Giselle turned to leave but then turned back to him. “How did you get Mother to go along with this plan?”
His gaze met hers. “It’s not for you to worry about. I told you I would work this out so that you could enjoy your wedding and I’ve done just that.”
Giselle rushed around the desk, wrapped her arms around him and pressed a feathery kiss to his cheek. “You really are a great brother. And someday I’ll pay you back for all you’ve done for me.”
&nb
sp; “I didn’t do it for payback.”
Giselle pulled away. “I know. You did it because you love me.” She moved to the other side of the desk. “I’m your favorite sister.”
“You’re my only sister. Now go before I disown you.” He sent her a teasing smile.
She smiled back at him. “I’ll tell Bianca you’re sorry you were detained, but you’re eager to see her this evening—”
“Giselle—”
She scurried out of the office, giggling the whole time.
He shook his head. His sister had a good heart, but she could be relentless at times. He just hoped when he did pick a wife that she would be friends with his sister. It’d be nice to finally have some family harmony.
At last, he’d run out of excuses to resume his search for a wife. As the queen had reminded him that morning in the hallway, only six weeks remained until Giselle’s wedding followed by his official engagement announcement. And there was no way he would allow his mother to choose his wife. He inwardly shuddered at the thought.
He reached for the first bio on the rather large stack. As he started to read the page, he found himself comparing the woman to Bianca. He stopped, trying to clear Bianca’s beautiful image from his thoughts. He started to read again. This candidate’s photo had short hair unlike Bianca’s long hair—he stopped again. This was going to take a long, long time.
* * *
Was he avoiding her?
Had that moment of attraction unsettled him?
Those were the questions that snuck into Bianca’s thoughts as their dinner meetings had been cancelled night after night. She’d scarcely seen him since that moment in the gardens.
She tried to tell herself that he was a prince and therefore very busy. And that had worked the first day. But she couldn’t lie to herself any longer. Leo was avoiding her. It hurt.
And for that reason, Bianca had kept herself busy from first thing in the morning until she’d passed out from utter exhaustion late at night. Planning a national event was not for the faint of heart.
This morning, Giselle was giving her a tour of the cathedral. Its soaring arched roof was jaw-dropping. The stained-glass windows were stunning works of art. And the suspended lanterns were absolutely charming. This church would provide the most stunning backdrop for the wedding. Bianca made a list of items she’d like to address later, after she’d given them some thought.
At lunch in the nearby village, Bianca tried her best to catch everything Giselle said. However, the princess was the opposite of her brother. Where he was reserved and spoke only when he had something substantial to say, Giselle rambled on about this, that and another thing.
The princess was like a sunny ball of energy. And Bianca could easily imagine them being lifelong friends. Not that it was possible. When the wedding was completed, her time in Patazonia would also be completed.
But would Leo avoid her until then?
“What’s the matter?” Giselle asked as the chauffeured car whisked them back to the palace earlier than expected.
“Um...nothing.” Bianca lied. There was no way she was discussing Leo with his sister. If Giselle didn’t approve of the match, she would fire Bianca on the spot. And if she did like them together, she would just make the whole situation even more awkward.
“That frown on your face says you have something on your mind,” Giselle said. “You can talk to me.”
“I was just thinking about the wedding.” She needed a diversion. “You’ve told me what you want for the wedding and now I have to speak to your mother and her planner to find out what they expect.”
“Do you have to?” Giselle’s voice carried with it a slight whine.
“My goal is to give you the best day of your life. A day you can look back on and smile. If you’re fighting with your mother throughout the whole ordeal, you aren’t going to enjoy your big day and you definitely won’t want to remember it.”
“You’re right.” Giselle looked down at her skirt and picked a piece of lint from it. “You know, William and I have even talked about eloping. But please don’t tell my brother and certainly not my mother. She would explode and then lock me in the tower until the wedding.”