Willa released a sound that was a cross between a hiccup and a sob then used the back of her hand to wipe her runny nose.
His cue to leave.
“It was nice to have met both of you, and Willa, I do hope your knee feels better soon.”
He turned on one heel and walked out of the servants’ quarters before he could change his mind.
Piper watched Aldon walk swiftly out of the kitchen and scratched her head. That was a quick exit. For a minute there, upstairs, she’d gotten the feeling that he might be interested in her. He’d certainly had that look in his eyes.
Until Willa had screamed from downstairs.
She hoped he wasn’t offended by the fact that her daughter lived here with her. The steward who had hired her had known about Willa and had given his permission for her to stay in the house, but maybe the rules were different when the prince was here. After all, the house technically belonged to him, and she got the sense that he wasn’t a big fan of children.
“Momma?” Willa piped up, grabbing Piper out of her thoughts.
“Yes, Willa?”
“Was that man a real prince?” she asked. “Because he didn’t look like a prince. He didn’t even have a crown on his head.”
Piper grinned at her daughter’s simple logic.
“He is absolutely a real prince, Willa,” she said. “He’s one of three princes of Sovalon. Modern princes like him don’t wear crowns except on special occasions. That’s only in fairy tales.”
Piper watched as her daughter seemed to consider her explanation. “Well, he sure is a handsome prince,” Willa said.
“Willa!” When had her daughter started noticing whether or not people were attractive? Piper shook her head and chuckled.
“Well, he is, isn’t he?”
“Yes, I suppose he is quite handsome,” Piper admitted to her daughter. In fact, Piper would have to keep herself in check, to make sure she didn’t get carried away with her attraction to Aldon. It wouldn’t be easy. There was something about him that made her want to get closer, to find out what made him tick.
But then, any involvement with him would likely be a disaster on many levels. In Piper’s experience with men, they tended to do nothing but disappoint you, and the last thing she needed was to have a falling out with her employer. Aldon may have been easy on the eyes, but there was too much at stake for her to get emotionally involved. She had to keep her distance and also keep Willa under control.
“Listen, Willa,” she said and took her daughter’s tiny hand into her own. “Prince Aldon is the owner of this place, so I want you to be on your best behavior while he’s here.”
“How long’s he staying here?” Willa asked.
“I’m not sure,” Piper said.
“Well, where’s he live for the rest of the time?”
“I imagine Prince Aldon lives with his family—the King and Queen—in the capital.”
“Is there another castle there?” Willa’s cute chin was tilted up, imploring her mother for more information. Her daughter’s curiosity usually tickled her, but right now she was more concerned that Piper toe the line while Aldon was here.
“Yes,” Piper answered. “A much grander one than ours, pet.” She bent down so that she was eye level with Willa. “Now, listen. I’m very serious about your behavior. Good manners and no tantrums. Understood?”
Piper was sure this was all confusing for Willa. Having landed the job at the castle soon after Willa had been born, Thistledown was the only home she’d ever known in her five years of life. She’d never had to think of it as someone else’s home, really.
“I’ll be nice to him,” Willa said and twirled a pigtail around her finger. “But can I at least ask him if he’s got a crown stashed in his other castle?”
Piper nodded, laughing again at her daughter’s wit.
“Can I go back outside now?” Willa asked.
“Yes, but be careful on the stone paths. No running,” she said. “Running leads to skinned knees.”
“Okay, Momma.” Willa turned and skipped out of the kitchen then broke into a run the minute her feet hit the stone pathway outside.
With Willa gone, Piper’s mind swam with thoughts of the prince upstairs. All the flirty warmth from their moment in his room had seemed to suddenly disappear the moment he saw Willa. Clearly, Aldon wasn’t comfortable with children, and Piper’s sole focus in life had been Willa for years now. If she ever were to let a man in, he would definitely have to be on board with kids. She shook her head.
What a silly thought anyway.
He was a prince, for goodness sakes!
She went about cleaning up breakfast dishes and wiping down the kitchen counters but found that she couldn’t erase the thoughts of Prince Aldon from her head. She’d might as well go up and check on him to make sure he was settling in.
With a cup of tea on a saucer in hand, she made her way back up to the master bedroom. She rapped lightly on the door, in hopes that he wasn’t taking a nap. She’d hate to wake him up.
“Come in,” he said.
“Hello,” she said and placed the cup of tea on the side table. “I just wanted to bring you some tea and check that you have everything you need.”
He looked up at her, his blue-green eyes slaying her with their air of mystery. “Thank you, Piper. I’m fine, just getting settled in.”
Piper cleared her throat, suddenly deciding that if she didn’t say what was on her mind, it would continue to eat at her.
“Listen, I wanted to apologize for not having told you about Willa sooner. I hope it’s not a problem that she’s here.” Her hands shook slightly, as she continued. “Just so you know, I’m very careful where I allow her to play—she knows not to disturb the rooms with antiques and other valuables. And it’s not like I let Willa distract me from my work. I still get everything done. My mother even comes over sometimes to help out—or Willa goes there.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” he said, smiling. “Everything looks fantastic. You must be working hard.”
“Thank you.” She blushed.
“I’m just not used to having kids around.”
Piper couldn’t help but notice the look on Aldon’s face when he said the words kids. He looked like he’d just stepped in dog doo.
He didn’t say any more after that, so she excused herself.
As she walked down the staircase, she told herself she could never fall for a guy who didn’t like children.
Back in the kitchen she shimmied into her gardening coveralls. An image of his alluring eyes suddenly popped into her mind, but she pushed them away.
This prince was a no-no.
Just then, a wind gust blew the back door open, reminding her of the brief moment hers and Aldon’s hands had touched on the window upstairs. Goose bumps erupted on her arms at the memory.
He’s a no-no! she reminded herself swiftly.
Convincing herself of this was going to take some time.
3
The next morning, Aldon awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the window and the sound of a child’s giggling from somewhere not so far away.