Chapter Ten

A full six weeks had passed since Isabella had been with Robert. After arriving in his home country of Rubare Virgina, most of their time together had been normal and easy and might seem a bit boring to an outside observer. But to her, the time had been magical.

For the past few weeks Robert had been gone more than he was home, serving his country as an ambassador. She found herself lonely far too often for her liking. It was the royal life she’d believed it would be — and that wasn’t a good thing.

Yes, Robert had people to tend to her, and he managed to give her activities to do, but she’d already stayed too long. But now she had a problem she didn’t know how to deal with. She’d been waiting for the perfect moment to share with him, but it seemed it never would come.

He joined her almost every night in her bed, but usually she was already asleep and he’d wake her in the most pleasant of ways and then when she awoke in the morning her bed was cold and he was long gone. She wasn’t sure if he was with other women on the nights he wasn’t with her, or if he was gone for work. She wasn’t sure of anything, because he didn’t feel the need to tell her.

This wasn’t the life she’d always imagined. Yes, at one time in her life she’d dreamed of being a princess, but like most women, she’d grown up. A royal life wasn’t what she wanted. But whether she had chosen it or not, this family would always be a part of her.

Robert would always be a part of her. She’d given him something of hers she could give no one else. And he’d given her a gift as well, but she couldn’t say he wouldn’t give the same to others. Her hand caressed her stomach, and she allowed a few tears to fall.

Isabella was in no way ready to be a mother. She had just graduated from college and had been ready to face the world, find the perfect story, and be an all-star journalist. She’d even thought of writing about Rubare Collina’s ancient tradition of kidnapping a bride. That had all fallen out the window the moment she’d been taken.

Her life had changed, and now she would have a new path in life. She hadn’t planned on keeping her pregnancy a secret, but if she were to tell him while in his country she knew she’d have no rights. It didn’t matter if she was an American. If her baby was born in Rubare Virgina, she would lose her child.

Still, Isabella trusted Robert . . . to a certain extent. Since coming back to Rubare Virgina, he was more distant. There were things happening he was choosing not to share with her, and she didn’t know why, or understand the wall he was putting up between them after being so open to her at first. It hurt; it hurt her a lot. She was lonely, and she didn’t know how to share this with him without incurring his wrath, or even worse, distance from him.

Stepping through his back door, Isabella looked at his beautiful gardens as she took an evening stroll. She didn’t know if Robert would be home that night, and she couldn’t bear to wait in her room for him once again. She’d stayed up late the night before and he’d never come to her. On this day she was tired and hurting.

Moving through the perfectly sculpted path, she made her way into her favorite area with trees and benches. She’d spent many hours under these trees as she read a book or took a nap. She felt safe here, and even better, she felt free away from the crowds of Rubare Virgina.

Her time in Rubare Collina with Robert had been overwhelming. Her one excursion into the royal city in Rubare Virgina had been terrifying. The people worshiped him in this country, and they wanted to know everything they could about who this woman was on his arm. He didn’t share a lot, which she was grateful for, and her parents had no clue what was going on, which meant it hadn’t reached back to the States yet, but all it would take was one wrong picture and her small world could easily close in on her.

Moving forward, Isabella missed the rock in the middle of the path and tripped. She lost her balance and, unable to catch herself, flew to the ground, hitting it hard. Her knees slammed into the hard dirt, and her hands scraped against the path, leaving scratches. Her tumble ended with her sprawled face-first on the ground, and a cramp hit her stomach that terrified her.

Quickly Isabella shifted to her side and curled in on herself in a protective manner, cradling her still flat stomach. She hadn’t wanted a baby, but now that she knew she was pregnant she wasn’t sure she could handle the pain of a miscarriage. If her clumsiness hurt her child she might never forgive herself.

“Are you okay, Ms. Izzy?” a man asked as he quickly knelt at her side.

Isabella looked up to find one of the guards standing before her, concern on his face as he reached out and felt her head before running his hands against her palms and then her ankles.

“Yes, yes, I’m okay,” she said. Even if she was worried, she couldn’t tell this man she might be losing her baby. But as she had that thought, the cramp went away. She forced herself into a seated position and took in long gulps of air, slowly letting them out.

She didn’t see blood, and there were no more aches. She remembered her mother telling her long ago that the female body was a beautiful thing, the way women were designed was the most protective place for babies. It took a lot to harm them while inside the body unless a person was to do it on purpose. That gave her hope.

“Let me help you up,” the man said.

“Thank you,” she replied. “What’s your name?” She knew some of the guards, but they were rarely seen as they patrolled the grounds, so it was easier for her to get to know the inside staff.

“I’m Triad,” he said as he helped her to her feet.

“Thanks for coming to my rescue, Triad,” she said.

“I couldn’t leave you here on the ground,” he replied with a chuckle. “My wife would make me sleep on the porch if I ever walked away from a lady in need.”

“It appears as if you have a good woman,” Isabella told him.

“Yes I do, and a beautiful three-year-old daughter,” he replied, his face beaming.

“Oh, you must tell me all about her,” Isabella replied.

She walked side by side with the man as she continued her walk and laughed merrily as he shared antics of his daughter. After all her stress of the past few days, it was incredibly refreshing to let it go and simply focus on this kind man as he sang praises of his family.

It grew late before she realized it, and Triad apologized profusely for keeping her out so long. She leaned in, gave him a hug, and backed away, feeling a little guilty when his cheeks flushed.

“Please don’t apologize. This was a perfect evening for me, and it took my mind away from the worries that have plagued me,” she told him.

He gave her a sincere smile and took her hand in his, kissing the top of it. “Then I am grateful I found you. Please take care of yourself. All of our people love you,” he told her.

Isabella was shocked by his words, but she thanked him again before turning and entering the castle. There hadn’t been one person who’d been anything less than kind to her. She knew when she had to leave she would miss them quite a lot.

But even though she’d grown attached to this beautiful place in his incredible country, she knew it wasn’t her home. Just as she knew Robert couldn’t ever be truly hers. It was with sadness she went to her rooms that night. And again Robert never came to her.