Wedding Vows: Say I Do: Matrimony with His Majesty / Invitation to the Prince's Palace / The Prince's Outback Bride

“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 about?” He noticed everything. When Darrell told him, he chuckled.

“I’m still having trouble believing all this is real,” she confessed with a sigh. “To think that several days ago I was in line with other tourists outside the castle, trying to imagine your world. Little did I know what lay in store once you recognized the ring,” her voice throbbed.

“Your arrival shook my world, too, Darrell. I’ll never be the same again. You do realize you’ve raised a surprisingly unspoiled child.”

“I don’t know about that, but he is an original thinker. When he realizes Isabella is younger than his friends’mothers, he’ll like that a lot.” She needed to keep her thoughts centered on the princess. “Does she have siblings?”

“Yes. A brother two years her senior.”

“Then she’s been broken in”

A half smile creased the corner of his male mouth. “Most definitely.”

“Knowing that will please Phillip. He’ll want to meet him. You know. Get the inside scoop on what it’s like to live with a princess.”

The low laughter she loved rolled out of Alex. “I can see you’ve never had a dull moment with him.”

She sent him an unguarded smile. “Dull is the one adjective that will never apply to Phillip.”

He opened the door for her. “I envy you all those years with him.”

By the depth of his tone, she knew he meant it. “If you want to know a secret, I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for not looking for you sooner.”

His eyes darkened with emotion. “Thank God you found a way to get my attention. You were incredibly courageous and resourceful. If my father were alive, he would tell you you’re one of those rare female warriors upon whom future generations depend to raise up worthy sons.”

Darrell half scoffed. She wondered if any woman had ever received such an unusual compliment.

Deep in thought she moved past him, but her shoulder accidentally brushed against his chest. Little sparks of fire crackled through her nervous system. She hurried up the stairs ahead of him so he wouldn’t see how shallow her breathing had become.

Even though it had only been for one night, Alex had been her sister’s lover. Her awareness of that fact intensified her guilt in ways she didn’t want to explore right now.

It was a good thing she wouldn’t be going to dinner with the three of them. The more she was around Alex, the harder it would be to keep her attraction to him a secret, especially from Isabella, who was about to become his wife.

A woman in love sensed when another woman was interested in her man.

Of course the princess had no worry in that regard. Alex was pledged to her. Their future marriage had been decreed and settled years earlier. Darrell was an idiot to go on entertaining forbidden thoughts about him.

“Phillip?” she called out after entering the apartment. “Your father’s back!”

When he didn’t answer, she hurried through the door to the adjoining room where he planned to sleep. “He’s not here!” She turned to Alex. “I don’t know where he’d be.”

Something close to a grin broke out on his rugged features. “Considering it’s our son, we both know the possibilities are endless. But you don’t need to worry. He’s been assigned a bodyguard. I’ll call him.”

While he pulled out his cell phone, Darrell went over to the armoire where one of the maids had hung Phillip’s clothes. She picked out the navy blazer and khaki’s he wore to church. Even if Alex said the dinner would be informal, she wanted Phillip to be on his best behavior in front of Isabella.

After reaching for his white shirt and striped tie, she took everything over to the bed.

Alex spoke in Romanche, preventing her from understanding him. She had to wait until he’d hung up.

“Where did he go?”

“After touring the dungeon, he went to Carl’s office. They’re having an off-the-record chat about what it’s like to work for me.”

“Oh, no—Does Carl know Phill—”

“Yes,” Alex broke in, reading her mind with ease.

“Everyone must know by now. You two look too much alike to deceive anyone.”