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“It’s very clear his life isn’t his own. Neither is yours, obviously. Where did you go today after our session with Zoe?”
Alex was surprised and pleased she’d given him that much thought. “I had to fly to one of the islands in the north to witness the installation of the new president of the Thracian college and say a few words in Stasio’s place. I should have stayed for the dinner, but I told them I had another engagement I couldn’t miss.” Alex had wanted to eat dinner with her. He enjoyed her company.
“Do you like your work? I know that probably sounds like an absurd question, but I’m curious.”
“Like all work, it has its good and bad moments, but if I were honest I’d have to say that for the most part I enjoy it—very much, in fact, when something good happens that benefits the citizenry. After a lot of work and negotiations, four new hospitals will be under construction shortly. One of them will be a children’s hospital. Nothing could please me more.”
“Does Zoe know about this hospital? Do you share some of the wonderful things you do when you’re with her?”
Her question surprised him. “Probably not as much as I should,” he answered honestly.
“The reason I asked is because if she understood what kinds of things take up your time when you’re away from her, she’d be so proud of you and might not feel as much separation anxiety when you’re apart.”
He looked at her through shuttered eyes. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a psychiatrist.”
She let out a gentle laugh. “Hardly. You appear to have an incredible capacity to carry your brother’s load as well as your own and still see to your daughter’s needs. I’m so impressed.”
“But?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. It’s there in your expression. If I ate dinner with my daughter every evening, her speech would come faster.”
“Maybe a little, but I can see you’re already burning the candle at both ends out of concern for your country and necessity. It would be asking too much of you when you’re already making time for her teaching sessions.” She sat back. “I’m so sorry you lost your wife, who must have been such a help to you. It must have been a terrible time for you.”
“It was, but I had Zoe. Her smiling face made me want to get up in the morning when I didn’t think I could.”
Moisture filmed her eyes. “I admire you for the wonderful life you’re giving her.”
“She’s worth everything to me. You do what you have to do. Don’t forget I’ve had a lot of help from family and the staff.”
“Even so, your little Zoe adores you. It means whatever you’re doing is working.” She pushed herself away from the table and got to her feet. “Good night, Your Highness. No, no. Don’t get up. Enjoy that second cup of coffee in peace.
“What with worrying about your grandmother, too, you deserve a little pampering. From my vantage point, no one seems to be taking care of you. In all the fairy tales I read as a child, they went to the castle and lived happily ever after. Until now I never thought about the prince’s welfare.”
Her comment stunned him before she walked out of the dining room.
Two nights later, while Alex was going over a new schedule he’d been working out with his internal affairs minister, a maid came into his office with a message. He wasn’t surprised when he heard what was wrong. In fact he’d half been expecting it.
“If you’ll excuse me.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Pleased that he’d been able to arrange his affairs so he could eat dinner with Zoe and Dottie from now on, he got up from the desk and headed for Zoe’s bedroom. He heard crying before he opened the door. Poor Sofia was trying to calm his blotchy-faced daughter, who took one look at him and flung herself against his body.
Alex gathered her in his arms. “What’s the matter?” he asked, knowing full well what was wrong. She’d been having the time of her life since Dottie had come to the palace and she didn’t want the fun to stop.
Sofia shook her head. “She was asleep, and then suddenly she woke up with a nightmare. I haven’t been able to quiet her down, Your Highness. She doesn’t want me to help her anymore.”
“I understand. It’s all right. You can retire now. Thank you.”
After she went into the next room, where she’d been sleeping lately, Zoe cried, “I want my mommy.”
She’d never asked for her mother before. From time to time they’d talked about Teresa. He’d put pictures around so she would always know what her mother looked like, but this was different. He pulled one of them off the dresser and put it in her hand. To his shock, she pushed the photo away. “I want Dot. She’s my mommy.”
Alex was aghast. His daughter had shortened Dottie’s name, but the sound that came out would make no sense to anyone except Alex, who understood it perfectly. “No, Zoe. Dottie’s your teacher.”
She had that hysterical look in her eyes. “No—she’s my mommy. Where did she go?”
“Your mommy’s in heaven.”
“No—” She flung her arms around his neck. “Get my mommy!”
“I can’t, Zoe.”
“Has she gone?” The fright in her voice stunned him. Alex grabbed the photograph. “This is your mommy. She went to heaven, remember?” “Is Dot in heaven?”
Obviously his daughter’s dreaming had caused her to awaken confused. “Dottie is your teacher and she went to her room, but she’s not your mommy.”
“Yes, she is.” She nodded. “She’s my new mommy!” she insisted before breaking down in sobs.
New?
“I want her! Get her, Daddy! Get her!” she begged him hysterically.
Feeling his panic growing, he pulled out his cell phone to call Hector.
“Your Highness?”
“Finds Mrs. Richards and tell her to come to Zoe’s suite immediately.”
“I’ll take care of it now.”
Alex could be thankful there was no one more efficient than Hector in an emergency.
When Dottie walked into the room a few minutes later with a book in her hand, his daughter had calmed down somewhat, but was still shuddering in his arms.
“Dot—” Zoe blurted with such joy, Alex was speechless.
“Hi, Zoe. Did you want to say good-night?” “Yes.”
“She thought you were gone,” Alex whispered in an aside.
Dottie nodded. “Why don’t you get in bed and I’ll read you a story. Then I have to go to bed, too, because you and I have a big day planned for tomorrow, don’t we?”
Zoe’s lips turned up in a smile. “Yes.”
Like magic, his daughter crawled under the covers. Dottie pulled up a chair next to the bed. “This is the good-night book. See the moon on the cover? When he’s up there, everyone goes to sleep. Freddie the frog stops going ribbbbbit and says good-night.” Zoe laughed.
Dottie turned the page. “Benny the bee stops buzzzzing and says good-night.” She showed each page to his daughter who was enchanted. “Charlie the cricket stops chirrrping and says good-night. Guess who’s on the last page?” Zoe didn’t know. Dottie showed it to her. There was a mirror. “It’s you! Now you have to say good-night.”
Zoe said it.
“Let’s say the g again. Mr. G is a grumpy letter.” Zoe thought that was hilarious. “He gets mad.” She made a face. “Let’s see if we can get as mad as he does. We have to grit our teeth like this. Watch my mouth and say grrr.”
Alex was watching it. To his chagrin he’d been watching it on and off for several days. After half a dozen tries Zoe actually made the grrr sound. He couldn’t believe it. In his astonishment his gaze darted to Dottie, but she was focused on his daughter.
“You sounded exactly like Mr. G, Zoe. That was perfect. Tomorrow night your father will read it to you again. Now Dot has to go to sleep. I’ll leave the book with you.” She slipped out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.
Zoe clasped it to her chest as if it were her greatest treasure. Alex’s eyes smarted because lying before him was his greatest treasure. She fell asleep within minutes. As soon as she was out, he left the room knowing Sofia was sleeping in the adjacent room and would hear her if she woke up.
He strode through the palace, intending to talk to Dottie before she went to bed. Hector met him as he was passing his grandmother’s suite on his way to the other wing.
“The queen wants to see you before she retires.”
His brows lifted. “You wouldn’t by any chance be spying on me for her, would you, Hector?”
“I have never spied on you, Your Highness.”
“You’ve been spying for her since the day Stasi and I were born, but I forgive you. However, Stasi might not be so forgiving once he’s crowned, so remember you’ve been warned. Tell the queen I’ll be with her in ten minutes.”
He continued on his way to Dottie’s apartment. After he knocked, she called out, “Yes?”
“It’s Alex.”
The silence that followed was understandable. He’d never used his given name with her before, or given his permission for her to use it. But considering the amount of time they’d been spending together since her arrival at the palace, it seemed absurd to say anything else now that they were alone. “Would you be more willing to answer me if I’d said it’s Zoe’s father, or it’s your Royal Highness?”
He thought he heard her chuckle before she opened the door a couple of inches. “I was on the verge of crawling into bed.”
Alex could see that. She’d thrown on a pink toweling robe and was clutching the lapels beneath her chin. “I need to talk frankly with you. Zoe has decided you’re her new mommy. She got hysterical tonight when I tried to tell her otherwise.”
“I know. She’s told me on several occasions she wishes I were her mother. This happens with some of my youngest students who don’t have one. It’s very normal. I just keep telling them I’m their teacher. You need to go on telling her in a matter-of-fact way that Princess Teresa was her mommy.”
“I did that.”
“I know. I saw the photograph and see a lot of the princess’s beauty in Zoe. What’s important here is that if you don’t fight her on it, she’ll finally get the point and the phase will pass after a while.”
“That’s very wise counsel.” He exhaled the breath he’d been holding. “You made a breakthrough with her tonight.”
“Yes. I’ve wanted her to feel confident about one sound and now it has happened.”
“How did you know she would do it?”
“I didn’t, but I hoped. Every success creates more success.”
Talking through the crack in the door added a certain intimacy to their conversation, exciting him. “Her success is going to help me sleep tonight.”
“I’m glad. Just remember a total change isn’t going to happen overnight. Her vowels are coming, but G is only one consonant out of twenty-one. Putting that sound with the rest of a word is the tricky part.”
“Tricky or not, she mimicked you perfectly and the way you read that book had her spellbound.”
“There was only one thing wrong with it.”
“What’s that?” He found himself hanging on her every word, just like his daughter.
“It didn’t have a page that said the prince stopped rrrrruling and said good-night.”
Alex broke into full-bodied laughter.
Her eyes smiled. “If you’ll forgive me, you should do that more often in front of Zoe, Your Highness.”
“What happened to Alex? That is my name.”
“I realize that.”
“Before I leave, I wanted you to know that I’ve worked things out with my internal affairs minister so I can eat dinner with my daughter every night. From now on he’ll take care of the less important matters for me during that time period.”
“Zoe’s going to be ecstatic!” she blurted, displaying the bubbly side of her nature that didn’t emerge as often as he would have liked to see.
“I hope that means you’re happy about it, too, since you’ll be joining us for our meals. Good night, Dottie.”
“Good night, Alex.”
She shut the door on him before he was ready to leave. After being with her, he wasn’t in the mood to face his grandmother. As he made his way back to her suite, he thought about his choice of words. The only time he’d ever faced the queen was when he’d been a boy and had a reason to feel guilty about something.
Tonight he had a strong hunch what she wanted to discuss with him. After Zoe’s nightmare, now he knew why. If she’d told Yiayia that Dottie was her new mommy, nothing would have enraged his grandmother more. She would have told Zoe never to speak of it again, but that wouldn’t prevent his daughter from thinking it in her heart.
Until the phase passed, Dottie had said.
What if it didn’t? That’s what disturbed Alex.
Zoe’s insistence that Dottie was her new mommy only exacerbated his inner conflict where the speech therapist was concerned. Since he’d peered into a pair of eyes as blue as the flowers fluttering in the breeze around the palace in Aurum, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.
In truth he had no business getting physically involved with someone he’d hired. He certainly didn’t need the queen reminding him of what he’d already been telling himself—keep the relationship with Mrs. Richards professional and enjoy the other women he met when he left the country for business or pleasure.
Too bad for his grandmother that he saw through her machinations and had done so from an early age. She always had another agenda going. Since Teresa’s funeral, she’d been busy preparing the ground with the House of Helvetia. But until Stasi married, she was biding her time before she insisted Alex take Princess Genevieve of Helvetia to wife for the growth and prosperity of the kingdom.
Lines darkened his face. The queen would have to bide away forever because Stasi would be the only one doing the growing for the Constantinides dynasty. He was the firstborn, Heaven had picked him to rule Hellenica. Ring out the bells.
Alex had a different destiny and a new priority that superseded all else. He wanted to help his daughter feel normal, and that meant coaching her. With Dottie’s help, it was already happening. She understood what was going on inside Zoe. Her story about her own stuttering problem had touched him. He admired her strength in overcoming a huge challenge.
His first order of business was to talk to Stasio tonight. His brother needed to come home now! With Alex’s work schedule altered, he could spend the maximum amount of time with Zoe and Dottie throughout the day. It was going to work, even though it meant dealing with his ministers in the early morning hours and late at night when necessary.
Once Stasio was home, Alex would move back to the island of Aurum, where he could divide his attention between helping Zoe and doing the work he’d been overseeing for the country since university. With Dottie installed and a palace staff and security waiting on them, Zoe couldn’t help but make great strides with her speech and he’d convince Dottie she couldn’t leave yet.
CHAPTER FOUR
LIKE pizza dough being tossed in the air, Dottie’s heart did its own version of a flip when the prince entered her schoolroom a few days later with Zoe. They must have just come from breakfast with the queen. Zoe was dressed in pink play clothes and sneakers.
Dottie hardly recognized Alex. Rather than hand-tooled leather shoes, he’d worn sneakers, too. She was dazzled by his casual attire of jeans and a yellow, open-necked sport shirt. In the vernacular, he was a hunk. When she looked up and saw the smattering of dark hair on his well-defined chest, her mouth went dry and she averted her eyes. Zoe’s daddy was much more man than prince this morning, bringing out longings in her she hadn’t experienced in years.
He’d been coming to their teaching sessions and had cleared his calendar to eat dinner with Zoe. Dottie was moved by his love and concern for his daughter, but she feared for him, too. The prince had the greatest expectations for his child, but he might want too much too soon. That worry had kept her tossing and turning during the night because she wanted to be up to the challenge and help Zoe triumph.
But it wasn’t just that worry. When she’d told Alex she’d had other patients who’d called her mommy, it was a lie. Only one other child had expressed the same wish. It was a little boy who had a difficult, unhappy mother. In truth, Zoe was unique. So was the whole situation.
Normally Dottie’s students came by bus or private car to the institute throughout the day. Living under the palace roof was an entirely different proposition and invited more intimacy. Zoe was a very intelligent child and should have corrected her own behavior by now, but she chose to keep calling Dottie Mommy. Every time Zoe did that, it blurred the lines for Dottie, who in a short time had allowed the little girl to creep into her heart.
To make matters worse, Dottie was also plagued by guilt because she realized she wanted Alex’s approval. That sort of desire bordered on pride. Her aunt had often quoted Gibran. “Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.” If she wanted his approval, then it was a gift she had to earn.
Did she seek it because he was a prince? She hoped not. Otherwise that put her in the category of those people swayed by a person’s station in life. She refused to be a sycophant, the kind of person her aunt had despised. Dottie despised sycophants, too.
“GGGRRRRRR,” she said to Zoe, surprising the little girl, who was a quick study and gggrrrred back perfectly. Alex gave his daughter a hug before they sat down at the table.
“Wonderful, Zoe.” Her gaze flicked to him. “Good morning, Your Highness.” Dottie detected the scent of the soap he’d used in the shower. It was the most marvelous smell, reminding her of mornings when her husband—
But the eyes staring at her across the table were a fiery black, not blue. “Aren’t you going to gggrrr me?
I feel left out.”
Her pulse raced. “Well, we don’t want you to feel like that, do we, Zoe?” The little girl shook her head, causing her shiny brown curls to flounce.
Dottie had a small chalkboard and wrote the word Bee. “Go ahead and pronounce this word for us, Your Highness.” When he did, she said, “Zoe? Did you hear bee?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s all say bee together. One, two three. Bee.” Zoe couldn’t do it, of course. Dottie leaned toward her. “Pretend you’re a tiny goldfish looking for food.” Pressing her lips together she made the beginning of the B sound. “Touch my lips with your index finger.” Her daddy helped her. In the process his fingers brushed against Dottie’s mouth. She could hardly breathe from the sensation of skin against skin.
“Now feel how it sounds when I say it.” Dottie said it a dozen times against Zoe’s finger. She giggled. “That tickled, didn’t it? Now say the same sound against my finger.” She put her finger to Zoe’s lips. After five tries she was making the sound.
“Terrific! Now put your lips to your daddy’s finger and make the same B sound over and over.”
As Zoe complied with every ounce of energy in that cute little body, Alex caught Dottie’s gaze. The softness, the gratitude she saw in his eyes caused her heart to hammer so hard, she feared he could hear it.
“You’re an outstanding pupil, Zoe. Today we’re going to work on the B sound.”
“It’s interesting you’ve brought up the bee,” Alex interjected.
“They make honey,” said Zoe.
“That’s right, Zoe. Did you know that just yesterday I met with one of the ministers and we’re going to establish beekeeping centers on every island in Hellenica.”
“How come?”
“With more bees gathered in hives, we’ll have more honey to sell to people here as well as around the world. It’s an industry I’d like to see flourish. With all the blossoms and thyme that grow here, it will give jobs to people who don’t have one. You know the honey you eat when we’re on Aurum?” She nodded. “It comes from two hives Inez and Ari tend on our property.”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “They do? I’ve never seen them.”
“When we go home, we’ll take a look.”
Zoe smiled and gave her father a long hug. As he reciprocated, his gaze met Dottie’s. He’d taken her suggestion to share more with his daughter and it was paying dividends, thrilling her to pieces.
“I’m going to give your daddy a packet of flash cards, Zoe. Everything on it starts with a B. He’ll hold up the card and say the word. Then you say it. If you can make three perfect B sounds, I have a present for you.”
Zoe let out a joyous sound and looked at her daddy with those shiny brown eyes. Dottie sat back in the chair and watched father and daughter at work. Zoe had great incentive to do her best for the man she idolized. The prince took his part seriously and proceeded with care. She marveled to watch them drawing closer together through these teaching moments, forging closer bonds now that he was starting to ease up on his work for the monarchy.
“Bravo!” she said when he’d gone through the pack of thirty. “You said five B‘s clearly. Do you want your present now or after your lesson?”
Zoe concentrated for a minute. “Now.”
Alex laughed that deep male laugh. It resonated through Dottie to parts she’d forgotten were there. Reaching in the bag in the corner, she pulled out one of several gifts she’d brought for rewards. But this one was especially vital because Zoe had been working hard so far and needed a lot of reinforcement.
Dottie handed her the soft, foot-long baby. “This is Baby Betty. She has a bottle, a blanket and a bear.”
“Oh—” Zoe cried. Her eyes lit up. She cradled it in her arms, just like a mother. “Thank you, Mommy.”
The word slipped out again. Dottie couldn’t look at Alex. His daughter had said it again. These days it was coming with more frequency. The moment had become an emotional one for Dottie, who had to fight her own pain over past memories that had been resurrected by being around her new student.
“I’m not your mommy, Zoe. She’s in heaven. You know that, don’t you.”
She finally nodded. “I wish you were my mommy.”
“But since I’m not, will you please call me Dot?”
“Yes.”
“Good girl. Guess what? Now that you’ve fed Betty, you have to burp her.” Puzzled, Zoe looked up at her. “When a baby drinks milk from a bottle, it drinks in air, too. So you have to pat her back. Then the air will come out and she won’t have a tummyache. Your mommy used to pat your back like that when you were a baby, didn’t she, Your Highness?”
Dottie had thrown the ball in his court, not knowing what had gone on in their marriage. He’d never discussed his private personal life or asked Dottie about hers.
“Indeed, she did. We took turns walking the floor with you. Sometimes very important people would come in the nursery to see you and you’d just yawn and go to sleep as if you were horribly bored.”
At that comment the three of them laughed hard. Dottie realized it provided a release from the tension built up over the last week.
From the corner of her eye she happened to spot Hector, who stood several feet away. He was clearing his throat to get their attention. How long had he been in the room listening?
“Your Highness? The queen has sent for you.”
“Is it a medical emergency?”
“No.”
“Then I’m afraid she’ll have to wait until tonight. After this lesson I’m taking Zoe and Mrs. Richards out on the boat,” he said emphasizing the B. “We’ll work on her B sounds while we enjoy a light buffet on board, won’t we, Zoe?” He smiled at his daughter who nodded, still gripping her baby tightly. “But don’t worry. I’ll be back in time to say good-night to her.”
“Very well, Your Highness.”
Dottie had to swallow the gasp that almost escaped her throat. Lines bracketed Hector’s mouth. She looked at the floor. It really was funny. Alex had a quick, brilliant mind and a surprising imp inside him that made it hard for her to hold back her laughter, but she didn’t dare laugh in front of Hector.