Free The Serenade: The Prince and the Siren [Daughters of the Empire 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) by Suzette Hollingsworth Page A

It increased his popularity both at home and abroad to be seen, and it was necessary to increase his popularity—nothing that he cared for himself, but he had always to think of his future reign and the stability of his country.
    “Your misfortunes are great, Your Highness.” His companion nodded sympathetically.
    “I prefer vacationing in Rome. Rome is at least Catholic.” Alejandro tapped the window with his ebony cane. “Catholicism is the religion of the people.”
    “Begging your pardon, Your Highness, but France is a Catholic nation.”
    “One would never know it from Paris. Rome honors its traditions. Paris has no traditions. Yesterday is yesterday’s news.”
    “Most astute, as usual. Paris is all about progress.”
    “ Progress . Do you recall the World Exhibition in 1900, my friend?” Alejandro cleared his throat. “The greatest collection of frivolity the world has ever seen.”
    “Your Highness, I regret to inform you that you are, let us be clear on the point, arrogant ,” his companion pronounced matter-of-factly.
    Alejandro redirected his attention to stare at the speaker with a haughty disdain that would have made another fear for his future, but the elegant gentleman, nonplussed, returned the prince’s stare with resolve. His short, pointed beard, thin moustache, and strong, angular features added emphasis to his stare.
    Suddenly the prince broke into laughter, catching Señor Esteban Xalvador off guard, who joined in his laughter, unable to resist. As Esteban shook with laughter, so did the wild, disheveled curls that danced down his neck.
    The picture of health, Señor Esteban Xalvador looked much younger than his thirty-nine years.
    Alejandro forced himself to wink at Esteban. He did not feel the amusement he knew he had conveyed, but he loved his friend, and he sensed his anxiety.
    “And yet, I find your conceit endearing, Alejandro. You are so charming in your disdain, so debonair, and so witty, that one cannot help but be drawn in.” Esteban made a show of studying the prince. “In addition, you have good reason to be arrogant. You have a poet’s heart, a warrior’s physique, and you are destined to become the king of Spain.”
    “God willing, and with your help, Esteban.” Upon reaching his majority, Alejandro had employed Esteban Xalvador as his personal fencing master and bodyguard, but many knew him to function more as a confidant and close advisor, to the extreme jealousy and distrust of members across all of Spain’s political parties.
    “I cannot help you where you most need it,” Esteban stated softly.
    “And where might that be?”
    “I cannot give your spirit an openness to life,” Esteban murmured.
    “No doubt you would want me to think less of myself and more of the scintillating toad-eaters with whom I must surround myself,” Alejandro added with the misleading smile he had utilized on many occasions to woo sworn enemies on the opposite of the political spectrum. He had, by necessity, been acutely aware of complex political undertones for most of his twenty-seven years.
    “No, I would not, Alejandro! And do not waste your charm on me!” he pleaded. “It is me , Alejandro, your friend.”
    “Who else might you be, Esteban?”
    “And who are you , Alejandro? You do not allow others into your heart or your mind. I come the closest, and even I cannot penetrate the structured fortress.”
    “That is quite the oddest thing you’ve ever said, my good Señor Esteban!” He laughed with a hint of bitterness. “No one is less complicated than myself. Discretion is necessary, but there is no complexity underneath the role.”
    “I blame myself.” Esteban sighed, shaking his head. “I was not the father to you I should have been when it would have made the most difference. I always loved you as a father, but to treat you as such would have meant an immediate dismissal rather than the seven years it took.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous, Esteban! You sacrificed