The Duchess's Decision by Pamela DuMond

Author:Pamela DuMond
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pamela DuMond Media

Chapter 11

VIVIAN

* * *

Between my nearly sleepless 48 hours, the hearty Sambuca shots, and the lack of decent foot rubs, I didn’t remember the return trip to Zia Valentina’s crumbling castle, nor did I recall how I made my way up to the attic room.

I woke up the next day to sun streaming through the lace curtains, and the musical stylings of a marching band practicing the perennial Christmas favorite, “We Three Kings” on the street below my window. The fedora lay upside down on top of my clothes that I’d apparently ripped off before I dove into bed.

I clamped my hands over my ears, pulled the sheet up over my head, and turned over, burying my face in the pillow. There was a harsh ‘Rap-Rap-Rap’ on the door.

“Go away!”

The door squeaked open and light, precise footsteps clicked across the wooden floor. “Rise and shine, Duchess. The world awaits your majestic, sparkling, princess-like presence.”

I peeked out from the covers. Mr. Cartwright hung a garment bag in my tiny closet under the eaves. “Unless you’ve brought strong coffee, you need to leave.”

“Good tidings!” Raul said, carrying a silver tray with a coffee service into the room. The hearty smell of java permeated the air.

“You mean, good morning,” Mr. Cartwright said.

“Yes.” Raul placed the dish on a side table, poured two cups, and dropped a sugar cube in one.

“Thank you.”

“We’ll practice the English later, yes?”

“Yes, Raul. I’m not called the ‘Makeover Queen’ for nothing, you know.”

Esmeralda’s minion shut the door with a squeak on his way out.

“I noticed the peacock blue feather that adorned your fedora last night Vivian, and thought that would be the perfect color for your parade outfit.” Mr. Cartwright rifled through a garment bag in the closet, and pulled out a floor-length blue silk gown. He fluffed its full skirt.

“I thought we were going to a parade. That looks like I’ll be in the throne room at the palace seated next to my husband while we have a photo op with the President of China and his lovely wife.”

“Close.” He opened a large, rectangular, black jewelry box. “You’ll be sitting on a I Heart Bellèno float surrounded by your Ladies-in-Waiting, throwing candy at the crowds while you smile prettily for the cameras. And you’ll be wearing this.” He pointed to a sparkly diamond and sapphire tiara in the jewelry case.

“That’s very pretty, but I thought I was supposed to stay away from the press. They suspect something’s up but nothing’s been confirmed.”

“Plans have changed, Vivian.” He handed me a newspaper from the coffee tray. The headline read, “Vivian Trabbicio: Royal Husband Hopper!”

“Damn!” I said. “Can it get any worse?”

“Yes.” He flipped open the paper rag revealing the second page.

A fuzzy, pixelated photo taken through the gap between the curtains in Leo’s townhouse showed the crown prince of Bellèno staring at me, mesmerized. I was wearing his bathrobe, and flashed him my rack.

“Fuck.”

“As far as I know the paparazzi didn’t actually get a picture of that. But knowing you younger royals – that’s probably next.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.