A Bride for the Island Prince / The Last Goodbye. Rebecca Winters

then I’ve tripled the security. It never occurred to me you would take Zoe down that long flight of stairs, even if it is our private beach. We can be grateful the patrol boats were watching you the entire time. You’re as much a target as Zoe and you’re my responsibility while you’re here in Hellenica.”

      “I understand.”

      “Please be seated, Mrs. Richards.”

      “I—I can’t,” she stammered. Dottie bemoaned the fact that earlier during the testing, he’d called her Dorothy and had shown a teasing side to his nature. It had been unexpected and welcome. Right now those human moments out on the patio might never have been.

      He eyed her up and down. “Have you injured yourself in some way?”

      “You know I haven’t,” she murmured. “I wanted to tell you that you don’t need to dismiss me because I’m leaving as soon as someone can drive me to the airport.”

      His black brows knit together in a fierce frown. “Whatever gave you the idea that your services are no longer required?”

      She blinked in confusion. “You did, on the beach.”

      “Explain that to me,” he demanded.

      “When I swore to you that nothing like this would ever happen again, you said I was right about that.”

      His inky-black eyes had a laserlike quality. “So you jumped to the conclusion that I no longer trusted you with my daughter? Are you always this insecure?”

      Dottie swallowed hard. “Only around monarchs who have to worry about pirates and kidnappers. I didn’t know about those incidents and can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been for you. When you couldn’t find us today, it had to have been like déjà vu. I can’t bear to think I caused you even a second’s worry.”

      He took a deep breath. “From now on, whether with Zoe or alone, don’t do anything without informing me of your intentions first. Then there won’t be a problem.”

      “I agree.” He was being much more decent about this than she had any right to expect. A feeling of admiration for his willingness to give her a second chance welled up inside her. When their eyes met again, she felt something almost tangible pass between them she couldn’t explain, but it sent a sudden rush of warmth through her body, and she found herself unable to look away.

      CHAPTER THREE

      THE prince cleared his throat, breaking the spell. “After spending the day with my daughter, tell me what you’ve learned about her.”

      Dottie pulled herself together. The fear that she’d alienated the prince beyond salvaging almost made her forget why she’d come to Hellenica in the first place.

      “I’ll give you the bad news first. She has trouble articulating. Research tells us there are several reasons for it, but none of it matters. The fact is, she struggles with this problem.

      “Now for the good news. Zoe is exceptionally intelligent with above-average motor and cognitive skills. Her vocabulary is remarkable. She understands prepositions and uses the right process to solve problems, such as in matching. Playing with her demonstrates her amazing dexterity. You saw her handling the balls and jumping rope. She has excellent coordination and balance.

      “She follows directions the first time without problem. If you took a good look at that castle, it proves she sees things spatially. Her little mound had a first floor and a second floor, just like the palace. She understands her physical world and understands what she hears. Zoe only has one problem, as I said, but it’s a big one since for the most part she can’t make herself understood to anyone but you and the queen and, I presume to some extent, Sofia.”

      Alex nodded. “So that’s why she’s withdrawing from other people.”

      “Yes. You’ve told me she’s been more difficult over the past few months. She’s getting older and is losing her confidence around those who don’t have her problem. She’s smart enough to know she’s different and not like everyone else. She wants to avoid situations that illuminate the difference, so she runs away and hides. It’s the most natural instinct in the world.

      “Zoe wants to make herself understood. The more she can’t do it, the angrier she becomes, thus the tantrums. There’s nothing wrong with her psychologically that wouldn’t clear up immediately once she’s free to express herself like everyone else does. She pushes people away and clings to you because you love her without qualification. But she knows the rest of the world doesn’t love her, and she’s feeling like a misfit.”

      The prince’s sober expression masked a deep fear. She saw it in his eyes. “Can she overcome this?”

      “Of course. She needs help saying all her sounds, but particularly the consonants. H‘s and T‘s are impossible for her. Few of her words come out right. Her frustration level has to be off the charts. But with constant work, she’ll talk as well as I do.”

      He rubbed the back of his neck absently. “Are you saying you used to have the same problem?”

      “I had a worse one. I stuttered so severely, I was the laughingstock of my classes in elementary school. Children are cruel to other children. I used to pretend to be sick so I wouldn’t have to go to school.”

      “How did you get through it?” He sounded pained for her.

      “My aunt raised me. She was a stickler for discipline and sent me to a speech therapist every weekday, who taught me how to breathe, how to pace myself when I talked. After a few years I stuttered less and less. By high school it only showed up once in a while.

      “Zoe has a different problem and needs to work on her sounds every day. If you could be the one encouraging her like a coach, she would articulate correct sounds faster. The more creativity, the better. I’ve brought toys and games you can play with her. While she’s interacting with you, she’ll learn to model her speech after you. Slowly but surely it will come.”

      “But you’ll be here, too.”

      “Of course. You and I will work with her one on one, and sometimes the three of us will play together. I can’t emphasize enough how much progress she’ll make if you’re available on a regular basis.”

      He shifted his weight. “How long do you think this will take?”

      “Months to possibly several years. It’s a gradual process and requires patience on everyone’s part. When you feel confident, then another therapist can come in my place and—”

      “I hired you,” he interrupted her, underlining as never before that she was speaking to a prince.

      “Yes, for the initial phase, but I’m a diagnostician and am needed other places.”

      His eyes narrowed on her face. “Is there a man in New York waiting for you to get back to him?”

      No. That was a long time ago, she thought sorrowfully. Since then she’d devoted her time to her career. “Why does my personal life have to enter into this discussion?”

      “I thought the point was obvious. You’re young and attractive.”

      “Thank you. For that matter so are you, Your Highness, but you have more serious matters on your mind. So do I.”

      There she went again, speaking her thoughts out loud, offending him right and left. He studied her for a long time. “If it’s money …”

      “It’s not. The Institute pays me well.”

      “Then?” He left the word hanging in the air.

      “There is no then. You have your country to rule over. I have a career. The people with speech problems are my country. But for the time I’m here, I’ll do everything in my power to get this program going for Zoe.”

      An odd tension had sprung between them.