Gamble on Engagement (4 page)

I was even more delighted to see that the
last stall housed several bicycles. I couldn’t imagine anything
more delightful that a lovely bike ride in the English countryside.
I checked my watch. Forty-five minutes left before I had to be back
in for supper.

Which seemed like the perfect amount of time
for a leisurely bike ride to me.

I picked the cutest one, of course, a bike
that matched perfectly with my sundress. It was baby blue and old
fashioned, though in mint condition, and had a big basket in the
front. I could just imagine myself riding along, my basket full of
fresh flowers, produce and bread just baked from the quaint bakery
in town. I mean, I had no idea if there even was a bakery in town,
or if there even was a town anywhere remotely within biking
distance, but I spent a good five minutes daydreaming about all the
trips I might make anyway.

Finally, I was on my way out of the garage
and down a cute little path that led away from the castle and back
into the trees. The sun bathed the trail in sparkles of light that
moved and danced through the leaves with a whisper of the wind. I
closed my eyes for a moment to soak in the perfection of it
all.

The trees ended abruptly, leading to another
clearing filled with rolling hills and the biggest garden I had
ever seen. I was born and raised in the city, so it’s not like I’d
had much chance to check out too many gardens, but I swear, this
thing was bigger than anything I’d even seen on TV. Flowers and
vegetables grew healthy and vibrant against the bluest sky along
with green hills in the background. It was a strange place for the
flowers, stuck in the back of the garden behind the veggies, almost
like an afterthought, though there seemed to be hundreds, if not
thousands of them. I could only assume this is where the majority
of the gorgeous fresh-cut flowers in the castle came from, probably
on a daily basis.

A couple of people were working away in the
garden and when they turned to look, I waved and smiled.

And the real miracle of it, was that they
smiled and waved back.

Hallelujah! Not everyone who worked here was
as snooty as Miranda.

The trail kept going past the long garden
and led up a short hill. I, being ever-so-curious, decided I’d just
take a peek over the hill to see what was past it, then I’d head
back and get ready for dinner, hoping I might finally meet Prince
Leo.

Apparently the jet lag had hit me a little
harder than I’d thought though. Either that or the long bubble bath
had relaxed my muscles into submission or something, because just
as I was about to crest the hill, they decided to give out on me.
Well okay, not totally, but there was no way in you-know-where that
I was going to finish making it over that hill. And I was so close
too.

So close, in fact, that I just had to try to
take those last couple steps, which led to possibly my most
horrific entry in the Disaster Diary to date.

Dear Disaster Diary,

Oh. My. God!

It’s happened. I hereby have an entry, which
might be the most horrifying that you have ever witnessed. I’m
fairly certain my face is still red, even after the excruciatingly
long and painful walk back to the castle.

Oh, what happened to the bike you might ask?
Well, funny story. At least it might be… a long time from now when
I look back on all this. A very, very long time from now.

As I tried to climb those last few steps up
the hill, I, for some reason—known only to the gods of
stupidity—decided not to get off the bike. No, I tried to climb the
hill while straddled over the lovely baby blue contraption. Still,
there shouldn’t have been too much of a problem except for one tiny
detail. The soles of my ballet flats were made from a smooth
material. A very slippery, stiff, smooth material.

As I lifted my right leg to take a step, my
left shoe began to give way, sending me sliding slightly backward
down the hill. Of course the shoes had absolutely no traction, so
as I flailed my legs, searching for a grip, I began to pick up
speed…

…
and then I was falling, tumbling head
over butt, still attached to the bike, which was tumbling right
along with me. I honestly don’t know if I made one complete
rotation, or if it was more than that, it all happened so fast.
Eventually I came rocking to a stop, somehow miraculously
uninjured.

Well, except for my pride.

And it might not have even been all that
bad, you know, I could have lived with a gardener or two seeing it
or whatever, but I have to say, it was not my best angle for the
person who came over the hill just in time to witness the
spectacle.

That’s right; Prince Leo crested that same
damned hill at the exact moment of my tumble into humiliation.

Oh, he was a gentleman of course, concerned
for my safety and all that, but I couldn’t really fully appreciate
how he helped me up and took my bike, holding it in one hand while
he led his horse with the other and walked me all the way back to
the castle, even promising to put my bike away for me because all I
wanted to do was cry. And it turned out I was a little hurt after
all.

My elbow must have gotten caught between the
handlebars and the ground or something, because it was already
starting to swell.

Oh sure, the Prince was great and kind and
even had a little chuckle, so maybe I shouldn’t be so devastated,
but let’s face it, you never get a second chance to make a first
impression.

And my first impression on poor Prince Leo
had been my butt, sailing through the air.

I was a mess.

After taking several wrong turns to find my
room, I eventually surveyed myself in the full-length mirror. The
bubble bath had effectively been undone due to my unexpected trip
down the English countryside. God, every time the vision popped
back into my head, I wanted to die all over again. And it had been
pretty much popping in nonstop since it happened.

My dress didn’t seem to be ripped anywhere,
which was a bit of a miracle, but it was so dirty you could barely
even tell what color it was anymore. And my hair was indescribable,
tangling every which way, with bits of grass chunked in there.

There was certainly no way I could go down
to dinner looking the way I was.

And I was already late.

Prince Leo told me not to rush, to take my
time getting ready and come on down whenever, but I could only
imagine what Miranda was going to do once she found out. I was,
after all, an employee of the Prince, and I had a strong feeling
that Miranda was the one to manage the employees in whatever way
she saw fit.

But still, there was no way I could possibly
go down there looking like I did. Who knew what Miranda might think
then
?

I jumped in the shower and cleaned off as
quickly as I could, carefully scrubbing the dirt from my hair and
fingernails, and throwing on a robe. I was really starting to wish
I’d unpacked earlier, since everything was still totally suitcase
wrinkled, and there wasn’t any time to use the handy little travel
steamer that was stored in the linen closet. That’s right, my suite
had its own linen closet, filled to the brim with soft, impossibly
fluffy towels.

I managed to find a fairly unwrinkled
t-shirt and a crinkly skirt that was supposed to be wrinkly, threw
them on and turned to the makeup mirror.

Ugh. Things were still not looking good. My
elbow was really starting to swell, so I rushed to find a sweater,
hoping to cover it up. I’d have to go through the bathroom later to
see if there was a tensor bandage or something to help bring the
swelling down overnight.

I applied the barest minimum of makeup as
quickly as I could, being careful not to end up looking like a
clown, or worse, like I’d just been tumbling down a hill. Yeesh.
The hair was another story all together. I piled it up on top of my
head and styled it as best I could, hoping the Prince didn’t mind
the natural, messy look. And if I were being honest, I was almost
as worried about Miranda’s reaction as I was the Prince’s. She was
the one who was both capable, and probably more than happy, to make
my life here at the castle as miserable as possible.

~ 4 ~

It was impossible not to stare at Prince
Leo. Something about him just oozed charm, like he was growing it
from somewhere within. He had the absolute most perfect skin, it
was hard to believe he even shaved, and I always was a sucker for
blue eyes. Especially blue eyes like his, so clear you could almost
see through them right into his thoughts. But the real kicker was
the smile. Comforting, like he’d known you for your whole life,
with just a hint of mischief, like he knew you even better than you
knew yourself.

I can’t believe he waited for me. He hadn’t
eaten a bite before my arrival. I mean, I was an employee; he
didn’t have to humor me like that. But I got the feeling that no
matter who he was eating with, he would have waited. He was that
kind of guy. A guy who really made other people feel important,
even though, according to most people, he was probably always the
most important one in the room.

“It’s just a shame I have to go away so soon
after your arrival,” Prince Leo said, taking another sip of
wine.

I nearly choked on my maple glazed salmon,
jolted out of my daydream about those eyes. “Going away?”

I couldn’t help but wonder how the heck I
was supposed to write an autobiography about someone I barely knew,
and who apparently, was in no hurry to let me in on any inside info
anytime soon.

He nodded. “I have to fly to Australia for
about a week for some appearances.”

“Oh, that sounds nice,” I said.

I mean, of course I was freaking out knowing
I was losing a week of grilling the Prince, but it’s not like I was
in any position to say anything.

I think I might have nearly stopped
breathing when he smiled and looked straight into my eyes. This guy
was not England’s most eligible bachelor for nothing. He had a way
of rendering a girl senseless with one look. Even a girl who is
very attached to her super famous movie star boyfriend.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know
it. It could be a good excuse to get acquainted with England
anyway,” he said with the smile that made my insides slither around
like a non-single woman’s insides have no business slithering.

“Yeah, of course,” I said, sure my
disappointment had much more to do with the lost time on the
autobiography than the fact that I wasn’t going to see Prince Leo
for a few days.

Yes, I was sure of it.

And really, this could be a blessing in
disguise. Maybe it would be the perfect opportunity to sneak away
to do a bit of the traveling I was hoping to get in. A weekend spa
getaway sounded pretty relaxing. At least, more relaxing than
spending a week alone in the castle with Miranda.

“So, what made you choose to make your home
all the way out here?” I asked, figuring I should at least make and
attempt at finding something out about this guy. Who was staring at
me so intently that it almost felt wrong to hold his gaze. Except
that it felt so right.

“Honestly, I just love the peace and quiet.
It’s so different from the city.”

I nodded, mesmerized, watching his lips move
as he told the story.

“And of course I’ve always loved
castles.”

“Really?” I said. “I mean, of course
everyone loves castles, but I would have thought you’d be sick of
them by now or something.”

He chuckled. “You know it’s funny, you’d
think since I’m in the Royal family, I would have grown up in a
castle, but I actually grew up in the heart of London in an
apartment.”

“Really? I thought it must be law or
something that the Royals had to have castles.”

He laughed. “Well, the family did have a
castle, but I only ever got to visit it in the summer.”

“And you loved it so much you had to buy
your own?”

He laughed again. “I guess so. Actually
those summers were pretty great. I never really got to do
everything I wanted when I was a kid, but when we got to the
castle, it was like I had free reign. Just running around all over
the place doing whatever I wanted.”

I nodded, smiling, taking another sip of
wine. “So how come you couldn’t do that in the city?”

He tilted his head. “You know what it’s
like,” he said. “That’s why you’re here. How hard it can be when
the photographers are lurking around every corner trying to capture
your every move. Especially if you’re caught doing something shady
like blowing your nose or something.”

I laughed. But then I realized maybe it
wasn’t meant to be funny. “I can’t imagine having to deal with that
my whole life. A few months just about killed me.”

He smiled. “You get used to it, I guess.
Didn’t you get used to it after a while?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess it got
less… invasive after a while. But then there were some days that I
just wanted to have a second to myself.”

“And that’s where having a castle in the
country with state of the art security comes in very handy.”

“Ah ha!” I said. “And the real reason comes
out.”

He smiled. “Exactly. You get it.”

I blushed. “I can’t believe I became known
all the way over here. It was weird enough thinking that everyone
back home knew all about my most embarrassing moments, but knowing
that even you, a Prince in England knows everything about me, is a
little… strange.”

He laughed, presumably at my embarrassing
moments. God, I could just die, thinking about all the stuff the
whole world knew about me.

“Welcome to my world,” he said. “Imagine
going through that same kind of humiliation when you’re a
teenager.”