As it was, she needed to get down the hall to her own room. Going back inside, she checked to see that Gabriel was still asleep. She had worked wonders with his transformation, but bless him, he was still a night owl.
She retrieved her gown from the floor and slipped it back on, and then slowly opened the door of his bedroom, glancing both ways down the hall to see if anyone was there. The coast was clear. She slipped out, pulling the door closed. She had taken about three steps toward her room when she heard something behind her.
“Good morning, Señorita Espina.”
She turned to find the houseman, Luca, standing behind her. “Good morning, Luca,” she said, self-consciously smoothing her hand over her tousled hair and trying to downplay how overdressed she was for the early morning hours.
His dark gaze traveled over her quickly, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes, but he didn’t mention her appearance. “Is His Majesty still sleeping?” he asked.
“Yes, he is. But he should be getting up soon. Please wake him by ten if he hasn’t roused by then.”
“As you wish.”
Serafia started to turn back toward her room, and then she stopped. “Please don’t mention this to anyone,” she said.
Luca shook his head. “Of course not, señorita. The affairs of the prince are no one’s concern but the prince’s. But...” He hesitated. “You should know your involvement with the prince is no secret.”
Serafia looked up at him with eyes wide with panic. “What does that mean?”
He unfolded the Alma newspaper he’d been clutching in his hand and held it up for her to read. On the front page, just below the article about Gabriel’s big introduction at the Rowling party, was a headline that read “The Future Queen?” Another article followed, speculating about a romance brewing between her and Gabriel. A grainy black-and-white photo of them kissing by the fountain accompanied the story.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes. She felt foolish for thinking she could have one moment of privacy. “Thank you for showing me this, Luca. May I take it to my room and read it?”
He folded the paper and handed it to her. “Of course.”
Serafia tucked it under her arm. “Please don’t mention it to the prince until I have a chance to read the article. I’ll discuss it with him at breakfast.”
“As you wish. I’ll have Marta start preparing it.”
Luca disappeared down the hallway, leaving Serafia with the newspaper clutched against her. Before anyone else saw her, she dashed down the hallway to her own room.
Throwing the paper onto the bed, she headed straight for the shower. As the steaming hot water pounded her sore muscles and washed away Gabriel’s scent from her skin, her mind started to race with the implications of the article. From what little she’d read, the tone didn’t seem negative. The prince and his quest for a bride would be front page news no matter who he was seen with. But that didn’t do much to calm her anxiety.
She should’ve known better than to think that someone hadn’t noticed their departure from the ballroom and followed them outside. She hadn’t noticed anyone there, but with the walls of hedges and arborvitae columns, there were plenty of places to hide and spy on their painfully private moments together.
Hopefully whoever took their picture hadn’t been able to hear their conversation over the sound of the nearby fountain. The photo was one thing, but she didn’t want the revelations about her departure from modeling to taint Gabriel somehow.
Stepping from the shower, Serafia wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel and started combing through the thick and easily tangled strands of her hair. She rushed through the rest of her morning routine. Trying to maintain a bit of professionalism, she put her hair up in a tight bun and dressed in a dark plum pantsuit. They had another official event to attend this afternoon, so she might as well get ready and put her consultant hat back on.
After she slipped on her shoes, she reached for the paper and read through both articles on Gabriel. The first, about his introduction at the Rowling party, was extremely positive. The consensus was that he was well received and those in attendance were pleased to have such a fine man to be their future king.
The second article, about her, wasn’t really bad, either. It discussed the various ladies he had danced with that night, highlighting Helena Ruiz as his first choice and Serafia as his last. Of course, there was the photo of them kissing, and then a lot of speculation about whether or not she was really his social secretary, or if it was a cover for their relationship. If they were dating, was it serious? Might she be their new queen? The few people they interviewed for the article seemed to think she’d make a good candidate for queen of Alma and would make a charming match for Gabriel.