Page 61 of Trapped with the Undercover Prince

Chapter Eleven

Zar took Anna to asmall dairy where the family that owned it had been producing and selling butter, cheeses, and ice cream for generations. The tiny shop was full of people, but the line moved quickly. In no time, they were outside enjoying the sunshine with their ice cream.

The people around them were Lerasians, one and all, and no one stared or tried to take a picture. He was proud of his people and their respect for the royal family. He wanted Anna to see that life as a royal wasn’t so bad.

“This is delicious,” she said, licking some ice cream off her handmade waffle cone. She glanced around and sighed. “You’re right. I think I need to give myself time to process everything that’s happened.”

“I have a suggestion.”

“Oh?”

“After we get you some clothes and visit the library, I want to take you out into the country to a place where I like to go to unwind. It’s private, so there won’t be any pressure from anyone.”

“That sounds really nice.” She slid him a crooked grin. “Will your mother approve?”

“I believe I can make a convincing argument.”

“Your almost proposal?” she whispered.

“That might be part of it.” Humor drained away. “We owe you a great debt, Anna. I won’t see your vacation turned into a circus. I want you to enjoy your time here with...us.” He’d almost said me.

“So, where is this place you want to take me?”

He shook his head. “It’s a surprise.”

They finished their ice cream, got back into his car, and made their way to the boutique his sisters insisted he take Anna to. He’d called ahead, so they should be ready for her.

He sat with a cup of tea this time and watched Anna try on outfit after outfit until she called a halt to it after about the tenth set of clothes she’d tried on.

“I like them all, but I can’t accept all this, Zar.”

“My mother is going to insist.” He batted his eyes at her until she laughed.

“Stop with the puppy dog eyes. Okay, okay, I’ll allow it, but after this, it’s just the ball gown. No more clothes.”

“As soon as the explosions stop, so will the replacing of your wardrobe.”

“Funny, how I now own three times as much clothing as when I started on this trip.”

“Shocking,” he agreed, unable to keep a half-grin off his face.

She went back into the change room to put on something other than the scrub uniform she’d gotten from the hospital and came out in designer jeans, sneakers, a solid blue top, and a leather jacket.

He requested to have the rest of her clothing sent to the castle and led her out and back into the car.

The library was only a five-minute drive away. They parked, and Zar bought Anna lunch across the street at a tiny restaurant that looked like it had been in business forever. They had soup with thick, brown, homemade bread that had a nutty flavor. It was delicious.

After they ate, he took Anna to the genealogy desk.

Anna gave the librarian her grandmother’s name, Cosette Schwitz, but after putting the name into their database, no one with the correct birthdate came up.

“It’s possible she changed her name,” the librarian said. “It was a common occurrence during the war to prevent the Nazis from punishing a captured underground operative’s family.”

“She never called herself anything but Cosette Brown. Brown was my American grandfather’s name. She swore her maiden name was Schwitz.”

“There’s nothing coming up under Schwitz or Brown, and without her full name, there are too many possibilities.”

“How many people were in the underground in Lerasia during the war?”

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