The Princess's New Year Wedding (The Princess Brides Book 1) Read online

  Before long he came in for a drink of water, bringing a draft of cold air with him. “Um, that fondue looks good enough to eat.”

  She laughed. “Let’s hope. It’s ready when you are. Did you get all the chores done?”

  “Yup. I’ll freshen up and be right back.”

  While he was gone she set the table with the fondue forks and put on a bottle of white wine to go with their meal. By the time he returned, she’d brought the pot of bubbly yellow fondue to the table.

  “Food for a king!” Stefano exclaimed, his dark eyes shining with excitement as he sat down.

  “That’s what you will be one of these days, or have you forgotten?”

  “I’m trying,” he said under his breath, but she heard him and couldn’t believe she’d said it when she knew how hard he’d fought to be a nonroyal.

  “I’m sorry, Stefano. I wasn’t thinking when I said that.”

  “I shouldn’t have said what I did, either.” His apology meant a lot. “How did you know this is my favorite dish after being outside in the snow all day?”

  “It’s mine, too. Who stocked all your shelves and freezer for you?”

  “I have a housekeeper, Angelina, who lives in the city. When I asked her to do some shopping for me because I was bringing my bride to the chalet for our honeymoon, she told me to leave it to her.”

  “You found yourself a real treasure.”

  “She’s been with me for five years.”

  “I hope you give her a big bonus for supplying us with so much food. She couldn’t have known about the avalanche.”

  “She goes overboard when she finds out I’m coming with my friends. This time she wanted to make it special for you.”

  “We’ve been blessed.”

  His eyes held hers for a moment. “I’ll tell her what you said. It will mean the world to her.” That brought a lump to her throat.

  He started inhaling his dinner. “This fondue is divine.”

  “At the rate you’re going, I’ll have to make another pot.”

  She waited for him to say, “Would you?” But to her surprise he said, “I’ll make the next batch. It won’t be as good as yours.”

  Unbelievably, he did get up after he’d finished off the food and started making another meal.

  “While you do that, I’ll go downstairs and see if Fausto is ready to come in.”

  “He was gone all day, but I’m sure he’s back now. It’s dark out and the temperature dropped this afternoon. There might be another storm, but not like the last one.”

  With the cozy atmosphere inside the chalet, Lanza hoped it was a big blizzard. She went down and turned on the light. To test if the electricity had come on, she turned off the generator. Sure enough there was a flicker, but the lights stayed on. Stefano would be pleased.

  Next, she went over to the door and opened it. “Fausto?” He must have been waiting because he bounded inside and crawled inside his box. What a change from the day they’d found him barely alive.

  “Wherever he’s been, he was ready to come home,” she announced at the top of the stairs. “And guess what? The electricity did come on, so I turned off the generator.”

  “That’s good news. Enzo and his wife will be pleased, because they’ve had to use their generator, too. But if I know my friend, he’s made the best of it and they’re enjoying it.”

  Lanza imagined they did since they’d only been married a few months. Her stomach clenched. Because Stefano had been forced to marry her, it meant he wouldn’t be able to see Enzo or his other friends nearly as often as before. Besides the royal duties that would infringe on his business interests, he would now be living in Domodossola and forced to give up an enormous part of his former life.

  Life hadn’t been fair to either of them.

  Lanza had been forced to marry another man. After Alberto had died, she’d assumed she’d be free to make a new life for herself, but her parents had insisted that the New Year Wedding would take place. She knew her father’s health wasn’t good, but they could have insisted that one of her sisters get married to one of the available princes on their short list. It didn’t have to be Stefano.

  No one except her aunt had ever considered how she’d really felt about her betrothal to Alberto, or how close she’d come to running away and never returning. Only Ottavia’s promise that one day she’d find a man she could love had helped her to survive this long.

  Ironically, her words had been prophetic and Lanza found herself deeply in love with the man she’d married. Her eyes watered. If he could never return her love...

  Lanza started doing the dishes, but she was all stirred up inside. So much for living out her fantasy with Stefano while they were alone. If she went on playing that delusional game, it would be to her detriment.

  “Stefano?” Lanza walked into the dining room. “I’m going to say good-night so I can finish my book. See you in the morning.”

  His head shot up. “You can’t go yet. I’ve got Scrabble all set up for us.”

  Her spirits lifted immediately. He wanted to be with her. “Then watch out. I’m a good speller.”

  They played until late. He walked around the table and squeezed her shoulders. “I love being with you no matter what we do.” She got up from the chair and turned into his arms. His kiss didn’t last long enough. He’d said he wanted to go slowly, but that was ridiculous when she was on fire for him. Somehow she needed to find a way to speed things up.

  Taking the initiative, she cupped his face. “Get a good sleep, Stefano.” She said it with a smile before heading to her bedroom. From here on out she would do what she could to entice him until he realized she was so comfortable, she wanted to climb into his bed and stay there.

  For the next three days they kept Fausto fed and cooked breakfast together. She’d done a wash of her clothes and the fox’s blanket. Lanza adored going cross-country skiing and got quite good at it. She relished every minute with him.

  They did three different exciting trails where they saw all kinds of wildlife, including a moose. Their strenuous ski adventures wore her out. Sometimes they raced each other, but he always won and they ended up kissing each other beneath a glorious sun. His sensuous smile melted her bones, leaving her limp with longing.

  Every time they returned to the chalet, they’d make a sandwich, then lie on the floor in front of the fire and listen to music from his radio. He’d start to kiss her and she’d kiss him back, but he never tried to do anything more. She ended up taking long, hot showers, then getting into bed with the novels she’d brought.

  After a week had gone by, they had news. When she appeared in the kitchen to fix breakfast dressed in wool pants and a cherry-red sweater, Stefano was waiting for her in trousers and a tan sport shirt. The sight of him always made her breath catch, but there was a different aura about him this morning.

  “We have phone service.”

  No.

  “Enzo called me a minute ago and the snow has been cleared from the mountain road enough for him to make it up here. He’ll be bringing my car.” Stefano sounded so happy, her heart plunged to her feet.

  She reached for an apple. Their supply had grown low. “How soon are you expecting him so I can start packing?”

  He rubbed the front of his chest in an absent gesture. “I was waiting to talk it over with you. Do you want to take the driving tour I’d planned for us?”

  Lanza had to suppress a moan. “I’ll do whatever you’d like.” Did he want to leave? She couldn’t bear it.

  His dark eyes narrowed on her features. “We’ll take Fausto with us when we drop Enzo back at his office. Then I’ll drive you to one of my favorite restaurants for a big lunch and we’ll talk about plans.”

  “Does this mean you’ll be assigning security for us?” She dreaded the idea of it. Here they’d been free of everything and everyo
ne. “I guess you’ll have to because people will recognize us. Our secret will be out.”

  “Not if we disguise ourselves in our ski outfits and sunglasses. We’ll look like typical tourists. On our way out of the city we’ll leave our little fox at the wildlife shelter. I’ll make a donation so they’ll look after him.”

  That last comment told her he’d gotten attached to Fausto, but she still felt ill. This was the end of her idyll, the happiest time she’d ever had in her life, all because of Stefano. With the opening of the road, this whole glorious time had come to an end.

  “Go ahead and call Enzo back. I’ll get started packing.”

  With a heart so heavy she wanted to die, Lanza hurried to the bedroom and began putting things in her suitcase. It didn’t take long since she hadn’t worn the clothes meant for the tropics. Once she’d packed her cosmetics, she was ready.

  An hour later, after making the bed, she put her hair in a braid. No one would recognize her wearing her hair like that. She slipped on Carla’s ski outfit and carried her cases to the stairs. Lanza found Stefano in the kitchen making coffee. He handed her a mug to drink.

  “I’ll take the box downstairs to load in the car.”

  Lanza followed with her cases. He must have already taken his down. She couldn’t look at the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. It hurt too terribly. She was in excruciating pain when she remembered the thrilling moments in here they’d shared, especially the rapture she’d experienced in his arms. Sobs welled in her throat. Somehow she had to find a way to stifle them.

  Enzo’s voice carried as she reached the door entrance. The two men sounded thrilled to see each other. She opened it into the sunlight and walked out to the car, glad for her sunglasses.

  “Buon giorno, Enzo,” she called to him. Today he appeared without a ski hat and was dressed in a suit and tie. Stefano had told her they’d be driving him to the bank.”

  “Lanza—” He hurried around the car toward her. “I hope you don’t mind my calling you that.”

  “I want you to.”

  He smiled. “It’s good to see you again, but I have to admit I wouldn’t have recognized you in that outfit.”

  “Or my braid?” she teased.

  “Exactly.” His blue eyes played over her with even more masculine interest than before. “I’m sorry you had to wait so long to be rescued.”

  “Since you’ve stayed at this chalet many, many times, then you know how comfortable we’ve been. We appreciate your coming.”

  “It’s my pleasure, believe me.” Stefano had already put the box on the back seat of the car. No man on the planet could look as jaw-droppingly handsome as her husband in his ski clothes and sunglasses. She opened the car door and got in next to it.

  Her husband walked over to her. “I’d like you to ride in front with me.”

  He didn’t need to keep up the pretense in front of his friend. She fastened her seat belt. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to be by Fausto until we have to say goodbye to him. Will that be all right?”

  Lanza heard him take in a quick breath. “Of course.” He shut the door and put their luggage in the back end of the vehicle. Then he slid behind the wheel.

  Enzo got in the front passenger seat, and they made their way out to the mountain road, using the remote to open the gate for them. It was astounding how much snow had fallen the night of the blizzard.

  She couldn’t break down sobbing, but she wanted to. Instead, she looked inside the box at Fausto, who had no idea what was going on. He had to be anxious. “We’re taking you to a place where you’ll be safe and cared for, but I’m going to miss you.”

  Enzo wanted to know all about him and directed his questions to her while Stefano maneuvered their car through so much snow she didn’t know how they would make it.

  She gasped when they reached the avalanche area. It had been a massive slide. A dozen men and vehicles were working to clear the road completely. Once they got past everything, the snow wasn’t quite as deep and it only took them a half hour to drive on snow-packed roads to the main city of Umbriano, the same name as the country.

  Stefano drove him to the city center and drew up in front of the bank where Enzo worked. He leaned over to press her hand. “My wife and I hope to see you soon.” Then he turned to Stefano and the two men hugged before he got out of the car. “Talk to you later.” He flashed them both a big smile and hurried inside the building.

  Before Stefano pulled out into traffic, he looked over his shoulder at her. “I think we’ll drop off Fausto first. Then we can take all the time we want to eat.”

  “Bene” was all she could get out at the moment.

  Five minutes later he drove into the parking lot in front of a building attached to a spacious preserve on the edge of the woods. The sign said Rifugio Faunistico di Umbriano.

  She felt a pain in the pit of her stomach as Stefano got out and opened the back door to get the box. His face was taut with emotion, mirroring her anxiety that the fox was going to face a whole new life. But her thoughts had gone far beyond Fausto. She was already in mourning that this precious time with Stefano was coming to an end. If only he knew how much she loved him...

  Lanza slid out her side and held the door open for him so he could carry the box inside. The reception room had a long counter with a man in glasses and a lab coat working behind it. Stefano put the box down and explained why they’d come.

  “Cute little fellow. Where did you find him?” So far the man hadn’t recognized them or he would have addressed Stefano as Your Highness. That was a good sign.

  “On Monte Viso, above the area of the avalanche, right after the storm.”

  “He was close to death,” Lanza asserted. “After we fed him and he recovered, we took him back to the exact place where we’d found him, but he refused to run away.”

  “He got a taste of your food. That’s natural.”

  “Can you introduce him back into the wild?”

  The older man nodded. “That’s our job. We’ll do everything possible.”

  Stefano slipped him some euros. “My wife and I will be interested to know how he does and make inquiries.”

  “Of course.”

  “His name is Fausto,” Lanza blurted. Just saying the name caused the fox to lift its head.

  The worker laughed. “He has a name already?”

  “My wife is very attached to him.”

  “I can see that, but he wouldn’t make the most satisfactory pet. Not like a dog or a cat.”

  “I know.”

  “You brought him to the right place. We’ll do all we can.”

  “Bless you,” she murmured before running outside to the car. In a few minutes Stefano followed in time to shut her door. By the time he’d gone around to the driver’s side, she’d broken down in tears. While her face was buried in her hands, she felt Stefano’s arm go around her and pull her against him.

  He kissed the side of her face and hair. “I know exactly how you feel. As I told the man, we’ll call in a few days and find out how he’s getting on.”

  “Thank you.” Shaken by his tenderness, she wiped the tears with the backs of her hands and moved out of his arms though she’d wanted to stay in his arms forever.

  He started the car, but instead of taking them to a restaurant, he drove them to a farm. “Why are we coming here?”

  “I thought you might enjoy a sleigh ride before we eat.”

  “You’re kidding! How exciting!”

  An older man came out of the barn and told them to get in the sleigh pulled by two horses. He’d supplied blankets for their comfort and they took a half hour’s journey along the path through the nearby woods.

  “What made you think about this?”

  “I knew we’d both be upset to have to leave Fausto and thought we might enjoy something different to get ou
r minds off him.”

  Her heart pounded in her chest. “This is a wonderful surprise. I love it. Thank you, Stefano.” Every minute with him brought new thrills and bonded her to him.

  When it came to an end and they’d thanked the farmer, he drove them to Ristorante Alasso, an elegant restaurant that served the best burrata antipasto she’d ever eaten. The shell of mozzarella contained a semisoft white Italian cheese made with cream and was to-die-for. Delicious ravioli followed with a dessert of cappuccino and cannoli.

  Stefano smiled at her after she took her last bite. “Feel better?”

  “What a question. This was a superb meal.”

  “But it hasn’t taken the sadness from your eyes.”

  “Nor yours, but I have an idea. If you’ll take me to the airport now, I’ll fly to Rome to visit my aunt. That will leave you free to be gone for a week. I’ll fly to Domodossola Airport when you return and we’ll take a limo to the palace together.”

  Stefano leaned forward and eyed her intently. “I’m going to be honest with you. There’s no place on earth I’d rather be than the chalet. If it hadn’t been for Fausto, who needs attention, I would have told Enzo not to come for us until we had to leave at the end of our two weeks.

  “Are you serious?” she cried, so overjoyed she couldn’t find words.

  “We haven’t even gone skiing yet and the Monte Viso resort is a mere twenty minutes away. This kind of snow calls to you, but maybe you’ve had enough of it.”

  He was begging to go back!

  She felt it in every atom of her body. In fact, she was almost sick with excitement at the prospect of being isolated with him for another week. Anything could happen now.

  “I’d much rather ski than travel around the Mediterranean,” she stated. “On our way back to the chalet, why don’t we pick up fresh salad and some pastries to last us for another week.”