the film lights that damage my skin.”
Marie giggled and glanced at Tessa who’d reached the last page and closed the script.
“If you want something else to read, there’s a pile of magazines under the basins. They’re mostly local rags, but I love all the pictures of the who’s who of Europe.” She sighed. “We don’t have any Dukes or Counts or Princes in the States.”
“And thank heavens for that.” Christian’s expression shifted from amused to bitter in a heartbeat. “Bunch of inbred brats.”
“Why do you say that?” Tessa asked, keeping her voice level.
“I met my fair share of them when I was a kid working for my uncle’s fishing-charter business. Self-indulgent and self-absorbed, the lot of them.”
It was the first time he’d mentioned his childhood on Los Pajaros. She should have pushed, widened the crack, but she was side-tracked by the sting. He’d said it like a barb, as if he’d known she was one of them. And resented it.
She returned to her seat and opened the magazine, paging blindly past countless faces she recognised. Her social circle was certainly incestuous. Everyone knew everyone. And yes, there were parties and social events, so many they seemed to blur together these days, but in that respect her life in Westerwald wasn’t much different from Christian’s life in Hollywood.
Except for one big difference. The people she knew were no more self-indulgent than she was. With privilege came responsibility and duty, and no one knew that better than the descendants of lines that had served their nations for hundreds of years.
Besides, who was Christian to lecture her about self-indulgence? He partied as if there was no tomorrow. Frank had told her at what ungodly hour he’d finally brought Christian and Dominic home from some nightclub in the early hours of this morning.
“What’s so engrossing?” Christian asked, swinging away from the bank of mirrors and holding out his hand to her for the magazine.
She’d stared at the same page for a full minute without paying the slightest attention to it. She looked now and blood rushed to her face.
Christian beckoned with his fingers. “It can’t be that bad. Let’s see it.”
She stuffed the magazine behind her back.
He beckoned again. “You know if you don’t hand it over I’ll have to come and get it?”
She had no doubt he’d do it too. Reluctantly she handed over the magazine. But not before she closed it. Christian took it and flicked through the pages.
And unerringly found the page she’d wanted to hide.
“Hey, that’s you!” Marie peered over Christian’s shoulder. “Who’s the hunk you’re with?”
Tessa’s blush deepened.
“It’s Prince Fredrik,” Christian said. He laid the magazine down in his lap and contemplated her. “It says your engagement announcement is imminent.”
“It’s an old magazine and we were never engaged.” They’d discussed marriage but Fredrik had never got around to proposing. Fate in the form of a blood test had intervened.
“A prince, huh?” Christian still looked at her strangely.
Unable to bear the hard scrutiny, she rose and wandered across to the shelves of cosmetic products lined up beside the basins. “Not anymore.”
“I met him at the welcome drinks party,” he said. “He was there with your friend.” He said it like a question.
“He and I… we separated by mutual agreement and there are no hard feelings. I’m happy that he and Kenzie are together now.” And for the first time she meant it. If Rik could overcome being disinherited and find happiness, then she could overcome losing the safety net he’d provided.
“So how did you hook up with a prince?” Nina asked from the make-up station at the far end of the trailer, where her stylist was busy creating an extravagant up-do with a wig and thousands of pins, a process that took over an hour every day.
Hook up. Such an American expression. It had never been like that for Teresa and Rik. Or even for her and Stefan. But she didn’t think this Hollywood actress, nice as she was, would comprehend relationships based on mutual understanding, on a common background, on shared ideals.
Tessa shrugged. “This is a small country. We grew up together.”
Christian studied her with narrowed eyes. “Los Pajaros is a pretty small place too, but I didn’t even attend the same school as the mayor’s kids, let alone play with them.”
She didn’t like that look. It was worse than the constant prickle. It was even worse than when he’d tried to flirt with her.
“You’re from Los Pajaros?” Nina asked, her already-big eyes growing rounder.
Christian’s jaw tensed, a sign so subtle that no one else seemed to notice. Tessa did.
“Robbie wanted you to come to set as soon as you’re ready. Shall I let him know you’re on your way?” she asked.
If she’d hoped for gratitude for rescuing him from an awkward conversation, she was disappointed. He nodded and rose from the seat, removing the protective napkins tucked into his collar, then waved for her to precede him out the door.
“Don’t go!” Nina called. “This is just getting interesting. Stay and tell me all about your prince.”
Tessa cast Christian a beseeching look but he was far less magnanimous. “Yes, stay Baroness. You can tell her all about how you went from dating a prince to slumming it here as my PA.”
Damn. He’d read the fine print in the article too.
By the time he stepped in front of the cameras each day, Christian turned into the Energizer bunny and there was no stopping him.
Especially when Dominic was around. They were like two little boys, egging each other on. Tessa learned to tell where they were on set by the sound of laughter.
Their pranks had become legendary. One of her tasks was to provide a steady supply of whoopee cushions and fake turds – and then there was the day she had to scour every pharmacy and supermarket across town for a very specific brand of condom that didn’t appear to exist. She was sure the errands were designed for her maximum embarrassment.
At least she found a ready supply of fake blood in the make-up trailer and saved herself a trip when Christian decided to prank the director into thinking Dominic had wounded him during rehearsal.
But that was by no means her least-favourite task. That honour went to screening Christian’s calls. While he was on set she kept his mobile, answered his calls and took messages. The press phone calls were a pain, but easy to deal with. She simply said “no” and “no comment” unless they were on the approved list.
The requests for charitable donations, memorabilia and signed autographs to auction, and the “please endorse my product” calls, were equally easy to
