Royal's Wedding Secret Read Online Free PDF

intense, and more often than not, Victoria had been left to play on her own while Marnie worked. It was fine for a while. Victoria was a quiet, almost reserved child who could concoct whole worlds on her own, shimmering things with a logic that was closer to Wonderland than it was to the real world.
    However, she was also fiercely attached to her mother, and the time apart had been difficult on both of them.
    Both mother and daughter rose up bright and early, and Victoria appeared at Marnie's bedroom door, a rare wide smile on her face.
    "Did you forget, Mama? We're going to spend the day together."
    Marnie smiled in return. "Not at all, honey. I'm up, and I'm all set to spend the day with my favorite girl. What do you think we should do today?"
    "I want to go to the park," Victoria said promptly. "And then to get ice cream at the red shop."
    "You have obviously been thinking about this for a while," Marnie teased. "It's good. I respect people who have plans. But ice cream is a treat, not a meal. Where should we go to get a real lunch?"
    Victoria frowned ferociously, thinking. Marnie had decided early on that Victoria should have plenty of freedom, while understanding that freedom came with responsibility. So far, it seemed to be working.
    "Store?" she asked. "We could get salads."
    Or rather, Marnie could get a salad, and then Victoria could pick what she wanted to out of it.
    "That sounds like a fantastic idea," Marnie said. "We'll have some breakfast, and then we can head out, all right?"
    They were on the subway, Victoria watching out the window with avid eyes, when Marnie's phone beeped. It could have been Cassie, or her agent or any number of people, but she knew from the first moment she picked it up who it would be.
    I want to get to know Victoria. I want to get to know you again. I'm working on your schedule and your rules. Tell me the place and the time, and I'll be there .
    Marnie took several deep breaths. There it was. Perhaps a small part of her wished that he had decided to stay away. Then nothing would change and life could roll on as it always had. Still, she had gotten done telling Victoria just a few months ago that change was good, and that the change between staying at home and going to school was going to lead to great things.
    "Victoria, I need your attention right now."
    Victoria, who knew that her mother only used those words when she was serious, turned around to watch her with those liquid black eyes. Sometimes, it had been hard at the beginning to be reminded of Philip so often. Now she looked at them and only saw her daughter.
    "All right, Victoria, do you remember the man who sat next to you at the store last night? He talked with you a little bit?"
    "Yes …"
    "Well, he's … a very old friend of mine. A very good friend that I haven't seen since before you were born. He's in town again for the first time in years, and he wants to get to see me and to know you."
    Victoria nodded, processing this in her serious way. Sometimes, Marnie wondered if her daughter would be a writer too. She thought about everything with that same seriousness.
    "Now, I want you to understand that you can say no, but I was thinking it might be fun to invite him along today at the park."
    Victoria thought for a moment, and Marnie wondered what Victoria would say. If Victoria said no, she would arrange another meeting, but if she was honest with herself … she truly wanted her daughter—their daughter—to say yes.
    "I think you should invite him along," she said finally. "I liked him."
    "You did?" Marnie asked in surprise. She had heard from Victoria that she had talked with the dark-haired stranger, but she hadn't heard more than that.
    "I did," Victoria said decisively. "He talked to me like I was real."
    Real was Victoria's word for being spoken to seriously. Sometime around the age of three, she had learned to disdain baby talk, and whenever Marnie had forgotten, she would glare. As an adorable little girl, there