In the next little while Nico told him everything. His friend studied him in sheer amazement as his story unfolded.
“Santo cielo! Over the years you’ve been looking for your parents, when all this time you’ve been the son of King Carlo? And now you’re the heir apparent to the throne of La Valazzura? This is the most incredible thing I ever heard.”
Nico nodded. “I’m still trying to deal with it. If I didn’t have Fausta with me...” He finished the rest of his beer. “Nothing’s final. It can’t be until I hear from the queen. My father’s evil cousin, Giuseppe Umberto, wants the throne for himself. A battle is waging for control over there.”
“Would you hate me if I said I hope you stay in Domodossola for the rest of your lives? Mia adores Fausta. It’ll be a loss neither of us will get over.”
Those words warmed Nico. “How could I hate you when you’ve been the closest thing I’ll ever have to a brother?”
“Amen.”
“I love being a doctor, Felipe. I’m not sure I can give it up.” He let out a troubled sigh. “But whatever happens, I promise you we’ll be here for your wedding. It’ll be my privilege to be your best man.”
“Is it all right if I tell Mia?”
“She’s probably heard already.”
“But not your story. I’m sure you want to get back to Fausta. You’re still on your honeymoon. Let’s go.”
After another hug, they parted company at their cars. Nico drove home knowing Fausta was there waiting for him. She was all he could think about as he hurried inside the apartment, breathless to sweep her in his arms.
He thought he’d find her in the bedroom since he’d returned later than he’d meant to. Instead he saw her sitting in the living room still dressed in casual clothes. His normally radiant wife looked worried. She wasn’t alone. Signor Bruno was with her.
La Valazzura’s intelligence agents worked with a speed that didn’t escape Nico.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“BASIL?” HE WALKED over and shook his hand, then sat next to Fausta and grasped her hand. “I take it you’ve heard the news about our wedding.”
The older man nodded. “What’s more important, the queen has her spies and your marriage has caused such a serious problem for her, she has sent me here to talk to you personally. Perhaps your wife should be the one to explain to you since I’ve told her everything.”
Nico turned to her. “What’s going on, tesoro?”
“The queen made the decision that she wants you to be the next king. Since she’s Slovenian, she has a young cousin, Princess Anne of Slovenia, who will make you the perfect wife. A marriage between the two of you will keep the ties close between your two countries. Therefore, she wants our marriage dissolved as if it had never been.
“For the sake of the crown you should listen to him, Nico. I’m an impediment. We’ve only been married for two days and could end it just as quickly.”
Angrier than he’d ever been in his life, Nico got to his feet. “When I met with her, Basil, I was a single man. We didn’t discuss my marital state, nor did she lay down any conditions.”
“Nevertheless, she has now set the rules. I’m here to present them to you.”
“Do you mean to tell me that even though she knows I’ve just married my heart’s desire, she could cold-bloodedly ask me to divorce my new wife in order to gain the throne?”
Basil stood up, composed as ever. “She knows your chances could fail if you arrive with a foreign-born wife. It could create more problems for our paranoid nation. She fears the parliament would have great difficulty accepting the situation or trusting it.”
Nico didn’t believe any of these reasons were the major force driving the queen. She was still unforgiving of what Nico’s father had done to her. But it would give her some satisfaction to know he would have to take a new bride he didn’t love in order to fill his father’s shoes. Somehow, she would have her revenge if he divorced Fausta.
His body tautened. “Thank you for delivering her message to me. You can return to La Valazzura and tell her that no earthly throne is more important to me than a celestial marriage. I plan to live with Fausta through eternity.”
Basil’s eyes studied him for a long moment. “You’d make a remarkable king. Your cousin will never be able to fill your father’s shoes, but I know you could.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence, Basil.”
The cousin of Nico’s father was banging on the doors of the Azzura palace, ready to burst them down. Let him.
“Thank you for being so gracious, Princess.”
As Basil had discovered, Fausta was the epitome of all those exceptional Rossiano qualities. Nico had never loved her more than he did at this moment.