Diamonds are Forever

Halfway to the palace she couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “Obviously, I don’t know all the rules yet, but was it absolutely necessary for you to do what you did just now?”

“I’m afraid so,” he muttered in an oblique tone. “In three weeks the world will know you’re my wife, but those students will remember that you went into the restaurant unaccompanied and responded to an invitation to sit with them. I’m aware you accepted because there was no other place available, but from their point of view you looked and acted like you welcomed his attention.

“I wouldn’t want the incident, no matter how inconsequential it might have seemed in your eyes, to reach my parents’ ears.”

“Of course not.” She felt sick inside. “I honestly didn’t think. Forgive me, Lucca. I promise it won’t ever happen again.”

He extended his legs and crossed his arms. “It’ll happen again and again because you’re the kind of woman a man can’t forget. From now on, all you have to do when you’re out by yourself for any reason is to remember that you’re already taken. Let the interested party know where he stands before he weaves fantasies about being alone with you.”

“No man has ever had dreams about me.”

“That’s not what one of your bodyguards reported. Apparently the young boy and his friends had a bet to see how long it would take him to bed the goddess standing inside the doorway.”

Her cheeks went crimson. “Then the bodyguard made it up!”

“A lie to me could cost him his job and worse.”

Alex shivered. “It was all a big mistake. I shopped too long and then I got hungry.”

“You could have eaten at the palace. That’s your home now.”

“But I didn’t want to bother anyone this late.”

Instead of commenting, he asked a question. “How did you like your trenette?”

“Trenette?”

“It’s what you had for dinner. Pasta Ligurian style.”

“Oh … I loved it!”

“Bene.”

She darted him a furtive glance. “Your parents will probably hear about my big faux pas and consider me unfit to be your wife. They’d be right!”

“I’ll tell them about it as soon as we get back to the palace, then it won’t matter when they hear it distorted on the news.”

Alex let out a small cry. She was a fool, just like her mother whose antics were made into the news every night of the week.

“Like parasites, the paparazzi live on their hosts. Over the years I’ve learned the best defense is offense,” he explained.

She stared at her hands. “How will you explain about my being in town without you?”

“The truth always helps. I’ll tell them I had a lot of business and you didn’t want to bother me on my first day home. You went exploring in town and stopped for something to eat, unaware some man had his sights set on you. Tomorrow Papa will remind you that you’re not in America now. Mama will laugh and accuse me of being jealous. The whole incident will be forgotten.”

Maybe, but Alex knew Lucca could never be jealous. He would have to be in love with Alex for that to happen.

“Let’s hope.”

He reached for her sack. “I wonder what you bought.”

She was afraid he would laugh. “Touristy things. Didn’t my bodyguards tell you?”

His expression remained impassive. “They’ll only report if you’re in danger.” A sobering thought. “May I see?”

Since he appeared so determined, she didn’t try to stop him. “Go ahead.”

The book came out first. “This isn’t the best history,” he pointed out seconds later, “but it’s not the worst, either.”

“I wouldn’t know, since I can’t read Italian yet. I bought it for the pictures.”

He suddenly lifted his head and gave her a long, unsmiling look. “After the coronation and our marriage, a plethora of new books will appear in the shops. You’ll be in every one of them and every account will say that Princess Alexandra is the most beautiful of all the brides of the House of Savoy.”

Lucca could tell superb lies. She rolled her eyes. “If you insist.”

His laughter helped dissipate her worry that he was upset with her for the second time since their arrival in his country.

He pulled out the next item and thumbed through it. “I approve of your pocket phrase book. It’s how I began to learn English.”

For some reason his comment reassured her.

After scanning the map, he said, “This needs a little help. I’ll fix it when we get back to the palace.” He returned everything to the sack. “I noticed you’re not wearing my pin.”

“No. It’s too precious to flaunt.”

He grasped her hand, entwining their fingers. “You’re my fiancée now. After what you told Regina, I couldn’t very well give you an engagement ring. Wear the pin for me?”

“You mean, all the time?”

“Yes, all the time.”

She sucked in her breath. “If you wish.”

“Is it such a burden?” he whispered.

“Lucca—surely you understand the worry I have about losing it. The stone is irreplaceable.”

“What good is it if it’s never worn?”

“You really feel strongly about this, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“All right,” her voice trembled.

“Grazie.”

The limo pulled to a stop beneath the north portico of the palace. Lucca cupped her elbow and ushered her inside. They parted company at the second floor.

“Buonanotte, Alexandra.” After pressing a light, unexpected kiss to her parted lips, he strode swiftly toward his parents’ suite. She knew he was on his way to put out a fire the media would have started.

Little did he know the damage he’d done to her at the restaurant. That deeply searching kiss for the crowd’s benefit had fanned the flames of a conflagration growing inside her with no power to contain it.

CHAPTER SIX

LUCCA checked his watch. Five to twelve. Alexandra’s first day of learning Italian with Professor Emilio ought to be over by now. He was retired from the university, but according to Regina, the older man still did tutoring.

He left his palace office on the main floor and hurried up the steps to the third floor where the schoolroom was located, but his excitement dissipated when he opened the door and heard Alex laughing quietly with a man who couldn’t be much older than Lucca.

The sight of the two of them enjoying each other’s company in this intimate atmosphere shook him to the roots, something that hadn’t happened to him before where a woman was concerned.

One look at the tutor’s face and body language and Lucca knew Alexandra had him enchanted just as she’d done that idiot college kid at the restaurant last night. It didn’t take a two-hour lesson for her to work her magic. Lucca ought to know because to his great surprise, it was beginning to work on him.

She was dressed in the familiar plum silk shirt and gray pants he’d admired before. After lunch he had plans to do something about her bare-bones wardrobe, but at the moment the only thing Lucca was feeling was irrationally territorial.

He moved inside.

The other man saw him before Alexandra did. He slid off the corner of the desk and stood up. The fact that he was lean and almost as tall as Lucca irritated him further.

“Your Highness.”

Alexandra turned in her chair. “Lucca—”

He couldn’t tell if she was pleased to see him or not, but she was wearing his pin. That was something at least and should have appeased him. It didn’t.

She got to her feet, very much in command of the situation. “Lucca? This is Professor Morelli. Professor Emilio is ill so he sent Tomaso in his place.”

Lucca gave Tomaso a brief nod. “I’m sorry to hear that. How long will it take him to recover?”

“He has influenza. His doctor says two weeks, maybe a little longer.”

That was too long.

“How is my wife-to-be doing?” Besides giving you a heart attack. Lucca ground his teeth together. Wife-to-be sounded more permanent than fiancée. He wanted that made clear to Tomaso at the outset.

“Signorina Grigory is an excellent student. By the time of your wedding she’ll be speaking a little Italian and understanding some of it.”

She smiled. “One lives in hope, Tomaso. Thank you for taking me on.”

“It’s an honor for me.”

And a rush you won’t be able to do a thing in hell about, professor.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Alexandra nodded. “Si. Domani. Ore due. Ciao, Tomaso.”

“Ciao, Alex.”

The hackles stood on the back of his neck. Alex? She’d given him permission to call her that?

His gaze slid to Lucca. “Your Highness,” he said in passing.

“Why two o’clock?” Lucca asked after the other man had left the room.

She picked up the book and notebook he hadn’t seen before. “Tomaso teaches classes all morning, but he can come after lunch. If I’d had a teacher like him for Spanish in high school, I might have learned how to conjugate verbs.”

Intrigued in spite of his foul mood he asked, “What was wrong with your Spanish teacher?”

“He taught by immersion, and no one ever understood anything. He gave everyone an A for trying. It was ridiculous.”

Laughter burst out of him. “What verb did Professor Morelli teach you to conjugate today?”

“To be. Essere. Io sono, tu sei, lui e, noi siamo, voi siete, loro sono.”

“I’m impressed.” He was more than impressed. Her little conversation a moment ago sounded as if she’d been studying a lot longer than two hours.

“He said I have good pronunciation. Do you think he was just saying that to make me feel better?” Lucca realized she wasn’t fishing for compliments. She really wanted to know. It dawned on him she really was a good woman, someone he would be proud to call his wife.

“I told you the other day you have an excellent ear. Why do you doubt it?”

She averted her eyes. “I don’t know.”

Lucca knew. Alexandra’s mother had never given her confidence. Considering her father had died in her infancy, it was a miracle she had any at all. Fate had made her strong, courageous. Lucca had plans to fill in the rest. The thought of it taking a lifetime lightened his spirits.

“Come on. I’m taking you to lunch at a favorite restaurant of mine.”

“Oh, good!” Her seductive mouth smiled as they left the room, giving him his reward. “Tomaso taught me some phrases to practice when I order. We went over the names of the basic foods.”

Diavolo!

She turned to him. “Did you say something?”

“Nothing worth repeating.”

Her eyes played over his features. “You sound a bit like snappy turtle today.”

“Snappy turtle?” he barked with barely suppressed amusement.

“You know. A little cross. With all you’re taking on, I don’t blame you. How can I help?”

He drew in a deep breath. “Just be with me today.”

“Your wish is my command, Your Highness.”

“I asked you not to say that.”

A pained expression crossed over her face. “I’m sorry. It came out before I realized it. I really wasn’t thinking of you in that sense. I believe you’re emotionally exhausted, Lucca.”

Without conscious thought he put his arms around her and pulled her close. Burying his face in her sweet smelling hair he whispered, “I think you know me better than I know myself.”

“That’s what arranged wives are for.” And this one-to-be knows exactly what is ailing you.

Again Alex had spoken freely, not weighing her words beforehand. When he held her like this, she forgot the reason she was here at all. The desire to kiss his sensual mouth and go on kissing it the way she’d wanted to at the restaurant was turning into a driving need, blinding her to common sense.

The only reason he didn’t feel the same urge was because someone else was in his thoughts, someone he couldn’t wait to be with on a permanent basis. In a curious way he needed Alex. Almost overnight they’d become friends. She understood that and didn’t read into the moment that it was emotional for him.

“I have an idea.” Though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she slowly eased out of his arms. “After we eat lunch, why don’t you give yourself permission to take time off and do what you really want to do until tomorrow.”

He studied her through veiled eyes. “That’s excellent advice. Shall we go?”

Apparently, she’d said the magic words. He was planning to act on her suggestion. Another shaft of pain splintered her heart. Get used to it, Alex.

When they reached the second floor, he turned to her. “Meet me at the north portico in five minutes.”

“I’ll be there.” She hurried down the hall to her suite, tossing her Italian book and notebook on the bed. Once she’d washed her face and brushed her hair, she grabbed her purse and flew out the door.

“Ciao, Alexandra.” Lucca’s sister was just coming out of her room.

She drew to a halt. “Ciao, Regina.”

She smiled. “How did the Italian lesson go?”

“I loved it.”

“Good. Where are you off to in such a hurry now?”

“Lucca and I are going out for lunch.”

Her brown eyes smiled. “I was about to ask if you’d like to have a meal in town with me, but I can see you have a much more pressing engagement.”

Alex liked Regina and wanted to include her, even though she was looking forward to being alone with Lucca. “Why don’t we all go together?”

Regina shook her head. “If my brother had wanted me along, he would have asked me. Go and enjoy yourselves.”

“You’re sure? Come with me and we’ll ask him.”

“His favorite car only fits two.”

“Maybe we’re going in the limo.”

“I doubt it.”

“Then you can squeeze in with us.”

After a gentle laugh she put a hand on Alex’s arm. “I believe you would make room for me, but under the circumstances I’m going to check on my parents. Have a lovely outing.”

“Grazie, Regina.” She’d practiced it with Tomaso. It was one of the Italian words she loved to say.

“Prego, Alexandra.”

They walked together, then parted company at the stairway. Alex felt like flying down it, but since it would look as if she couldn’t wait to be with Lucca, she controlled herself and descended as gracefully as she knew how.

It would be good practice for their wedding day, when she had to walk up and down the front steps of the cathedral she’d passed in town last evening. What would she do if she fell flat on her face?

Lucca was waiting for her at the entrance, but his expression darkened as she drew closer. “Tell me what’s put that worried look in your eyes. Something’s happened.”

The man’s radar didn’t miss anything. “No.” She shook her head. “I was thinking how awful it would be to trip on the steps of the cathedral in my wedding dress.”

His taut body relaxed. “Should that occur, everyone would feel better for knowing you’re human, too. If anything, you would endear yourself to the crowd.”

She stared at him. “Were you born a diplomat or did you learn it from your parents through osmosis?”

His lips twitched as he put a hand behind her waist and ushered her out the doors to a black Ferrari. Once inside his sensational car, he helped her fasten the seat belt. Too much bodily contact within the elegant leather confines set her trembling.

“My parents will tell you I was born a hellion and will probably go out of this world the same way.” As they sped away from the palace, she acknowledged he drove like one.

Every woman loved a bad boy. Wasn’t that the collective opinion?

Alex had to admit, it was Lucca’s wild side that made him the bigger-than-life, exciting male who’d overcome every obstacle to get her on that plane. No ordinary man could have managed it.

She still couldn’t comprehend how it had happened. All she knew for a certainty was that in a little over two days she’d fallen hopelessly in love with him.

“I met Regina in the hall and asked her to come with us, but she declined.”

“Smart girl,” he quipped.

Alex smiled to herself. “She’s such a natural person. I like her very much.”

“So do I.”

They wound up the hillside behind Capriccio and on through a town called Savono. With every kilometer the traffic thinned until they came to a tiny hamlet nestled beneath a mountaintop. It looked ancient, almost untouched by time. Forgotten even.

Lucca pulled to a stop in front of a stone church in partial ruin. No one was about. His bodyguards were doing an amazing job of keeping the paparazzi at bay.

“This is Dirupo. The word means crag, the northernmost boundary of Castelmare. Historians say it came into being in the twelfth century. There’s one grocery store with a bank and post office inside. The inn only has twelve rooms.”

“This place has a lonely feel, doesn’t it, yet that’s the reason for its charm,” Alex murmured. She got out of the car to look around. There was a plaque on one of the church’s stones with an explanation in four languages. She read the English version with interest. He joined her.

“I thought the same thing when I first explored up here as a boy. Right now it’s on a long list of things to be discussed at the cabinet meeting tomorrow. Several of the ministers want to allow hotels and restaurants to be built up here to bring in more tourism. Because of the mountain streams they’re talking of creating a spa. Yet others argue it will destroy the watershed.”

She drew in a deep breath. “The view of the Mediterranean is unmatched, Lucca. Tourists would kill to vacation in a spot like this. You could charge a fortune for a one-night stay.”

Alex continued to look out at the spectacular view. Being with him filled her with feelings of euphoria. “On the other hand it could be overrun and lose the bit of history that makes it so unique. There aren’t many untouched places like this left in the world. …”

Lucca’s gaze wandered over her features. “I knew if I brought you up here, I’d be able to resolve it in my mind.”

For no good reason her heart rate sped up. “What have you concluded?”

“I’m going to suggest we put a moratorium on any building, but we’ll restore the church and any existing structures needing repair work.”

She smiled at him. “Two hundred years from now your country will praise you for your vision.”

He cocked his head. “You think I want praise?”

“In the best sense, yes. If I were a monarch, I would like to think I’d left a legacy that preserved a vital slice of the country’s origins. Otherwise what would people in the future have to look forward to?”

Lucca seemed to ponder her comment before he said, “You’ve just helped me write the essence of my coronation speech. For that gift I’m going to take you inside the inn and buy you a lunch of fresh brook trout that will melt in your mouth.”

By now she was famished. “How do you say trout?”

“Trota di fiume.”

“Do you mind if I order for us?”

He reached for her hand and they started walking toward the entrance. “I’m planning on it.”

“I promised Tomaso I would take advantage of every opportunity.”

His hand seemed to tighten around her fingers before he let it go long enough to open the door for her. “After we eat, we’ll stop by the cathedral to visit with the archbishop. The banns have to go out for our marriage. Then we’ll buy you some clothes for tomorrow.”

She gulped. “Why? I thought we were going to wait until my belongings arrived.”

“There’s no time. My father has already put things in motion. In the morning before the cabinet meeting at ten, the journalists from the major American and European television networks will come to the palace to broadcast the official news of the upcoming coronation and our marriage. I’ll be at your side the entire time and field any difficult questions.”

Her jaw hardened. “You mean, about me following in my mother’s footsteps.”

He lifted a wayward curl off her forehead. “Love is no respecter of persons past or present. Everyone has an equal right to it with whomever and wherever they find it.”

Except for a prince who must do his duty.

Two hours later his words were still revolving in her head as they entered an exclusive boutique in Capriccio where, Lucca told her, his mother and sister often shopped.

The clerk who waited on them recognized him, of course. When Lucca explained what they wanted, she told him she had the perfect outfit for Alex, who was still replete from their delicious meal.

Within seconds the woman produced a knee-length dress of woven lightweight silk in a heavenly shade of oyster. The diamond pin would look fabulous against it. As soon as Alex slipped it on, she had to admit the jewel neckline and tiered short sleeves suited her tall, softly rounded figure.

Lucca said as much when she left the fitting room and modeled it for him. His searching gaze started at her feet and made a slow, intimate perusal of her body. By the time it reached her face, her cheeks were on fire.

“The color of the material matches your eyes.” His gaze flicked to the clerk. “We’ll take it and some other outfits for day and evening. She’ll need shoes and lingerie.” On that note he refocused his attention on Alex. “Take your time, bellissima. We’re in no hurry.”

When Alex was a child, she used to pretend she’d been let loose in a store and could have anything she wanted. It felt like that now. After agreeing to marry him she couldn’t keep going around in the same two outfits. The clothes being shipped might not arrive for weeks and probably wouldn’t be appropriate for many future occasions, anyway. Naturally he wanted to be proud of her.

For once she decided to take him at his word. Unfortunately, she had so much fun they didn’t get out of there until it was close to 6:00 p.m. The clerk told her the packages would be delivered to the palace by eight. It was embarrassingly late already and Lucca had been sitting there for hours!

So much for letting him have time alone with his lover this afternoon. Red-faced, she apologized. “I’m sorry I took so long.”

“I’m not. This has helped me get my mind off affairs of state. I don’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed.” He got to his feet. “You’re good for me, Alexandra.”

She sobered. “Thank you for being so generous. I promise to pa—” but nothing else came out because he silenced her with his lips.

“No talk of repaying me now or ever,” he whispered.

Alex had said the wrong thing again, but she had to remember that when they were out in public, his actions were always orchestrated to convince their audience he was in love. “I promise,” she whispered back, but she did intend to repay him one day. She just wouldn’t talk about it.

They left the boutique through the back door, where he’d parked his car. His security people had set up a barricade on the tiny street to give them space, but people pressed against it, eager for a glimpse of the prince.

Lucca had grown up learning how to handle the public. No matter where they went or what they did, he didn’t seem to give them any thought. Alex wondered how long it would take her not to feel like she was a goldfish on display.

The crowded streets made it impossible for Lucca to zip back to the palace at warp speed, but she gave him credit for trying. “Home at last and in one piece,” he drawled after shutting off the powerful engine.

“At last?” she teased. “A fighter jet couldn’t have arrived here any sooner.”

Suddenly he looked repentant. “Alexandra—I forgot about the helicopter. I should have requested it—”

“Don’t apologize,” she cut him off. “It was the events of the day that knocked me off balance, not the lack of a helicopter. The truth is, I found out in New York you only function at high speed. I like speed, too. If I owned a car like this, I’d be banned from driving it after the first time I went around the block.”