Feisty Princess

“Yes?” an older lady’s voice calls over the box.

“Aggie, I’ve got the new Mrs. King for ye. Care to open the door and let the lass inside?”

Within moments, the locks on the other side of the door jingle, and the door is opened, revealing a foyer fit for a palace. My eyes widen at the sight of all the marble with gold accents. A staircase stands proudly in the middle of the space, leading up to another level of the apartment. This entry takes me back to a time when I was a little girl and dreamed of being a princess living in a castle; only it’s more amazing than my dreams.

“Don’t be shy. Come on in.” The lady who I’m banking is Aggie, Darby’s wife, holds the door open for me.

She smiles as I pass her, and much like her husband, there’s a very friendly energy surrounding Aggie. The blue of her maid’s uniform enriches the color of her ocean-blue eyes while her gray hair sits in a low bun, showing off her round face.

Darby follows me inside, and Aggie quickly turns her attention from me to her husband. “He’s done well, hasn’t he, Darby? This one is a pretty one.”

A blush creeps over my cheeks as I listen to the woman dote on me.

Aggie closes the door, causing the bottom hem of her uniform to swish about a bit. “Now that we’re alone, we want you to know that Darby and myself know the truth about the situation at hand, so there’ll be no need in puttin’ on a show fur the likes of us.”

I raise my eyebrows, still not sure if I should break my cover just in case they really don’t know that Alexander and I didn’t really mean to get married.

“Don’t look so surprised, dear. There’s not much that Alex keeps from us. He gave us all the details. I still can’t believe that Henry put that silly clause in his will. I tried to explain that just because he was wild until he was thirty-two didn’t mean that our Alex would be the same. I wish Henry were here to see just how well his son has done with running the empire he built. He would’ve been so proud and that little clause would never have existed.” Aggie sighs. “It’s just a shame Alex still has to deal with all this.” She quickly backpedals. “Not that it’s anything to do with you personally, dear. I’m sure you’re a lovely young lady and we’ll be happy to have ye here until this mess is settled. I just wish he didn’t have to go through proving that he’s capable of running a business even though he makes a few mistakes.”

“The lad is only human,” Darby chimes in. “Can’t expect him to be perfect all the time.”

“He’s far from perfect.” My eyes widen the moment I realize that I’ve actually said what was running through my mind. Not wanting to offend two people who clearly care for Alexander, I try to correct my mistake. “Er—I mean . . .”

Darby laughs. “No wonder he likes her. She’s a feisty one.”

Aggie nods in agreement. “Aye. Maybe he’s found his match.”

I stand there, completely unsure of what to say.

“Come on, lass. Let me show yew to where you’ll be staying,” Aggie instructs and then turns toward the staircase. “Darby will bring your bags up to your room. I’m sure you’ll need to freshen up for dinner.”

Once at the top of the stairs, Aggie leads me down a wide hallway lined with paintings. Some of the paintings are abstract pieces, while a few focus on people. Each one is more beautiful than the last. One, in particular, catches my attention.

It’s Alexander.

He sits in a high-back leather chair, and the dark background causes the red tie he’s wearing to pop out against his gray suit. It’s uncanny how lifelike the piece looks. There’s a hint of mischief in his gray eyes paired with that signature cocky grin. Even in a painting Alexander King appears to be up to no good. It’s amazing how even a picture of him causes my body to do crazy things, like yearn his touch.

“These are beautiful,” I tell Aggie, who’s waiting patiently for me to study the pictures that I’m sure she’s passed by a million times. “Are they all the same artist?”

“They are.” Alexander’s voice causes me to jump.

Clearly, I wasn’t expecting him to be the one to answer me.

My back goes ramrod straight with the arrival of the unwelcome asshole who owns the place. The relaxed mood that Aggie and Darby had created the moment I stepped foot inside this building is suddenly gone.

Alexander comes strutting down the hall, wearing a white oxford rolled up to his elbows and the same dark slacks he had on earlier in the office. He’s clearly made himself more comfortable since the last time I’d seen him today.

He stops about a foot away and then turns to stare at the portrait of himself. “It’s a great likeness, don’t you think? I look pretty damn fantastic, if you ask me.”

I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes at his outward show of cockiness. “It’s very nice work. It’s too bad the artist didn’t have a better subject. If they’d had someone different, then perhaps this would be in a museum somewhere.”

A hint of a smile crosses his lips. “Margo, you have an uncanny ability to insult me and yet throw out a compliment. In this case, I’ll allow your snide jab at me to slide, considering you’ve just praised my little sister’s work.”

“Diem did this?” I raise my eyebrows, and it hits me instantly that I remember his sister from high school. Even back then, she was an artist, which made her stand out from all the other kids, and that’s how I remember her. Most kids I went to school with were obsessed with getting into top-notch colleges in order to be able to work for their family businesses, but not Diem. She was all about art and expressing herself.