"Oh, so it’s a family tradition," she quipped and laughed as she followed him through massive royal blue doors that were double the size of her. Renee waited for them, nervouslyquiet.
He walked her through a small lobby area that rivaled a theater and then they went into a grand ballroom. Gold and gilt decorated the walls. Was it real? She stayed on his arm, but then a nice-looking man with a similar version of Antonio’s face and about Antonio's age rushed over to them. "I apologize for interrupting, but my brother needs to come withme,now."
Antonio's eyes widened and he squeezed her hand a little though she could see in his gaze that he was worried. With a glance over his shoulder he nodded at someone and then returned his gaze fully to her. "Kristin, Walter here will show you to your rooms. I'll be back as soon asIcan."
"All right." He kissed her hand, but she saw the pained flecks in his brownish-green hues that told her he wasscared.
She joined Renee and the man charged with taking them to their rooms, but she watched as Antonio raced out of the room with his brother. Her heart thumped and she prayed everything was okay with hisfamily.
Chapter6
Was it his father?Was this the end? The questions swirled in his mind, but Marco didn’t slow and never said a word. He hadn't even asked for an introduction to Kristin, though the glint in his eyes gave away hisinterest.
They arrived at the medical ward and his heart nearly stopped. His father. He had so much to say and he wasn't ready to lose him yet. Marco opened the door and instantly his mother, Queen Anna Camilla, stood from her chair while she wiped her eyes with a tissue. The sick bed was behind the white partition, just outofview.
This must be bad news. Why hadn’t they called him? His mother opened her arms. "Antonio, there you areatlast."
Not even his mother's arms around him made the hole in his heart lessen. He massaged her shoulder and asked, "Mother, whathappened?"
She pointed toward the sheet and the corner of the bed that peeked from behind the white curtain. "It's yourfather!"
No. He felt like a lost ten-year-old who called for his parents to find him in an open market. He stood stiff, not ready for this. To be king. To lead his country. To lose his father. He choked on his words. "Didhe..."
"Son?" His father's raspy voice made Antonio’s hair stand on end. Alive? He wasalive!
His heart soared as he walked forward, pulled the curtain, and stepped closer to the bed and looked into his father’s warm amber eyes. King Leopoldo looked weak and fragile, when in Antonio's memory he was larger than life. He slumped into the seat beside the bed, took his hand, and tried not to cry. "Father."
Leopoldo tapped his hand and asked in a weak tone, "Is it true you brought an American here to be yourbride?"
His father coughed and the boom took overtheroom.
Antonio stood abruptly. "Save your voice. Yes,Idid."
His mother's words echoed from behind them. "Politically, are you sure she's the bestchoice,son?"
According to his team of experts, yes. Politics had been part of the calculations he put into play. "Mother, our people are choosing between communism and capitalism. In marrying an American, I'm proving my capitalistleanings."
With less than sixty days in which to find a miracle, he had made a logical choice. Their gray-haired mother leaned on Marco’s arm, her blue eyes wise. "Half of the country doesn't have the samevalue."
“Less than half, Mother.” Antonio was the Crown Prince of Aussa and understood his responsibilities. "It's my job along with the rest of our family to ensure our people win the votesthisfall.”
“We’re in trouble if the communist agenda becomes the reality again,”Marcosaid.
True. King Leopoldo had pledged their personal bank accounts to rebuild Avce. Antonio was now guardian and he didn’t take the burdenlightly.
“We’d go into exile without a penny." His motherstraightened.
His younger brother shrugged. "I likedEngland."
"Marco, this is our home." Their mother scolded her youngest son and came closer to the bed. Antonio backed away to let his mother havehisspot.
His brother stayed near the door, acting like he hadn’t a care in the world as he leaned on the frame. "I saw your Kristin. I must say she's quite pretty. Was that one of your factorsafterall?"
His search had included looks as well as brains, but nothing prepared him for actually meeting Kristin Wells. He hadn't told her about his bride-finding software, not that he was sure she’d care. But he’d hate to hurt her feelings when they were just getting to know each other. "I wasn't going to marry just anyone. She had to be nice enough tolookat."
Marco patted his back. "Well, I can't wait to have a conversation with her, atdinner."
“Take care what you say.” Their parents spoke quietly at his father's bedside. Antonio glanced at his brother. "I still have to convince her tomarryme."
