the same way my father served his father, and so forth.”
“Guardian. Right.” Fawn tried to think of what that meant but couldn’t. “What exactly does a guardian do? I mean, I know you handle the household now, but what about when the prince was young?”
Killed anyone who wanted to kill him, Igor thought. But knowing that would best be kept a secret from Fawn as well, the older man cleared his throat, saying, “I was the master’s...babysitter.” Igor’s father would roll over in his grave if he had heard of the way his son described their profession, which had always been a source of pride for their family. Mentally crossing himself in apology for such blasphemy, Igor asked Fawn, “May I ask what my supposedly being Russian has to do with the way I address you, miss?”
“Well, I was thinking, if you call me ‘miss’ in another language, it wouldn’t sound too formal.”
Ah. The older man nodded understandingly. That did not make sense at all, but that didn’t matter since Fawn was now the prince’s special lady. And when Fawn beamed at Igor, he knew he had made the right decision.
“As the prince is Sicilian and Greek,” Igor began, “how about you choose between signorina and kyria?”
“Good idea.” She thought about it seriously. “Signorina sounds like a nickname, doesn’t it? I think it doesn’t sound too formal.”
Actually, it did. Also, more people would know what ‘signorina’ meant compared to ‘kyria’ but because Fawn was the prince’s special lady—-
“I agree, signorina. A good choice.”
She said hopefully, “But of course, just plain Fawn is always better.”
“Not possible, signorina. You are the prince’s very special lady, after all.”
“Really, Igor? I’m the prince’s special lady?” Despite her confusion and misery, she couldn’t help snorting.
Igor did his best to suppress his smile this time, purely out of respect for his master.
Fawn sighed. “You’re not going to change your mind, are you?”
“I’m afraid not, signorina.”
Fawn made a face. “Then I guess that’s that.” Signorina. She wondered absently how that would sound if the prince would call her that as well. It would probably sound very sexy, especially if his occasionally British accent—-
Stop right there, Fawn.
Her cheeks burst with color as Fawn realized where her thoughts had headed. Holy sweet Jesus, but why did it seem like she was thinking of the prince more and more when she should be thinking of Grant and what he did to her?
“I’ll make sure to let the rest of the staff know, signorina,” Igor was saying.
She cleared her throat. “Uhh, thanks, Igor.” Think of Grant. Stop thinking of the prince. She repeated the words in her mind desperately, but somehow all she could see was a black-haired, green-eyed prince who made her shatter with the slightest touch—-
Moisture teased the triangle of her legs as memories flooded her, and she swallowed back a cry of shocked dismay.
Oh God, what was happening to her?
The older man looked at her in concern. “Is everything alright, signorina? You look rather flushed.”
“Me? Flushed?” She forced herself to laugh. “You must be imagining it.” But because she also knew Igor was too perceptive by half, she tried distracting him, asking, “Anyway, I was wondering about something.” She gestured vaguely at her surroundings. “Why is the prince’s room so...girly?”
Igor coughed at Fawn’s choice of term. Girly. He would have to tell Noah and the others about Fawn’s reaction later. But for now, he addressed Fawn’s concerns, explaining, “It is one of the master’s earlier attempts to combat his homesickness. The design reminds him of his home in England.”
“I s-see.” But actually, Fawn didn’t, and Igor’s words only made her head hurt more. Who would’ve thought someone as seemingly invincible as the prince could be vulnerable enough to pine for his family?
“If that’s all, signorina, may I show you the adjoining suite?” He gestured to the door next to the prince’s en-suite bar, and at her nod, Igor led the way to the other room. Opening the door, he explained, “We have been able to collect all your belongings from your previous residence—-”
Face gulped. That was fast, seriously fast. How could the prince have managed such a thing in so short a time?
“—-and you will find all of them here.” To demonstrate, Igor opened a few cabinets and pulled out drawers, and Fawn saw all her stuff, neatly arranged. “If you believe anything is missing or has been misplaced, please let us know, signorina.”
Igor walked farther into the suite, and Fawn followed behind him. He stopped in front