Princess (48 page)

He nodded. “I will. I still can’t believe you risked yourself like that for me.”

“Why not? You do it for me all the time.”

He looked mystified. “You stayed for me. You walked into that room for me when you could have—
should have
—looked after your own safety. I feel . . .” He shook his head.

“What do you feel?” she asked softly, gazing at him.

“Like my life has just begun.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “I am done hiding from you, Serafina. I’ve been so scared and behaved like such a bastard. But you’ve been so patient with me.”

“You’re worth it, Darius.”

He opened his eyes again, misted, and could say nothing more.

She leaned up and kissed his lips, lingering gently and breathing her warm breath over the crescent-moon scar on his mouth. As she ended the kiss and rested her head back on the bed again, he gave her a shy, little-boy smile.

They were silent, savoring each other. She sifted his silky black hair through her fingers, then petted it back from his eyes and noticed he was studying her strangely. He tilted his head.

“Will you marry me?” he asked suddenly.

“What?”
she cried, lifting both eyebrows in surprise.

“I never got to ask you,” he murmured with a tiny, nonchalant shrug.

She feigned grave deliberation. “Well, heavens, Santiago, I don’t know. It’s a big step. Do you think you’re ready?”

“I’m ready,” he whispered, eyes shining under his long lashes.

She laughed and hugged him. “Finally!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me since I was four years old!”

“Then it seems I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Mm-hmm,”
she said heartily. Laughing, she pulled him down to kiss her.

EPILOGUE

October 27, 1805

“Oh, Serafina, it’s beautiful!” Els cried, following her through the first floor of the yellow villa. “No wonder we never see you at court anymore. You’ve made a little paradise here!”

Serafina grinned and brushed a curl behind her ear, beckoning her best friend into the dining room. “Look at the fresco.” She pointed at the ceiling, where the rich colors of the Baroque painting had been carefully restored. Mars and Venus were caught in their golden net and looked not a whit sorry for it.

Els laughed, marveling. “Reminds me of a couple I know.”

Serafina chuckled. “Come, I’ll show you the morning room. It gets such wonderful light that I have half a citrus orchard growing in there.”

The completion of the repairs and remodeling of the house had coincided with the end of the threat of war that had hung over the kingdom for five months. On this day, Serafina and Darius were playing host to the harvest party celebrating the occasion.

A week ago, as Ascencion was bringing in the year’s grapes, Admiral Horatio Nelson had lost his life but defeated Villeneuve and crushed the Franco-Spanish navy at Trafalgar.

Now Napoleon no longer had the means to invade Ascencion, let alone England. His threat of invasion was permanently foiled.

Showing Els the library, Serafina’s private, sickening memories of Tyurinov and his pair of brutes were finally beginning to fade.

The room looked very different now. It had been thoroughly remodeled, brightened with fresh, creamy paint. New, lighter-toned rugs had replaced those that had been ruined by blood-shed. In spite of the death of so prominent a man, the inquest into the events of that night had been cut short by the intervention of Czar Alexander.

Commending Serafina for her bravery, the young ruler had written to thank Darius for information that had led to the discovery in Moscow of evidence confirming Tyurinov’s murder of his first wife. By Tyurinov’s having met his end on Ascencion, it was easier for Czar Alexander to sweep the details of his crimes under the carpet.

When they received the czar’s letter, Darius had explained to her what was written between the lines. Had Tyurinov lived, his criminal trial would have caused a terrific scandal for the czar personally, as his cousin. It also would have polarized Tyurinov’s supporters in the army and among the conservative nobles against his administration.

As far as Princess Margaret’s family was concerned, the czar wrote that he condoled with them personally and explained the true facts of her death. Now that Anatole was dead, they felt a small sense of justice knowing their daughter had been avenged.

Els brought her out of her thoughts. “I love the color.” She smiled as she took a turn about the room.

As the redhead cooed over the Greek antiquities placed tastefully here and there, Serafina’s gaze came to rest on the desk. Darius’s spectacles sat atop the thick ledger for his ship-and-trade firm.

Though he still acted as special diplomatic counselor to the Office of Foreign Affairs, the role of the prosperous merchant prince was as dangerous a lifework as he cared to undertake these days. She thanked God for it. He had worked hard enough for his adopted country and able, new men were stepping forward for the dangerous assignments. She liked to tease him that the world had not come to an end without his managing it, after all.

The two women continued their tour up the stairs.

Els turned to her. “What do you think of Alec?”

Serafina hid her smile. “Oh, he’s very sweet. Very dependable. A good man.”

“Straitlaced, though, and he’s awfully tame,” Els replied cautiously, knitting her brow.

“Maybe he needs someone to spice up his life.”

Els snorted but blushed. Serafina chuckled and showed her the various rooms, until at last they came to the pink bedroom.

“Ah, the love nest.”

“Els!” Now it was Serafina’s turn to blush.

Els sighed. “You’re so lucky. Such a life. Such a husband. Such a house.”

“I know it,” she murmured, folding her arms under her bosom as Els walked over to the window to inspect the view.

Serafina looked down to find her bare toes on the edge of the tapestry rug. She gazed down at the softly faded colors depicting the youths and maidens dancing around the maypole, with the world brightly flowering around them.

“Your poor brother,” Els sighed as she stood looking down on the gathering below. She shook her head as Serafina joined her. “Look at him. He is not the same anymore.”

Under the crisp, azure sky, the sunlit fields rolled out in every direction as far as the eye could see. Nearer, the golden fall day embraced the villa and all her guests, seated variously around the pleasingly landscaped back garden. Mama was presiding at the center with her sleeping infant, Prince Lorenzo, in her arms. Pia was sitting next to her, ready to offer aid and beaming down at the baby. By the garden wall, Papa was bending down to examine the late-blooming red roses.

But Rafe sat apart from everyone, sprawled in a chair, his handsome chin propped on his fist as he stared restlessly at the horizon.

Serafina shook her head in concern. She felt sorry for him. “We heard Julia Calazzi has been seen in Rome,” she confided. “It appears she has attached herself to Pauline Bonaparte.”

“No!” Els gasped.

She nodded, turning away from the window to go sit on the bed. “Birds of a feather, don’t you think? Julia could be captured easily enough, but Rafael won’t allow her to be prosecuted. He told Darius all he wants is to go to her and ask her why.”

Els shook her head sadly and continued gazing at the prince.

The gleeful clamor of children’s shouting voices suddenly floated to them from a distance. Serafina smiled knowingly to herself at the sound.
He’s late
.

“That cannot be your husband . . . oh, my Lord,” Els said, staring, “I don’t believe my eyes.”

Smiling, Serafina walked back toward her. “Ah, yes, the Pied Piper.” She joined Els at the window and laughed with sheer happiness at what she saw.

Kite ribbons trailing, the great Santiago and his entourage came trudging back toward the house through the sunlit fields.

Els turned and gaped at her. “Your husband is covered in children!”

“They’re the local peasant children. They come to see him nearly every day.” Children swung from his arms, skipped around him, and craned their necks to gauge his every smile and glance, all talking at once. Darius did not look particularly annoyed. When they came nearer, he pointed to the table laden with food. En masse, they ran for it like a tribe of wild heathens, ignoring the royal personages present.

Els stared, openmouthed.

Darius set the kites on the grass at the edge of the garden, then went and shook hands with her father. The two tall, dark men stood there in conversation for a few minutes.

Having helped themselves to the food on the table, the children promptly ran back to Darius, popping cookies in their mouths, wielding chicken drumsticks like tiny clubs. They tackled him until he gave in, laughing, and let himself be thrown onto the grass, then they piled on him.

“I am in shock,” Els said.

“He is spoiling every single one of them,” Serafina replied archly. “He used the scraps of wood the carpenters left and built them a playhouse. He reads to them. Arbitrates their quarrels. Now he is talking of buying a pony so he can teach them all how to ride.”

“You sound jealous,” Els laughed.

“No,” she said softly. “They are my accomplices. They are helping me drown him in love.”

Below, the children had relented and let Darius sit up. Presently, they all watched, spellbound, as he used his Gypsy magic to pull a shiny gold coin out of one little boy’s ear.

He brandished the coin and grinned. They screeched and piled on him again.

Els shook her head in astonishment. “I’d say you had better give that man a baby.”

“Actually . . .” Serafina began to blush.

Els turned to her in question, staring at her, her green eyes flying open wide. “Cricket!”

Serafina smiled shyly, turning bright pink.

Els threw her arms around her. “Oh, I am so happy for you!”

Serafina returned her hug, laughing with tears in her eyes, then she drew back and held both her friend’s hands, giving them a squeeze. “I just found out myself. I can’t wait to tell him.”

“He doesn’t know yet?”

“I was going to wait till tonight after everyone had gone—”

“No, no! You must tell him now, then you can share your happiness with all the people who love you both,” Els said, her voice choking up with emotion. She quickly banished the tear that rose in her eye.

“Hmm,” Serafina mused. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course I am! Come, now. You go tell him your wonderful tidings. I’m going to get something to eat before those little heathens devour it all.”

Arm in arm, they returned to the gathering below. Els shot her a look of encouragement, then drifted over to try and coax a smile out of Rafe. She saw her brother lift his gaze to Els, but Serafina walked past them toward the onyx-eyed magician ringed by children on the grass.

“Uh-oh, everyone, here comes the fairy queen,” Darius said to his captivated audience, his gaze holding hers with the shadow of a mischievous smile. “You must be on your best behavior. If you’re very good, she’ll make your wish come true. She did mine.”

“And if you’re bad, I will turn you all into toads,” she finished, standing over them, hands on hips, as they screeched and laughed uproariously at this threat.

“I want to be a toad!” one yelled.

Serafina spread her hands over them. “Abracadabra, abracadoo, you are all toads!”

“I’m a toad, I’m a toad!” they cried. They began playing leapfrog.

Darius glanced at the leapfrogging children, then arched a brow at her from under his forelock. “Not bad.”

“It is the least of my powers.” She smiled. “Come with me,” she said softly, “I have something to tell you.”

He jumped up off the grass and took her hand. They walked close together as she led him under the grape trellis a short distance away. In its green, leafy shadows, he drew her into his arms and gazed down at her, then lowered his head and kissed her softly.

She caressed his clean-shaven face, parting her lips to taste him.

Desire leaped between them. He pulled back from the kiss with a shivery little sigh that silently expressed his regret for the inconvenience of company present. He stroked her hair and they stood holding each other.

“What is it you wanted to tell me, beauty?” he murmured after a moment, nuzzling her cheek.

She felt a twinge of anxiety, but when she lifted her gaze and looked into his dark, velvety eyes, glowing with warmth and kindness, her fear dissolved.

“The first thing is that I love you, Darius.”

“And I love you.” His smile widened. “What’s the second thing?”

“Well . . .” Sliding her arms around his neck, she pulled him down and whispered in his ear.

All the guests looked over, when, from under the grape trellis, came the sound of deep, rolling, wonderful laughter. The curious children crept in to investigate, and a few minutes later, the children herded them back out to the party, arm in arm, Serafina blushing, Darius beaming with a grin of exhilaration.

“What are you two scoundrels up to now?” Rafael drawled at them from his chair on the lawn.