

“Instead, the policeman, Zigo, helped me find you,” she blurted. “If it hadn’t been for him, I would never have found you. I plan to do something wonderful for him.”

“We’ll find a way to do it, Luna. I’ll want to reward the doctor, too.”

“Of course, we will. Carlo Bruni, the man who came with me, is your grandfather’s foreign emissary. He was responsible for arranging everything. Carlo is one of our favorite people.”

For a minute quiet reigned. Luna lay back on the cot, wishing they shared a bed. She ached to hold him in her arms and love them both into oblivion.

“Are you going to sleep on me?” The deep voice she loved sounded close to accusatory.

“No.” She smiled. “I thought you had nodded off.”

“Anything but. Tell me where we live.”

Luna turned to him in the semidarkness. “Our home is a lovely, spacious palazzo not far from the royal palace. You were born and raised there. It has fruit trees in the back. When they blossom, it looks like fairyland. We have a housekeeper, Viola, who’s also the cook. She’s married to the caretaker, Mateo. Both have been with you for close to fifteen years now.”

“Do I have friends?”

“You and your second cousin, Vincenzo, are good friends, but with him running the timber business in Scuol, neither of you see each other as often as you’d like.”