How To Propose To A Princess
She fell for a doctor…
Can she love a crown prince?
In this The Princess Brides story, when Dr. Nico Barsotti meets Princess Fausta of Domodossola, it’s love at first sight—for them both! Before he asks for Fausta’s hand in marriage, orphaned Nico resolves to uncover the secrets of his birth. Fausta’s always longed for a life away from the royal court, so their future is uncertain when Nico reveals his discovery—he’s a crown prince!
REBECCA WINTERS lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favourite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels—because writing is her passion, along with her family and her church. Rebecca loves to hear from readers. If you wish to email her, please visit her website at rebeccawinters.net.
Also by Rebecca Winters
The Magnate’s Holiday Proposal
Holiday with a Billionaire miniseries
Captivated by the Brooding Billionaire
Falling for the Venetian Billionaire
Wedding the Greek Billionaire
The Princess Brides miniseries
The Princess’s New Year Wedding
The Prince’s Forbidden Bride
How to Propose to a Princess
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.
How to Propose to a Princess
Rebecca Winters
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-474-09163-3
HOW TO PROPOSE TO A PRINCESS
© 2019 Rebecca Winters
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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Version: 2020-03-02
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Text to speech
To my dear daughter Dominique, herself a wonderful
writer, who cried through parts of this story with me.
That told me her heart had been touched too.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Booklist
Title Page
Copyright
Note to Readers
Dedication
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EPILOGUE
Extract
About the Publisher
CHAPTER ONE
THOUGH OFFICE HOURS for patients ended at 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and the receptionist had gone, Dr. Nico Barsotti didn’t say good-night to his last patient until five thirty Tuesday evening. Even after diagnosing her with strep throat and writing out a prescription, he still couldn’t call it a night. Before he could grab a bite in town on his way home, he needed to check on his nine-year-old patient, Tommaso Coletti.
Once he’d said good-night to his nurse who would lock up, he walked through the Hospital of the Three Crosses in the capital city of Domodossola to the pediatric floor in the other wing. The boy had suffered a ruptured appendix on Monday evening. Dr. Sala had performed the surgery, but Nico was his physician. He needed to follow up on the course of IV antibiotics he’d ordered and study the latest lab tests.
Nico nodded to the charting nurse at the station before walking into the room. He’d expected to see at least one of the boy’s parents. Instead he beheld a sight that brought him to a halt.
Sitting in a chair next to the bed reading to him was a woman probably in her midtwenties who had luminous golden hair that fell to her shoulders. She wore a light blue volunteer lab coat over a dark blue dress. He caught a glimpse of her lovely profile and moved closer to discover she was reading a book popular with children.
Adriano, il Cane di Pompei was the story of a special stray dog who saw ancient Pompei as a magical place with its archaeological sites. The smile on Tommaso’s face meant he was enjoying it. Who wouldn’t be mesmerized by the woman’s voice? She read it with all the charm and allure of a great storyteller.
He waited until she’d finished before walking over to the other side of the bed. His gaze met hers. Between her light sea glass blue eyes and golden hair, he couldn’t look anywhere else. Nico knew he’d seen that beautiful face before. But where?
The blonde knockout reminded him of a celebrity, but he couldn’t think which one. She gave him an enticing smile she probably wasn’t aware of. That’s when he remembered. Last month she’d been eating in the hospital cafeteria with Mia Giancarlo, one of the nurses. He recalled she’d been wearing a silky print blouse and skirt, her womanly figure transformed. Her image had stayed in his mind, and he’d been looking for her ever since.
“Look who’s here, Tommaso,” she said. “It’s Dr. Barsotti.”
The boy turned his head in Nico’s direction, his eyes excited. “Dottore—”
“Ehi, Tommaso. I can see you’ve been well entertained. Come stai?”
“Fausta has been reading to me!”
Fausta? The name rang a bell.
Santo cielo! Now it was all coming back to him. Princess Fausta Rossiano in the flesh.
“How do you do, Princess?” he said as he checked the IV bag and took Tommaso’s vital signs. “He’s a lucky boy to receive a visit from you.”
“I’m the lucky one, dottore.”
“Her name’s Fausta,” Tommaso corrected him.
Nico smiled to himself.
The three daughters of King Victor, ruler of the small country of Domodossola that touched on the borders of France, Switzerland and Italy, were known for their beauty. During these last few years there’d been two royal marriages, and their pictures had been on TV and in the newspaper. Nico ought to know since the magazines in his office put there for the patients were filled with royal news. There’d been constant speculation that the third stunning princess would be marrying a royal prince in the near future.
He shouldn’t be surprised that the yet unmarried daughter of the royal family would actually volunteer her time this way. They did a lot of admirable philanthropy for the country. Her friendliness had won over his patient.
“When can I go home?”
“You’re doing much better this evening, Tommaso. I’ll probably release you in the morning.” He turned to put some information into the computer.
“Not until then?” the boy muttered. “I’m fine now.”
“We must do what Dr. Barsotti says!”
Tommaso’s father had arrived. His wife followed him inside. Nico watched their interaction. Tommaso didn’t know how lucky he was to have loving parents. Nico had grown up in an orphanage run by the nuns. For years he’d been trying to find his parents and where he’d come from with no success.
After they thanked the princess for her time, she slipped quietly from the room. He gave instructions to the parents before he left to catch up with her. Strongly drawn to her by her appeal, he wanted to get acquainted, but other than staff, he saw no sign of her in the corridor.
He approached the charge nurse. “When did Princess Fausta start reading to the children?”
The other woman’s face broke into a broad smile. “She’s been a hospital volunteer for several months in the geriatric department. This week she was assigned to Pediatrics. So far, all the patients have been delighted. She has a real way with them. We’re excited she’ll be working with us until she’s transferred to another department.”
“When will she be here again?”
“Tomorrow. For the time being she comes on the afternoon shift four times a week.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Nico left the hospital, glad he had to wait only until tomorrow when he checked on another patient. Hopefully he’d find her here.
During the drive back to the palace in the limo, Fausta relived those moments in Tommaso’s hospital room when Dr. Barsotti had come in. Over the past two months she’d seen him several times from a distance when he’d come in to the hospital cafeteria. But they hadn’t actually spoken to each other until now.
Fausta hadn’t thought it possible to be attracted to another man after her heart had been broken four years ago. Dego Spinella had been her childhood sweetheart.
Dego’s father, Tano, had been the personal chauffeur for her father over the years. He, along with his wife and two children, lived in a house on the estate. Their son Dego was Fausta’s age. Along with her sisters, they’d all played outside together over the years. As they grew older, the friendship between Fausta and Dego grew into love.
They’d planned to go to the University of Domodossola together and then get married. But her dream was shattered when one day just before college started, her father told her that Dego was leaving for Rome, Italy, to attend college there. The king had made plans to pay for his lodging and tuition as his way of thanking Tano and their family for all their years of service.
In panic, Fausta had phoned Dego. “Why didn’t you refuse my father so we could be together?” she cried in despair. “That’s all you had to do!”
“How could I turn down his kindness, Fausta? As Papa said, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. Our family doesn’t have that kind of money. But you and I will phone and send letters. After graduation we’ll be together again and make plans for our future.”
What future? You’ve stabbed my heart, Dego.
Fausta’s father hadn’t forced him to go. It had all been up to Dego, but he hadn’t fought for their love.
“Cara?” he’d prodded when she hadn’t answered. “Tell me you understand. Of course I love you and am going to miss you, but he’s been so good to our family and he is the king.”
That’s right, and she’d been born the daughter of a king instead of a commoner like she’d wanted to be. “I understand more than you think.”
Fausta had never liked being royal and her parents knew it, but the years growing up around Dego had been idyllic. He wasn’t royal and they got along so perfectly, she knew a marriage between them would end in a lasting love match. Her plans for them to get a little home in the city where they could raise a family and live a normal life with children had been her dream.
But his willingness to leave her without begging her to go to Rome with him was worse than a betrayal. She’d thought their love had meant everything to him, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Fausta had been living in a fantasy world with no substance. Many times they’d come close to making love but had decided to wait until they were engaged.
His sudden departure had left her feeling heartbroken and betrayed. Her father had known she was in love with Dego and she knew he didn’t like it. But he wouldn’t have stood in the way of her marrying if Dego had loved her enough.
The fact that Dego had left for Rome without agonizing over them being torn apart said it all. The phone calls and letters from him came less and less, killing her feelings. In time she learned he’d married an Italian girl. Dego had been subtly bribed, and more than ever she hated that she’d been born a royal.
In the last four years there’d been no other man. She knew her parents were hoping she’d end up marrying one of the princes on their short list. But that would never happen! One day she’d find herself a commoner who couldn’t be bought for any reason!
Her thoughts flashed back to Dr. Barsotti.
The second she’d laid eyes on the family practice doctor with his dark fringed midnight blue eyes and black-brown hair, his image had filled her thoughts. At six foot three with a rock-solid physique and potently male, no other man could come close to him.
Just hearing about his virtues from her best friend, Mia, revealed qualities beyond his looks. Besides being twenty-eight and single, he wasn’t a baron, a count, a duke or a prince. Pure and simple, he was a nonroyal doctor, already a revered professional who she doubted could be intimidated, manipulated or bought at any price.
Once in her apartment at the palace, she phoned Mia because she’d promised.
“Fausta? I’ve been waiting to hear from you.”
“I just barely got home from the hospital after my first shift on the pediatric ward. It was so much fun.”
“I know how much you love kids.”
“I do.” Fausta adored children and looked forward to the day when she had a family of her own and an attentive husband who had no other duties than to come home at the end of the day and be with them.
“Any sightings of Dr. Barsotti?”
She gripped her cell phone tighter. “He came in to check on one of his patients while I was reading to Tommaso.”
“How did that go? I guess the doctor went into shock to see Princess Fausta Rossiano working there.”
Fausta’s breath caught. “I hope it was a good one.”
A small laugh escaped her friend’s lips. “Do you honestly know a man who wouldn’t be thrilled to get near you if he could?”
“Mia—”
“Stop pretending when you know it’s true.”
“The good doctor didn’t seem to care that I left the room. I could have been wearing a quarantine sign for his lack of interest.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re the daughter of King Victor, that’s why he played it cool. He doesn’t want to presume. Felipe is the same way when it comes to you.”
“I know.” Dr. Felipe Peletti, a friend of Dr. Barsotti’s in the same medical group, had been dating Mia. The two were in love. “There are certain lines they won’t cross.”
“I’m afraid most ordinary people, men in particular, have the same problem when it comes to your royalness,” Mia teased.
Fausta’s friend had never had that hang-up. They’d met in high school with no secrets between them. She was one of the few nonroyals who’d treated them like equals and Fausta loved her for it. “You mean my untouchableness.”
“If only the masses knew what a fun, easy person you are to be with.”
“Ditto. Now I’d better let you go. I know you have to be at the hospital first thing in the morning. See you for lunch at Babbo’s.” It was a trattoria around the corner from the hospital.
“Absolutely.”
“Ciao.”
Wednesday after office hours, Nico was elated to find the princess comforting his ten-year-old patient Gina. The girl suffered from a form of childhood absence epilepsy. Each seizure lasted ten to twenty seconds and ended abruptly. Two out of three children responded to treatment and the seizures usually disappeared by midadolescence.
He’d had her brought in for tests before he ordered medication for her. She was holding on to a new stuffed animal for dear life.
The princess looked up at him when he entered the room. She was a vision in a soft orange blouse and skirt beneath her lab coat.
“Here’s Dr. Barsotti, Gina.”
The girl looked frightened. “Are you going to give me a shot?”
He shook his head. “No. I just came in to see how you are doing.”
“Her mamma will be right back,” her visitor said with an entrancing smile.
Nico nodded before checking his patient’s vital signs. “In the morning you’ll be able to go home.”
“You see?” the princess assured her, patting her other arm.
“Am I going to die?”
“Of course not,” Nico answered her. “I believe this condition is going to go away by your midteens. Don’t be frightened by things some kids say to you. They don’t know what I know.”
A small smile broke out on her cute face. “Fausta brought me this white Lagotto hunting dog.” Fausta again. “She says her father has one.” That didn’t surprise Nico. The king was known to hunt. “I love him.”
The princess’s compassion and generosity impressed him. “I’d like to be a patient so she’d bring me one just like yours, Gina.”
“I might be able to arrange something,” their royal guest drawled without looking at him. She stood up as Gina’s mother came back in the room. “I loved spending time with you, Gina. Do everything the doctor says and I know you’ll get well too.”
“Do you have to go?”
“There’s another patient I have to visit, but I’ll keep you in my prayers.”
“Thank you for the dog.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Bless you, Princess,” her mother whispered. Their visitor was winning everyone over.
Like last evening, the princess slipped out of the room before Nico could stop her. He spent a few more minutes talking to his patient, then he left to find out where the princess had gone. The charge nurse said she was seeing a patient down the hall.
Nico waited and made phone calls for twenty minutes until she appeared and walked toward him. The second their eyes met, he realized how much he’d wanted to see her again.
He’d never been so drawn to another woman. That was the hell of it. She was a princess and had to be off-limits to a man who wasn’t of royal birth. At least he assumed as much, knowing her sisters had married royalty, plus listening to the speculation in the media of a royal marriage in her future. But he didn’t see an engagement ring on her finger.
“That was a generous gift you gave my patient.”
“I brought one for all the children and was happy to do it, but you have to know that what you said to her relieved her fear. It’s obvious you have a way with children.”
“You have your own magic.” He shifted his weight. “How much longer are you on duty?”
“I’m off now. Buona sera, Dr. Barsotti.”
He watched her walk away on those long slender legs. Unable to help himself, he followed her. “Princess?”
She turned around. Her exquisite blue eyes lit up. “Yes?”
“I’m headed for the cafeteria for a bite to eat. Would you care to join me before you leave the hospital? Or is there someone waiting for you?” Might as well find out right now.
“There’s no one. In fact, I’m headed to the cafeteria myself to get some work done. But first I need to get my laptop from my locker in the cloakroom off the cafeteria. If it’s all right with you, I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”
“That sounds perfect.”
Curious to know the nature of her work, he headed for the cafeteria. After going through the line, he found them a table. When she came in minus her lab coat, everyone stared at her. Whether she was a princess or not, her beauty drew attention, especially his.
She acted oblivious as she made her way to the table and put her computer on another chair. “I’ll be right back after I go through the line.” Upon her return he noticed she’d chosen coffee and a sandwich too. The second she sat down, she started eating. “Forgive me. I’m starving.”
“I can relate.”
Her gaze met his. “This afternoon I dropped in to see Tommaso and bring him a stuffed dog like the one in the story, but he wasn’t there. Obviously you released him this morning.”
Nico nodded as he drank his coffee. “If you’ll give it to me, I’ll pass it on to him when he comes in the office for a checkup. That’ll make his day.”
“He made mine. Thank you for offering. I’ll give it to you before you leave this evening. It’s in my locker.”
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you bring it to the pediatric floor tomorrow and leave it at the nursing station? I’ll meet you there after your shift has ended and take it with me. If you’re free, we could eat here in the cafeteria again.”
Her lips curved into another of those smiles he felt reach inside him. “I don’t normally have plans after work and would enjoy that very much.”
She radiated a warmth that crept under his skin, causing his pulse to race. How could it be that she wanted to be with him when she could have any man she desired?
“Bene.” He needed to focus before he got lost in those blue orbs. “Are you liking your volunteer assignment?”
She lit up. “I love it. If I’m blessed enough to be a mother one day, I plan to have a lot of children.”
Nico found himself envying the prince who would turn out to be her fortunate husband and father those babies. “What kind of work do you do that requires your laptop after volunteering here half the day?”
“I help fund-raise for my younger sister, Lanza. She’s in charge of setting up low income housing for veterans and others and setting up soup kitchens for the homeless. I spend my mornings calling on potential donors like CEOs who believe in helping with a financial contribution. In the evening I send them information and set up more appointments. That’s what I’m going to do right now.”