“She is well protected.” His face grew serious. “But she is alarmed over her grandchildren’s welfare. Worried that they may be unsafe here in Austria.”
Meredith glanced around the property. “Are they?”
“Not that I know of. But as you can see, this property isn’t terribly secure.” He motioned toward the woods. “Although the family owns some of the wooded acreage, it is easily accessible. Not the most secure location.” He pointed toward the road. “I don’t know if you noticed it or not, but we are being patrolled by a couple of black SUVs.”
She felt alarmed now. “Terrorists? Enemies of Rotslavia?”
He smiled. “No, they are royal security guards. The queen sent them here to keep watch. I’m sure they’re doing a good job. But my point is we can’t allow the children to remain here throughout their summer holiday as planned. They must return to the palace.”
“I see.” She deflated. Her suspicions about being let go appeared to be right.
“The good news, for the children, is that their previous governess, Mrs. Bosko, has returned. She was the children’s nanny when they were younger, and they dearly loved her. But a couple years ago, when her husband became ill, she left ourservice to care for him. The children missed her greatly, and we’ve been through a number of nannies and governesses ever since.”
“I see,” she said again, wishing he’d just get it over with and fire her.
“I need to break this news to the children. Possibly tonight.”
“I’m glad the children’s former nanny can care for them,” she said. “That should please them.”
“I’m not so sure.” He frowned. “They seem happy here. Katerina has been enjoying your coaching abilities. And George is quite taken with you.”
“We’ve certainly enjoyed each other.”
“The children are getting along better than ever. I must say I’m impressed.”
“They really are lovely children,” she told him. “But, if you don’t mind me saying, I think they’ve been neglected.”
“Neglected?” His brow knit together. “Don’t they have everything they need?”
“Material things, of course. But parental attention? Not so much.”
“I can hardly help that their mother is gone…and I have work that’s expected of me. Just because I’m part of a royal family does not mean I sit on my hands. The queen relies greatly upon me.”
“Yes, but if Princess Katerina is expected to rule someday, it would be worthwhile to invest more of your time in her. And besides her royalty responsibilities, I strongly believe she needs her father’s love and encouragement. She’s at an age where she feels quite insecure. But you have the ability to foster self-assurance in her. She’s in need of confidence.”
“I always think of Katerina as being quite strong willed and self-assured.”
“I’m sure she wants you to think that, but underneath is a scared little girl.”
He rubbed his chin as if processing this.
“And Mishka, even though he’s not the crown prince, could use a father’s influence too. He’s a sensitive, intelligent boy, but he’s got some big insecurities.”
“I find that hard to believe. George is so smart and quite good-looking. What could he have to be insecure about?”
“Did you know he has a great fear of losing people? He lost his mother, and now I hear how he lost his favorite nanny.” She considered mentioning how worried Mishka had been over losing her but decided that might be too much information. “With you away so much, it probably feels like he’s losing you too.”
Spencer pursed his lips, but said nothing, so she took it as her green light to continue.
“And I’m going to warn you that it may frighten him to discover that there is terrorist danger for the royal family. If he were my son, I would try to shield him from that kind of information.”
“But the children need to be aware of a heightened need for security.”
“Maybe so, I would go about it carefully with Mishka.” She sighed. “And if you must tell them about all this, I recommend you wait until morning. Mishka has trouble sleeping if something is troubling him. And I’m afraid this news will trouble him.”
“I’ll take this under consideration.” He rubbed his chin again. “Perhaps you could help him to understand what’s going on. You seem to have a natural connection with George. It may be easier for him to hear this news from you.”
“You could be right, but I’m not sure it’s fair to saddle me with the chore of sharing your difficult news.” She grimaced toimagine Mishka’s reaction. “But you say the children were really fond of Mrs. Bosko?”
