The Prince's Nanny Read Online Free PDF

where she’d seen the prince that morning.  If it was run-down, Sabrina couldn’t tell.  It was just the most magnificent house she’d ever seen.
    “I will give you a brief tour, then I must excuse myself,” he said.  He called to his children who had gone outside to tell the kitchen staff there would be an extra guest for dinner.
    “Can we have b occoncini ?” Caterina asked.
    “Ask the cook,” Vittorio said.
    The tour he gave her was brief.  The villa was so large Sabrina was sure she’d need a map to find her way.  Actually there was a map on the wall of the library of the estate drawn in the fifteen hundreds.  Sabrina hoped she’d have another chance to visit the library with its huge comfortable over-stuffed chairs and tall stacks of books in every language.  Vittorio moved on to the portrait gallery where he stopped to name his ancestors on the wall.  Some wore crowns, some wore military uniforms.  She could see a family resemblance, but none were as out and out gorgeous as the current prince.
    On the second floor there was a narrow ancient Roman staircase lined with mosaic.  When Sabrina asked where it led to, the prince enlightened her.
    “It only goes to the tower which is off-limits.  No one’s been up there for years because it’s no longer structurally sound.  Legend has it that a princess in the 16 th century was locked in by her father until she agreed to marry the man he’d chosen for her.  She swore she’d rather die first, and when he went to let her out a few days later, she’d vanished.  My grand-mother always told us to be on the lookout for the ghost of Allesandra.”
    “I’ll bet the girls love that story.”
    He shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or another, then turned and led the way to her suite.  The same suite where other nannies had been forced to leave when they either gave up or were fired.
    “It’s lovely,” she said, admiring the high ceiling with the ornate wainscoting, the pale drapes and the private balcony with a wide view of the lake sparkling in the distance.  Next to the bedroom was a study and a large bath with a steam room and a huge deep soaking tub.  Stacks of white fluffy towels and a fleecy robe hung just waiting to be wrapped around her.  It would take an earthquake or other natural disaster to force her to leave this sumptuous setting of her own accord.  When his cell phone rang the prince excused himself.
     As he walked out of the room she heard him say the name Aurora, and though he spoke in Italian, she heard him mention something about a nanny.  No doubt telling his fiancée that he’d hired Sabrina.  Then he raised his voice and spoke angrily.  Or did it just sound angry to her untrained ears?  Wouldn’t the woman be happy to have the girls taken care of so she could have the prince’s attention for herself?
    A moment later, as if they’d been waiting for their father to leave the room, the twins appeared at her door, their tiaras and ballet shoes gone.
    “We’re having bocconcini for dinner,” Caterina said, hopping up and down on one foot.  “I told the cook you’ve never had them.”
    “That’s right,” Sabrina said, sitting on the edge of her bed.  She was so tired she wanted desperately to slip between those soft sheets and take a nap, but she didn’t know what she was supposed to do.  She was afraid to relax, in case she missed something important or was summoned by the prince.
    “Can we help you unpack your clothes?” Gianna asked, pointing to the suitcase someone had delivered to the room.
    She’d barely had time to say yes and a minute later the twins were holding up one pair of shorts, one pair of pants and her one and only dress, a cotton sundress with thin straps and a cotton blazer and several skirts.  She could tell they were disappointed in her clothing choices. And at how few outfits she’d brought.  They kept looking at the empty suitcase as if there might be a secret compartment