He was counting on Abby being able to deal with his mother-in-law. She refused to let him down even if it killed her. More time passed while she formulated what to say before focusing on the queen.
“If I had a daughter who came to me in the same situation, I would ask her exactly the same question. In my case, I’ve done it for one reason only. Perhaps you didn’t know that the prince rescued me from certain death when I was seventeen. I lost my mother in that same sailboat accident. Before I was swept to shore by the wind, I’d lost consciousness.
“When the prince found me, I was close to death but didn’t know it.” Abby’s eyes glazed over with unshed tears. “If you could have heard the way my father wept after he discovered I’d been found and brought back to the living, you would realize what a miracle had happened that day, all because of the prince’s quick thinking and intervention.
“From that time on, my father and I have felt the deepest gratitude to the prince. Over the years I’ve pondered many times how to pay the prince back for preventing what could have been an all-out catastrophe for my father.”
The lines on the queen’s face deepened, revealing her sorrow. Whether she was too immersed in her own grief to hear what Abby was saying, Abby didn’t know.
“The prince and princess were the perfect couple,” Abby continued. “When I heard that the princess had had a third miscarriage, it wounded me for their sake. They deserved happiness. Before Christmas I learned through my father that Dr. DeLuca had suggested a way for them to achieve their dream of a family.”
Abby fought to prevent tears from falling. “After years of wishing there was something I could do, I realized that if I could qualify as a candidate, I could carry their child for them. You’ll never know the joy it gave me at the thought of doing something so special for them. When I told my father what I wanted to do, he was surprised at first, and yet he supported my decision, too, otherwise he would never have approved.”
She took a shuddering breath. “That’s the reason I’m doing this. A life for a life. What I’m going to get out of this is pure happiness to see the baby the prince and princess fought so hard for. When the doctor puts the baby in the prince’s arms, Michelina will live on in their child, and the child will forever be a part of King Guilio and his wife, and a part of you and your husband, Your Majesty.”
The queen’s hands trembled on the arms of the chair. “You have no comprehension of what it’s like to be a mother. How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-eight and it’s true I’ve never been married or had a child. But I won’t be its mother in the way you mean. I’m only supplying a safe haven for the baby until it’s born. Yes, I’ll go through the aches and pains of pregnancy, but I view this as a sacred trust.”
Her features hardened. “You call this sacred?”
“I do. During my screening process, I met a dozen different parents and their surrogates who’d gone through the experience and now have beautiful children. They were all overjoyed and agreed it’s a special partnership between them and God.”
For the first time, the queen looked away.
“The prince is a full partner in this. He and the princess discussed it many times. He knows what she wanted and I’ll cooperate in every way. If you have suggestions, I’ll welcome them with all my heart.”
Quiet reigned.
Realizing there was nothing more to say, Abby glanced at Vincenzo, waiting for him to dismiss her.
He read her mind with ease. “I’m aware the limo is waiting to drive you to your office.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
At those words Michelina’s mother lifted her head. “You intend to work?” She sounded shocked.
“I do. I am passionate about my career as an attorney. After the delivery, I will have my own life to lead and need to continue planning for it.”
Vincenzo leaned forward. “She’ll stop work when the time is right.”
“Where will you live after the baby’s born?” The pointed question told Abby exactly where the queen’s thoughts had gone.
Nowhere near the prince.
She couldn’t blame the older woman for that. How could Michelina’s mother not suspect the worst? Her fears preyed on Abby’s guilt, which was deepening because she’d found herself missing Vincenzo more than she should have while he’d been away. He shouldn’t have been on her mind so much, but she couldn’t seem to turn off her thoughts. Not when the baby growing inside her was a constant reminder of him.
For weeks now she’d played games of what if? during the night when she couldn’t sleep. What if the baby were hers and Vincenzo’s? What would he or she look like? Where would they create a nursery in the palace? When would they go shopping for a crib and all the things necessary? She wanted to make a special baby quilt and start a scrapbook.
But then she’d break out in a cold sweat of guilt and sit up in the bed, berating herself for having any of these thoughts. Michelina’s death might have changed everything, but this royal baby still wasn’t Abby’s!
How could she even entertain such thoughts when Michelina had trusted her so implicitly? It was such a betrayal of the trust and regard the two women had for each other. They’d made a contract as binding as a blood oath. The second the baby was born, her job as surrogate would no longer be required and she’d return to her old life.
But Abby was aghast to discover that Michelina’s death had thrown her into an abyss of fresh guilt. She needed to talk to the psychologist about finding strategies to cope with this new situation or go crazy.
Queen Bianca had asked her a question and was waiting for an answer.
“I plan to buy my own home in another part of the city in the same building as a friend of mine. My contract with the prince and princess includes living at the palace, and that ends the moment the baby is delivered.”
Vincenzo’s eyes narrowed on her face. “What friend?”
That was probably the only thing about her plans the three of them hadn’t discussed over the last few months.
“You’ve heard me speak of Carolena Baretti and know she’s my best friend, who works at the same law firm with me. We went through law school together at the University of Arancia before taking the bar.”
If a woman could look gutted, the queen did. “This whole situation is unnatural.”
“Not unnatural, Your Majesty, just different. Your daughter wanted a baby badly enough to think it all through and agree to it. I hope the day will come when you’re reconciled to that decision.”
“That day will never come,” the older woman declared in an imperious voice. “I was thrilled each time she informed me she was pregnant and I suffered with her through each miscarriage. But I will never view surrogacy as ethically acceptable.”
“But it’s a gestational surrogacy,” Abby argued quietly. “Dr. DeLuca says that several thousand women around the globe are gestational surrogates and it’s becoming preferable to going with traditional surrogacy, because it ensures the genetic link to both parents. Think how many lives can be changed. Surely you can see what a miracle it is.”
“Nevertheless, it’s outside tradition. It interferes with a natural process in violation of God’s will.”
“Then how do you explain this world that God created, and all the new technology that helps people like your daughter and Vincenzo realize their dream to have a family?”
“It doesn’t need an explanation. It’s a form of adultery, because you are the third party outside their marriage. Some people regard