Page 1 of Falling for the Widowed Prince

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OCTOBER 24, 2010

Madeleine Woodward popped a bit of chocolate in her mouth as she stared at the colored lights on her pre-lit Christmas tree. “That is a ridiculous article.”

Her best friend, Liana, just laughed. “It’s all in good fun. Kind of. Mostly. I don’t make fun of you for having your tree up two months early.”

“That’s a family tradition I love. Which member of the royal family is the most attractive doesn’t seem like an article worthy of our time or interest.” She reached for her drink. “I think I’ll pass.”

Liana rolled her eyes. “I know you work at the palace, but not everyone does. Most people think it’s fun. They list like ten people here, but there’s only three really viable options. Prince Anthony, of course. The Duke of Lancheshire and Earl of Farnesworth are part of the royal family, even if a bit further removed. The rest are back at least four generations, but still technically part of the family. They picked the duke as the most attractive. Can’t blame them.” She sighed and fell back into her chair. “Those blue eyes and the silver fox thing he’s got going on…”

Madeleine didn’t say anything, but she would choose differently.

“Wait.” Liana sat back up. “Maaaad-eeee-leiiiiine,” her sing-song voice made Madeleine wince. “You used to tell me you thought Prince Anthony was a cutie.”

Heat crept up Madeleine’s neck then her cheeks. “I said he was cute once, when the engagement was announced. That was like twelve years ago.”

“Eleven-and-a-half,” Liana corrected.

“Close enough.”

“You still think he’s the best-looking though, don’t you?” Reaching for a snack on the table, Liana had that twinkle in her eye. The one Madeleine normally didn’t mind, but this time caused her to grow wary. “You’ve met him. Are his eyes as dark as they look in photographs?”

Madeleine gave a half-shrug. “I’ve met him a few times. He’s always polite. He knows I’m the historian and has asked me to research something a few times, but most of the communication was done through one of his aides. Besides, he’s married, and deeply devoted to the queen.”

She almost said more but bit her tongue. Everyone knew the two of them were madly in love, but to even hint that she’d personally seen how he took care of the queen would violate the oath she took after she was hired, as well as her own private code of ethics.

Time to move on. “Fine. He’s an attractive man. Most of the country thinks so. I still can’t believe you read these magazines and the nonsense they spew. Not with how often you’re in them.”

Liana gave another roll of her eyes. “I read them when I need a laugh. I know I’m not having affairs with like ten different guys.” She flipped the page. “Plus I need to see just how far down we are on the cheesiest shows of the decade.”

“You know how I would answer,” Madeleine told her around her next bite of chocolate. “The absolute cheesiest.”

“Only because you can’t even name any other shows on the telly right now.”

“You’re right. I’ve only watched one current show on the telly in years, and you know it. I have no idea what other shows are on, what the recent movies are or what the upcoming ones will be. I don’t really care. I love my history books and documentaries. The stories they tell are at least as intriguing as anything you’ve watched.”

Instead of flipping to the next page, Liana looked at her watch. “I’ve got to run. I have an early morning call time.” She squeezed Madeleine’s shoulder. “At least you know I’m on the telly.”

“Only because I know you’d disown me if I didn’t.”

Liana laughed. “Ciao!” She let herself out the main door to Madeleine’s flat.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Madeleine locked the door and finished her nighttime routine. She didn’thaveto be at work early, but she did have a newly discovered book, this one several hundred years old, to look through. It wasn’t as old as some of the ones in the Hall of History, but the oldest one where she’d had the privilege of cataloging the contents.

Those old books were full of stories - dashing heroes engaging in daring sword fights to protect the damsels in distress. There were plenty of damsels who could take care of themselves, too, but they tended to get less space. The history of Eastern Novigradia was male dominated - as many histories were. A few women had made a name for themselves, but usually only for a moment in time, not a life-long story.

Putting it out of her mind, Madeleine slid under the covers and pulled them up to her chin. It wouldn’t be long before the nearly eternal night was upon them. Already the days becamemuch shorter and the time between sunset and sunrise was growing each night.

Fortunately, black out curtains were a thing for the other half of the year.

Madeleine woke earlier than expected, and definitely not well-rested. She’d dreamt, she knew that, but she couldn’t remember a thing about them, except they left her unsettled. Something odd had been going on at the palace before she left work the day before. Maybe that had something to do with it.

She arrived at her desk an hour earlier than normal, admiring the Christmas decorations that had started to appear. Before she could open the new book, paperwork needed to be done.

Always paperwork.

As soon as she locked her computer to go to the other room, the phone on her desk rang.

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