Not-So-Perfect Princess. Barbara Wallace

eyed her curiously. “Has this happened to you?”

      “Oh, no. I’m about as proper a princess as you’ll find.”

      “Proper with obvious skills of manipulation.”

      “Proper with practiced social skills and manners that help others get along.”

      “Yet you downplay your intelligence by saying your knowledge about international trade is nothing but a hobby.”

      His perceptiveness made her feel like a mouse caught in a trap. He might be a black sheep and prefer to go barefoot, but he was sharp. She’d have to watch herself. “Education opportunities for females in my country exist, but are limited. Women are allowed to hold only certain jobs. We must work within the system. I’ve been more fortunate than others and able to use my time traveling abroad to … expand my knowledge base. But the last thing my country wants is their princess spouting off how smart she thinks she is.”

      Laughter lit Alejandro’s eyes and made her temperature rise ten degrees. “You’ll be good for Enrique. Keep him on his toes. But he won’t mind.”

      “I hope not. What about you?” Jules liked the easy banter between them. Earlier when she’d arrived, she thought Alejandro didn’t like her. “Will you mind not being second in line for the throne after Enrique and I have children?”

      He glanced inside once again. “I can honestly say the more children you and my brother are blessed with, the happier I’ll be. I’ve been hoping to be made an uncle for years.”

      His words sounded genuine. She ignored her disappointment that he wouldn’t want her himself. That was stupid. Her father would never approve of a man like Alejandro, and she needed to be a queen to best help Brandt and Aliestle. “That’s sweet of you.”

      “The kitten is sweet. I’m not.” He took two steps down the stairs. “Enrique’s on his way out here. That’s my cue to fade back into the shadows.”

      Alejandro’s cryptic words intrigued her. “Do you usually hang out in the shadows?”

      “Yes, I do.”

      She watched him disappear into the night.

      Behind her, footsteps sounded against the terrace’s tile floor. A familiar scent of aftershave enveloped her. She didn’t like the fragrance. Still better than the alternative, she reminded herself.

      Jules leaned forward over the railing, but couldn’t see Alejandro. “I hope your call went well.

      “It did.” Enrique stood next to her. “But you needn’t worry about state business. The wedding should be your focus.”

      “I’ve been thinking about our wedding.” She wondered if Alejandro was listening from below. Not that she minded if he eavesdropped. A part of her wished he was here with her instead of his brother. “And children, too.”

      “We are of like minds.” Enrique placed his hand over hers. His skin was warm and soft. His nails neatly trimmed. Not the hands of a sailor or gardener. “Heirs would please my father.”

      “Mine, too.” Her duty was to extend the bloodline. But Jules also wanted babies of her own. She remembered helping the nurses with each of her brothers. She wanted to be more involved with raising her children than her stepmother.

      Enrique’s eyes darkened. “Once we are married we shouldn’t waste any time starting a family.”

      His suggestive tone made her shiver. Not a surprising reaction given she’d never discussed sex with any of her matches before. Offspring had always been assumed. “I would like a big family. At least four children.”

      He tucked her hair behind her ears. “I hope they all look like you.”

      His compliment was nice, but the words didn’t make her feel warm and fuzzy the way Alejandro’s had. “Thank you.”

      “My brother will be pleased to know you want so many children,” Enrique said. “He can’t wait to fall lower in the line of succession. I believe if he could give away or relinquish his title he would without a second thought.”

      “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do that,” she admitted. “But Alejandro does have his boats.”

      She envied his ability to follow his dreams.

      “Nothing matters but those damn boats. Sailing has consumed him. He works as a manual laborer, a commoner, refusing to take advantage of the free publicity being a royal engaged in business always brings.”

      Enrique’s critical tone didn’t surprise Jules. The two brothers seemed to always be going at each other. But sometimes that might keep them from seeing a situation more clearly. “If Alejandro wins the Med Cup, he’ll earn respect. New customers.”

      “He won’t win with a new design,” Enrique said. “Competition is fierce. The best crews are going to be on well-known, tested designs. Too bad my brother is too stubborn to use the same boat as last year. But he always wants something newer, better. That’s one reason I doubt he’ll ever marry. He upgrades the women in his life like they were cars.”

      The picture Enrique painted of his younger brother was not flattering. Jules wondered if this was one of the stories Alejandro had mentioned. The two brothers needed to get along better. That gave her an idea.

      “Sail his other boat for him,” she said. “The one he sailed last year.”

      “I haven’t raced since my duties became expanded. State business takes up the majority of my time.”

      His curt tone rebuked her. “It was only a suggestion.”

      “Racing in open water isn’t without risks.”

      “I’ve never sailed in the ocean.” Just dreamed about it.

      “Your father told me he’s forbidden you to sail on the sea. That’s why I didn’t accept Alejandro’s invitation to go sailing.”

      “You and Brandt can go.”

      “Not without you,” Enrique said, and she appreciated his courtesy. “Your father mentioned your mother’s accident. So tragic.”

      Jules knew information would be exchanged during the marriage negotiations, but she’d never been privy to it. “My mother’s death was an accident, a freak occurrence.”

      “No matter the circumstances.” Enrique’s voice softened. “Your father said he was deeply affected by the loss.”

      “I’ve been told he changed after she died. He loved my mother very much.”

      “He loves you, too.”

      Hearing the words from someone outside her family made Jules feel as if all the sacrifices she’d made to live up to the expectations of her father, family and country had been worth it. Her tongue felt thick, heavy, so she nodded.

      “A lesser man might not have recovered from such a tragedy,” Enrique continued.

      She appreciated the admiration in his words. “My father is a king. He is a strong man. He mourned my mother’s death, but he remarried less than a year later. He needed a male heir. I was a young child who needed a mother.”

      “Understandable.”

      Jules wondered if that meant Enrique would do the same should she die. Probably. “La Isla de la Aurora seems more progressive than Aliestle.”

      “It is, though we are a little old-fashioned about a few things,” Enrique said. “Do not worry. I intend to make sure you like it here, Julianna.

      His words fed her growing hopes. She gathered her courage. “My father said you would decide whether I could sail on the ocean after we are married. You told Alejandro we couldn’t sail right now. Does that mean you’ve given some thought to my sailing after our wedding?”

      “Your father also discussed