From the gleaming marble floors to the sparkling crystal chandelier, she realized this place was ripped out of the pages of a fairy tale. In that very moment, the enormity of the task before her became crystal clear. Not even the biggest, most star-studded wedding could compare to this affair. Her stomach knotted with nervous tension. This wedding would come with challenges, which she couldn’t even comprehend at this point.
But she couldn’t let Leo or Giselle see her insecurities. She stilled her rambling thoughts. She focused her gaze on her newest client.
“This way.” Giselle’s sweet voice drew Bianca from her wandering thoughts.
Bianca glanced around for her luggage but didn’t see it.
“Don’t worry. Your bags are already in your room. Come on.” She headed for the grand staircase in the middle of the great foyer.
As they climbed the staircase with a royal red runner up the center, the princess said, “You must be very good at your job for my brother to hire you.”
“I am.” The admission might sound like bragging. It wasn’t. It was the truth.
Bianca might be a train wreck in other areas of her life, but when it came to planning weddings and looking after the details, she was in her zone. Lists were her friends. Her digital calendar ran her life, from a reminder to get up in the morning to the reminder to wind down for the night.
At the top of the steps, the princess paused and turned to her. “I don’t know if you know this, but my brother does not make spur of the moment decisions often.” The princess’s expression was quite serious. Her gaze searched Bianca as though hunting for answers to unspoken questions. “When he does, it has to be for a very special reason.”
She didn’t want Giselle to think ill of her. “I can assure you that I did nothing to sway your brother’s decision. I didn’t even know of your wedding until he brought it to my attention.”
For a long tenuous moment, Giselle didn’t react. Then as though mulling over Bianca’s response, she smiled. “I’m glad he hired you because this wedding needs help.” She turned and began walking once more. “And if my brother believes in your skills, then so will I.”
“Thank you. I won’t let you down.”
Giselle led her down a wide carpeted hallway with so much expensive artwork that it felt as though they were visiting a museum. They stopped before an open door and Giselle turned to her.
“Here we are. Your things should already be in your room.”
Bianca glanced in the sunny room. It was no less stunning than the other parts of the palace. “Would you like to come in? We could start going over details for the wedding.”
Giselle shook her head. “I have to meet with William, my fiancé. But we can speak after dinner.” She turned to walk away but then turned back. “Did my brother tell you about dinner?”
“No.” She had to wonder what was special about dinner.
“It’s sharply at seven. Don’t be late. It will be in the formal dining room and dress appropriately. There will be guests.”
She was hoping for something more casual, more conducive to work. But when in the palace, do as they do. “I’ll see you then.”
“One more thing. Did my brother mention our mother?”
“The queen? No.” Bianca had a feeling he’d left a lot out and she couldn’t wait to speak with him.
“You should know that my mother has very definite ideas of how the wedding should go.”
Bianca relaxed a bit. “Most mothers do.”
“But my mother is different. She’s used to getting her way. But this is my wedding—my day. I want some say in it.”
“I’m sure compromises can be made. I’ll do my best to incorporate both of your ideas, if that’s what you’d like.”
“It is. As long as it’s more my ideas and less hers.”
Bianca smiled. “I understand. I will keep that in mind.”
Just then a phone buzzed, and it wasn’t Bianca’s.
“That’s William.” Giselle’s face lit up. “I must go. I’ll see you later,” she called over her shoulder as she rushed away.
Bianca smiled at the young woman’s excitement over seeing her fiancé. A deep, abiding love was something special to witness. And that meant Bianca didn’t have time to rest before dinner. She stepped into her spacious room and the first thing to draw her attention was a crystal chandelier. It caught the sun’s rays shining in through the French doors and sent a cascade of colors across the walls. She’d never stayed in a place so fancy that chandeliers were placed in bedrooms.