Winter Wedding for the Prince(21)

Armando tightened his hold on her waist, clearly afraid she might flee. “If it’s Father, tell him I’m not feeling well, and I will see him in the morning,” he said, smiling at Rosa. “I’m in the middle of a very important discussion.”

“I’m afraid it’s not from your father.” The way his eyes flickered between the two of him made Rosa uneasy. Whatever the message, it sounded like unwanted news.

She couldn’t have been more right.

“Princess El Halwani has arrived,” Vittorio announced. “She’s on her way to the dining room as we speak.”





CHAPTER NINE

ENTER THE BIGGEST stumbling block of all. How on earth could Rosa have forgotten about Mona, the ultimate reason for holding back her heart? At the sound of her name, she broke free of Armando’s embrace. Easy enough since his grip had gone lax.

“Thank you, Vittorio,” Armando replied.

From his shell-shocked expression, it appeared he had forgotten about Mona as well. Small consolation, but Rosa took it nonetheless.

Vittorio bowed in response. “Again, I’m sorry for the interruption, Your Highness.”

“No need to apologize, Vittorio. Your timing was fine.”

Fortuitous even, Rosa would say. This was the second time she and Armando had been stopped from kissing. Maybe the universe knew the troubles that lay ahead and had stepped in to protect them. Certainly it had saved her from heartache tonight.

Partly, anyway.

The two of them stood listening to Vittorio’s receding footsteps. Armando looked as dazed as she felt. His eyes were flat and distant.

She broke the silence first. “We’d best be heading back to the dining room as well. You don’t want the princess wondering where you went.”

“Yes, we should,” he replied in a voice as far away as the rest of him. Then he coughed. The action seemed to shake him back to life, because when he looked at her, his eyes were sharper. Apologetic. “We should talk later.”

“There isn’t that much to talk about,” she replied. Whatever they’d been about to discover was a missed opportunity.

* * *

They were met at the dining room entrance by both King Carlos and King Omar. While Armando’s father wore a concerned frown, the sultan looked ready to burst with excitement. “There you are, my friend! I wondered where you had gone to for so long.”

“I was feeling under the weather,” Armando replied, “and went out for some fresh air.”

“With your assistant?” King Carlos asked.

“I asked Rosa if she would get me something for my stomach. Vittorio told me Mona has arrived.”

“Yes!” replied Omar. “The weather finally cleared, and our pilot was able to get clearance. She is freshening up after her flight and will be back momentarily. You do look pale,” the sultan noted, cocking his head. “I hope it is nothing serious. This arrangement has been plagued enough by illness. Ah, here is my daughter now.”

It was like a scene in a movie. At the sound of King Omar’s pronouncement, all heads turned to the far end of the room to see Princess Mona walk in.

Not walk, float. She moved like she was moving on air with the amethyst color of her gossamer gown trailing behind her. “My deepest apologies, King Carlos,” she said after executing a perfect curtsy, “for arriving so late. I hope I am not disrupting your daughter’s special evening.”

“You can blame me,” Omar said. “Mona was going to go to a hotel, but I insisted she make an appearance. She and your son were long overdue to spend time together.”

“You are most right, Omar,” King Carlos replied before kissing Mona’s fingers. “Your presence is welcome no matter how late. I’ve already instructed the staff to add a setting next to Armando.”

“You’re too kind, Your Highness.” She cast her eyes down in appropriate demureness, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.

For a woman who wasn’t planning to attend, she looked breathtaking. Her dark hair was pulled back tight to give accent to her almond-shaped eyes and high cheekbones. And her skin...her complexion looked like someone had airbrushed her.

The woman turned her curtsy to Armando. “Prince Armando, I’m so pleased to see you again.”

Armando nodded. “I’m glad to see you are fully recovered. You...” He cleared his throat. “You look as lovely as I remember.”

“I’m a fright from rushing to get here, but thank you for the compliment. I’m looking forward to our getting to know each other better over this next week.”

“The same here.” He coughed again. “Sorry. I think might need a glass of water.”

“As good a cue as any to take our seats before your sister notices we are gone,” King Carlos said. “Although I would say the odds are in our favor.”

“They do appear very much enamored with one another,” Omar noted.

“Indeed,” said the king. “If we were to all go to bed right now, I am not sure they would care. In fact, we may have to tell them when dinner has ended.”

Speaking of not being noticed... Rosa lagged behind as the royal quartet walked away. There was a brief moment when Armando looked back, but she purposely didn’t catch his eye. Looking at him would only cause her to replay their conversation in the archway, and she felt cold and alone enough as it was.

“Hey, beautiful, I’d wondered where you’d gone. They’re just about to serve the main course. Or so the forks tell me.” Leaping to his feet, Darius pushed in her chair. “Everything okay with the boss man?”

She looked across the table to where Armando was introducing the princess to the rest of the guests. They made a good-looking couple, the two of them. They would make good-looking heirs as well.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” she asked.

“The two of you were gone for a while. I was afraid something might have happened. Some kind of royal attack or something. We’re not under attack, are we?” he whispered teasingly.

Rosa forced a smile. It wasn’t Darius’s fault she’d left her affinity for flirting back in the archway. “No attack. Yet,” she replied. “His Highness had a problem he was trying to work out.”

“Did he?”

“Turns out he forgot an important piece of information. But,” she said as Mona laughed, making it her time to feel sick to her stomach, “now that he has it, I’m sure he knows what he has to do.”

* * *

It was the longest meal of Armando’s life. Bad enough before, when he was listening to Darius attempting to charm Rosa. But once Mona came, he was forced to be charming himself while listening to Darius. All the while wishing he was standing under the mistletoe with Rosa.

Rosa, who refused to catch his eye.

Just as well. It had been wrong of him to declare his feelings when he was obligated to Mona. Selfish and wrong. His only defense was that he’d been doing exactly what he’d advised Rosa to do: not think.

Now, as punishment for his greediness, he could spend the rest of the evening tasting Rosa’s kiss. The sensation of her mouth moving under his overrode his taste buds, turning everything that passed his lips bland and lifeless. By the time dessert arrived, he wanted to toss his napkin on the table and tell everyone he was through.

He didn’t, of course. One abrupt departure was enough. Besides, between his behavior and Mona’s late arrival, he’d stolen the spotlight enough.

Well, he had wanted to give people something to gossip about besides Arianna’s pregnancy. Sitting to his left, Mona dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Father was right,” she said. “Your sister and her fiancé are very devoted to one another. No wonder your father is willing to be so...accepting...of the circumstances.”

“What do you mean?”

“Please don’t get me wrong,” she said. “I only meant that Corinthia has a reputation for being almost as traditional and conservative as my country. That your father doesn’t seem fazed by your sister doing things out of order, if you will, says something.”

“The order doesn’t matter. Max’s devotion to Arianna is indisputable.”

“She is very lucky. As you and I both know, love matches in royal marriages are rare.”

Yes, they were. Yet again, he tried to catch Rosa’s attention, but her profile was firmly turned toward Darius.

Armando flexed his fingers to keep from forming a fist. A lock of hair had fallen over her eye, loosened no doubt, when they’d kissed. He wanted to comb it away from her face simply so he could run his fingers through her hair.

He wanted to do a lot of things. Apparently being haunted by her kiss wasn’t enough—all his other buried urges returned as well.

Coming back to life was killing him.

“Over time...”

Mona was talking to him again. He jerked his attention back. “I’m sorry. I missed what you said.”

“I was talking about royal marriages,” she said. “That the absence of love in the beginning doesn’t mean the marriage won’t be successful. After all, if two people are compatible, there is no reason why they won’t develop feelings for one another over time. Love doesn’t always happen at first sight.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Armando murmured. Sometimes love crept up on you over a period of years, disguising itself as friendship until your heart was ready.