Chapter 16
For most of the day, Meredith had felt slightly off kilter.
Sure, Spencer was there. But at the same time, he wasn’t.
He played a tennis match with Kat, where she really did give him a run for his money, but she eventually lost to him then stormed off to the house discouraged.
He came over to where Meredith and Mishka were still kicking the soccer ball, looked on for a few minutes without a word, then vanished.
Meredith had hoped he’d gone in to talk to Kat, but that wasn’t the case.
Plus, he remained AWOL throughout lunchtime.
For all they knew, he’d returned to Rotslavia.
Or flown to the moon. Meredith wasn’t sure she cared.
Later in the afternoon, when the kids were in the pool with Meredith and Mishka was eager to show off his swimming skills to his father, she noticed Spencer up near the house, looking on—although he seemed more interested in his phone.
For “being there,” he sure wasn’t. And it aggravated Meredith.
As usual, she suggested the children take their quiet time before dinner.
Feeling exasperated at their detached parent, she went to her own suite and pondered their disinterested father.
He was an enigma. On one hand, Spencer had proven himself capable of humility that morning when he’d apologized to her, and in that moment, he’d been likable.
In another world, or universe, she might have even felt an attraction to him, given his handsomeness.
But on the other hand, he was mysterious…
and frustrating. For someone who’d seemed so concerned and overly protective of his kids, he sure remained uninvolved.
The lyrics to a tune her dad used to love, “Cat’s in the Cradle,” played through her head, and she was tempted to sing it aloud to him but figured he wouldn’t get it.
Instead of beating her head against the wall, like she felt like she’d been doing, she took a relaxing bath.
As she toweled dry after her restful soak, for all she knew, he was about to give her the boot.
Other than feeling bad for the children, she told herself she didn’t care.
As far as she was concerned, Prince Spencer Hawthorne was a royal pain!
As she looked at the contents of the wardrobe, it occurred to her that these were the clothes of his deceased wife.
Would he even notice? Probably not. Did she care?
Not much. She pulled out a periwinkle silk dress that she’d wanted to try but which had seemed a bit too special for their usual evening meal.
Just the same, she decided tonight might be a good time to wear it.
If Prince Spencer noticed, it might wake him up.
Because in a way, he seemed asleep…out of touch… disconnected.
It was still an hour before dinner, but tired of being stuck in her suite, she decided to stroll the grounds and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.
She could hear the children in their rooms and assumed they too would be getting ready for dinner—and probably hoping their father would be more involved than she expected he would.
The air outside was refreshing, and she decided to just drink it in.
For all she knew, Prince Spencer might have her on her way tomorrow.
And really, it might be for the best. A few days or longer without a nanny might force him to get involved with his children.
That would be something. She paused by the pond, gazing out over the water.
At least she’d enjoyed an interesting working vacation in the Alpine region of Austria. Not everyone could say that.
“Hello there.”
She turned to see Spencer, dressed neatly in a blue and white striped shirt and gray pants coming her way. His hair, as usual, looked a little mussed, but for some reason that was charming. Not that she wanted to be charmed. She did not!
“Hello, Prince Spencer,” she said in a formal tone, instantly regretting the snarky edge to it. But how was she supposed to know how to greet royalty?
“I thought we dispensed with titles.” He made a cautious looking smile, nodding toward the nearby bench. “Care to sit?”
Hesitant, she moved slowly to the bench. “Okay.”
He waited until she sat before sitting on the other end. “I thought perhaps we could talk.”
“That might be good.” She crossed her arms in front of her and waited.
“You asked why I was concerned about security.” He studied her closely.
“I understand you care about your children’s safety. And just so you know, I care too. Believe me, I wouldn’t do anything to place them into harm’s way.”
“I’m sure that’s true. But I have other reasons to be concerned. I didn’t want to mention this to the children just yet, but we have good reason to be on guard right now.”
“Really?” She uncrossed her arms and leaned forward. “Can you elaborate?”
“Without going into specifics, I can say that our country is tiny and not terribly wealthy. There are larger countries that prey upon small countries in strategic locations. Recently, Rotslavia has experienced a few terrorist threats aimed at the royal family.”
“Do you think the children are in danger?”
“I hope not. But, as you know, Katerina is in line for the throne. If anything were to happen to the queen, well, as incongruous as it may seem at her age, Princess Katerina would inherit the crown. She would be the ruler of Rotslavia.”
“I have to admit I can barely wrap my head around the idea of Kat being queen. I mean, at her age.”
He almost smiled. “To be honest, I feel the same way.”
“Do you think Queen Katerina is in any real danger?”
“She is well protected.” His face grew serious. “But she is alarmed over her grandchildren’s welfare. Worried that they may be unsafe here in Austria.”
Meredith glanced around the property. “Are they?”
“Not that I know of. But as you can see, this property isn’t terribly secure.
” He motioned toward the woods. “Although the family owns some of the wooded acreage, it is easily accessible. Not the most secure location.” He pointed toward the road.
“I don’t know if you noticed it or not, but we are being patrolled by a couple of black SUVs. ”
She felt alarmed now. “Terrorists? Enemies of Rotslavia?”
He smiled. “No, they are royal security guards. The queen sent them here to keep watch. I’m sure they’re doing a good job. But my point is we can’t allow the children to remain here throughout their summer holiday as planned. They must return to the palace.”
“I see.” She deflated. Her suspicions about being let go appeared to be right.
“The good news, for the children, is that their previous governess, Mrs. Bosko, has returned. She was the children’s nanny when they were younger, and they dearly loved her.
But a couple years ago, when her husband became ill, she left our service to care for him.
The children missed her greatly, and we’ve been through a number of nannies and governesses ever since. ”
“I see,” she said again, wishing he’d just get it over with and fire her.
“I need to break this news to the children. Possibly tonight.”
“I’m glad the children’s former nanny can care for them,” she said. “That should please them.”
“I’m not so sure.” He frowned. “They seem happy here. Katerina has been enjoying your coaching abilities. And George is quite taken with you.”
“We’ve certainly enjoyed each other.”
“The children are getting along better than ever. I must say I’m impressed.”
“They really are lovely children,” she told him. “But, if you don’t mind me saying, I think they’ve been neglected.”
“Neglected?” His brow knit together. “Don’t they have everything they need?”
“Material things, of course. But parental attention? Not so much.”
“I can hardly help that their mother is gone…and I have work that’s expected of me. Just because I’m part of a royal family does not mean I sit on my hands. The queen relies greatly upon me.”
“Yes, but if Princess Katerina is expected to rule someday, it would be worthwhile to invest more of your time in her. And besides her royalty responsibilities, I strongly believe she needs her father’s love and encouragement.
She’s at an age where she feels quite insecure.
But you have the ability to foster self-assurance in her. She’s in need of confidence.”
“I always think of Katerina as being quite strong willed and self-assured.”
“I’m sure she wants you to think that, but underneath is a scared little girl.”
He rubbed his chin as if processing this.
“And Mishka, even though he’s not the crown prince, could use a father’s influence too. He’s a sensitive, intelligent boy, but he’s got some big insecurities.”
“I find that hard to believe. George is so smart and quite good-looking. What could he have to be insecure about?”
“Did you know he has a great fear of losing people? He lost his mother, and now I hear how he lost his favorite nanny.” She considered mentioning how worried Mishka had been over losing her but decided that might be too much information.
“With you away so much, it probably feels like he’s losing you too. ”
Spencer pursed his lips, but said nothing, so she took it as her green light to continue.
“And I’m going to warn you that it may frighten him to discover that there is terrorist danger for the royal family. If he were my son, I would try to shield him from that kind of information.”
“But the children need to be aware of a heightened need for security.”
“Maybe so, I would go about it carefully with Mishka.” She sighed. “And if you must tell them about all this, I recommend you wait until morning. Mishka has trouble sleeping if something is troubling him. And I’m afraid this news will trouble him.”
“I’ll take this under consideration.” He rubbed his chin again. “Perhaps you could help him to understand what’s going on. You seem to have a natural connection with George. It may be easier for him to hear this news from you.”
“You could be right, but I’m not sure it’s fair to saddle me with the chore of sharing your difficult news.” She grimaced to imagine Mishka’s reaction. “But you say the children were really fond of Mrs. Bosko?”
“Very much so.”
“That may be your silver lining here. I’ll tell you what.
You can dispense your news to them. Hopefully tomorrow.
And I will be on hand to offer encouragement.
Perhaps they’ll both be happy to return to Rotslavia, back to their beloved nanny.
” She forced a smile. “And perhaps this will be your opportunity to be a more present parent in their lives.” She pointed toward the house.
“There’s Mishka now. Perhaps he’s looking for his father. ”
Spencer glanced at his watch as he stood.
“And it’s nearly dinnertime.” He extended his hand to help her up.
She took it, surprised by both the warmth and the gesture.
“I do appreciate your help, Meredith. As you have guessed, I’m not very good at parenting.
I suspect it’s been too easy to push it off on others. ”
“It’s not too late to learn.” She smiled nervously, realizing he was still holding her hand.
And in that moment, she could see traits of his children in his expression.
He too was insecure and slightly fearful.
At least he was in good company. Hopefully, he’d use his vulnerability to connect with his children.