“There, there, Willa,” Piper cooed over her daughter’s tiny form. “Prince Aldon isn’t angry anymore.” She set Willa into a chair then continued wiping the remnant of the mess. Aldon felt helpless. Should he assist her in cleaning up or should he try to make Willa stop crying?
Piper smiled gently at Aldon, seeming to forgive his outburst, but it didn’t help. It made him feel even worse.
“Willa, look, the books aren’t that important,” he said, then looked to Piper. “I’m just not really used to having kids around, and I’m not that great with them,” he admitted, hoping she would have some wisdom to impart, but instead, she let out a small laugh.
“It’s okay,” she said and continued wiping the remnants of the mess from the books. “I should have known better than to let Willa bring food or drink in here. Parenting is sometimes about anticipating the problems—that way, you can avoid meltdowns.”
“It was me who had the meltdown,” he said.
“Ah, don’t beat yourself up, Aldon,” Piper replied. “Happens to the best parents. We all have meltdowns.”
Aldon smiled at Piper, grateful for her forgiveness and understanding, then went back to Willa.
“Look, Willa, how about I make you a deal.”
The little girl looked up at him then and gave a great snuffle.
“Okay?”
“How about I give you permission to look at my books whenever you like, as long as you’re careful with them and you don’t bring anything to eat or drink in here?”
Willa bit her lip then wiped her face with the back of her hand. Her eyes circled the room as if she were taking stock of all she had to gain before accepting Aldon’s offer.
“Deal.” She held out her hand for a shake.
Aldon took a deep breath, and, knowing there was lots of dried snot and tears on the back of the offered hand, he shook it.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Piper’s face brighten. It seemed that the effects of making things right with Willa had spilled over into the friendship between him and Piper.
Suddenly, Willa threw herself at him for an unexpected hug.
“You’re nice, Prince Charming,” Willa said, her face buried in his side. He grinned, and cautiously patted the little girl’s back, surprised at how glad he felt at having comforted little Willa. He glanced up at Piper and found her watching the interaction between him and her daughter.
“Thanks,” she mouthed, and he smiled back at her, feeling an unprecedented warmth growing within him at the fact that he’d made a little girl feel safe and happy.
6
As the afternoon wore on, the storm finally lost its stamina. By three o’clock, the rain had stopped, the sun was daring to peek its head out, and all the books had been re-homed in the study. At first, he’d only packed one extra bag for his valet to bring, but when Carrie requested more time, he’d known he would want his collection with him and had placed a call to his staff to request that the valet pack up and bring the rest. It might have seemed excessive to some, but Aldon’s books were his most prized possession, and he didn’t like to be far from them for long. He felt accomplished and calm, having his precious collection in one place and having made amends with little Willa.
“Thanks again for your help putting away all of my books,” he said to Piper as they made their way down a winding corridor, back toward the foyer of the castle. Photographs of ancestors and grand paintings lined the papered walls.
“You’re welcome.” She smiled sweetly at him. “I believe you have more books than the Thistledown Public Library.”
He chuckled. “And these are only my favorites.”
As they rounded the corner into the foyer, Aldon’s valet approached him.
“Prince Aldon, I’m still working on laundering and pressing some of your clothing,” he said. “I apologize that it’s taking so much time, but some things became quite wrinkled on the drive here.”
“No problem,” Aldon said. “I wanted to run into town to get a few toiletries anyway.” He held up a hand to stop the valet’s automatic protests. “There’s no need for you to go for me—I rather fancy the idea of getting out of the house and seeing the town.”
“Would you like me to drive you, sir?”
“No, no, I’ll take my car.” He looked hopefully at Piper. “Would you and Willa like to join me? You could show me the town, and we could perhaps do some shopping?”
Piper’s face brightened. “We’d love to, wouldn’t we, Willa?”
“I’m a great tour guide,” Willa said. “I’ll show you Klaver’s, the best ice cream shop and my other favorite place.”
Aldon raised his eyebrows. “And what’s your other favorite place?”
Willa grinned. “The pet store.”
Piper tousled her daughter’s hair. “Every time we go into town, she has to make a stop at the pet store to see the kitties.”
Aldon couldn’t help but smile at Willa. “I’d love to see the pet store, Willa,” he said as he headed for the door. “Looks like we don’t even need an umbrella anymore.”
Piper and Willa followed him to his Jag, gleaming silver in the hazy late afternoon sunlight. He noticed the awestruck looks on their faces as they slid into their seats.
“This car is so fancy!” Willa exclaimed.
“It’s just a car,” Aldon replied, although he knew his Jag wasn’t just a car. It was one of his favorite toys, and he enjoyed the luxury… and the speed.
“What are all these buttons?” she asked.
“Willa, don’t ask so many questions,” Piper scolded.
“No, it’s okay.” Aldon found Willa’s curiosity quite cute. “The buttons are for climate control.”
In the rearview, he saw Willa’s face scrunch into confusion.
“That means you can have warm seats or cool seats by pushing the buttons, Willa,” Piper explained.
“So my bum can get air conditioning?” The little girl burst into giggles.
As they neared the town, Aldon began to notice several abandoned buildings and some seriously shoddy-looking housing. Windows were boarded up and homes were in varying states of disrepair. Aldon was shocked. Despite what Piper had said in their argument in the gardens, he still hadn’t realized just how bad things had gotten. How had the seriousness of this town’s decline completely missed the Kingdom’s radar?
“How did we miss this?” he asked more to himself than to Piper.
“Well, it started with the water quality problems,” she said. “Residents have had to boil water during restrictive periods, which have been extensive. It’s had a great impact on some of the farms in the area, which were always a big part of the tourist draw of Thistledown Valley.”
“I remember,” Aldon said. As a young boy, he’d toured a farm here. He remembered milking cows and picking apples at an orchard.
“The farms used to offer seasonal tours, which would bring people in, but once one thing started suffering, everything else followed suit. And when the tourists stopped coming, the rest of the tourist-based economy suffered—shops, restaurants, inns. Also secondary suppliers, like grocery stores or laundry services. We’ve been asking the monarchy to help for years.” Piper looked out the window, and Aldon sensed she was avoiding eye contact. “Our requests always seem to always fall on deaf ears.”