The Heir

“Matilda, this is Rosa. My fiancée. Rosa, this is my nanny, Matilda Olsenberg.”

Matilda turns her head and looks at me. I smile at her and she bows her head respectfully. Then she turns back to Dante and smiles. There is real happiness flashing in her eyes.

“Sometimes our fates are mapped out for us before we are born. You will be King of Avanti one day, Prince Nils.” As soon as she finishes talking she drops into a deep curtsy.

Dante looks at me and shrugs.

A man at our side clears his throat. “Her Majesty has placed Miss Winchester in the Redwood suite. Of course, your rooms have been aired and are ready for you.”

Dante’s arm comes around my waist. “Thank you, Viggo. Those sleeping arrangements will be perfect.”

Viggo nods politely.

“Where is my father?”

“He is in the South garden, Your Highness. He will meet you in the music room once you have settled in.”

“Very good. Tell him I’ll see him in half-an-hour.”

“Certainly, Your Highness.”

“Miss Winchester,” a uniformed maid says as she steps forward. “If you would like to follow me. I’ll show you to your rooms.”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll take my fiancée to her quarters myself,” Dante says smoothly.

“What about my luggage?” I ask.

“One of the staff will fetch it to your quarters,” Viggo says quietly.

I thank him and Dante exerts a little pressure on the small of my back. We start walking towards the entrance.

“Looks like we’ll be sleeping in different parts of the palace,” I say as I follow him across the lawn to the entrance of the palace.

Dante looks down at me, his face amused. “Don’t worry. It’s walking distance.”

Two guards, also dressed in colorful uniforms, stare straight ahead, and don’t change expressions as we walk past.

“My God. It feels so strange to completely ignore them like that.”

“Again, you’ll get use to the royal guards. Unfortunately, it’s another one of the stupid traditions I detest.”

“I don’t like it either,” I reply as we step into the palace entrance. My mouth drops open. “Wow! This is so very beautiful.”

“I guess it is very beautiful, you forget after some time.”

“I still can’t believe you said your mother and father sit around watching television like normal families,” I say as I try hard not to gawk at the vast spaces, the rich decorations, the massive portraits and ancient tapestries decorating the walls. After only a few turns I’m lost.

“God, Dante, I’ll never be able to find my way back to my room once I leave it. This place is like a maze.”

“It can be confusing at first, but you’ll catch on quickly. It’s not as complicated as it appears.”

“Uh huh,” I mock. “Maybe it’s not confusing to you because you grew up crawling the halls in diapers. To me it’s a maze.”

“You’ve met Matilda. Can you see her letting me crawl around like some street urchin?” Dante asks cheerfully.

Dante stops in front of elaborate teakwood doors with the family coats of arms carved on the front. “The Redwood suite,” he says, and pushes open the double doors.

Chapter 26

Rosa

Oh, my God! I’ve visited some impressive homes and Nikolai, Star’s billionaire husband, lives in one hell of an impressive mansion, but never in my wildest imagination could I envision something like this. First; the size. The room had to be easily larger than my entire flat back in London. Second; the beauty and luxury. One entire wall is made up of tall, narrow windows. Sunlight streams in through them and falls on the Princess bed. A fairytale canopy bed, draped in silks with lilac and gold stripes, and smaller strips of deep blue stretching up to each corner and surrounding the top of the bed.

The sheets are the snowiest imaginable. Four pillows in snowy cases line the top of the mattress. A blanket embroidered in gold is folded back and lies halfway down the mattress.

“Do you like the room?” Dante asks seemingly entertained by my reaction.

“What’s not to like? It’s gorgeous.” I walk toward the window.

Directly in front of me are painstakingly manicured formal gardens with their precise rows of flowering plants. I see three gardeners hard at work to keep it utterly immaculate. Beyond the city are rolling hills scattered with cottages that remind me of those one would expect to find in the Swiss Alps. One could never tire of a view like this no matter how often one saw it. I could stand here for hours. I’m overwhelmed already.

Dante comes to stand behind me. I lean back against his body. “Spectacular, isn’t it?” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“It is a very unfair world we live in. Some people are born to this and others are born starving in Africa.”

He kisses the side of my neck and there is a catch in his voice. “It is the way of the world, bella.”

There’s a soft knock on the door and Dante turns toward it.

“Miss Winchester’s luggage is here, Your Highness,” the maid announces from the doorway.

“Bring it in,” Dante says, and a male servant brings my suitcase through the door.

Dante speaks to him in rapid Avantian, then turns to me, a scowl on his face. “Rosa, would you mind if I leave you and go to see my horse. He’s too old to ride now, but he is bonded to me, and he is not very well. It will make him happy to see me again.”

“Yes, of course, go see him. I’ll be fine. I’m still exploring my room!” I say.

“I will introduce you to him tomorrow,” he says, coming over and kissing me gently on my forehead.

“Please don’t worry about me. Go see your horse.”

After he strides out of the room, the maid who had been hanging around the door speaks up. “Would you like for me to unpack for you, Miss Winchester?”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary as I didn’t pack very much.”

“My name is Elsa and if you need me for anything at all you can call me by pressing this button,” she says pointing to one of the buttons hidden under a bit of swirling material over the bed.

I thank her and she starts to walk out, then stops, and curtsys. “The clothes in your suitcase must be creased by now, I’d be happy to steam them for you.”

I smile. “You know what, Elsa. I’d love some help unpacking. Thank you.”

She smiles back, then goes to my suitcase and carrying it, opens the door to a walk-in closet that would make the Kardashians envious. My meager possessions will hardly make a dent. I see myself reflected again and again down the length of the closet.

“If you need to refresh yourself while I put away your belongings, Miss Winchester,” Elsa says pointing to another door.

“Thanks, and please call me, Rosa.”

She looks shocked. “Oh, that would not be proper, Miss Winchester.”

No wonder Dante ran away from all this rigid adherence to tradition and regulations. Shaking my head, I step into the bathroom. The counters are covered in gleaming white and black marble. There are two matching sinks, each with—can they be real gold faucets? Inside my own head, I utter a few more “wows.” A mamm

oth Jacuzzi bath stands to one side, and in another corner is a massive shower.

By the time I freshen up and come out Elsa has finished unpacking my luggage. “Unless there’s anything else, Miss Winchester, I will go and steam these clothes, and arrange for your ball gown to be professionally taken care of tonight.”

I give her a grateful smile. “Nothing else, Elsa. Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

Elsa closes the door behind her and I have to go up on tip toes to reach the top of the bed. The mattress sinks under me. I have never slept in a bed this sumptuous. I run my fingers lightly on the silky embroidered thread. Star and Cindy will die when I tell them about all this. Just as I am about to call Star, I hear a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” I call.

“Cassandra. May I come in?”

Cassandra. It must be Dante’s sister-in-law. “Of course,” I say, and hurry towards the door, but before I have a chance to reach it, a beautiful woman rushes inside. She grabs me around the waist and leaning forward, kisses both my cheeks.

“Rosa,” she says, “it is so nice to meet you at last.”

“At last?” I echo. To be honest I’m stunned by her extraordinary friendliness after the formal way everyone else in the palace has behaved.

She steps back and gives me a sparkling smile. She’s a slender woman maybe a few years younger than I am. Her hair is pale blonde, and her complexion is creamy. She is wearing a knee-length dark green silk dress with a pattern of yellow roses. I recognize it instantly as this year’s summer collection from Gucci.

“Yes. I’ve been wondering about the woman who could enchant Dante so much that he’s now ready to get married and settle down.”

“Enchant? That’s a quaint word I hardly ever hear anymore.”

She wrinkles her nose charmingly. “Perhaps there is a better word. I directly translated the word we use in Avantian. Should I have used the word hook instead?”

I grin. “No. don’t use that word. It makes Dante sound like a fish.”