Heart of the Guardians: Adoring Destiny by Adrianna Adore (best big ereader .TXT) 📗

“I’m sorry, sir.” Dana said, struggling up behind her with her suitcase in tow. “We got confused. We’re not trying to cause trouble.”

The man stuttered an apology in French through his thick, bushy mustache and raised his hand, shouted to a couple of harried porters. Dana couldn’t see over the heads of the crowd but thought he was calling the police over.

“It’s okay, we weren’t trying to cause trouble, we’re leaving now,” she said and grabbed Claire by the arm.

“You’re going to get us thrown in jail,” she whispered, “please, I’ll explain, let’s just get out of here for now.”

“Madame!” the attendant said, aghast and smacked Dana’s hand. One simply did not grab a princess in such a way. Where did her Grace find such an uncouth handmaiden? And where was the rest of her entourage? He yelled something else at the porters, speaking rapid fire French and snapped his fingers. They dropped the luggage they were carrying and ran over as the crowd turned to look. Had they heard right? Had the station master said the princess was here? Which one? She was in the terminal? Cameras came out and the angry yells at the porters who’d tossed their bags changed to surprised smiles on the family from Slovakia. They would have a story to tell when they got home.

“Oh, jeeze,” Dana whispered. “We’re in trouble now.”

The young men snatched the bags from their hands as the Station Master waved away the crowd, proclaiming loudly in a language they didn’t understand and parting the people to make a path for them.

“Hey, careful with that!” Dana scolded the man with her luggage. She was starting to get angry, this was no way to treat a tourist. Were they going to spend the night in jail for going the wrong way in a busy station? What kind of country was this place? And why had that man smacked her hand? Claire still hadn’t said a word and looked miserable, on the verge of tears again. They were making her feel like a criminal the way everyone was pointing and taking their pictures.

“Sir,” Dana tried again, nearly running to keep up with the stout little man shooing everyone out of the way. “We weren’t trying to cause trouble, we got confused with the rush of people. We’re not used to being in crowds, we’re from a tiny little place.”

“Of course you are not,” he said huffily, his English barely understandable, addressing her like the inept servant he assumed she was, “You should have let us known you were arriving on the train, we would have had made arrangements. We could have had your car waiting.”

“I didn’t know that was a thing.” Dana said, more confused than ever.

“Of course you didn’t,” the man said dismissively as he approached the line of taxi’s and limousines. “And now it is up to me to rectify your incompetence.”

Dana was too shocked to say anything and Claire was like a walking zombie, simply following along and doing what she was told.

She couldn’t believe Dana had brought her here, to his home. What was she thinking, they were going to go up and knock on his door, introduce herself to his wife? Anger and sorrow and longing raged inside her and she tried to blank her mind. Somehow she’d gotten them in trouble but she wasn’t sure why. The funny little man spoke with such a harsh accent she could barely understand. They were being hurried off the property but it was better than being hurried off to jail. She’d stay the night but they were taking the first train out in the morning. Meanwhile, Dana could take care of everything. She wouldn’t help her one little bit and when they got to the hotel, she was going to give her a piece of her mind.

The station master opened the door to the first limo in line as the driver hurried over, a sign in his hand for the Wernenstien Family. After a rapid fire exchange between them the driver’s eyes got wide, he handed the man his sign and nearly ran to open the trunk for their luggage.

“Where are you staying?” he asked Dana.

“Um, I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it,” she answered, still confused at the strange turn of events.

“Oh Mon Dieu!” he exclaimed. “You should be fired.”

“He will take you to the palace, your Grace,” he said to Claire and bowed as he closed the door.

“Wait, what?” Dana said but the car was already pulling smoothly away from the curb.

“Did he say palace?” Claire asked.

“Did he just call you Your Grace?” Dana asked.

“He said you should be fired.” Claire said, still upset but couldn’t help herself and started giggling.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” she answered, but couldn’t help but to laugh herself. “Oh, look. There’s champagne.”

“Where is he taking us?” Claire wondered as she looked around the roomy leather interior. “This country is so weird.”

“To the palace hotel, my lady.” Dana said, imitating the station master and poured them drinks. “I guess he was in a hurry to get rid of us. We do look like fancy folk in our new clothes. Maybe he thought you were a movie star or something.”

“You’re not off the hook.” Claire said “I’m still mad at you. I can’t believe you brought me here.”

Dana handed her a glass of champagne and said “Okay, listen. I’ll tell you everything.”

She took a bracing swallow of the bubbly, took a deep breath and spit it all out.

“James isn’t married, he’s not a professor, he’s a prince and his uncle just got killed and he’s the new king, or he’s going to be after the funeral and they crown him and he really, really does like you because I just know it and I think he told you he had a wife because somebody had just murdered the king and he didn’t want you to be in any kind of danger and you’re too stubborn to come