Falling for the Baldasseri Prince
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Rebecca Winters
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HarlequinCHAPTER ONE
“WELL, SIS. HAVE you made a decision yet?”
Francesca Visconti pored over the information on the computer in her bedroom. She’d been living at home with her parents since her graduation last week from the University of Milan in Italy to become a veterinarian. “After careful consideration, there’s an opening for a vet in France and one in Germany. Both sound promising.”
“But?”
“There’s another opening in Switzerland. Every professor of mine has talked about the head of that clinic. Dr. Daniel Zoller, the owner, is legendary. To get a position with him would be a dream come true. It’s located near a biosphere reserve in the most breathtaking country on earth. I’ve been looking at the videos. The place is fabulous!”
“Why do I get the feeling there’s a problem?”
“There are two actually.”
“Start with the first one.”
“One of the qualifications is that I would have to speak Romansh.”
“Why?”
She smiled at Rolf who stood next to her. “Because the clinic is located in eastern Switzerland where Romansh is only spoken by a small percentage of the population.”
“It must be tiny. You speak four other languages. That ought to be enough.”
“But not the one that will get me this coveted position.”
“How many qualified people applying will know that language?”
She blinked. “I have no idea.”
“If I were you, I’d apply for it anyway because you’ve got more outstanding credentials than anyone I know.”
Francesca looked up at him. “My fan club. What would I do without you?”
“If I recall, you were the one who encouraged me to go to graduate school in Paris. My French was horrible, but you helped me. Now I’m close to graduating and it’s all because of you.”
“I didn’t do that much, but thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now tell me the other problem.”
“It’s beyond serious.”
He sat on the corner of her desk. “I’m listening.”
“You and I grew up hearing about the battle between the House of Baldasseri in Switzerland and the House of Visconti in Italy. Three hundred years of fighting went on over the massive timber rights in eastern Switzerland they both claimed.”
“Yup. And when the Baldasseri family prevailed, the Visconti family never got over it. The feud carried down over the years. Papa said life in their household was a living nightmare.”
She nodded. “He’s always said his brother Stefano was the personification of their dictatorial father and grandfather. Once they were dead, he was determined to claim those timber rights for their family.”
“He’s out of control. Dad said that when Stefano became head of the family, he was such a tyrant, he wouldn’t even allow Papa to marry Mamma because she was a commoner. Dad married her anyway and Stefano turned it into a scandal that fed the media news and drove our father away.”
“It’s a horrible story,” Francesca murmured. “Papa gave up his title for her and left Italy.”
“Thank heaven.”
“Agreed, but guess what? It looks like Stefano, in all his fury, has found a way at last to get his hands on those timber holdings.”
“How?”
“Did you watch the news last night?”
“No. I was out with Gina.”
“Well, at the end of the month, our estranged cousin Princess Valentina Visconti, our uncle Stefano’s only child, is marrying Prince Baldasseri of Scuol.”
“You’re kidding! How did he manage that?”
“Who knows, and now I have a real problem. Take a look at this map of eastern Switzerland.” She enlarged it for him. “The veterinarian clinic where I’d give anything to work is here in Zernez. The Baldasseri Palace is there in Scuol. The two towns are a twenty-minute drive apart.
“Do I dare apply for the position of veterinarian when my last name is Visconti, and Valentina Visconti is my cousin? What if word gets around that a Visconti is working at the clinic? I wouldn’t want to do anything that would create more trouble for Papa here in Switzerland. Not after Stefano drove him out of Italy with his cruelty.”
Her brother stood up for a better look. It took a second before he said, “Why don’t you make up a new name?”
“Rolf...”
“Impress the clinic owner by introducing yourself with a Romansh surname. Look up a bunch and let’s pick your favorite.” He grinned.
Her brother could be a rascal, but he had a brilliant mind. Following up on his suggestion, she produced a list of Romansh names. “Do you like Andrin?”
He shook his head.
“Here’s Gori.”
“No way.” They kept studying them until Rolf said, “How about Linard? It’s German Swiss for Leonhard and Lienhard.”
“Linard...” she said the name several times. “I like it.”
“That’s a keeper.” They both chuckled.
“Of course, I’d have to tell Dr. Zoller everything first. And if a miracle happened and I got the job, I would have to find a place to live in Zernez.”
“Let’s look at some rentals right now.”
She researched available housing. “Oh, Rolf. Look at all these darling Swiss chalets. It’s like wonderland.”
He nodded. “The prices are reasonable too.”
“I really like this apartment. It’s adorable with all those window boxes full of flowers.”
“Better investigate the inside first.”
She studied the information on the home page. “It says two bedrooms.” To her delight the interior looked exactly like what she wanted. “It’ll be available in a week. If I lived there, you and Gina could come and stay with me sometimes.”
“You can count on it.”
She turned to him. “I’m getting ahead of myself, Rolf.”
“Have you filled out all the paperwork and application for that clinic?”
“Yes, but I’ve been afraid to send it.”
“Don’t forget our father’s favorite slogan. ‘What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.’”
She jumped up and gave him a hug. “I’m so glad you’re home this weekend. I’m going to send it in right now and see what happens.”
Three days later Francesca received a response asking her to come for the initial interview to discuss the scope and expectations of the position. “At least I wasn’t denied an interview right off,” she told Rolf on the phone. He’d gone back to Paris.
“What name did you use?”
“Visconti. I had to since all my work and transcripts have my name on them.”
“I get it. Just remember. This is only the beginning, Francesca. When is the interview?”
“Tomorrow at one o’clock. I’m going to take the train and rent a car after I get there.”
“Sounds exciting. Call me tomorrow after you’ve met the paragon.”
“You know I will.”
At four in the afternoon of the next day, Francesca felt like she was floating on a cloud. She got in the rental car, deciding to drive back to Bern. She needed to process all that had happened. Hunger drove her to stop at a drive-through for a meal. While she ate, she phoned her brother.
“Rolf Visconti?”
“Francesca?” he cried.
“This is Dr. Linard who has promised to learn Romansh as fast as possible.”
“I knew it! You got the position!”
“It’s all so wonderful, he’s so wonderful, I don’t know where to begin. When I explained about Papa and the Visconti family, Dr. Zoller said he’d arrange for a government regulator to give me a waiver to use a different name at the clinic. Can you believe it?”
“I can, and I think you’re too excited to talk coherently.”
“I am.” Tears poured down her cheeks. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for pushing me into sending in my papers. The clinic is incredible, and my position includes occasionally working with a biologist at the nearby bioreserve. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I’m so grateful.”
“No one has studied harder or deserves it more.”
“Thanks, dear brother. While I’m still here, I’m going to drive to that apartment and see if it’s still available. Depending on the outcome, I’ll put down a first month’s rent.”
“How soon does he want you?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Whoa. Are you ready to plunge in?”
“You can’t imagine how excited I am to get started on my career.”
“Well, I couldn’t be happier. Mamma and Papa will be over the moon for you.”
“I know. I need to call them now. Love you. Talk to you soon.”
“Hey, buddy.”
The dog lifted his head from the blanket, making a welcoming sound. But he didn’t jump off the end of the bed and run to Vincenzo like he used to do.
With a heavy heart Vincenzo walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him. “You feel horrible, don’t you? You’re not alone,” he murmured. “Forgive me for leaving you on your own for part of this Thursday. I had an official duty to perform and couldn’t take you with me. We’ll go visit Daniel first thing in the morning. He’ll know how to help you.”
The vet had to do something. Vincenzo knew that his dog, an unfailing source of love and devotion over the last seven years, was on his last leg. But he couldn’t imagine losing him, not yet.
His dog watched him while he got ready for bed. As he was throwing on a robe, his cell phone rang. Vincenzo assumed it was either his mother or his younger sister Bella. He loved and missed her. She was away on vacation with her best friend Princess Constanza in Lausanne, Switzerland. But she loved their dogs too and worried about Karl. Vincenzo was anxious to talk to her, but when he went to click on, he saw the caller ID.
A call from Prince Rinieri Baldasseri of San Vitano, the second cousin he loved, came as a surprise. He worried that something else could be wrong with him since his tragedy and clicked on. “Rini?”
Instead of hearing him speak Romansh, Rini broke out in fluent Italian and didn’t stop. Vincenzo was fluent in both as well as German and English. His cousin sounded so incredibly happy, he sank down on the side of the bed in shock.
After Rini had first gone missing presumed dead and then lost his memory in an earthquake last month only speaking Romansh, it was nothing short of a miracle to hear him sound and act like the old Rini.
“Hold on, Rini. Run all this by me again. Slower this time. Explain to me what’s happened since we last spoke.”
“My world has changed! Luna asked me to take her to Venice. When the fireworks went off, I’d been asleep and thought I was back in the mine when the earthquake hit the area. I jumped out of bed, needing to save the other miners. But before I could climb out the window, Luna grabbed me and held me back.
“She told me the booming sounds I heard were coming from the yearly fireworks show. After I could process everything, I suddenly realized I was with her. I also saw we were in the same hotel room we’d used during our honeymoon. Everything came back to me.”
Beyond elated, Vincenzo got to his feet. “I’m overjoyed for you, Rini. I hear your euphoria and can’t tell you how happy this makes me.”
“I’m hoping to make you even happier. You don’t have to act in my place any longer. I know how much you hated the whole idea of having to be King one day. So, I’ll go on being the Crown Prince as if the amnesia had never happened. You’re off the hook for something you never wanted in the first place.”
“Thank heaven.” Vincenzo closed his eyes for a moment over this news that had turned his life around once more in the most astounding way.
“You, my friend, can now get back to your life and your coming marriage. I spoke to the grandparents last night. They’ll be forever grateful to you for stepping in when you did.”
Vincenzo could scarcely contain his excitement. “I’ll be on my knees to your wife for suggesting you go to Venice. Fireworks of all things. Who would have dreamed...?”
“None of us. And guess what else? We’re going to have a baby!”
That meant the line of succession would go on with Rini’s children. How wonderful for them. “You can’t ask for more than that, you lucky dude. We’ll talk again soon.”
“Luna and I want you to bring your fiancée and come to dinner at the palazzo. I’ll call soon to set a time.”
“Sounds terrific.” The two cousins had been close friends since childhood. “Welcome back, Rini. I’ve missed you.”
“Ditto.”
They both hung up. Vincenzo walked over to the dog in a daze and gave him another hug. Would that there might be one more miracle to transform his life. The engagement to Valentina Visconti had been his parents’ horrendous idea from the start.
Vincenzo had never met Valentina and had only seen pictures of her in the news. Upon a first meeting a year ago, he knew he could never love her. The last thing he wanted to do was marry her. Vincenzo couldn’t bear the thought of it, but it had been his father Marcello’s dying wish.
Vincenzo’s mother wanted the marriage at all costs too because Valentina came with the last name of the most powerful family in Italy. Of all the eligible princesses, his mother felt Valentina to be the grand prize, a fact she never let Vincenzo forget.
Marcello had been the second son of Alfredo Baldasseri, King Leonardo’s brother, and had always felt a failure, never getting recognition, never measuring up. But in this one area where he could please the whole Baldasseri family and his wife, Marcello had exacted a deathbed promise from Vincenzo to marry Valentina.
The guilt had weighed heavily on Vincenzo to be the good son, something he couldn’t ignore. Now that his father had passed away, his mother was determined he would follow through. She was close to irrational about it.
He knew in his gut Valentina didn’t want to marry him either. When he’d said as much to her in the beginning, she’d played dumb and wouldn’t admit anything. But he knew she was hiding something. At that point he realized she didn’t dare fight her powerful father Stefano Visconti and Vincenzo knew why. Through him, Stefano was using his daughter to get at the Baldasseri timber fortune, a treasure the Visconti family coveted. His hold on Valentina was as binding as the vow Vincenzo’s parents had forced out of him.
If only he could find a legitimate way to prevent the farce of the coming marriage...
Friday morning Daniel Zoller’s eyes lit up when Francesca let herself in the back door of the veterinary clinic a few minutes before eight-thirty. The owner and head veterinarian of the Zoller Veterinary Clinic let out a sigh of relief. “Good. You’re early. I have a patient in one of the examining rooms already. Dr. Peri is in another one. The bad news is, I found out our receptionist might be late coming in.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll run the waiting room until Haida gets here.”
“Bless you. I don’t understand how we were so lucky you applied for the opening here. You’ve only been with us two weeks, and already I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
The warmth of the genius vet made him everyone’s favorite whether they were a coworker or patient. She smiled. “I love being here and working with the legend. Thank you, Daniel.”
As she’d learned earlier, the job required fluent Italian, English, German and a passable ability to speak Romansh. She’d thought the last would disqualify her, but Rolf hadn’t let her be discouraged by her fears. Her brother had forced her to believe in herself.
Daniel had been so impressed with her credentials, he’d hired her anyway with the understanding she’d learn Romansh. Having vowed to learn the language of the people in the area, she’d been studying it on her off hours and practiced it everywhere she went.
The middle-aged doctor disappeared through a door that led to the main hall with examining rooms on either side. Twenty-four-year-old Francesca walked over to a closet and put on a fresh uniform. She fastened the knee-length light blue outfit with short sleeves and headed down the same hall to the front of the building.
After becoming a fully certified doctor of veterinarian medicine from the University of Milan, Italy, Dr. Francesca Giordano Visconti had investigated career opportunities. The one that had appealed most had been the opening here in Zernez. The village itself was a Tyrolean fantasy. To be working in the mountains where she could ski in winter and hike in summer thrilled her heart.
Francesca had found a great apartment and couldn’t be more excited to do the work. She’d dreamed of being a vet since she was a little girl with a succession of dogs she’d treated like babies. Her parents had indulged her because she’d always loved animals and had been an outstanding student.
Excellent marks in academics had gotten her through high school early and she’d pushed ahead, graduating first in her class at the university. To her joy, that achievement had won Dr. Zoller’s approbation.
Francesca couldn’t be happier as she entered the reception room and sat down at Haida’s desk. A list of scheduled appointments for the day would keep the clinic busy.
While she waited for the ten o’clock patient to arrive for a weekly checkup, she got on the computer to study a new list of Romansh vocabulary words. She heard voices as lab technicians and animal care workers had shown up to get busy. When the buzz of the front door sounded, Francesca lifted her head, then let out a quiet gasp.
It couldn’t be—but it was.
Prince Vincenzo Baldasseri!
The Crown Prince of the Baldasseri royal family of San Vitano, a country on the Swiss/Italian border, had just entered the clinic. He’d come in with a medium-sized male Bernese Mountain Dog on a leash.
As she’d told Rolf, she’d known that the Prince’s immediate family, including his beautiful sister Princess Bella, lived in the Baldasseri Palace in nearby Scuol, Switzerland, a village where the royals had been born and raised. He ran the timber business for the Baldasseri monarchy.
Still, Francesca couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Over the last five years she’d watched various clips of him on the news. She’d also studied more videos on the nearby Biosphere Reserve since applying for the position here. The Prince had been featured in several of them where he explained his family’s interest in preserving it for the future.
She’d thought the tall, dark, brown-haired royal had to be the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen in her life. In fact, she’d played the video several times, which was totally unlike her.
Though Francesca had dated here and there, she’d had no serious relationships. That would come later. School had been her priority. The idea of meeting and falling in love with a man as breathtaking as Prince Vincenzo would be pure fantasy.
Since he was engaged to her cousin, she was more than ever thankful she’d thought up a different last name and could use it. Estranged from the Visconti family before Francesca and Rolf had been born, her parents had moved to Bern, Switzerland. Her father had started a packaging business there that flourished. She and Rolf were total strangers to the other members of the Visconti family.
When she’d been hired for this vet position, she’d told her father she would be using a different last name. That way she could avoid notoriety as a Visconti while she worked in Switzerland near the Baldasseri royal family in Scuol. She’d been way ahead of her father’s wishes on that score.
“Buongiorno,” she called to the Prince.
He approached the desk with a look of worry on those hard-boned features that made him so handsome. “I haven’t seen you here before.” His deep male voice resonated to her insides.
“No. I’m new.”
After studying her with an intensity that reached inside her, he said, “I don’t have an appointment, but I need to see Daniel about my dog. Is he here?”
Everyone wanted Daniel. “He’s in with another patient.” She glanced at the wonderful dog with the tricolored coat who stayed near his master. He was the male version of her adorable Mitzi, another Bernese Mountain Dog she’d loved before leaving for medical school. “May I help you?”
“Thank you, but Karl is used to Daniel. How long do you think he’ll be?”
“I have no idea. Maybe if you’d explain the problem to me?”
He checked his watch. No doubt he was in a hurry. “Karl has heart disease that causes him to cough and faint. But today I’ve brought him in because he now has a lump below his right eye. Is Dr. Peri here?”
“I’m sorry. He’s with another patient. But I can try to help you. I’m Dr. Linard.”
“You’re a vet?”
Others had reacted the same way. She knew she looked young and obviously didn’t have Daniel’s experience. Heat swept into her cheeks. “I’ve only been here two weeks.”
“Congratulations. You must have replaced Dr. Zenger. Daniel wouldn’t pick anyone to work here who isn’t the best.”
“Thank you but give me ten years and then tell me that again.” An unexpected smile broke out on his face. The man’s looks and charisma melted her to the floor. “Until Daniel can see you, why don’t you bring Karl in the examining room and we’ll take a look.”
He nodded and they followed her down the hall to one of the rooms. She put her stethoscope around her neck, and checked him out. Karl indeed had a heart condition and wouldn’t survive much longer. She leaned over to examine the dog’s darling face. Memories of Mitzi assailed her. The Prince held on to him. She touched the lump and moved it around.
“That’s very fleshy and could be an abscess.” She looked up into the Prince’s vivid blue eyes fringed with dark lashes staring at her intently. “Was he kicked or hit by something?”
“Not that I know of. It’s been there for a while. I thought it would go away, but today I realized it has grown bigger.”
“Hmm. How old is he?”
“About seven years now.”
“Has the fainting grown worse?”
“It’s been happening more and more after he exercises.”
“I see.” This breed had a life span of six to seven years. Francesca knew all about it. Her dog had died at six years while she’d been away at the university. She moved the lump again. “I don’t feel a bone in it, so tell you what. In case it’s an infection, I’m going to give him an antibiotic.”
Francesca walked over to the corner where she kept her microscope and supplies. After filling the syringe, she returned to give him a shot. “Good boy. You handled that like a man.” She bent down to ruffle his head and tickle him. To her surprise the dog licked her face the way Mitzi used to do.
The Prince chuckled. “He likes you. I haven’t seen him do that to anyone but me.”
“He knows I like him too.” She stood up. “Take him home over the weekend and bring him back midweek. If it’s worse, I’ll open it up and take a look to see what’s going on. But today we’ll give him a break. We don’t want Karl to be in pain, do we? Not when he’s struggling with a bad heart.” She patted him. This time he licked her hand. “You’re a sweetheart.”
“He feels the same about you,” came the deep voice again. “When I bring him back, he won’t have any problem letting you handle him.”
His comments touched her. “We can hope,” she teased with a smile.
“Tell Daniel I came by.”
“I will. May I have your name?” As if she didn’t know.
“Vince. He’ll know who I am and bill me,” he murmured and turned to leave with his dog.
Vince... So the Prince shortened his name.
“A revair, Karl.”
The Prince paused at the door. “You speak Romansh too?”
“I’m trying to learn it as fast as I can. In case your dog understands it, I hope he’ll forgive me if my pronunciation needs more improvement.”
Their eyes met. “I understand it too. You said it perfectly.” His gaze swept over her. “Daniel knew what he was doing when he hired you, Dr. Linard.”
With that compliment, he and Karl left the room. As they walked toward the reception area, Francesca took in his casually dressed six-foot-three, rock-hard physique. Talk about an unforgettable man. As for Karl, the black-and-white dog with the rust markings couldn’t be more adorable, bringing back memories of her own dog. How sad his life was coming to an end.
