still reacting to the man’s presence in the room. “Is he your son?”
The cook looked shocked. “My son? Heaven’s no. My dear, don’t you know who that is? Why, it’s Prince Garth, that’s who.”
Chapter Two
Tianna felt the room fade and pulse, and she barely avoided a gasp. “Prince Garth!” She put her hand over her heart. “But…but the little maid told me the prince had gone to Texas.”
“Oh, aye. She thought you meant Crown Prince Marco, no doubt about it. He was here last week.” She began to bustle about the kitchen. “No one thinks of Garth as ‘the prince.’ He’s always been the younger brother, you know. The rascal. The charming one.” She grinned affectionately.
Tianna sat, still dumbfounded, and growing more and more astonished as she thought over this latest wrinkle. So the man they expected her to marry really was a playboy and a carouser. Delightfully irresistible—and the last man in the world a woman would want to be married to. Hah! Just wait until she explained all this to her father. It looked like she would be able to put together a nice tight case for annulling this betrothal. And wasn’t that what she’d come for?
Actually, it was getting hard to remember what she’d come for. Too much was getting in the way.
The cook had turned back and was frowning down at her. “Well, now about your business. Come about the pastry chef job, have you? We weren’t expecting you quite this soon, but that’s all right. We’ll make do.”
Tianna turned to tell her the truth, but she was rattling on.
“Now, let’s see a bit of your talent. I’ve got some dough mixed for pies. Why don’t you roll it out and we’ll see what you can do with it. Try something creative.”
“I’m really not here for the pastry chef job.”
“No?”
“No. I’m…”
It was going to be hard to explain what she was here for at this point—and why she hadn’t talked to Garth when she had a chance. Her day was careening wildly out of control. It was probably time she made herself known to everyone and tried to get some order back into things. “Actually, you see, I’m Princess Katianna of…”
Unfortunately, her words were drowned out by the sudden wail of the infant. The cook whirled and stared at the basket on the table.
“A baby!” Cook’s gaze fell on the basket. “Ah yes, Milla said you’d brought your baby. We really don’t have facilities for babies here. You should have asked first, you know.”
Tianna considered tearing her hair out, but thought better of it. “She’s not my baby,” she said evenly. “I found her in the yard.”
Cook rolled her eyes. “What nonsense,” she said, and bent over the little thing, cooing to it.
Tianna bit her lip and silently counted to ten, then drew herself up and gazed coolly at the woman. “I assure you, I’m telling the truth.”
Cook glanced up and seemed to recognize her growing irritation. “Well, that’s as may be. But then where did this baby come from?”
Good question. If only someone would answer it! Stifling the urge to scream, Tianna gave her a quick explanation of how the estate had been left unguarded and open to the world when she’d arrived. The cook finally seemed to accept that, though reluctantly.
“Oh yes, we’re so shorthanded right now, things are falling to wrack and ruin,” she said, shaking her head. “You know, they usually leave their babies at the guard gate. We never even see them up here. And you say you found her right out in the garden?”
Tianna frowned. “Are you telling me strange babies show up here all the time?” she asked.
Cook shrugged. “Well, not all the time. But it’s been known to happen. Single girls hoping we’ll take the tykes in and raise them as royals. Surely you know about the legend of Baby Rose. It’s an old Nabotavian story.”
She didn’t, but she wasn’t in the mood for a story right now. “You think this one was left by a desperate young girl?” she asked, looking down at the dewy little face and wishing she didn’t feel such a strong emotional pull every time she did so. The baby was starting to fuss again and she pulled it up into her arms without thinking twice, patting her little back and whispering sweet nothings against her silky head.
“No doubt about it.” The cook turned and spoke to the kitchen maid. “Milla, call the orphanage. Tell them we’ll be sending another baby over.”
Tianna looked up, frowning. She hated to think of letting this little angel go. “Don’t you think we should call the police? And perhaps, Children’s Services?”
“Children’s Services? Oh my, no. We’ll call the Nabotavian Orphanage, that’s what we’ll do. They’ll take her. We Nabotavians like to take care of our own.” She frowned at Tianna. “Aren’t you a daughter of the Rose nation, my dear?”
“Yes, of course I am.”
“Been in this country a little too long, though, haven’t you? Started to think like an American. Just like my young prince. It’s a good thing we’ll all be going back soon.” She shook her head. “We’ve almost lost our heritage, I do declare.”
“So you’re preparing for the return?”
“We’re at sixes and sevens, my dear. All this moving back to Nabotavia has the entire staff in an up-roar.” She looked overwhelmed by it all. “The housekeeper left a week ago to manage the preparations at Red Rose Palace and she took some of our best workers with her. She left Mr. Harva, the butler, in charge, and he immediately ran off with the pastry chef. Now I’m left to try to keep things from falling apart here, and heaven knows I have my hands full.”
The little maid returned at that moment, walking into the kitchen with a bouncy step. “The orphanage can’t take her. They’ve got chicken pox. They can’t take anyone new for at least four days.”
“Oh my heavens! What’s next?” The cook turned to Tianna, shaking her head.
Tianna looked from the cook to the baby and back again. Hesitating, she recognized that she was at a crossroads. She could hand the baby back and identify herself, and everything would change. She would be the princess and escorted to the other side of the house where she would be given a beautiful bedroom for the night and probably not see this baby again.
Or she could let them think she was a mere job seeker and stick around for a while. She looked down into the baby’s face. The lower lip was trembling and the huge blue eyes were clouded. A wave of protective affection seized her. The child felt so soft and snuggly and she smelled like something fresh and new—which was exactly what she was. But she was also so helpless. Tianna hadn’t been quite this young, but she had known what it was to be helpless and lost. She didn’t wish that on anyone, especially not this innocent. Someone had to make sure nothing bad happened to her. And since she’d had plenty of experience helping with her sister’s baby, she supposed she was the one to do it.
“I…well, I suppose I could help….”
“And what is your name, child?”
Her chin lifted. “Tianna Rose.” It was the name she went by in daily life, and would do for the moment. No one would connect it to the Katianna Roseanova-Krimorova who was betrothed to the prince.
“Ah, a Rose, are you?” The cook nodded knowingly. “Related to the royal family by any chance?”
Tianna met her gaze levelly but she wasn’t prepared to outright lie. “Perhaps.”
“Ah, yes. Everyone likes to claim a little relationship here and there.” The cook smiled sympathetically. “I’m sure you have the usual references. Well, we can put you to work, I think. Somebody is going to have to take care of this