His father pursed his lips. “Must you be so crass?”
“I’m merely being honest, Father. Most of the women who throw themselves at me want a prince in their bed and a ‘princess’ in front of their name. They could care less about me. And I have no desire to spend the rest of my life with someone like that.”
“The alliances we could make?—”
“We’ll make them without a marriage. This is the 1970s. Hardly any of our fellow European royals are interested in inter-marrying, and we’re basically all related in one way or another after centuries of it anyway.”
“So? Do you not want to marry then? Would you prefer Ferdinand and his child, whenever he has one, take the throne?”
“You and Mother always jump to that conclusion. I have standards and, yes, if I don’t find a woman who meets them, then I don’t intend to marry. I’d rather be happy alone than miserable with someone else. I would have thought you of all people would understand that.” His parents had a marriage of love; was it so wrong for him to want the same?
His father frowned slightly. “I do understand. However, these are turbulent times, my son, and many are struggling. Your wedding would benefit us in many respects, and give hope to the people. They shouldn’t need to worry about the future of the monarchy on top of everything else.”
“If I won’t marry to appease you and Mother, I certainly won’t marry to appease the public. This is a personal decision. Besides, we’re already grappling with a potential recession on the horizon. I doubt the people will thank you for throwing an expensive state-funded wedding in the middle of that. Haven’t you heard the comments about this ball alone?” He thought of the large, elegant, and luxurious ballroom and furnishings. “People are already upset about the cost of this. A wedding would be much worse.”
“This is a charity ball. Once we announce the amount raised, they’ll stop quibbling about it. The same would be true of the wedding. It would lift their spirits to know that the country’s future is secure, even if their immediate future is in flux.”
“I don’t agree with that, but let’s set that aside. I’d rather keep our arguing to a minimum at the moment. We still have an excruciatingly long night to get through.”
“The last time I was in England, I met the daughter of?—”
“Please stop. I’m sure she was lovely, but I doubt she’d tempt me, to paraphrase a famous line from a novel. Besides, I’d rather marry a Vallerian.”
“Oh? Hmm.” His father’s eyes took on a faraway look he had seen a thousand times before.
Gabriel shook his head. “Stop right there. I can see you scheming something.”
“There are several lovely ladies that are part of Vallerian high society, though you’d need to be careful. Some of their families are supportive of the monarchy on the surface, but snakes underneath.”
“I’m well aware, trust me.”
“Well, you’ll have a chance to meet several women at the ball tonight and see if any spark your eye.”
“Am I in the middle of a fairy tale all of a sudden? Should I look for a woman wearing a very unrealistic glass slipper?”
“Of course not. I’m merely asking you to try, not marry the first one you meet. I agree that you should be a little more selective—they will be the future queen, after all—but don’t focus solely on their negatives or you will end up alone.
“A man alone can be happy, but a king alone cannot. You will need someone you can trust by your side when that time comes.”
His father nodded once, then walked ahead towards his chief of staff, who was directing staff near the ballroom.
As he walked away, Gabriel couldn’t help but wonder at his father’s last statements. He hadn’t thought of it like that before, odd though it may seem. He always thought of himself as simply a ‘man’. Being a prince was his job, his duty…he didn’t mind it, and often even liked it, but ‘Prince’ Gabriel and Gabriel ‘the Man’ were two different people to him.
He didn’t like thinking of the day he’d become King Gabriel. Logically, he knew it was coming, but it would be yet another identity to grapple with. There was a big difference between being a prince and being a king and, though he hated to admit it, his father was right. He would need—and even wanted—someone to trust by his side. Trust was a tricky thing in a relationship, made even more complicated when you added a royal family and royal protocol and royal trappings to the mix.
He needed someone who wanted Gabriel the Man, but wouldn’t mind Gabriel the Prince (or King). Maybe he would keep his eyes open at the ball for someone after all.
two
I’ve seen many women in many ballgowns (and many out of them). But I’ve never been so intrigued by a lady in silver before. ~ from the journal of Prince Gabriel, July 1973
GABRIEL
Fake smile, nod, shake hands, small talk, etc., etc., etc. It was the same at every one of these events though no one would be able to see it; his political poker face was among the best.
He’d lost count of the number of single women who had curtsied to him. He’d only asked a few to dance so far, though his father, who was standing a feet away from him, clearly wanted him to put more of an effort in. But he wasn’t going to rush things, no matter what his father wanted.
Gabriel’s new chief of staff, Corrado, stood behind him, whispering who the next person would be to greet him. Yet, this time he barely heard him as he saw a silver dress catching thelight, then caught sight of a long, pale back as a woman finished curtsying to his father, then his mother.
