“I can’t believe I’m in a real castle,” Penny said. We were sitting in the playroom watching Elyse and Derrick play with her daughter, Zoe. Blake was with Nico in his office supposedly working, but Penny had remarked that they’d probably spend as much time reminiscing as they did talking business.

I laughed, bouncing her son, Christopher, on my knee. The little guy was only a year old but had a great smile and a tawny brown hair that almost reached his shoulders. “That’s how I feel every morning when I wake up.”

“It must’ve taken some getting used to. How long have you been here?”

“A little over a month.”

“And how’s it going?” Penny’s smile was kind as she looked over at me. She reminded me a little of my sister, and it made me miss Autumn even more.

“Pretty good. I’ve stopped getting lost—mostly. But the rest… well, it hasn’t been easy.”

With a practiced hand, Penny reached over to wipe the baby’s mouth. I loved holding the snuggly little guy, but it was fine by me if she wanted to be on drool patrol. “You’re a nanny for a single dad who’s also a prince. I would imagine that ‘easy’ is the last thing it would be.”

“Yeah… I just thought that by now, at least the kids and I would have a better relationship.” Christopher was fussing, so I turned him around. That way he could watch the older kids play—plus I could snake my arms around his belly and cuddle him.

“I’m sure it takes time.” Penny’s voice was sympathetic. “My little man certainly seems to have taken a liking to you.”

I kissed the baby on the top of his sweet-smelling head. “I love kids. I guess I just always thought that they’d love me back.”

“They’ve had a rough time of it.”

“Did you visit with them much when they lived in the US?”

“From time to time. Blake and Nico saw each other fairly frequently, but occasionally we did family things together. The twins were loud, then. Rambunctious. Elyse was always giggling about something, and Derrick loved to make us all laugh.”

Still cuddling the adorable baby, I watched the older kids playing. Derrick had originally tried to interest the toddler in a coloring book, but he’d given up when Christopher showed no interest. Now Derrick was listening as Elyse read a book to four-and-a-half-year-old Zoe. They looked like they were enjoying themselves, but as I explained to Penny, I’d never seen the twins do anything that could be described as rambunctious.

“Hopefully they’ll get to back to that point. They’ve been through a lot.”

“I know.” I sighed, wondering if I should bring up my background. But Penny was very easy to talk to. “I lost my mom to cancer when I was eleven. I can’t imagine how horrible and confusing it must be for children even younger.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Penny said with genuine sympathy in her eyes. “I’m sure it helps the twins that you know how it feels. And that wasn’t even the only life-changing event they experienced. The US was their home for five years. The day after the accident, Nico put them on an airplane and brought them back here. In one twenty-four-hour period, everything they knew changed. That would be a lot for a grown-up to handle, let alone young kids.”

An almost physical ache formed in my stomach at Penny’s words. More than anything, I wanted to go hug Derrick and Elyse right this second, but I knew they wouldn’t welcome that. “I didn’t realize it all happened that fast.”

Penny lowered her voice though the children weren’t paying us any attention. “It was a shock to us all, but I think Nico couldn’t stay in the US a single minute longer. I don’t blame him… it was an awful time.”

I hesitated. I’d purposefully avoided reading much about that period in Nico’s life both to respect his privacy and also because it was such a painful topic. “It was a boating accident, right?”

“Yes.” Penny sighed. “And Nico was there. Blake says he blames himself.”

The ache in my stomach turned into a twisting pain. All three of them, Nico, Derrick, and Elyse had lived through something awful. As much as I wanted to help them, I wasn’t sure if I could.

My voice lowered as I tried to explain it to Penny. “I honestly don’t know if I’m making things better or worse. Sometimes I say the wrong thing with Nico, and he gets all distant, and I feel terrible. With Derrick I’ve made a little progress. Not a ton, but he’s opened up to me somewhat. But with Elyse, I have no clue. She doesn’t seem to want or need me.”

“I wish I had an answer for you, but there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Maybe because children are such individuals. Take this little guy, for example.” She held out her hand and Christopher pressed his little fingers against hers. “He’s about as different as you can get from how Zoe was at his age. His sleeping patterns are the polar opposite, he’s a terribly picky eater where she wasn’t at all—even the way he cries isn’t the same. I guess each child has different needs, different ways of doing things.”

She looked up at the children. Elyse had Zoe by the hand and was leading her over to a shelf of toys. Derrick remained behind, reading a book in a bean bag chair. “Even though they’re twins, I would imagine you need a unique approach with each of them.”

“Yes, I do. It took me a while to figure that out. They seem like such a unit.”

“It’s good they have each other. But they are individuals—they were even as little kids. I guess it’s just a matter of figuring out what each one needs, both in general and from you.”

“I’m working on it.” Christopher started crying, so I begrudgingly handed him back. “I’ve got a long way to go, but so far Derrick has been easier to figure out than Elyse.”

“Well, men can be simple creatures,” Penny said with a laugh. “Well, simpler. Take my sweet boy, for instance. He’s hungry.” Without missing a beat, she shifted his position, raised her shirt, and offered him a breast.

“I wish it were that easy to make Derrick and Elyse happy. Wait, I didn’t mean I want to nurse them or anything like that—”

Penny laughed. “I know what you meant. What are they doing now?”

Elyse had her hands held out in front of her, a thin belt stretched between them. “She’s pretending that she’s shooting a bow and arrow. That belt is the string of the bow, and she’s showing Zoe how to pull it back before firing.”

“Wow… you got all that from the fact that she’s holding a belt? Maybe you understand her better than you thought.”

“I wish I did,” I said with a rueful shake of my head. “I only know because we watched Brave last week, and Elyse was quite taken with it.” Now she wanted to watch it every time we were in the playroom.

“Which one is that?”

“The one set in Scotland. The princess has long, curly red hair and uses a bow and arrow.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that one. Zoe hasn’t seen it, but she seems to be hero-worshipping Elyse, so she won’t mind playing along.”

“She’s a cutie.”

“She sure is. And she’s got Blake wrapped around her little finger. If she said she wanted a bow and arrow, he’d probably hire an Olympic-level archery coach for her.”

Aww, that was sweet. “You’ve got a wonderful family.”

“Thanks,” she said. “It hasn’t always been easy, but now I can’t imagine my life any other way.”

I was about to ask what she meant, but the baby started crying.

“I’m going to get Christopher ready for his nap. Blake’ll want some time to play with him before dinner, so I need to put him down soon.”

“Sure,” I said. “Do you want me to show you to your room?” Gretchen had gone all out, setting up a crib, changing table, and enough toys for a dozen children for the Hollisters’ overnight visit.

“Thanks, but I know where to find it.”

Ugh, it didn’t seem fair. Penny had been here less than a day and already she knew her way around the castle better than me.

“Do you mind keeping an eye on Zoe?”

“Of course not.”

After she left, I stayed where I was, thinking about all that Derrick and Elyse had been through. No wonder they were hard to reach.

But they seemed to be having fun now. Derrick looked engrossed in his book and Elyse was still playing pretend archery with Zoe. The little girl didn’t seem a hundred percent certain what a bow and arrow was, but she seemed content to follow Elyse’s lead.

As I watched them, I thought about Penny’s advice and tried to think about what Elyse needed. Though her face was more relaxed than I’d seen it in a while, she still held herself very stiff, as if she had an invisible crown on her head. And her hair was still elaborately done up in coils and braids, and she wore a dress with tights. Zoe, on the other hand, had on a sweater, tan pants, and sneakers.

Unaware of my scrutiny, the two girls kept playing and talking quietly to themselves. Though I couldn’t hear them, I gathered that Elyse was telling the younger girl about the movie.

My plan to connect with Elyse through Disney movies had only been partially successful. It hadn’t generated much conversation between us, but I knew she enjoyed watching them.

Hmm. A glimmer of an idea occurred to me. It likely wasn’t the key to Elyse’s heart, but I thought I knew something that would make her happy.

It was time to make another order. This time it would be for Elyse—and not from Amazon.