an ornate pair of floor-to-ceiling doors. Marcello knocked on one of the panels and was told to enter. He opened the door, indicating she should go in.
The tall vaulted ceiling of the room was a living museum to the history of Arancia, and had known centuries of French and Italian rulers. But Abby’s gaze fell on Vincenzo, who was wearing a somber midnight-blue suit. Opposite him sat Michelina’s stylish sixty-five-year-old mother, who was brunette like her late daughter. She’d dressed in black, with a matching cloche hat, and sat on one of the brocade chairs.
“Come all the way in, Signorina Loretto. I’d like you to meet my mother-in-law, Her Majesty the Queen of Gemelli.” Abby knew Gemelli—another citrus-producing country—was an island kingdom off the eastern coast of Sicily, facing the Ionian Sea.
She moved toward them and curtsied the way she’d been taught as a child after coming to the palace. “Your Majesty. It’s a great honor, but my heart has been bleeding for you and the prince. I cared for your daughter very much.”
The matriarch’s eyes were a darker brown than Michelina’s, more snapping. She gave what passed for a nod before Vincenzo told Abby to be seated on the love seat on the other side of the coffee table. Once she was comfortable, he said, “If you recall, Michelina and I flew to Gemelli so she could tell the queen we were pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“To my surprise, the unexpected nature of our news came as a great shock to my mother-in-law, since my wife hadn’t informed her of our decision to use a surrogate.”
What?
“You mean your daughter never told you what she and the prince were contemplating?”
“No,” came the answer through wooden lips.
Aghast, Abby averted her eyes, not knowing what to think. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty.”
“We’re all sorry, because the queen and Michelina argued,” Vincenzo explained. “Unfortunately before they could talk again, the accident happened. The queen would like to take this opportunity to hear from the woman who has dared to go against nature to perform a service for which she gets nothing in return.”
CHAPTER THREE
ABBY REELED.
For Vincenzo to put it so bluntly meant he and his mother-in-law had exchanged harsh if not painfully bitter words. But he was a realist and had decided the only thing to do was meet this situation head-on. He expected Abby to handle it because of their long-standing friendship over the years.
“You haven’t answered my question, Signorina Loretto.”
At the queen’s staccato voice, Abby struggled to catch her breath and remain calm. No wonder she’d felt tension from him last night when he’d brought up this morning’s meeting. Michelina’s omission when it came to her mother had put a pall over an event that was helping Vincenzo to get up in the morning.
He was counting on Abby being able to deal with his mother-in-law. She refused to let him down even if it killed her. More time passed while she formulated what to say before focusing on the queen.
“If I had a daughter who came to me in the same situation, I would ask her exactly the same question. In my case, I’ve done it for one reason only. Perhaps you didn’t know that the prince rescued me from certain death when I was seventeen. I lost my mother in that same sailboat accident. Before I was swept to shore by the wind, I’d lost consciousness.
“When the prince found me, I was close to death but didn’t know it.” Abby’s eyes glazed over with unshed tears. “If you could have heard the way my father wept after he discovered I’d been found and brought back to the living, you would realize what a miracle had happened that day, all because of the prince’s quick thinking and intervention.
“From that time on, my father and I have felt the deepest gratitude to the prince. Over the years I’ve pondered many times how to pay the prince back for preventing what could have been an all-out catastrophe for my father.”
The lines on the queen’s face deepened, revealing her sorrow. Whether she was too immersed in her own grief to hear what Abby was saying, Abby didn’t know.
“The prince and princess were the perfect couple,” Abby continued. “When I heard that the princess had had a third miscarriage, it wounded me for their sake. They deserved happiness. Before Christmas I learned through my father that Dr. DeLuca had suggested a way for them to achieve their dream of a family.”
Abby fought to prevent tears from falling. “After years of wishing there was something I could do, I realized that if I could qualify as a candidate, I could carry their child for them. You’ll never know the joy it gave me at the thought of doing something so special for them. When I told my father what I wanted to do, he was surprised at first, and yet he supported my decision, too, otherwise he would never have approved.”
She took a shuddering breath. “That’s the reason I’m doing this. A life for a life. What I’m going to get out of this is pure happiness to see the baby the prince and princess fought so hard for. When the doctor puts the baby in the prince’s arms, Michelina will live on in their child, and the child will forever be a part of King Guilio and his wife, and a part of you and your husband, Your Majesty.”
The queen’s hands trembled on the arms of the chair. “You have no comprehension of what it’s like to be a mother. How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-eight and it’s true I’ve never been married or had a child. But I won’t be its mother in the way you mean. I’m only supplying a safe haven for the baby until it’s born. Yes, I’ll go through the aches and pains of pregnancy, but I view this as a sacred trust.”
Her features hardened. “You call this sacred?”
“I do. During my screening process, I met a dozen different parents and their surrogates who’d gone through the experience and now have beautiful children. They were all overjoyed and agreed it’s a special partnership between them and God.”
For the first time, the queen looked away.
“The prince is a full partner in this. He and the princess discussed it many times. He knows what she wanted and I’ll cooperate in every way. If you have suggestions, I’ll welcome them with all my heart.”
Quiet reigned.
Realizing there was nothing more to say, Abby glanced at Vincenzo, waiting for him to dismiss her.
He read her mind with ease. “I’m aware the limo is waiting to drive you to your office.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At those words Michelina’s mother lifted her head. “You intend to work?” She sounded shocked.
“I do. I am passionate about my career as an attorney. After the delivery, I will have my own life to lead and need to continue planning for it.”
Vincenzo leaned forward. “She’ll stop work when the time is right.”
“Where will you live after the baby’s born?” The pointed question told Abby exactly where the queen’s thoughts had gone.
Nowhere
