Whispers between the moon

CHAPTER THREE 

Good morning ’

Rafael walked into the living room. Ben was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room occupied with a pile of brightly coloured bricks. His aunt was beside him,he modded to her greetings and turned his attention back to Ben.

‘What are you making? he asked his nephew.

The tallest tower in the world’.Ben announced.

Rafael hovered around his nephew, taking notice of the way his aunt immediately shrank away 

Elena moved backwards across and lifted herself into a nearby armchair.she has hoped,at the fact that she and Ben would have the breakfast room to themselves,that it meant prince Rafael had gone.

She wished he had.

She felt awkward with him there, Even without a drop of royal blood in him,he would have been impossible to ignore.

By day,he seemed taller and his dashing looks automatically drew her attention. He was wearing jeans, open- necked shirt, clearly handmade.

Immediately she felt the full force of how shabbily she was dressed.

At least, apart from the brief nod in her direction,he wasn't paying any attention to her. It was all on Ben .

Resentment and embarrassment warred within her.

Ben was chattering away confidently, without a trace of shyness,his smiles sunny. He was like his mother.

Hindsight over the years since Lizzy's terrible death has made things clearer to her . Despite the way their parents had dotted on her , obsessed over her,she really had seemed to escape being spoilt. And yet, she'd known what she wanted and what she'd wanted was to be a model, to live a glamorous life.And that was what she'd done.

Disbelief etched through Elena for the hundredth time . 

That Lizzy had actually had an affair with Prince Rico of Valderra and Non of them had known. Not even his family let alone here.

How had they managed to cover it up? Even though she hadn't recognized Raphael, she'd still heard of him and his reputation.

The playbook Prince.Her gaze rested on him for a second.

He certainly has the looks for it, all right. Tall, broad shouldered, with strong, well- cut, aristocratic features.

And those eyes.

Dark ,long lashed, with flecks of gold in them if you looked deeply. Not that she could or would do that.

She looked away,it was completely irrelevant what he looked like. It has nothing to do with her.

All she had to be concerned about was how long she and Ben would have to hide here before they could go back home.

Ben had paused in his tower building. He was looking curiously at his helper.

‘Are you really my uncle?

Immediately,Elena stiffened 

‘Yes’, he answered, ‘You can call me Tio Raphael. That means Uncle Raphael.

My brother was your father, but he died . He was in the car crash with your mother.

Ben nodded,‘I was still growing in her tummy. Then I came out and she died’.

The prince's eyes were carefully watching his nephew.

We've finished the tower ‘,he announced. ‘what shall we make next?

I'm sorry Ben,I don't have time. I have to leave very soon, and first I must talk with your aunt.

He flicked his gaze to the figure sitting tensely in the armchair.she got to her feet jerkily. Raphael found himself regarding her without pleasure.

How could any female look so dire? No figure,no beautiful face and her hair like bush. His face flicked away again, and he did not see her face mottle with colour.

‘Please let's step outside,’ he said,as he headed towards the door.

He went through into a room that was evidently a library, courteously holding the door open for Ben's aunt,who walked hurriedly past him.

He took up a position in front of the fireplace. She stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

‘You had better sit down’. Very formal.

Elena tensed even more. What did he want to talk to her about? Hopefully it would be to tell her how long she and Ben had to stay here. 

She hoped it would not be long. She wanted to get Ben home again. Back to normal, Back to the cottage,where she could try to forget all about who Ben's father had been.

She took a seat on the long leather sofa facing the fire about ten feet away. The prince went on standing, which made Elena wished she had remained standing too.

He started to speak.

‘I hope you have begun to come to terms with what has happened. This has been a deep shock ; I acknowledged that’.

It just seems impossible. How on earth did Lizzy get to meet a prince.

Prince Raphael arched an eyebrow, ‘Not as impossible as you might think. Your sister's career as a model would have been taken her into the social circles frequented by my brother’.

‘How long are we going to stay here?’

She blurted out the question.

There was a heavy silence before the prince answered her.

Elena didn't care if she'd offended him,or annoyed him by asking a question like that.

‘It is expected that the News will break the story any day,’ I doubt the news can be put off any longer. 

As for how long the story will run, He took a deep breath. ‘That depends on how much the press are fed.

 she didn't want to leave Ben on his own any longer than he has to.

‘How long do we have to stay here? She urged again.

‘As long as it is necessary, I can't say not more than that.’

His expression changed, I'm returning to Valderra this morning.

I must report on the situation of things to my father. You and my nephew will stay here.

You will be well looked after, but you will not be allowed to leave the house.

Elena frowned.‘You don't imagine I want to run into any of those journalists ,do you?’

‘However ‘, The prince had started speaking again, but he broke off abruptly, ‘Si?’

His head swiveled to the door, which had opened silently.

A man stood there, quiet young but tough,he looked like a bodyguard.

Elena realized he said something in Italian and he prince nodded curtly. Then he turned his attention back to Elena.

‘ I'm informed by plane is on standby, Excuse me ,I must leave.

Elena watched him leave. It was frustrating not to know how long she would have to stay here,but presumably,not even the royal family could know exactly what the press would do.

She gave a mental shrug, there was no point getting angry over it.

She went back to Ben,he seemed to be taken all these in his stride, and she was grateful.

Rafael stood at one of the windows in his apartment in the palace.

It gave a dazzling view of the marina, with its brightly lit-up yatch.

Rico's apartments has been nearby, and had enjoyed similar views, His eyes shadowed.

His thoughts went back to that ramshackle cottage he'd extracted his nephew from,it has shocked him to find Rico's son living in that condition.

He had known it the instant he set his eyes on him. And so he had told his other brother Lucian

‘There won't be any need for DNA tests’, he'd told him.

‘And his aunt? What about her?’ Lucian had gone on.

‘Shocked. He'd decided not to tell his brother that she'd failed to recognize him. Lucian could find that darkly humourous.

Then Lucian picked up one of the modelling shots of Lizzy that was in the file Captain Octavia had compiled, and glanced at it.

‘Blonde bimbo like the sister?’ he asked casually.

Rico snorted,‘ You're joking, utterly plain’.

His brother laughed sardonically. ‘ well, at least that should stop the press from being interested in her.

She won't make a good copy if she has nothing to look at.

Rafael found himself frowning at Lucians comment.

It was a cruel way to speak about the girl even if it was true.

He shifted his mind away from her,His father, during a brief interaction with him,had made his wishes clear.And his instructions.

‘I leave you to handle the matter ‘,his father had said.

The News about his brothers unknown son broke the following morning, every French tabloid picked it up instantly.

There was nothing to be done about it, except ignore it.

His father ordered a policy of silence, and ordered that thing's should be carried on as if nothing has happened.

‘No comment’, became his only word's in half a dozen languages during the checkpoint

s and he couldn't wait to get back to his nephew again. He was counting the days.