They talked about her trip to London in the car on the way back to Vaduz. Her father had brought a briefcase bulging with papers to read on the trip, but the drive was long enough that he had time to chat with Christianna, too. She was going to visit Victoria on Tuesday. She cautiously suggested going alone, without guards, and her father was adamant about it. Ever worried about potential violence, he wanted her to take at least two bodyguards with her, maybe even three.

“That's silly, Papa,” she complained. “I only had two in Berkeley, and you always said America was much more dangerous. Besides, Victoria has one of her own. I only need one.”

“Three,” he said firmly, frowning at her. He hated even the remotest chance of her being in danger. He preferred to be overly cautious than to be cavalier.

“One,” Christianna bargained, and this time he laughed.

“Two, and that's my final offer. Otherwise you stay home.”

“All right, all right,” she conceded. She knew her brother had three with him in Japan, and a fourth for relief. Other royal families sometimes traveled with fewer bodyguards, but because it was public knowledge that their family and country were immensely rich, it put all of them at greater risk. It was about wealth, as much as about who they were, perhaps even more so. The prince's greatest fear had always been that one of his children would be kidnapped, and he was exceptionally cautious as a result. Christianna had long since made her peace with it, as had Freddy. He used his bodyguards to fetch and carry for him, albeit good-humoredly, and to get him out of messes he created, usually with women, or help him escape from a nightclub late at night when he was too drunk to walk. Christianna had far less use for hers, as she was much better behaved, and she had a comfortable, easy relationship with them, as they were very fond of her, and very protective. But she still preferred to go out alone, and almost never could. Her father simply wouldn't allow it, with good reason in some countries. He wouldn't even think of letting her travel to South America, although she had always wanted to go there. The stories about kidnappings of the wealthy and powerful were legion, and a Serene Highness with a vast fortune behind her would be a plum they couldn't resist. Prince Hans Josef preferred not to put temptation in their path in the form of his daughter. He forced her to confine her travels to the United States and Europe, and he had taken her to Hong Kong himself, which she loved. She said she wanted to travel to Africa and India next, which made him shudder. For the moment, he was relieved that she was satisfied with a week in London, staying with her cousin. That was as exotic as he wanted her to get, which was exotic enough. The young marchioness was extremely eccentric, given to outrageous behavior, and for several years had had both a python and a cheetah as pets. The prince had flatly forbidden her to bring them to Vaduz. But he knew that Christianna would have fun with her, and he knew also how much she needed it.

They returned to the palace in Vaduz after ten o'clock that night. The prince's assistant was waiting for him. Even at that hour, he had work to do. He was going to have a late supper at his desk, and Christianna decided to skip the meal entirely. She was tired after the trip and went to look for Charles in the kitchen, where he was sound asleep near the stove, and was instantly excited to see her when he heard her step. They went upstairs together, where her lady-in-waiting was sitting quietly, expecting her, and offered to run a bath.

“I'm fine, Alicia,” Christianna said with a yawn. “I think I'll go straight to bed.” The bed was already open, impeccable, and waiting for her. There was a large embroidery of their crest on her sheets. And there was nothing more for the woman to do, so with a curtsy she withdrew, much to her charge's relief. She had been lying when she said she was going to bed. She had every intention of taking a bath, but wanted to draw it herself. She preferred to be alone in her rooms.

After her lady-in-waiting left, Christianna stripped off her clothes and walked through her bedroom in her underwear, and went to check her e-mail in her small, elegant office. It was all done in beautiful pale blue silks. Her bedroom and dressing room were pink satin. The room had been her great-great-grandmother's, and Christianna had lived in it since birth with her nanny, until she retired.

She had no e-mails from America that night, and only a brief one from Victoria, which said how much fun they were going to have that week. She had all sorts of mischief planned, she hinted darkly, which made Christianna laugh. Knowing Victoria, she was sure she did. She had no doubt of that.

She wandered back to her bedroom then, still in her underwear, and finally went to run her bath. Wandering around with no one else in the room with her was a huge luxury and her only freedom. There were almost always servants, ladies-in-waiting, assistants, secretaries, and bodyguards around her. Privacy was a rare gift, and she enjoyed every minute of it. For a moment, it almost felt like being in Berkeley, although her surroundings were certainly very different. But it was that same sense of peace and freedom and being able to do whatever she wanted, even if all it meant was being able to take a bath, and listen to her favorite music. She put some CDs on from her student days, lay down on her bed for a minute while she waited for her enormous antique tub to fill, and closed her eyes. If she thought about it hard enough, she could almost feel herself back in Berkeley … almost … but not quite … thinking about it, she wanted to spread her wings and fly, or turn the clock back. It would have been so wonderful if she could. But those heavenly days of freedom were over. She was here now. Much to her chagrin, she had grown up. Berkeley was nothing more than a memory. And she was a Serene Highness forever.





Chapter 3


On Tuesday morning, bright and early, Christianna left the palace at Vaduz for London, and stopped in to see her father on her way out. He was already hard at work in his office, going over a stack of folders with a look of concern. He and his chief finance minister appeared to be having a serious discussion, and neither looked pleased with the result. Had she been staying home, she would have asked her father about it that night. She loved hearing about his policies and decisions, the shifts in palace positions, and the economic issues that came up. It was the only reason why she would have agreed to study political science at the Sorbonne, but she still hadn't decided yet. She loved the idea of getting out of Vaduz, but she wasn't enthusiastic about going back to school, even in Paris. She wanted to do something more important for humanity. She was currently more drawn to the foundation than to the Sorbonne.

“Have a wonderful time,” her father said warmly. He and the minister had stopped their discussion the moment she entered the room. The finance minister had no idea how much her father shared with her, or how much she knew. She was far more aware of the inner workings of the principality than her brother, and far more intelligent about them. All Freddy wanted to do was drive fast cars, and chase girls, or even faster women than the Ferrari he drove. “Give my best to our cousin. What do you and Victoria have planned, or do I even want to know?” he teased with a loving smile.

“Probably not.” She smiled back. But he wasn't worried. Whatever mischief Victoria had in store, he knew that Christianna was a very sensible girl. He was never even remotely concerned about that. “I'll be back in a week, Papa. I'll call you tonight.” He knew she would. She always did what she said, and had since she was a child.

“Don't worry about me. Just have fun. What a shame,” he then said, pretending to lament. “You're going to miss a state dinner on Friday night.” He knew just how boring she thought the dinners were.

“Do you want me back?” she asked seriously, her disappointment not showing on her face. If he wanted her to, she would have come back for him, although she would have been disappointed to cut her London visit short. But for both of them, responsibility and duty were the name of the game, and the code by which they lived.

“Of course not, silly girl. I wouldn't dream of it. Stay longer if you like.”

“I might,” she said, looking hopeful. “You wouldn't mind?”

“Stay as long as you like,” he reassured her, as she hugged him again and shook hands with his minister politely, and then with a last wave at her father, Christianna left.

“She's a lovely girl,” his finance minister said to him, as they went back to their work.

“Thank you,” Hans Josef said proudly. “Yes, she is.”

Her driver took Christianna to the airport in Zurich with her two bodyguards, and four security officials put her on the plane.

Once on board, it was obvious that someone important was traveling, all the flight attendants appeared to be buzzing around her. They offered her champagne, which she declined, and immediately after takeoff, they brought her a cup of tea. One bodyguard was sitting next to her, the other was across the aisle. All the way to London she read a book about the application of economic policies, which her father had recommended to her. And an hour and a half later they landed at Heathrow Airport, where a limousine was waiting for her. She was whisked through customs, with nothing to declare, and two airport security police joined forces with her bodyguards, and took her to the limousine. They took off immediately, and less than an hour later, the car pulled up in front of Victoria's small, elegant house on Sloane Square. She was one of the few titled women in London who had an enormous fortune, thanks to an American mother, an heiress who had married a title and left her daughter a vast inheritance when she died two years ago. Victoria was having a fabulous time with the money, and didn't mind it at all when people said she was spoiled. She knew she was, and was having so much fun she was never embarrassed by her extravagant way of life, and she was extremely generous with her friends.

She opened the door for Christianna herself, and stood there in blue jeans, a T-shirt, and high-heeled red alligator shoes, with huge diamond earrings and a stunning tiara sitting slightly askew on her bright red hair. She squealed the moment she saw her cousin, threw her arms around her, and escorted her inside, as Christianna's two bodyguards carried in her bags, and the butler ushered them upstairs.

“You look fabulous!” she said to Christianna, as the tiara slid slowly toward her ear, and Christianna started to laugh.

“What are you doing with that thing on? Should I have brought mine? Are we going somewhere tonight?” Christianna couldn't think of a single place she would have worn a tiara, except maybe to a ball given by the queen. And Victoria hadn't warned her of anything important going on.

“It just seems too stupid to leave it sitting in the vault. I thought I'd get some use out of it. I wear it all the time.” It was so typical of her.

She was wild, eccentric, and beautiful. She was extremely tall, nearly six feet, and completely undaunted, she went everywhere in six-inch heels, platforms preferably. She wore either miniskirts or jeans, her skirts were so short they almost looked like belts, and she was always swathed in diaphanous tops that seemed to drip and fall and were always slipping to reveal one breast and her creamy white skin. She was a spectacular-looking young woman. She had done some acting and modeling, gotten bored with it, and tried painting for a while. She was actually quite good at it, but she never stuck with anything for long. She had just gotten engaged to a Danish prince, whom everyone said was totally besotted with her, but knowing her as well as she did, Christianna was not entirely convinced that the engagement would last long either. Victoria had been engaged twice before, once to an American, and the second time to a well-known French actor who had left her for someone else, which Victoria said was incredibly rude. She had had a new boyfriend herself by the following week. She was by far the most eccentric person Christianna knew, but she loved spending time with her. They always had so much fun together. They stayed up all night, went to parties, and danced at Annabel's. Christianna always met interesting people with her. Victoria also drank a lot and smoked cigars. She lit one now as they sat down in her living room, which was a jumble of both modern and ancient art. Her mother had left her several Picassos, and there were books and art objects everywhere. Christianna was ecstatic just being there with her. It was the exact opposite of her quiet life in Vaduz with her father. Being around Victoria was like watching a circus act on the high wire. You never knew what would happen next. Watching her was breathtaking.