“I'm surprised to see you here at ten in the morning,” Donna murmured as she entered the dining room and saw Tiana seated at the head of the table with a coffee cup in her hands and a device next to her.
“Join me, please.” Tiana nodded to the maid who immediately went to get a plate for her. “It's Christmas Eve and we have several celebrations to attend. I'm trying to decide which ones I can get out of. We usually spend Christmas Day as a family here at the palace.”
Donna sipped her coffee in appreciation and felt when it revived her. “That’s nice,” he said absently as she dug into her omelet without much interest.
“And you'll be required to make a speech,” Tiana continued.
“Okay.”
“Donna!”
She blinked and looked at the slender woman at the head of the table. “Yes?”
“Honey, you haven't heard a word I just said.”
“I'm sorry,” Donna said ruefully. “I think my husband hates me more now than before.”
“What happened?”
“I seduced him last night.”
Tiana stared at her openmouthed. “That’s wonderful!”
“He told me succinctly to stay away from him.”
“That’s a defense mechanism. He's probably angry at how he reacted to you.”
“I think so too. But if I know him, and I'm beginning to, he's going to do his very best to avoid me.”
“But you aren't going to let him.”
“I see you're beginning to know me as well,” Donna said with a faint smile.
“Good,” Tiana said briskly. “I have a full day and I'd like you to be with me for all of it!”
*****
Thomas watched her through the heated discussion at the Christmas dinner the next day. He'd stayed away from her for the entire day following the night of their torrid lovemaking, cursing her to perdition because he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind and the feel and taste of her that had stayed with him throughout the night and the next day. He'd been with Francesco during a few business talks and had gotten dressed and gone with the family to a gala event at one of the hotels. He'd stayed far from her and she hadn't seemed to mind, dancing with several unattached men and sitting in a group with Tiana and several women. He'd heard her rich laughter and watched as her face lit up each time she laughed. Her blush rose dress had fit her to perfection and her thick dark hair had shone from the overhead light.
Now they were seated at the dinner table and she was having a conversation with Francesco, who seemed to be enjoying it immensely.
“I made the tour with your wife today and I must say that I'm impressed with the economical strategies you put in place. You've thrown the doors open to immigrants and are using taxpayer’s money to educate the ones who need educating. Your own wife is on board with all of it and is using her skills as an educator to make it work. I also noticed that the streets are free of homeless people. How did you make that happen? I cannot believe that everyone here has homes of their own and that nobody is going through hard times. If that's the case, I'm going to insist that you come to America and tell our politicians there how it's done.”
“We have shelters for the homeless—an ongoing project of ours to make sure that everyone is fed and kept out of the cold.” Francesco told her as he sipped his wine and gave her his full attention. “My wife came up with the idea that instead of feeding them and giving them a bed for the night, we should consider having a place for them to stay, especially for the winter, and food for them to eat during the day. Not only that, but the ones who are capable of working get to do some sort of job and earn something as well. It gives them a sense of self-worth. We're constantly raising money towards that cause.” He sent a tender smile to his wife before looking back at Donna. “It's working better than expected.”
Donna nodded as she dug into the Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni. “It's something that we should consider in our country. I've been lobbying for something like that for years, but nothing has been done so far,” she said with a grimace. “Politicians sit on their collective asses—please excuse my French,” she apologized with a smile. “They sit in hotel rooms and sumptuous offices and make a lot of noise with little results. It's highly frustrating.”
“Why don’t you do something about it?” Francesco asked with an amused glint in his dark eyes.
“I've written several petitions and sent them to the White House but suffice it to say that they've been ignored. I usually spend my time off during the season serving at soup kitchens but I end up thinking about what will happen to them when they fill up on the foods we serve and then go back out there into the cold. I hate driving by in my very warm car and seeing them huddled in their inadequate clothing trying to shelter the weather.”
“What do you do?” Matteo asked curiously.
“I started traveling with used coats, sweaters, hats and gloves to hand out to them when I pass them. I also have boxes of sandwiches and cups of coffee that I purchase from the café on my way to work and a lot of people have started doing that as well. But what do you do after you've done that?”
“What can you do?” King Eduardo asked quietly.
“There's always something more than can be done. I volunteer at the children’s home as well. I grew up without a father but at least I had a mother who loved me,” she said soberly, before turning her head to look at Francesco. “But back to the immigration situation that you have somehow managed to contain. How did you do it? What made you decide to throw the gates wide open to admit these immigrants?”
“Most of them are here because of political reasons,” he said with a wave of one hand. “A few came on visitor’s visas and decided that they wanted to stay. We weighed the logistics and came up with the solution of interviewing them and seeing where we can make suggestions and provide solutions. Several of them come over to attend our excellent universities and want to stay and make their contribution to our county. Donna, you have a very fertile and enquiring mind, one that would serve this country well.”
Donnas eyebrows shot up and so did Thomas’, who hadn't made any contribution to the conversation at all.
“Are you offering me a job, your highness?”
“It is a standing offer,” he told her with a smile. “We could use someone like you.”
I will certainly think about it.”
“Good, now we go into the living room and have some wine and coffee.”
*****
“You offered her a job?” Thomas asked coldly after the room had emptied out and they were alone, having drinks by the fire.
Francesco shrugged eloquently. “She's a very intelligent woman.”
“She also happens to be married to me,” Thomas informed him with a bite. “You overstep, your highness.”
Francesco smiled at the formal address. “You're only married to her for a year. I'm sure that when you serve her the divorce papers, she won't want the embarrassment of working at your company and being near to you.”
“That is still a few months from now.” He got up and tossed back his drink, wandering over to the cabinet to pour himself some more. “You were looking at her as if she was the only one in the room.”