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And he was going to be so pissed at her.
How could she have done this? She’d meant for it to be a short visit, and now—
“I am so sorry, Prince Armin,” she said, ducking her head. “I didn’t meant to intrude. I was on my way out of an interview when an incident with a ball led me to meeting Lily and Seraphine—” She shook her head, mortified at the jumble of words coming from her mouth. “I should be going. It was lovely to meet you, girls. I—” What could she say to two orphans who were now set to become princesses? “I hope you have a wonderful day.”
Lame. So completely lame.
And then, to add insult to her own injury, she turned back to Prince Armin. “The girls seem so happy here.” She wanted to clap her hand over her mouth. “I’m—I’ve got to go.”
He moved in front of her with the grace of a tiger, his blue eyes locked on hers. “What makes you say that?”
“That I have to go? Well, I need to meet with some other people, and—”
“What makes you think they seem happy here?”
Behind her, the twin girls engaged in a tug-of-war over the notepad.
“They seem so…open and friendly,” she said honestly. “I won’t pretend to know what they’ve been through, but they’ve both been so pleasant and welcoming to me.”
This was not how meeting royalty was supposed to go, not in the least. Katie didn’t know if she should bow, walk out of the room backward, or disappear in a puff of smoke. Right now, the puff of smoke seemed like a great option.
“Were you here applying for the position as their nanny?”
“I…was.”
“And?”
The prince was questioning her.
About a member of his own household.
This prince. Who made her feel breathless with just a look in his general direction.
“It…didn’t seem to be a good fit. Ms. Mirzoyan seemed to want something else out of a candidate, and I don’t want to step on any toes. I’ll see myself right out, sir, and—”
“I run my own household,” he said, his voice on the edge of a growl. “Ms. Mirzoyan assists me, that’s true, and this place wouldn’t function smoothly without her. But I make the final decision. And those two girls—” He gestured behind her “—haven’t taken to anyone like that in months. What’s your name?”
“Katie Crestley.” She straightened her back and dipped her chin a little, a good compromise between a handshake and a curtsy.
“Well, Ms. Crestley—if you want it, the job is yours.”
“Oh, I—you have no idea how much—yes.” Katie straightened up and pressed her lips together. “Yes. I want the job.”
“Excellent. I’ll inform Ms. Mirzoyan. You’ll start first thing in the morning.”
2
Three weeks.
Twenty-one days.
Nearly a month.
Katie couldn’t believe how quickly the time had flown. It was as if Armin had snapped his fingers and made the days disappear.
He’d plunged her straight into her new job the next morning. A scowling Ms. Mirzoyan had shown her the basics of the afternoon schedule on an off day as she moved her things into the suite she’d be staying in—a snack, a music lesson, playing in the garden, dinner, reading, and bed. Once the two of them had been tucked into a nursery the size of three of Katie’s apartments, Ms. Mirzoyan had shown her to her own suite of rooms down the hall. The rooms were around a quiet corner, and while the space was much smaller than the girls’ suite, the furnishings were the same understated quality. Delicate polished wood. Fine sheets and blankets.
Katie could get used to that.
