too. You know what it’s like. When anyone enters or leaves, dozens of people know. And it’s not only my security team or my staff; my children also live under that roof. When I have a guest, they’re aware of it. And then there’s the media.”
She acknowledged that with a tilt of the head. “And then there’s the media. It’s not only a matter of privacy where they’re concerned. They handed you a certain reputation. That must have played into it.”
“Ah, yes, the man known as a romantic icon? The venerable widower?”
“I would never phrase it that way.”
“The rest of the world does. Even so, my reputation shouldn’t play into my decisions.”
“But it does.” He knew as well as she did that in politics, reputation affected one’s ability to accomplish goals. It couldn’t be completely ignored, even in one’s private life.
“It does,” he admitted. “If I’d wanted to date casually, I probably could have found a way to do so with minimal risk. Miroslav or Chiara could have managed it. But that’s just not me. And when I met the right woman, I didn’t want it to be casual.”
“Were you lonely?”
He was quiet for several seconds. “I live a busy life and I enjoy what I do. I have a purpose. I have friends. But yes. I was lonely. I did a fine job of not thinking about it for a long time. But I didn’t ask you for the opera date because I was lonely.”
He covered her hand where she’d flattened it against her chest. “I was debating the risks of asking you out when I learned that Amanda and Marco are expecting a child. It isn’t public knowledge, but Amanda carries multiple mutated genes that make her prone to breast and ovarian cancer. She and Marco had long discussions with doctors about preventive measures and about the pros and cons of having children. They decided to try for one child and to give it six to nine months, then stop. She became pregnant after seven months. I didn’t know the details of her medical history until they told me about the pregnancy. But they wanted me to understand why they waited until the last possible moment to make the public announcement.”
He smiled and kissed her fingertips. “Marco said that we only live life once, and that he and Amanda hoped to live it with a child. They were willing to take a calculated risk. When he said that, I knew I felt the same about you. That night, I told Giovanni I wanted to ask you for a date. I knew before I talked to him that I would, but it felt better to have his encouragement.”
“I always knew I liked him.” She scooted closer, then added, “But I like you more. Stay for pancakes?”
He glanced at the clock on her nightstand, then grinned. “Pancakes? At midnight?”
“I was thinking around seven or eight. Nine, if you care to sleep late.”
His hand moved from her hip to her rear and he pulled her flush to his body. “Let me give security a quick call. Then I’m all yours.”
Chapter 19
Half an hour after Eduardo talked to his security team, his cell phone rang.
Claire heard it first and stretched to retrieve it from the nightstand.
“They said a ten a.m. pickup wouldn’t be a problem,” he murmured, his brain foggy from the first moments of sleep.
“Missed something on your schedule, maybe?”
He grunted a no. Other than an evening phone call to congratulate members of the University of San Rimini’s robotics team, which had finished third in a worldwide competition, his day was clear. He’d planned to spend it reading his briefing book and catching up on correspondence.
He accepted the phone from Claire, then put it to his ear. “Pronto?”
“Your Highness, I realize it’s after midnight, but your security chief told me she believed you were still awake.”
Eduardo recognized the voice as that of his defense ministry liaison. He sat up, suddenly alert. “What has happened?”
“You remember the accident that took place on the Strada il Teatro about three months ago? We’ve had another a block west. A family of five walked from their hotel to the park near the stairs that connect the Strada to the Via Vespri to see fireworks from a wedding taking place near the marina. On their return, they entered the crosswalk at the top of the stairs and were struck. The driver was looking at the opposite side of the street and failed to see them. He