The Billionaire Prince’s Single Mother - Leslie North Page 0,1

proof yet. His father had done a quick sweep of all the juicy bits and had made sure his team put a lockdown on the real reason the wedding was being “postponed,” as the public version of the story went. So when Carrie needed the penthouse to herself for a few days, he couldn’t stay anywhere in the capital. Not when everyone there would expect him to continue playing the role of the happy bridegroom. Thistledown Valley was the only place he could think of where he could go and brood in private, away from the public eye.

He killed the engine and exited the car, taking a deep breath of the country air into his lungs. This respite would be good for him. He hadn’t visited Thistledown Valley in years, and the sprawling estate was the perfect place to hunker down and nurse his wounds before making his way back into the spotlight of royal life.

Aldon popped the trunk and eyed his bags. It had been a long time since he’d unloaded his luggage on his own. Again, a splinter of annoyance stabbed at him, as he thought of his staff, aiding Carrie with her move.

“Might be nice to do things for myself for a change,” he muttered under his breath and dug the bags out of the car, struck by the intense quiet of his surroundings. Other than the occasional birdsong or buzz of a bee, it was silent here. An air of peace fell over him.

Also quite nice for a change.

Just then his cell phone buzzed.

“Aldon here,” he said into the phone.

“Prince Aldon, it’s Laila.”

Why was the aide to his personal assistant calling? She sounded rather flustered.

“Yes, Laila?”

“Prince Aldon, I am so, so sorry!”

“Sorry?”

“Yes, on behalf of the entire staff, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not thinking to send staff out ahead of you, sir.” The young woman was out-of-breath. “You’re out there in Thistlytown—”

“Um, it’s Thistledown, Laila.”

“Yes, yes, Thistledown, sorry, it’s just I’ve never actually even heard of the place, you know?”

Aldon’s patience was waning. What was the purpose of Laila’s rambling call?

“We all feel just awful that you’re there all alone, having to worry about your bags and the bedding and the meals… oh, dear! The meals!”

Aldon rolled his eyes.

“Laila, please, it’s really fine,” he reassured the twittering young aide. “I’m completely able to take care of myself out here, and if I need anything, I’m sure the caretaker will get me squared away. In fact, I think I’ll quite enjoy the time alone.”

“Nevertheless, sir, a temporary valet is being vetted and will hopefully arrive soon for you,” she said. “Oh, sir, I’m so, so terribly sorry for your troubles. We’ll have the valet there as soon as possible.”

Was the woman crying? She sounded like it.

“No hurry, really,” Aldon continued. “My biggest concern is that my staff put their best effort into getting Carrie… situated in her new living space.” In other words, get her out of the condo ASAP.

Aldon hung up and resumed carrying his bags up to the veranda of the castle, where he unlocked the tall arched wooden doorway and ventured inside.

The high ceilings of the foyer lent an echo to the sound of his footsteps in the empty house. The caretaker had clearly been doing their job, because even though no one had inhabited the castle for years, it seemed to have been recently cleaned. He didn’t know how often the person came by, but if they didn’t come during his stay, he’d have to leave a note of thanks. Perhaps he could speak to the steward who oversaw his estates and see to some sort of holiday bonus.

Clean, quiet, and unoccupied. Aldon welcomed the alone and quiet part of the equation, but the castle almost felt ghostly. Why would he have expected an empty castle to feel cozy?

Suddenly, the sound of giggling lit up the foyer, causing Aldon to jump with surprise then turn in a circle to decipher where the sound had come from. A woman’s voice called out from down the hallway. If Aldon remembered the layout of the home correctly, the sound was coming from the servants’ quarters.

“Please be patient and wait outside,” the voice said and then began humming a song Aldon didn’t recognize.

He followed the sound to its source, a separate wing of the castle that was accessible through a door off of the foyer.

The moment he walked through the door to the servants’ wing, he sensed an atmosphere of happy activity. The space was so unlike anything