The Princess (11 page)

“Well, Shelby, hello,” the queen said from down the path, her own companion trailing her at some distance.

“Hi.” Shelby smiled when she spotted her, gladly moving forward to accept her embrace. “How are you?”

“I’m fine and loving this weather. How about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you really, Shelby? I mean
really
?”

Her tone was so suddenly serious that Shelby stared at her.

“I think so,” she answered uncertainly. “Why do you ask?”

The queen searched the younger woman’s face before saying, “Shelby, come sit on this bench with me, will you?”

The two women got comfortable before the queen went on quietly.

“I want you to know, Shelby, that Nikolai came to us about the way he treated you.”

“Oh,” Shelby said uncomfortably, still sorry she had been so foolish and run. “I didn’t handle that very well.”

“Shelby, what are you talking about? I’ve seen Nikolai angry. It’s not a pretty thing. The only difference is that I know he wouldn’t do anything. You had no such guarantee because you’re still too unfamiliar with him. Now, I want you to tell me if you’re all right.”

Shelby’s gaze went to the trees overhead. “I haven’t been able to talk to anyone, not even my parents. I can’t stand the thought they’ll think badly of Nikolai. I know he was upset, but at the moment I didn’t stop to analyze it. I just had to get away.”

The queen picked up Shelby’s hand. She held it gently and continued.

“You’re still speaking as though you did the wrong thing, dear. Nikolai was completely at fault, and his father and I know that. We’re so pleased with the way you let him apologize and that you forgave him. He knows he was wrong.”

For the first time since the incident, Shelby began to listen. She had been wrapped up in her own little world of hurt and not thinking clearly. She stared at the queen as understanding dawned and then admitted quietly, “I thought you might be sorry you chose me to marry Nikolai.”

For a moment, the queen’s eyes closed in pain. “Nothing could be further from the truth, Shelby.” She bent close now to be sure she was being heard. “If Rafe and I could do it all over again, you would still be the one.”

As if her heart was a bird that had been set free of its cage, Shelby felt as though she could fly. For the first time in days, she felt she could take a deep breath. So completely out of her depth in this place, terrified of making a mistake and disappointing the king and queen—not to mention being of no use to the prince—Shelby
suddenly knew the worst was over. The prince might never love her. She might never have an intimate marriage or children with him, but she could be herself, she could be the woman God had created her to be, and that was worth almost any cost to Shelby.

“Thank you,” Shelby said at last. “I can’t tell you what a help you’ve been.”

“I’m glad, Shelby. I can’t stand to see you hurting.”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll hurt again, but the Lord never promised a walk in the park, and in the future I know I’ll be able to handle it.”

Erica couldn’t resist hugging her again, an embrace Shelby gladly returned. Shelby was just starting her walk, and Erica was on her way home, so after a few more minutes the women parted company. Shelby’s long legs ate up the path as she kept herself just short of a run, her heart prayerful and light as a child’s. She decided she would have to drop a note to the queen, thanking her again.

“But how would I word it?” Shelby asked the air in front of her. “Never mind, Shelby. You already thanked her. Let it go at that.”

Kris, still trailing her and keeping his eyes open, had the impression that something was different. As was his job, he would just have to wait and see.

“And where is the princess?” the prince asked of Murdock. It had been his standard question for the last ten weeks. It had started after the King’s Ball. Princess Shelby was constantly in demand, and unless she was with the prince, the rather shy, quiet young woman was gone.

The staff had had a small taste of Shelby in the first several weeks she lived in the palace, but the real woman, the woman who liked to bake cookies at ten o’clock at night or slide in stocking feet
along the polished floors of the hallway, was now out in full force. They also found her kinder than ever—taking hot soup to one of the staff members when she was down with a cold and cookies to the queen mother when she learned her favorite type.

Nikolai had foolishly packed his schedule when they had first married and now found himself always moving in the opposite direction from his wife. That he had originally wanted this and was still tempted to do it was beside the point. He knew it was wrong, but in some ways the damage was done, at least for a time. Other than Sunday mornings and evenings when they were both in church, he would never have known where she was if it hadn’t been for Murdock. There were times when things were too set to be rearranged, but the prince was making a genuine effort to get to know his shy wife. In the process he was finding out that she was one popular lady.

“Let me rephrase that,” the prince said. “Is there any place I might catch up with her today?” He watched his minister check his ever-present calendar book.

“She’s at the care center this morning, but at noon she’s scheduled at the Faraday Garden Club for a luncheon with your grandparents. The ladies and gentlemen of the club have asked her to be a member. They will present her with a dozen trees to plant here at the palace and a dozen more to plant where she chooses. They have asked her to address the group after the presentation.”

The prince looked thoughtful. “Have you heard her speak, Murdock?”

“Not personally, sir, but both Kris and Hank tell me that she holds an audience in the palm of her hand.”

Nikolai nodded slowly. “I’ll head there as soon as I finish my Bible study assignment from Grandfather.”

“Will you make it for the luncheon, sir?”

“I should.”

“I’ll call ahead and warn them,” Murdock said as he made a note in the daybook.

“Is she happy?” the prince asked suddenly, his voice low.

The faithful house minister looked up at him. “I would say she’s very happy, Prince Nikolai.”

“Does she ever ask about me or where I am?”

Murdock shook his head no. “If I may be so bold, sir, I think she would say that it’s none of her business.”

Nikolai nodded. “It’s an unconventional situation; there’s no doubt about that.”

Murdock opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. The prince caught the action and commanded him to “spit it out.”

“I was going to say that given time I think that will change, but I remembered, sir, you may not wish for that change, and then my words would be of little comfort to you.”

Nikolai stared at his old friend and servant. “You’re right. At this moment I wouldn’t care for that, but I have a responsibility. Shelby’s parents gave her hand to me, believing she would be well. I want to know that she’s happy and cared for.”

Now it was Murdock’s turn to nod. Shelby was happy, he had just told the prince that, but as to the future—a future with a man who kept her at arm’s length—that would remain to be seen.

“We’re so glad to have you again, Princess Shelby,” the matron, a Mrs. Radford, at the care center said. “Will you be staying until lunch?”

“Not today,” Shelby said calmly, but her mind was racing. She had seen some things in this place that made her uncomfortable. As one of the directors, she had been allowed to question and inspect to her heart’s desire. She hadn’t seen anything too noticeable, but the matron was always so swift to point out the ways she
was saving money. Shelby hadn’t seen anything in the books that would indicate the center was in financial trouble, so this made no sense to her.

Then she began to notice where the cutbacks were taking place—they were all in the dining room. Shelby had eaten with the residents twice and both times was very uncomfortable with what she’d seen and eaten. She was not a person who usually made snap judgments, willing to give others the benefit of the doubt, and she was not going to be hasty now, but after visiting with a few of the residents as well as the staff, Shelby made a mental note to visit at mealtime the next chance she had.

“I was at the care center this morning,” Shelby told Nikolai’s grandparents as they walked toward the August Botanical Gardens. The day was sunny, not a cloud anywhere, but the temperature was only in the mid-seventies.

“You’re a director now, aren’t you?” King Anton asked.

“Yes. I took over for your mother. She was delighted when I told her.”

“We plan to take her a flower, Shelby,” Ketra told her. “We’ll be sure and tell her you were back at the center today.”

“Or I could take the flower for you,” Shelby offered with a smile, “and tell her myself.”

The three were still talking as they entered the gardens and were almost immediately joined by some of the members. Shelby met several dozen people before having a chance to excuse herself, wishing she’d used the ladies’ room at the care center; the bathroom at the gardens was quite a long walk away. She was still in one of the stalls when at least two other ladies came in.

“Is my slip showing?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Did you see him?”

“Yes. I’m telling you, Liz, he’s the best looking man I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re not kidding.”

“The princess is here today too.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“That’s what my mother told me. I’ve heard she’s beautiful.”

The other woman sniffed, her voice playful. “I don’t care what she looks like; he should have married me.”

Both women left in laughter, but Shelby didn’t join in. She didn’t know what happened to her when her husband was near, but she definitely wasn’t herself. She didn’t really think it could be called fear—no, it was more like awe. Yes, that was the word. Awe was when something made you a bit tongue-tied and put you at a loss. He had been nothing but a gentleman for weeks now. Indeed, Shelby had never known such a gentleman, but she still felt awkward and shy in his presence.

She exited the bathroom with a small measure of panic rising in her breast, all the while telling herself to calm down and be respectful. She wasn’t ten feet outside the door when she stopped to look to where they would eat lunch and have the program, the fronds of a large plant making it almost impossible. She was in the midst of taking a deep breath to subdue her nerves when he spoke from behind her.

“Shelby.”

“Oh, Nikolai!” she exclaimed, a hand going to her heart. “I didn’t see you.” Her eyes huge with fright, she looked up at him and saw him smile. Did he think it was funny? For the first time since she’d met him, she found herself feeling grumpy toward him.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she said, her voice a bit formal.

“My plans were of the last minute variety, or I would have informed you.”

Looking unconsciously regal, Shelby nodded and began walking down the path, not caring if he followed or not. He stayed right at her side, matching his longer legs to her steps. Still a bit miffed, she didn’t speak to him again but smiled at a few people who passed.

“This is quite an honor,” Nikolai spoke up. “I think the average age of the members here is about 50.”