His Forbidden Princess(29)
“No, sir. It’s Ian Stuart. The princess is right here. Let me give her the phone.”
Sofie lunged at the phone, grabbing it from Ian’s hand. “Papa? Oh, Papa.”
The tears fell and as much as Ian’s instinct was to comfort her, he left the room so she could speak privately with her family. He didn’t know what they would tell her, if there would be many details, but he knew this was going to be emotional for her.
Emotional Sofie. Ian was glad she had the chance to talk to her family, if only to ease her mind, but he wondered what he was in for when she found everything he hadn’t been telling her.
Chapter Five
“I’m so happy to talk to you, my darling girl. You’re well?”
“Yes, everything is fine. Ian has made sure I’m in a very safe place.”
“He told me. It sounds perfect. I’m very grateful to him.” Sofie couldn’t tell her father that being with Ian was both a burden and a gift at the same time.
“It’s lovely, too. But we’re waiting for a storm to pass now. It’s expected late tomorrow and will be over by the next morning.”
“How bad a storm?” Her father wanted to know.
“He said the island has seen worse.”
“Alright, but if you feel the least bit worried, you call and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
“Thank you, Papa.” There wasn’t anything he could do from another continent, but she appreciated his protectiveness. For as hard as her mother was, her father was a warm, sweet man. “How are you and Mama? And Anna? Is she recovering?”
“Your mother and I are fine. Anna is doing much better. She’s awake, alert, and eating.
We are still making her rest, but she will recover fully.”
“Where are you? I mean is the country safe?”
There was silence on the line. At first she thought she’d been disconnected because it went on longer than the usual pregnant pause. “Papa?”
“We’ve left the country. We’re in hiding and there’s a real possibility we won’t be returning until this is all sorted out.”
Words failed her for a moment. “I see. I’m glad you’re all safe. But, Papa…” Now she was the one who went quiet. How did she ask a question for which she really didn’t want the answer? “Will you be able to return?”
Her father drew a long, shaky breath. “I don’t know. Your mother is distraught. She has no idea why Parliament is not moving to support the monarchy. It makes no sense. The citizens do not want us to leave.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Her family had no home. No country.
“There’s nothing to say. We will still be able to live. We have means. We have family in other parts of the world. There are people in more dire straits.”
“Of course. You’re right, of course.”
“I am glad,” he began and then stopped. “I am glad Ian was there to keep you safe.”
And that was the other question that had been running around in her head. How did he know that Ian would be in the position to protect her? “How did you know about that? That he worked for the government. I would have thought you wanted that part of my life erased.”
He chuckled. “My dear, you are under the impression that we didn’t like the young man.
That’s not true. Just because you couldn’t be with him because of your station, doesn’t mean we thought he was unworthy. The two are very different.”
“I see.” The lecture her mother had given her in the car after they left Ian’s flat that morning was exactly the opposite. Her mother chided her for ruining herself. That she may not be able to marry because she’d given up her virginity. Even when she was twenty-one, her mother had been trying to make a suitable match. It still hadn’t happened.
The sexual revolution and gender equality had missed many European royals. The men
still wanted virgin brides.
“I’d been keeping tabs on Mister Stuart. I knew he was part of their law enforcement community and that he was heading up your protection detail while in the United States. When you were in danger, I called upon him.”
“I wish you hadn’t done that, Papa. Putting Ian in this position—it hardly seems right after the way I hurt him.”
“What do you think I asked of him?” Her father inquired. “I went to him for advice. He volunteered to look after you the minute I got him on the phone. I said it might not be the best idea, that I wanted you to come home, but once he shared some of their intelligence, I knew you would be safer in the US.”