Prologue
‘‘Alex, I think you should take a look at this.’’
Princess Alexandra Wyndham, the oldest of King Phillip’s four daughters, glanced up from the computer printout she’d been scanning. It was nearly eleven in the morning and she was, as usual, buried in her daily reports. The kingdom of Wynborough might not be huge, but it required a large staff to keep things running smoothly. Despite the efficiency of the palace’s employees and loyalty of the senior staff, Alex insisted on overseeing many things herself. She spent her mornings in her office, looking for potential problems and smoothing them out before anyone noticed they’d been there in the first place. Her afternoons and evenings were reserved for state functions and occasionally, very occasionally, time for herself.
Alex set down the papers and smiled at Laura Bishop, the social secretary who had been with the royal family for five years. ‘‘Another marriage proposal from an American rock star?’’ Alex asked. ‘‘While I don’t understand them, I do confess to being flattered. After all, I’ll be thirty next year. Not exactly the right age to be a bimbo.’’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘‘Is that term still in use or am I being old-fashioned again?’’
Laura grinned. ‘‘I think bimbo still works, although it’s not really appropriate when used to describe a princess.’’ Her smile faded. ‘‘No marriage proposal this time. It’s a little more serious than that. I didn’t know what to do with this.’’ She waved the single sheet of paper. ‘‘I thought about going to the king, but he and your mother are busy with plans for the celebration and I wasn’t sure….’’ Her voice trailed off.
Alex gave Laura her full attention. The royal social secretary was many wonderful things, including efficient. It wasn’t like her to be indecisive about anything.
‘‘All right,’’ Alex said slowly and held out her hand. When Laura gave her the letter, she scanned it quickly, then read it a second time. Her breath caught in her throat and her chest tightened. ‘‘Dear Lord, can this be right?’’
‘‘I don’t know,’’ Laura admitted.
Was it possible? Alex shook her head to clear it, but her confused thoughts refused to be put in order. What to do?
‘‘I’m glad you didn’t go to my parents,’’ Alex said slowly. ‘‘If it’s true, then it’s wonderful news, but if it isn’t, they could be devastated all over again. I don’t want that.’’
Laura nodded. ‘‘That’s what I thought, too. I don’t know the whole story, but I’ve read about the basics.’’
‘‘I don’t think anyone knows the whole story. That’s part of the problem.’’ She set the letter on her desk. ‘‘All right. Tell my sisters that I need to see them immediately.’’ She glanced at her slender, elegant gold watch. ‘‘Have them meet me for lunch in our private dining room at noon. I’ll tell the kitchen to have something simple sent up.’’ She looked at her friend. ‘‘I’ll want you to be there, too, Laura.’’
Laura stared back at her. ‘‘Are you sure? Isn’t this a family matter?’’
‘‘Yes, but I suspect we’re going to need your help. I have a couple of ideas. If my sisters agree with my plan, then you’ll be an important part of things.’’ Despite her shock, Alex managed a smile. ‘‘As usual.’’
‘‘Thank you.’’
After Laura left, Alex turned in her chair and stared out the window. The view was nearly as familiar as her own reflection. She’d spent many hours in this office, working, planning and, during rare moments of quiet, dreaming. While Wyndham Castle was a major tourist attraction, and even now a large group of visitors toured the manicured gardens below her third-story window, it was also her home. She’d been born here, grown up, played, laughed and cried, all within the confines of the old stone-and-wood structure. People she met often asked her what it was like to live in a castle, but for Alexandra it was all she’d ever known. If she occasionally wondered what it would be like to live a normal life, she reminded herself that she’d been blessed by her circumstances and her loving family. She had wonderful parents and three sisters with whom she was very close.
Without turning around, she reached behind her and picked up the letter Laura had brought her. As she fingered the inexpensive writing paper, she considered how she’d thought her future was set. Was that all about to change?
* * *
‘‘We should go skiing over the holidays,’’ Serena said as she scooped some chicken and mango salad onto her plate. She picked up a piece of mango and popped it in her mouth. Impish lights danced in her green eyes. ‘‘There are always so many good-looking men at the chalets and goodness knows you three all need to get married before you’re over the hill.’’
Alex looked at her baby sister and tried not to take the comment personally. As the oldest, sheshouldbe married first, and no doubt her parents would get around to arranging a match in the near future. But right now that was not her most pressing issue.
‘‘We have something more important to discuss,’’ Alex said as she glanced around the table.
A lace antique cloth protected the gleaming oval surface. Water, iced tea and soft drinks had been poured into crystal goblets. Alex sat at the head of the table with Serena and Laura to her left and Katherine and Elizabeth to her right.
‘‘You look serious,’’ Katherine said. ‘‘Is something wrong?’’
‘‘Not exactly.’’ Alex paused as she tried to figure out how best to share the news. ‘‘Laura opened a letter this morning and immediately brought it to me. I made the decision not to share the contents with our parents. They’re both busy with the business of running the kingdom, not to mention the celebration of Father’s twentieth year as monarch.’’
‘‘We know all this,’’ Serena said and rolled her eyes. ‘‘Alex, you could make a roller-coaster ride boring if you tried. What has you all in a huff? What’s in the letter?’’
Alex glanced at her other two sisters and saw them nod. She chose to believe they were encouraging her to read them the message and not agreeing with Serena’s assessment of her personality.
She pulled the single sheet of paper out of her jacket pocket and cleared her throat.
‘‘Dear Royal Family. I saw something on the news today about your king celebrating his kingship of your country. While I didn’t find this especially interesting, I happened to see a picture of the family crest—is that what it’s called? That shield with the thingamajigs? Anyway, seeing that reminded me of something that happened a long time ago.’’
Alex heard a catch of breath. She glanced up and saw all three of her sisters staring at her.
‘‘Nearly thirty years ago I was housekeeper for a place called The Sunshine Home for Children in Hope, Arizona. One day I noticed a real fine piece of linen in the laundry. It was some kind of blanket and I decided to take it for my own use. I knew it belonged to one of the children, but I didn’t think they would miss it. It was the nicest tea cozy I’d ever had and now I realize it had your crest on it. With all this fuss about the celebration and all, there have also been stories about your lost boy, James. It got me to thinking. Three boys came to The Sunshine Home that year around the time of the kidnapping. They were all the right age to be your boy. One of them could belong to your family. My memory’s not what it used to be and I can’t remember all of them, but I do sure recall John Colton. He was a real scrapper. I’m not saying John’s the one, but I’ll bet my last pair of boots that he would know where to find the others.’’
