LITMIR.BIZ

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didn’t want to leave. But Rudy reminded him, “There’s much more to see.”

      He was right. The King’s Chamber with its original thirteenth-century wall paintings showed rustic scenes of animals in a meadow with St. George slaying a beast on the chimneypiece. Not far from that room they entered the magnificent Great Hall of the Prince of Bris with its original octagonal table and tapestries.

      Finally Rudy escorted them to the Saxony apartment where they would be staying. It was two bedrooms really, both with enormous canopied beds and fireplaces, and joined by a set of carved doors. “This is awesome!” Phillip exclaimed. Rudy laughed, obviously finding her son amusing. But Darrell was so overcome by the room’s beauty, she stood in place, speechless.

      There were slender black marble pillars and shimmering checkered wall decorations. Her neck hurt from viewing the coffered ceilings, which dated from the fourteenth century. She was charmed by the two recessed windows with window seats overlooking the lake. Above the arches of each window was a fabulous cloverleaf design. The same set of windows graced the smaller, adjoining room. Exquisite.

      “Hey, Mom—Come here! Your room has a balcony!”

      Rudy had opened a pair of doors that went from the inlaid-wood floor to the vaulted ceiling. The inserts told a Biblical story in gorgeous stained glass. Beyond them lay the shimmering waters of Lake Bris.

      The sculptured stone balcony could have been made for Romeo and Juliet. It hung out over the water, taking her breath. So did the view of the mountains rising from the other side of the lake.

      “His Majesty asked me to take you on a tour of the city. I’ll come by for you in twenty minutes. In the meantime, make yourselves at home. Your bags have been brought up.”

      Once Rudy had gone, Phillip let out a whoop of excitement and began exploring his room. He soon discovered a mini-fridge had been installed. It was filled with drinks and treats. “Dad’s the best! I wish he hadn’t had to leave.”

      “You know why he did.”

      “Yeah…I can’t wait to see him!”

      Darrell felt the same way. Alex’s presence had an electric effect on her, but she kept those thoughts to herself.

      Later in the day she lay in the sun on one of the pool loungers. She’d put on a pair of denim shorts and a white halter top. When a shadow fell across her, she thought Phillip had come back outside after going to their apartment for a snack. Following the sightseeing visit of Bris he’d grown tired of waiting for his father, and had rediscovered his appetite.

      But when she opened her eyes, she had to look up a long way before she encountered a pair of eyes that were intensely alive and had taken on the green of the immaculate lawn. They’d been studying the lines and curves of her body without her realizing it. A tiny gasp escaped her throat.

      The excitement of seeing Alex made her pulse race until she remembered his meeting with Isabella, which had to be one of the worst moments of their lives. Yet Darrell couldn’t tell by his demeanor how he’d been affected. He was like the proverbial rock you could cling to no matter the fury of the storm.

      She noted inconsequentially he was wearing a silky Ceylon-blue shirt with beige trousers. In danger of staring at the hard male lines of his unforgettable face, she got up from the lounger dragging the towel in front of her. Though her outfit was perfectly modest, the way his gaze traveled over her body and slender legs caused her to feel exposed.

      Before she could gather her wits he said, “Forgive me for arriving late, but it couldn’t be helped. Where’s our son?”

      Anyone hearing him would assume she and Alex were man and wife. Thank goodness no one was around except his security people who’d positioned themselves at a discreet distance.

      “He got hungry and went back to the apartment.”

      “How do you like your accommodations?”

      The question threw her because he was avoiding the subject of Isabella. It made Darrell want to cry out in exasperation. But as she’d learned to her chagrin last night, he couldn’t be moved by begging or pleading.

      “Surely you already know the answer to that. I’ve never been in a more beautiful set of rooms in my life. The balcony overlooking the lake makes me feel like I’m living in a medieval tapestry. Undoubtedly the chatelaine of the castle, one of your female progenitors, stood in that very spot watching for her knight to return from battle.

      “Before I came outside I must have spent at least an hour examining the stories in the stained glass.”

      His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “What does Phillip think of things so far?”

      “He just keeps walking around examining everything and saying ‘whoa’ every few seconds. Unfortunately he’s already told me how cool it would be to attach a rope from the balcony and lower himself into the blue depths, which must be hundreds of feet below.”

      A mysterious light entered Alex’s eyes. “I know someone who once did that very thing and got into a lot of trouble for it. Great minds think alike.”

      Forgetting that he could be implacable, she cried, “Alex—please don’t keep me in suspense any longer. I have to know what happened today!”

      He held her imploring gaze. “The princess came back to Bris with me.”

      Darrell could scarcely credit what he’d just told her. “She’s here? At the castle?”

      “Yes. She wants to meet Phillip. I think it would be best if she met him before being introduced to you.”

      Her hands crushed the toweling. Darrell couldn’t be jealous of the woman he was about to marry. She just couldn’t be! “Of course.”

      She knew it was for the best, but it hurt because she could already feel Phillip slipping away from her. It surprised her how possessive of him she was. But then her maternal instincts had never been tested to this degree before.

      He was Alex’s son, too. She’d better get used to sharing him. Yet the thought of the two of them enjoying each other’s company in the presence of Isabella left Darrell feeling oddly bereft.

      “I’ve arranged for the three of us to dine informally within the hour. I’ll walk you back to the apartment to get him.”

      If Darrell were prone to fainting spells, she’d be sprawled across the pool tiles by now.

      For Isabella to be willing to meet Phillip meant she was so madly in love with Alex, she’d put up with anything to become his wife, even if she was dying inside. Under the circumstances of their approaching wedding, that was the best news possible for Alex.

      “She must be a wonderful person.”

      He nodded. “She’s remarkable.”

      Of course he would never tell Darrell about the pain and the tears that had gone on behind closed doors before his fiancée had made the decision to face this crisis head-on. Already Isabella was showing a queenly composure Alex could only marvel at.

      “I hope Phillip makes a good impression.” Her voice trembled. “Naturally you and I both love him, but you know how unpredictable he can be at times.”

      “It’s one of his most endearing qualities,” Alex stated matter-of-factly. “Isabella will find him intriguing.”

      Spoken like a proud father who accepted his son without qualification.

      It thrilled Darrell that Alex loved him so much. However it would take time for Isabella to develop a relationship with him. The thought of Phillip having a stepmother brought a sharp pain to her heart, one she needed to squelch in a hurry.

      By tacit agreement they started walking toward the entrance leading to the Saxony apartment. As the castle loomed before her, the old adage about a man’s home being his castle brought a faint smile to one corner of her mouth.

      “What are you thinking

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