and loved about cars. He’d saved her life by leaving his own family to raise her in another country. She was only beginning to comprehend what he’d given up for her. It was too late to say thank-you, but Izzy wanted to make it up to him somehow. Maybe she could find his relatives and tell them how wonderful he’d been to her.
Emotion clogged her throat. She shook it off. The way she’d learned to do these last five years.
A shower would make her feel better. She turned on the water. As she undressed, steam filled the bathroom. She stepped into the large shower.
Hot water pulsed down on her as if she were standing in a heated waterfall. She nearly sighed at the decadence of the oversize showerhead.
Okay, Izzy grinned, comfy beds and amazing showers were definitely perks to being a princess. She could even forgive the invasion of privacy while she slept. A shower like this could make her forgive and forget most everything.
Normally she finished showering in a couple of minutes due to the size of the RV’s tiny water heater. This time, Izzy stayed in until her fingertips shriveled like raisins.
Best shower ever.
She turned off the water, dried off with a towel, slipped into the luxurious robe and combed her hair.
Out in the bedroom, she padded to her duffel bag. It wasn’t where she’d left it.
Izzy looked around. Her backpack sat on the table, but her duffel bag was nowhere to be seen. That was odd. The purple would be hard to miss against the yellow and gold decor.
Maybe whoever placed her toiletry bag in the bathroom had put the duffel bag away. Izzy checked inside the gilded armoire. Empty hangers hung on the rack. She slid out the two drawers. No bag or clothing. She checked under the bed. Nothing there, either.
This wasn’t good. She wanted to get dressed.
Izzy had the clothes she’d worn on the flight, but she didn’t relish the thought of putting them on again. They were dirty, and she was clean.
Her cell phone was no use. Anyone she could call was half a world away and asleep. They couldn’t tell her where to find her duffel bag.
She thought for a moment. Only one explanation made sense. Someone must have taken her bag. To wash the clothes, iron them, who knew why?
A castle this size had to have a large staff. She would flag someone down and ask how to contact Mare.
Izzy poked her head out of her room. The wide hallway was empty. Waiting for someone to appear, she shoved her hands into the deep pockets of the robe. No one came.
“Is anyone out there?” she half whispered.
No reply.
Come on. Izzy grew impatient. This was a castle for goodness’ sake. Maids and butlers should be running around. She would have to find someone herself.
She tightened the belt of her robe
Stepping into the hallway, Izzy left the door to her room open. She wanted to remember which room was hers.
The farther she moved away from her room, the more antsy Izzy became. Walking around with wet hair, barefoot and wearing nothing but a robe was not exactly princesslike. A castle probably had rules. Ones she would know. Maybe she should go back.
She was about to turn around when a white-haired man exited a room. The older gentleman was tall, wore a nice suit and walked with a slight limp. On closer look, she noticed he had a prosthetic leg.
No matter what side you were on, we are all marked in some way by the conflict. Some scars are visible. Others are not.
Niko hadn’t been kidding. Izzy couldn’t believe an old man had to fight in the war. Maybe he’d been a soldier at the beginning. Unless he’d just been a casualty. Thinking about what these people had endured made her heart ache.
He headed in a different direction.
She ran up to him. “Excuse me.”
The man stopped. His eyes widened when he saw her.
“Do you work here?” she asked.
He blinked. “I do.”
“Finally.”
He studied her with probing green eyes. “Who might you be?”
“I’m Izzy. I arrived this morning from the United States.”
“Welcome, Izzy.” His smile deepened the lines on his face. “I’m Dee.”
“Nice to meet you, Dee.” In spite of all the wrinkles, he was still attractive. He must have been really handsome when he was younger. She couldn’t help but think of Niko. “I’m in a bind. My bag with my clothing has disappeared. I searched the room, but can’t find it.”
“Oh, dear, that is quite a predicament.”
She nodded. “I don’t imagine trickster ghosts haunt this place?”
“No, though we do have our share of skeletons in the closet.”
“That’s what I figured.” She felt more comfortable with the staff than royalty. One more reason she wasn’t cut out to be a princess. “I’m sure you have work to do, but would you please tell me how I might locate Mare? She was assigned to help me, and I’m wondering if she knows where my bag might be.”
“Part of my job is making sure everything runs the way it is supposed to around here.”
“Oh, you’re the castle manager.”
“Something like that.” He sounded amused. “I don’t know where Mare is, but I know where we can find your clothes.”
“Great.”
Dee extended his arm. “Allow me to escort you.”
She took his arm. “Thanks.”
He walked with a steady stride. His leg didn’t slow him down. “What do you think of Vernonia so far, Izzy?”
“I didn’t see much during the drive from the airport, but this castle—” she looked up at a fresco painted on the ceiling “—it’s straight out of a fairy tale.”
“I hope the accommodations are to your liking.”
“They are lovely. Thank you,” she said. “I wanted to stay at a hotel, but Prince Niko wanted me to stay here. He said I would be more comfortable.”
“I hope you are comfortable.”
“I’ve only been here a few hours, but I’ve already had a nice nap and a wonderful shower.”
“An excellent start,” Dee said.
Izzy nodded. She wondered if Niko would agree. Earlier he couldn’t wait to get away from her. No doubt he wanted her visit to be a short one. At least they agreed
