Rebecca Winters – How To Propose To A Princess (страница 2)
Nico nodded to the charting nurse at the station before walking into the room. He’d expected to see at least one of the boy’s parents. Instead he beheld a sight that brought him to a halt.
Sitting in a chair next to the bed reading to him was a woman probably in her midtwenties who had luminous golden hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore a light blue volunteer lab coat over a dark blue dress. He caught a glimpse of her lovely profile and moved closer to discover she was reading a book popular with children.
He waited until she’d finished before walking over to the other side of the bed. His gaze met hers. Between her light sea glass blue eyes and golden hair, he couldn’t look anywhere else. Nico knew he’d seen that beautiful face before. But where?
The blonde knockout reminded him of a celebrity, but he couldn’t think which one. She gave him an enticing smile she probably wasn’t aware of. That’s when he remembered. Last month she’d been eating in the hospital cafeteria with Mia Giancarlo, one of the nurses. He recalled she’d been wearing a silky print blouse and skirt, her womanly figure transformed. Her image had stayed in his mind, and he’d been looking for her ever since.
“Look who’s here, Tommaso,” she said. “It’s Dr. Barsotti.”
The boy turned his head in Nico’s direction, his eyes excited.
“
“Fausta has been reading to me!”
“How do you do, Princess?” he said as he checked the IV bag and took Tommaso’s vital signs. “He’s a lucky boy to receive a visit from you.”
“
“Her name’s Fausta,” Tommaso corrected him.
Nico smiled to himself.
The three daughters of King Victor, ruler of the small country of Domodossola that touched on the borders of France, Switzerland and Italy, were known for their beauty. During these last few years there’d been two royal marriages, and their pictures had been on TV and in the newspaper. Nico ought to know since the magazines in his office put there for the patients were filled with royal news. There’d been constant speculation that the third stunning princess would be marrying a royal prince in the near future.
He shouldn’t be surprised that the yet unmarried daughter of the royal family would actually volunteer her time this way. They did a lot of admirable philanthropy for the country. Her friendliness had won over his patient.
“When can I go home?”
“You’re doing much better this evening, Tommaso. I’ll probably release you in the morning.” He turned to put some information into the computer.
“Not until then?” the boy muttered. “I’m fine now.”
Tommaso’s father had arrived. His wife followed him inside. Nico watched their interaction. Tommaso didn’t know how lucky he was to have loving parents. Nico had grown up in an orphanage run by the nuns. For years he’d been trying to find his parents and where he’d come from with no success.
After they thanked the princess for her time, she slipped quietly from the room. He gave instructions to the parents before he left to catch up with her. Strongly drawn to her by her appeal, he wanted to get acquainted, but other than staff, he saw no sign of her in the corridor.
He approached the charge nurse. “When did Princess Fausta start reading to the children?”
The other woman’s face broke into a broad smile. “She’s been a hospital volunteer for several months in the geriatric department. This week she was assigned to Pediatrics. So far, all the patients have been delighted. She has a real way with them. We’re excited she’ll be working with us until she’s transferred to another department.”
“When will she be here again?”
“Tomorrow. For the time being she comes on the afternoon shift four times a week.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Nico left the hospital, glad he had to wait only until tomorrow when he checked on another patient. Hopefully he’d find her here.
During the drive back to the palace in the limo, Fausta relived those moments in Tommaso’s hospital room when Dr. Barsotti had come in. Over the past two months she’d seen him several times from a distance when he’d come in to the hospital cafeteria. But they hadn’t actually spoken to each other until now.
Fausta hadn’t thought it possible to be attracted to another man after her heart had been broken four years ago. Dego Spinella had been her childhood sweetheart.
Dego’s father, Tano, had been the personal chauffeur for her father over the years. He, along with his wife and two children, lived in a house on the estate. Their son Dego was Fausta’s age. Along with her sisters, they’d all played outside together over the years. As they grew older, the friendship between Fausta and Dego grew into love.
They’d planned to go to the University of Domodossola together and then get married. But her dream was shattered when one day just before college started, her father told her that Dego was leaving for Rome, Italy, to attend college there. The king had made plans to pay for his lodging and tuition as his way of thanking Tano and their family for all their years of service.
In panic, Fausta had phoned Dego. “Why didn’t you refuse my father so we could be together?” she cried in despair. “That’s all you had to do!”
“How could I turn down his kindness, Fausta? As Papa
Fausta’s father hadn’t forced him to go. It had all been up to Dego, but he hadn’t fought for their love.
That’s right, and she’d been born the daughter of a king instead of a commoner like she’d wanted to be. “I understand more than you think.”
Fausta had never liked being royal and her parents knew it, but the years growing up around Dego had been idyllic. He wasn’t royal and they got along so perfectly, she knew a marriage between them would end in a lasting love match. Her plans for them to get a little home in the city where they could raise a family and live a normal life with children had been her dream.
But his willingness to leave her without begging her to go to Rome with him was worse than a betrayal. She’d thought their love had meant everything to him, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Fausta had been living in a fantasy world with no substance. Many times they’d come close to making love but had decided to wait until they were engaged.
His sudden departure had left her feeling heartbroken and betrayed. Her father had known she was in love with Dego and she knew he didn’t like it. But he wouldn’t have stood in the way of her marrying
The fact that Dego had left for Rome without agonizing over them being torn apart said it all. The phone calls and letters from him came less and less, killing her feelings. In time she learned he’d married an Italian girl. Dego had been subtly bribed, and more than ever she hated that she’d been born a royal.
In the last four years there’d been no other man. She knew her parents were hoping she’d end up marrying one of the princes on their short list. But that would
Her thoughts flashed back to Dr. Barsotti.
The second she’d laid eyes on the family practice doctor with his dark fringed midnight blue eyes and black-brown hair, his image had filled her thoughts. At six foot three with a rock-solid physique and potently male, no other man could come close to him.
Just hearing about his virtues from her best friend, Mia, revealed qualities beyond his looks. Besides being twenty-eight and single, he wasn’t a baron, a count, a duke or a prince. Pure and simple, he was a nonroyal doctor, already a revered professional who she doubted could be intimidated, manipulated or bought at any price.
Once in her apartment at the palace, she phoned Mia because she’d promised.
“Fausta? I’ve been waiting to hear from you.”
“I just barely got home from the hospital after my first shift on the pediatric ward. It was so much fun.”
“I know how much you love kids.”
“I do.” Fausta adored children and looked forward to the day when she had a family of her own and an attentive husband who had no other duties than to come home at the end of the day and be with them.