Chapter 1
He had actually gone through with it. I could not believe Prince Dominic of Monterra—Nico—had married that awful, plain American girl, Kat McTaggert. Soon, the two of them would be king and queen. And I’d be…nothing.
After trying and failing more than once to tear the two of them apart, I was surprised to be invited to their wedding. The last time I spoke to Nico he told me he never wanted to see me again. Our families had been friends for a long time, so his parents probably had insisted on the invitation. Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn’t made the guest list. Watching the two of them pledge their undying love to each other made me feel sick to my stomach.
I was supposed to be his princess. How had this happened?
My parents, Lord George and Lady Abigail Sutherland, sat on either side of me during the wedding reception. Both kept giving me steely glances. Neither of them were happy that I had failed to win Nico or that my shenanigans had almost cost our family an invite to the royal wedding. Between the looks on their faces and the way Nico kept hugging Kat closer to him as they sat beside each other I felt on the verge of an all-out fit. Except the last thing I needed to do was embarrass myself all over again.
I stood up from the table. “Excuse me, I…I need to use the ladies room,” I said, running off before my parents could pester me.
Annoyed with the way my high heels slowed me down, I removed them as soon as I was out of anyone’s line of vision. Security around the castle was tight, but the guards were more concerned with keeping the wrong people out rather than stopping guests from wandering the grounds. I made my way into one of the many royal gardens surrounding the palace. Monterra’s Mediterranean climate made things grow so well. Roses of all varieties flanked the garden paths scenting the air with their heavenly aroma. But it was grape vines that wound their way up a trellised arch, which I loved the best. I took a seat on one of the marble garden benches and reveled in the quiet solitude, happy for the brief reprieve from the wedding of the century.
Despite the peaceful surroundings my thoughts remained on the last two people I wanted to think about—Kat and Nico. Not only had my dreams of one day becoming Nico’s wife vanished, but after the way I had treated Kat, so had our friendship. And who could blame either of them? Tears snuck their way down my cheeks as I looked around the garden that would never be mine.
Monterra was a small country, nestled in the Alps between Switzerland and Italy, which was why everyone here spoke Italian. I loved Monterra and had truly hoped to one day call it my home. It wasn’t that I didn’t adore my home country, but the seemingly endless stretches of gray, drizzly days in England were not all that enjoyable to me.
I lifted my legs onto the bench, bent my knees and leaned forward, letting my head rest on them. My tears gave way to a full out sob fest as I let out all the emotions I had held in since Kat and Nico’s engagement had been announced. Lost in my grief, I didn’t notice the hand on my shoulder until I heard someone speaking to me. “Signorina, stai bene?”
I did my best to wipe my tears with the back of my hand before turning to see who had caught me making a fool out of myself, something I seemed to have become remarkably good at lately.
Despite staring into the eyes one of one of the most gorgeous men I’d seen in…well, forever, I managed to find my voice. “Scusa, my Italian isn’t very good.” I knew he had just asked me if I was okay, but if our conversation went much further than that I’d be lost. Which was for the best, I decided, because if neither of us spoke each other’s language he wouldn’t stick around and pester me with questions about why I was in the garden crying.
“Ah, English.” He smiled and his whole face seemed to glow. What was it with Monterran men that I found so irresistible? “I asked if you were okay.”
Right. He spoke English. Was I never going to run out of bad luck?
“Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” I said, trying to be polite.
“I thought weddings were supposed to be happy occasions.”
“Not when the groom is marrying the wrong person.” I held my fingers up to my lips, shocked that I’d let those words slip out. For all I knew, the man standing in front of me could be related to Nico. Although the more I looked him over, the more I realized that wasn’t likely. He was definitely not dressed for a wedding, and his clothes looked pretty dusty. More than likely, he was one of the palace gardeners.
“You wanted to marry Prince Nico?”
“No. Of course not!” There was no way I was going to admit that, especially to some hired hand.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, handing it to me. “May I ask what is your name?”
“Claire Sutherland,” I replied, purposefully leaving off my title.
“And I am Alessandro Conti. But you can call me Alex.”
“Hmm. I think I like Alessandro better.”
I had almost forgotten how friendly Monterrans could be. Or how luscious they sounded when they spoke English with their accented voices. Luscious. It was the perfect word to describe the man eager to dry my tears. His skin was tanned to perfection, his dark hair thick and wavy, and his eyes almost golden. Alessandro’s broad shoulders must have come from countless hours toiling away in the royal family’s gardens. A thought flitted across my mind—what it would feel like to have a man like him hold me in his arms. I shook my head, trying to empty my mind of the ridiculous notion. I was a proper English lady, and proper English ladies did not fantasize about hired help.
I smoothed the skirt of my dress before bending down to strap my shoes back on. Alessandro got down on one knee in front of me. “Let me help you.”
“You really don’t have to,” I said.
“Ah, well. My mother would be angry with me if I didn’t. She expects her sons to behave like gentlemen.”
“I promise I won’t tell her.”
He looked up at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher. “She passed away five years ago.”
Sadness. That’s what I had seen in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” I said, regretting the way I had just stuck my foot in my mouth. Again.
“Ahh. So am I,” he said softly just as he finished with my second shoe.
“Well…I really should be getting back to the reception,” I said after several moments of awkward silence. As I walked away I felt Alessandro’s eyes on me.
“Claire,” he called out.
I turned to see what he wanted, surprised at how eager I felt to hear his voice one last time. The truth was I wanted to stay in the garden with him rather than return to the wedding reception, but I couldn’t. My parents were probably wondering where I was, and if either of them found me talking to the royal family’s gardener instead of beside them with a fake smile plastered on my face I would never hear the end of it. Talking to a stranger was simpler, easier; and simple and easy was what I wanted right now. Except what I wanted wasn’t important to my family, it never had been. When you’re born into nobility, life is all about living up to everyone else’s expectations.
“Yes?” I said, trying not to sound eager.
“A beautiful lady like you will have no trouble capturing the right man’s heart. Don’t let yourself believe otherwise.”
A smile crept across my face. I couldn’t help but feel flattered by his words. It had been a long time since anyone told me I was beautiful for no other reason than to be kind. I didn’t come across too many genuine people in my life and I found myself enjoying the fact that Alessandro didn’t know I had a title.
“Thank you,” I replied before ducking around the corner and out of Alessandro’s sight.