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“And now?” He stroked the sides of her face with gentle hands. “Is it still your favorite place to hide?”
“Not since I grew up,” she said, “but it is as long as you’re here with me.” She raised her lips for his kiss.
Her phantom lover murmured his pleasure at her answer. Grasping her around the waist, he drew her to a cushioned corner of the gazebo. He ran his hands over her shoulders, her swollen breasts that ached for his lips. And slowly, sensuously down her hips to the place that cried out for his touch. She couldn’t get enough of him, couldn’t wait to belong to him.
“Love me,” she said impulsively, not recognizing herself. She felt alive, wanton and needy for him. Her hands plucked at his shirt until he drew it over his shoulders and, chest bare, pulled her into his arms again. She tongued his nipples as he had tongued hers and found his bare skin salty to the taste. Flames ran through her as her desire to become his grew. “Love me as if you mean it,” she whispered.
“I do,” he said into her lips, his voice shaking with desire. “So help us both, moon sprite, I do.”
“My turn,” he finally said and drew her robe and nightgown all the way off her shoulders. She stepped out of the garments and he tossed them onto a bench, held her away from him for a moment, then smiled. “You’re even lovelier than I thought you would be.”
In a few heated moments her phantom became everything she had wished for, dreamed of and had despaired of ever finding, Victoria thought dimly as she lost herself in a storm of passion. Skin to skin, lips to lips, he drew her deeper and deeper into a fantasy world that knew no end of desire. She forgot everything but the man who was making all of her yearnings come true.
“I love you,” she heard herself whisper when her release began to ebb, leaving her floating in a warm sea of sensations. “I will love you forever,” she whispered into his closed eyes.
Too late, she realized her phantom lover had drifted off to sleep. She smiled sadly as she realized he hadn’t heard a word she’d said. She shouldn’t complain, she told herself. After all, he’d taken her into a place every woman dreamed of. A place she’d longed to be in without knowing why.
And now she knew.
She moved closer into his warmth and closed her eyes. The return to reality would inevitably come with the dawn, but the night belonged to her.
CUDDLED UNDER the blankets in her room in the palace’s guest wing later that day, Victoria opened her eyes when she heard her name. The lasting sweet sensations of last night’s stolen hours still lingered. A new tender sensation between her thighs reminded her of last night’s passionate embraces.
“Time to get up, my dear.” Lydia Monsour, Victoria’s long-time elderly friend and companion, glanced at the small gold watch pinned to her blouse. “It is well past noon.”
“Not now, please,” Victoria murmured, reluctant to let go of a dream that had come true.
“Now,” Lydia said firmly. “Today is a very important day. The wedding rehearsal for your cousin’s wedding is to take place this afternoon.”
Victoria smiled dreamily. The romantic wedding ambience of her cousin’s marriage had been part of the reason for her restlessness last night. A restlessness she wouldn’t have been able to explain before, not even to herself. But now she knew it had been the desire of a woman to be held in the arms of a man who loved her back. Last night had turned into the most wonderful night of her life.
She glanced over at Lydia. If there were anyone she could tell of meeting her phantom lover last night without hearing recriminations, Lydia was the one.
“I met someone late last night,” she began dreamily. “Out in the palace gardens.”
Lydia froze. “Alone? At night? It isn’t done! If you wanted to go out to get some fresh air, you should have called me. I would have gone with you.”
“Yes, alone.” Victoria stretched and turned over on her back. “He was wonderful.”
“Obviously.” Lydia glanced uneasily at her charge’s glowing face. “Who was he?”
“An American. Probably one of the groomsmen over here for May’s wedding.”
Lydia relaxed. “Good. Then we don’t have to worry about your meeting him again once the wedding is over. He will undoubtedly return home.”
“I have to find him, Lydia,” Victoria said. She threw back the covers. “First, I’m going to take a shower.” Dream or not, real or not, and no matter what Lydia might think of her, Victoria had to find her phantom. “I have to know if last night was a dream or real.”
Lydia tightened her lips. “I don’t understand what drove you to do such an outrageous thing, my dear; certainly not after your convent upbringing. Did you stop to think of possible consequences?”
Victoria shook her head.
“I thought not,” Lydia sighed. “Your mother has told me that your own wedding will be announced soon.”
Victoria smiled. “Not when I tell her I have found the man I love.”
“You said it was in the middle of the night. How will you be able to recognize the man in daylight?”
“I’ll know him from the sound of his voice,” Victoria said as she headed for the shower. “He has an American accent, the same as Cousin May’s bridegroom. He must be here as a member of the groom’s party. That should make it easy to find him.”
Lydia sniffed and hung up the dress Victoria had worn last night. “Easier said than done, my dear. Americans all sound alike to me. From what I hear, the groom has invited six of his fellow naval officers to serve as groomsmen. With the men in uniform, how will you be able to tell one from another?”
With her phantom’s face in her mind’s eye, his low, melodious voice still sounding in her ear, Victoria blew Lydia a kiss. “I’m sure I will be able to find him.”
Lydia smiled sadly and watched Victoria disappear into the bathroom. First as Victoria’s childhood nanny, and now her close companion, she understood her charge all too well. Young blood, a royal wedding and a romantic, uniformed hero were a potent combination not easily cooled by a convent upbringing and the prospect of an arranged marriage. Victoria was no different than other young women of her age.
As she looked under the bed for Victoria’s shoes, Lydia mulled over the coming wedding. May, Victoria’s royal cousin, had managed to escape the stringent customs of the royal family as practiced in the twenty-first century, but there was a difference. This was to be May’s second wedding, her first, an arranged marriage, having ended with her husband’s untimely death.
As a member of the extended Baron family, Lydia knew that no matter how Victoria felt about the archaic custom, her charge’s marriage, like May’s first, would be determined by her father.
She muttered her dismay at what might happen if Victoria did somehow manage to find the man she’d encountered in the palace gardens last night. The only peaceful thought she had was in knowing that whoever the man had been, he would be gone forever in a matter of hours.
When Victoria returned, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. “Excuse me, ma’am,” a palace footman said politely, “I have a message for Miss Esterhazy.”
Victoria caught her breath. Was it possible her phantom lover had found her before she had a chance to find him? Her heart raced as she took the envelope Lydia handed her and tore it open. Seconds later, her face whitened.
“Something is wrong?” Lydia dropped Victoria’s slipper on the bed and hurried to her side. “Have you had bad news?”
“My father wishes to see me. At once,” Victoria murmured as she dropped the message to the floor. She glanced at her watch. “With the rehearsal only hours away, what could Papa possibly want that is so important?”
“Oh, dear! You don’t suppose he knows about last night, do you?” Lydia shuddered. “I blame myself. It would never have happened if I had kept a closer watch over you.”
Victoria patted Lydia’s ample shoulder. “I’m a grown woman now, Lydia. Papa couldn’t possibly know about last night. I’ll tell you what Papa wants when I come back.”
Victoria squared her shoulders and made her way to a suite set aside for wedding guests. In spite of what she’d told Lydia, her thoughts were uneasy as she knocked on the door. “Papa? You wished to see me?”
Basil Esterhazy, tall and stately, with the famous Baron cleft in his chin, smiled down at her. “Come in. Come in and sit down, my dear. Your mother and I have good news to share with you.”
Victoria dutifully kissed her silent mother’s cheek and took a seat on the velvet upholstered couch beside her. “Good news?”
“Yes.” Her father beamed at her and cleared his throat. “Weddings seem to bring out the romantic nature of people, do they not?”
Smiling, Victoria agreed as her thoughts flew to her mystery man and the precious hours they had spent together. “Yes, Papa, I suppose they do.”
“With May getting married to her American suitor, it appears you are going to be the next bride in the family,” he said as he gazed fondly at his only child.
“I am?” A cold premonition passed over Victoria’s shoulders. Her worst fears seemed about to be realized as her mother took her hand and squeezed it gently.
“Yes, my dear. Because you are our only child, I’ve put off arranging your marriage until now. However, you are now twenty-three. Accordingly, I have accepted Rolande Bernard’s suit for your hand in marriage.” He paused to let the announcement sink in. “You will no doubt be happy to know he wishes the marriage to take place as soon as arrangements can be made.”
“Rolande Bernard?” Victoria’s head swam, a hollow feeling grew in her middle. “He’s much older than I am, Papa. I scarcely know him. Why would he wish to marry me?”
Her father frowned. “Bernard is a smart man. He recognizes your worth and your position in the family. We both agreed that the marriage will be an asset to our country and to him in his new position as our ambassador to the United States.”
Victoria’s mother, Clara, generally too docile for Victoria’s own peace of mind, spoke up. Clad in a blue velvet cocktail suit for the upcoming wedding rehearsal, she put an arm around her daughter and frowned at her husband.
“As usual, Basil, you are being obtuse and thinking as a man. Our daughter wishes to know if Rolande cares for her, not that she will be an asset to him.”
“Of course he does, or he wouldn’t have asked for her hand in marriage,” her father huffed. “Furthermore, the reason he wishes to marry immediately is that he is about to present his credentials to the United States State Department. He will become Baronovia’s first ambassador to the United States in a matter of weeks.” He turned his annoyed gaze on Victoria. “Rolande feels, as I do, that at his side, you will make a fine showing for our country. I would remind you that it is your duty, Victoria.”
Victoria nodded faintly. She’d always known that she would eventually marry the man of her father’s choice. It had been that knowledge as well as the romantic wedding of her cousin to her American naval officer that had prompted her to accept her phantom lover last night. But now? Just when she’d tasted love, her world was about to fall apart.
“I would like to have time to think about this, Papa,” she murmured.
Her mother patted her on her shoulder. “Not too long, my dear, your father wishes to make the announcement soon. All will be well, you’ll see. Rolande Bernard may seem to be a little too old for you, but he is a fine man with a bright future. I’m sure you will be happy.”
When Victoria managed a weak smile, her mother went on as if everything was settled. “You will enjoy living in the United States. And just think! Your cousin May will be living nearby.”
Evading her father’s frown, her dream of finding her phantom lover in ashes, Victoria excused herself and made her way back to her suite. Her heart broken, Victoria wanted to hide from the world. May’s wedding rehearsal, the following dinner and the wedding would have to go on without her.
Chapter Two
Eighteen Months Later
Victoria Esterhazy Bernard stood on the balcony overlooking the gardens of the new Baronovian embassy in Washington, D.C. Dusk had fallen; the bright lights around the perimeter of the embassy grounds had yet to come on. The scene, reminding her of the palace gardens in Baronovia, only added to her uneasiness.
Newly arrived in D.C. after a year spent with her husband in his diplomatic post in England, she was filled with pain, longing and loneliness at his unexpected demise in an automobile accident. The time in London hadn’t brought her the happiness in her marriage she had hoped for. The only bright light in her life was her baby daughter, Caroline.
She glanced at the card inviting her to her cousin’s housewarming one more time. If ever there was an invitation to disaster, this had to be it, she thought sadly. What if she accepted the invitation and ran into the man with whom she’d shared that forbidden night in the garden almost two years ago? Even now she knew nothing about him other than that he’d been an American and a friend of the groom.
What she did know was that as the widow of Baronovia’s ambassador to the United States and her appointment to the position herself, she couldn’t afford to be involved in a scandal. Especially when the suspicious circumstance surrounding her husband’s death remained unexplained. She sighed and handed the card to her long-time friend and companion, Lydia Monsour.
Lydia read the engraved invitation. “At last,” she said slowly. “If your cousin’s American friends are invited, you will be able to solve the mystery that has plagued you. You might find Caroline’s father.”
Victoria wandered around the room, listlessly picking up and discarding her hairbrush, her comb. “What good would it do? I’m a widow now with a diplomatic position to uphold.”
“At least you would know the man’s name.”
Victoria shook her head. “It would only cause more heartache. Rolande was my husband and therefore my baby’s father.”
Lydia clucked sympathetically as she handed back the invitation. “You’ve been hiding in the embassy since we arrived here. Go. Your cousin May will be unhappy if you don’t show up.”
“I hesitate to go to the party so soon after Rolande’s death.”
Lydia paused and peered over her glasses. “If you keep a low profile, everything should be fine. Unless you’ve forgotten your phantom. Have you?”
Victoria shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but inwardly she knew she still cared for the man. How could she forget the man who had taught her what it meant to be a woman? To fall in love.
How could she forget the bittersweet memories of the man who had changed her life forever?
“Go, my dear,” Lydia said quietly. “You will never know peace until you do.”
Victoria reached for the large quilted bag that had become part of her wardrobe. “He didn’t try to find me in Baronovia, why would he care to see me now? Besides,” she said with a shiver, “what if he doesn’t want to remember me? What if our night together never meant anything to him?”
“He didn’t find you because once your father told you he’d arranged your marriage, you didn’t want to be found,” Lydia reminded her. “Once you see the man again, you can close the book on the past.”
“I can’t, Lydia. It would only break my heart.”
“So you still care for this man?”
Victoria smiled sadly. “More than you’ll ever know,” she said softly, as if to herself. “But the fact remains, that whoever he was then, or whoever he is now, he is forever out of my reach.”
WHEN Lieutenant Commander Dan O’Hara entered the headquarters of the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General Corps, it was abuzz with excitement over a newspaper account of the upcoming party that had been pinned to the office bulletin board. It wasn’t every day a member of the JAG corps married a European duchess, he heard someone say. Or that he had brought her home to set up housekeeping in the United States.
Dan stopped to glance at the newspaper clipping. He had received an engraved invitation for the party. Wade and May Stevens had also invited the JAG and his staff to celebrate the purchase of their first home in the United States.
Lieutenant Lester Howard whistled as he glanced over O’Hara’s shoulder. “To tell you the truth, sir, I wouldn’t have bet a nickel the commander’s marriage would have lasted this long. After all, his wife is a duchess and Stevens was her bodyguard.”
The comment, uttered into a sudden silence, quickly drew an audience. To his dismay, a dozen pairs of eyes focused on Dan.
Dan shrugged. The Stevenses’ courtship had had its ups and downs in the early stages when Wade had been the duchess’s bodyguard. But judging from the look on their faces, things have never looked better. “Why not?”
“Heck, his wife is a duchess, that’s why. How’s she going to settle for living like the rest of us?”
“Maybe because Stevens saved her life,” Dan said dryly as he turned to go to his office.
“It’s just like a fairy tale,” Lieutenant Linda Kimball, the junior officer in charge of administrative affairs, said enviously. “You were the best man at their wedding, weren’t you, sir?”
“Right.” Dan took a last look at the invitation and headed for his office. Just remembering his stay in Baronovia and the woman he’d met at the Stevens wedding made his body warm and his heart ache. He might have come up empty when he’d tried to find her before he left, but forget her? Never.
“Wait up a minute, sir,” Howard called after him. “So what’s a real palace like?”
A barrage of questions filled the air.
Dan tried to focus on Howard’s question. He thought of the ornate guest room with its lush wine-colored velvet drapes, upholstered furniture to match and the lace curtains at the windows. There had been a bed large enough for a family of four to sleep in. And a portrait of a dour Baron ancestor that had looked down on him from over the large fireplace where a fire smoldered. As luxurious as the setting had been, he hadn’t been able to sleep.
A glance out the window had taken him outside to a woman he would never, in this lifetime, forget.
“Nice, but formal and a little intimidating,” he finally answered. “I couldn’t wait to get home where I can put my feet up and have a cold beer.”
“What’s the duchess like?” Linda Kimball asked wistfully. “Is she as beautiful as they say?”
“Let’s just say she’s not like the girl next door,” Dan said wryly. He waved off any more questions and backed into his office.
What continued to surprise him after all this time was that eighteen months later he still thought about the ethereal woman he’d encountered in the Baronovia palace gardens. He’d wondered on and off why he hadn’t been able to find her the next morning. Maybe, he thought as he stared into his blank computer screen, she had been just a dream.
A burst of laughter outside Dan’s open door distracted him. He glanced up in time to see a female junior officer being kissed under a giant spring of mistletoe left hanging after the recent office Christmas and New Year’s parties.
Cheered on by laughing bystanders, the kiss was lasting longer than Dan thought necessary. To make him really uncomfortable in his nostalgic state of mind, the kiss served to remind him of a night that, by all logic, he should have forgotten long ago.
