H.R.H.

The African women who stood watching them were wearing the most exotic costumes Christianna had ever seen. They had tightly braided hair in tiny rows strung with beads and jewels that hung on their faces. They were heavily adorned, and draped in interesting fabrics, some of them woven with gold or metallic threads. Some of the women were fully covered, and others stood watching her with bare breasts. Their elaborate costumes and efforts to adorn themselves were in sharp contrast to the plain, unattractive clothes worn by the Western workers, who looked anything but sexy or even attractive in their T-shirts, shorts, jeans, and hiking boots. Geoff explained to her that there were nine ethnic groups or tribes, in Eritrea, the Tigrinya, Rashaida, Afar, Tigre, Kunama, Saho, Nara, Bilen, and Hedareb, and she was struck almost immediately by the warmth of the African women's smiles. One of them came up and embraced her, explained that she was from Ghana, and said her name was Akuba, and proudly told Christianna that she was a Red Cross volunteer. Christianna also met one of the African men who helped them at the center, whose name was Yaw. It was a lot of information to absorb all at once, a lot of people, a brand-new place, an entirely different culture, a whole new life, an unfamiliar job. Christianna felt overwhelmed as she looked around, and tried to take it all in. It would have been almost impossible to explain to anyone what a feast it was to the senses, how exciting it was, or how gentle and sweet the Africans seemed. Their faces were faintly similar to Ethiopians, they definitely looked related in spite of the hatred and long history of warfare between them. A fifth of Eritrea's population had fled the country, during those battles, before the truce five years before. But none of the faces Christianna saw around her appeared embittered. On the contrary, the people were beautiful, and seemed very warm.

“You must be exhausted,” Geoff interrupted the many introductions. He could see that she was tired, and they had been driving for nearly five hours. She had come to the farthest reaches of the world. But Christianna had never been happier, and like a child at a birthday party, she wanted to drink it all in.

“I'm fine,” she said gamely, chatting for a moment first with Akuba, and then speaking to the Eritrean women, and finally with the people she would be working with for the next months. She could hardly wait to get to know them, and to start work herself.

“Come on,” Fiona said with a broad smile. “Allow me to escort you to the Ritz.” She pointed to one of the large tents on one side of the cluster of huts, where they worked. They lived in the tents, the women on one side, the men on the other, and for those who wished to combine forces like Maggie and Geoff, they had separate, smaller tents. The men's tent was referred to as the George V, after the illustrious hotel in Paris, and the women's tent was the Ritz.

Christianna took her valise from Samuel, and he looked instantly unhappy about it. He didn't like her going off alone, before he and Max had assessed the place, and they hadn't had time to yet. She gave him a nod and a smile, firmly took the bag from his hand, and set off after Fiona. Real life had begun.

The tent Fiona took her to was larger than Christianna had expected, and airier than it looked from the outside. It was a heavy canvas tent they had bought from the military, they had put a wooden floor in it, and there were eight cots, one of which had been unoccupied since Maggie moved out to live in a separate tent with Geoff. And with the new arrivals, there would be eight men in the men's tent. The Africans who worked for them at the center lived in huts they built themselves. And Maggie and Geoff had their own tent, which Geoff had bought himself.

Fiona walked Christianna over to the far corner. There was a small night table with a drawer in it next to her cot, with a battery-operated lamp, and there was a battered military-surplus footlocker at the foot of the bed.

“That's your closet,” Fiona said with a burst of laughter. “Don't ask me why, but I came here with a full wardrobe six months ago. I finally sent it all back. I haven't worn anything but jeans and shorts since I got here. Even if we go into Senafe for dinner, which we don't do often, no one gets dressed up.” Christianna had worn jeans, a long-sleeved white T-shirt, an old denim jacket she had bought in a thrift shop in Berkeley, and running shoes, which had been comfortable for the trip. But in spite of that, there was something stylish about her. She had worn no jewelry other than her family signet ring and a tiny pair of silver earrings. The African women she had just met were wearing far more jewelry than she. Christianna had done everything she could to look plain. She learned a few minutes later that Fiona was thirty, although she looked fifteen. Christianna had incorrectly guessed that they were the same age. She said that Laure, the tall dark-haired girl, was twenty-three. Almost everyone else was in their thirties, except Klaus and Didier. And she said they were a great team.

Christianna sat on her cot as she listened to her, and a moment later Fiona flopped down onto the cot, too, like the seasoned girl at boarding school, welcoming the new girl as she came in. It was all a little daunting at first, and although Christianna had been desperate to come here, she had to admit that she was still feeling more than a little overwhelmed, with culture shock, if nothing else.

“What are your two friends like?” Fiona asked her with a giggle. She admitted that she and Ernst had gone out to dinner a few times, but in the end they had decided not to pursue a romance, and had wound up friends. It was a lot easier to do that here. Geoff and Maggie were rare. Most of the time the entire group preferred the camaraderie of being coworkers, without complicating it with romance, but now and then it happened. They also knew that sooner or later most people would move on. They rarely stayed for more than a year, and things changed when you went back. “So tell me about Sam and Max,” Fiona persisted, and Christianna laughed. Technically, for the next six months or year in East Africa with her, they were on duty, and not supposed to indulge in that sort of thing. But she certainly wouldn't have objected or told anyone if either or both of them had a fling, or even a serious romance. It was a long time for them to be abstinent otherwise. They were both young men, after all. And they could keep an eye on her, as they were assigned to do, and still manage to have some fun, too. Christianna was more than willing to turn a blind eye. “They're both really nice men. Reliable, conscientious, responsible, honest, trustworthy, hardworking, kind.” She listed their many virtues as Fiona laughed. She looked like a dark-haired elf sitting on Christianna's cot, with dancing green eyes. They seemed and felt like two kids, and Christianna hoped they'd be friends, despite the difference in their ages. Laure, who was her own age, didn't appear nearly as friendly, and had barely said a word to her when they met. In fact, she had glared at her as soon as Christianna got off the bus. She had no idea why. Everyone else in the camp had been lovely to her.

“That sounds like a job reference,” Fiona teased her, more accurate than she knew or than Christianna would admit. “I mean what are they like? They're gor-geous—are they nice guys?”

“Very. Samuel used to be an Israeli commando. He's amazing with weapons.” She realized she had slipped again, and reminded herself to be more careful in future. She was tired after the trip.

“That sounds scary, unless we have another Ethiopian war, in that case he might come in handy. I assume they're not married, or they wouldn't be here.” Although she knew Mary Walker had been at first. She had come for a ninety-day tour of duty, had never gone back, and got divorced. She loved East Africa and its people too much to leave it. She was the only doctor on the team other than Geoff, and she specialized in AIDS. She had a passion for the people she took care of, more so than her marriage, which she realized once she got there had been dead for years, so she stayed. “Do they have girlfriends at home?” Fiona inquired, and Christianna shook her head and then hesitated.

“I don't think so. I never asked.” Even she had to admit, it sounded odd, if they were claiming to be friends. The problem was that it was a charade, and Christianna didn't want to get caught.

“How do you know them?” Fiona asked, hopping onto her own bed like an elf. It was the one next to Christianna's. They could whisper secrets at night like young girls.

“Actually I've known them for a long time. They work for my father.” She had finally been honest, which was something at least. “When I told them I was coming here, they both volunteered to come, too.” And had subsequently been assigned the job, which of course she couldn't say. “We went to Russia together, during the hostage crisis in Digora. The woman who was running the Red Cross station there was remarkable. I fell in love with her and what she was doing. I decided after that to come here, and so did they.” Christianna's face grew serious and sad. “I think that night changed a lot of things for all three of us. So here we are.” She smiled at her new friend. She liked Fiona a lot. Everyone in the camp did. She was a warm, easy, open person, and worked tirelessly at her job, which she said she loved. Like many of the others, she was in love with Africa, too. It was a magical place, and addictive once it got into your blood.

“What was the woman's name?” she asked with interest.

“Her name is Marque.”

“Of course. I know her too. Everyone does. She comes here sometimes. She is Laure's aunt, that's why she's here. Laure had some sort of broken engagement, or failed marriage or something. She never talks about it. But the rumor is she came here to recover. I'm not entirely sure she loves it, or maybe she's just unhappy. That sort of thing is hard. I was engaged once, too”— she giggled again—“for about ten minutes. To a terrible man. I ran off to Spain for a year to get rid of him, and he married someone else. Terrible bloke. He drank.” Christianna smiled and tried to look sympathetic. It was a lot of information to digest at once, and she was so jet-lagged and tired, she was afraid that she would inadvertently say something she shouldn't that would give her away, that she was a princess and lived in a palace. The thought of doing that made her shudder. She didn't want any of that infringing on her life here, and hoped it wouldn't. It shouldn't happen if she was careful. She just had to be aware of what she said at first until she got used to her new life.

“Do you have a boyfriend at home?” Fiona asked her then with interest.

“No, I don't. I just finished college in the States in June. I've been hanging around home since then, and then I came here.”

“What sort of work do you want to do when you go back? Medicine? I love midwifery myself—maybe you should come out with me and have a look. It blows me away every time to see a new life come into the world. It's truly a miracle, and always exciting, even though once in a while it's sad, when something goes really wrong. It happens. But most of the time it's happy.”

Christianna hesitated at her question. “I was thinking about public relations. My father does that, and actually he's in politics and economics a bit, too. I like business a lot. I majored in economics in school.” It was all true, to a degree, depending on how you viewed it.

“I can't do math at all. I can barely count,” Fiona said, not entirely accurately. Christianna knew it had taken her seven years to become a midwife, including nursing school, so she must have been a decent student, or at least a persevering one. And she obviously loved her work. “I think business would be too boring,” Fiona said honestly. “All those numbers. I love working with people. You can never predict it, especially here.” She lay back on her bed with a sigh. She was going out that evening to visit patients, and usually tried to rest for a while before that, so she would be fresh and alert. She had a number of patients who were about to deliver at any moment. They were planning to send runners if she was needed, and she would go out to them in the ancient Volkswagen bug that had been at the camp for years. For Fiona, it was a thrill each time a new life came into the world. And here in Africa, she saved babies' and mothers' lives more often than not. The conditions she worked in were primitive beyond belief. She was good at what she did.

Christianna lay on her cot quietly for a few minutes. She wanted to get up and unpack and look around. She was too excited to sleep, but for a moment, her body felt heavy, and her eyelids began to flutter. Fiona looked over at her and smiled. She seemed like a sweet girl, and Fiona had to admire her for coming to East Africa at her age. It was a pretty brave thing to do, and just as she looked over at her, Christianna's eyes opened wider again, as she glanced at Fiona on the next cot.

“What about the snakes?” She sounded worried, and Fiona laughed out loud at the question.

“Everyone asks that the first day here. They're scary, but we don't see a lot of them.” She didn't tell her that a puff adder had slithered into the tent two weeks before, but usually they didn't. “We'll show you pictures of which ones to look out for. You get used to it after a while.” Fiona saw more snakes than most of the workers in the camp, since she was out in the bush a lot, visiting her patients.

Both women lay quietly for a few minutes, and without wanting to, Christianna drifted off to sleep. She was absolutely exhausted, and when she woke, Fiona was gone. Christianna went outside to look for the others. There were several people walking around the compound.

Christianna saw Akuba and smiled at her. She was leading a child by the hand into one of the huts. And the man called Yaw was hammering something intently. She looked around her, and there was a beauty to the night that she had never seen in her life before, that African light that people talked about, and the air was like a caress on her cheek. She noticed then that there was another tent, behind the huts. She followed the sounds she heard from there, and discovered the entire Red Cross crew, sitting at long refectory tables with rough-hewn benches, eating. Christianna looked instantly embarrassed, though far more rested than when she left them earlier. She had needed the sleep, but was afraid it made her look lazy, which was no way to start.

“I'm so sorry,” she said apologetically when she saw Geoff and Maggie. The full crew was there, minus Fiona, who was out in the bush delivering a baby, and had been gone for hours. Including Christianna, Max, and Samuel, they were seventeen now, of actual Red Cross workers. There were at least a dozen local Eritreans who worked with them, and Akuba and Yaw, who were from Ghana. “I fell asleep.” She looked mortified, but Samuel and Max looked pleased to see her, as did the others. They had just started eating. They were eating chicken and vegetables, and a huge bowl of rice with fruit mixed into it. They worked hard, and the quantities were generous enough to keep them going.

“You needed the sleep,” Geoff said sensibly. “We'll show you everything you need to see tomorrow. I've already given Sam and Max the tour.” They had discreetly asked him to see everything, which was part of their duties as security covering her. But they had been fascinated by what they'd seen, and both men had been enchanted by the children, who seemed to be everywhere in the camp, dozens of them, all smiling, laughing, giggling, playing, as were some of their elders. The locals seemed like an exceptionally happy people, smiling or laughing all the time. Even the sick ones staying at the center were friendly and good-humored.

Mary indicated an empty place for her to sit, next to Laure, and Christianna climbed over the bench and sat down. Didier was on Laure's other side, chatting to her in French, and Ernst was on Christianna's other side. He had been making idle chitchat with Max and Sam, in Swiss German since they were all Swiss by nationality, although Samuel was half Israeli and had served in both armies. Christianna understood them and laughed a couple of times. Then she turned to Laure and said something in French. There was no response. She blatantly ignored Christianna, and continued talking to Didier. She obviously had a chip on her shoulder, and Christianna had no idea why. She had done nothing to offend her.

Christianna chatted easily with Mary Walker across the table instead. She was explaining the AIDS epidemic they were dealing with, and then went on to explain to Christianna what kala azar was, which was actually black fever, and sounded more like the plague, which involved blackening of the feet, face, hands, and abdomen. It sounded awful to Christianna, especially over dinner. Geoff added a few more gory details. But Christianna found it all fascinating, particularly their AIDS work. Mary mentioned that the Médecins Sans Frontières team, Doctors Without Borders, would be coming back in a few weeks. They flew in once a month, bringing a larger medical team than the one they had on hand at the camp in Senafe. When necessary, they brought surgeons, and did surgery as needed. They flew in for emergencies as well, although most of the time Mary and Geoff handled everything that came up, including emergency appendectomies, and cesarean sections. They were a full-service operation, Geoff said, teasing. He spoke highly of the Doctors Without Borders teams, which flew all over Africa in small planes, and delivered medical services wherever required, even in war zones, or the most remote places.

“They're an amazing bunch,” he commented, as he helped himself to a huge portion of dessert. He was rail thin, and obviously burned off whatever he ate. He had eaten a healthy dinner, as had all the men at the table. The women seemed to eat less, although they ate well, too. They all worked hard, and enjoyed their evenings talking and laughing together over dinner. Most of them ate lunch on the fly, and Mary told Christianna that breakfast was served in the same tent at six-thirty. They started work early. Local women did the cooking, and had learned the kind of European dishes they all liked. Maggie was the only American on the team, and said the only thing she really missed from home was ice cream. She said she dreamed of it sometimes. She was a long, long way from home, but seemed immensely happy. They all were, except Laure, whom Christianna had noticed all through dinner. She always looked sad, and spoke very little. The only one she spoke to, in undertones in French, was Didier. She said very little to the others, and nothing at all to them throughout dinner. The others were all making an obvious effort to get to know Christianna and the two men who had come with her. Geoff had poured her two glasses of wine they had served in celebration of their arrival. And Max and Sam already seemed to be integrated into the group, among the men. There was a lot of bantering during dinner, and bad jokes in French, English, and German, all of which she spoke. It was a wonderfully international group.

It was late when they all finally got up, and walked out into the warm African night, still talking and laughing. The men invited Max and Sam to play cards with them, and they accepted and said they would be back in the tent in a few minutes. They couldn't say it, of course, but they had to be sure that Christianna had settled into her tent for the night, which was after all why they were there. Geoff and Maggie went back to their tent arm in arm, and the cluster of women wandered slowly toward theirs, still chatting. Fiona hadn't come in yet, and the others assumed she was delivering a baby somewhere. The mortality rate among newborns in East Africa was terrifying, mostly in the twenty-four hours immediately before or after delivery. Fiona was single-handedly trying to improve those statistics, and she had convinced many of the local women to get prenatal care, and attended every delivery she could.

Christianna asked if they worried about her traveling around alone at night. Mary Walker commented that she was fearless and the surrounding areas were pretty safe. They were close to the Ethiopian border, which was always somewhat concerning, but there hadn't been any problems or overt violations of the truce in several years, not that it couldn't happen. She said that the truce between the two countries was always tense, and the Ethiopians continued to feel that they had gotten a bad deal. They still wanted Eritrea's ports, but there had been no problems in Senafe, and the young Irish midwife was much loved by all those she tended. One of the other women Christianna had met that night, Ushi, was a German woman who was a teacher, and worked with the local children. She said that Fiona always had a gun on her, when she traveled at night, and she wasn't afraid to use it, although she'd never had to. Carrying weapons wasn't encouraged, but Fiona did it anyway, and given the circumstances, it was probably smart. Ushi, short for Ursula, had been warm and welcoming to Christianna and the two men. They all were, except for Laure, who walked back to the tent ahead of them in silence. She seemed like a very unhappy girl, and she had continued to glance at Christianna with inexplicable but visible dislike.

The women chatted once they were in the tent, and put on their pajamas. Christianna would have loved a bath, or a shower, but had already been told it wasn't possible. There was an outdoor shower they all used in the morning, or early evening, as young local girls poured water over them, and boys did the same for the men. It was primitive, but Christianna had been told about it beforehand, so she wasn't surprised. She wasn't afraid of the discomforts she might encounter, and the other women teased her about snakes and lions, and told her they might get into the tent at night. They teased everyone about it when they arrived. They were all like girls at camp, and Christianna loved it. It was everything she had hoped for, and she already loved the gentle Senafe women she'd seen. They were so beautiful and exotic and always smiled.

Christianna was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Some of the women read in the light of their battery-operated lamps. Others slept. They had taken her to the bathroom outside, and one of them had stayed with her, because she was still afraid of snakes, but nothing terrible had happened. It was a rudimentary outdoor affair that in essence was nothing more than a hole in the ground with a seat over it, a shovel, and a big bag of lime. That was going to take some getting used to, Christianna thought to herself with a small shudder, but one did what one had to. She suspected she'd get used to it in time. She was sound asleep before any of the others, some of whom talked in quiet whispers, and said they liked her. She seemed like a very sweet girl, and would be a good addition to the team. They had the feeling she came from a good family, probably from money. She was well spoken, discreet, polite, and spoke several languages fluently, but she was also without artifice or pretension and seemed extremely straightforward and natural, and they liked that about her.

Laure shrugged as she listened and said nothing. Mary wondered if she was jealous, since they were about the same age, but she wasn't close to the others in the camp either. Laure was the only squeaky wheel in the group, and seemed unhappy most of the time. She was going home in two months, according to plan. She was one of those rare people who hadn't fallen in love with Africa, neither the continent nor the people, and hadn't enjoyed much or anything about it. She had brought her problems and sorrows with her. Mary knew from Laure's aunt, Marque, that she had been jilted nearly at the altar, two days before her wedding, and her fiancé had run off with her best friend and married her. Laure had been miserable ever since, and still was, and even the distraction of working there hadn't helped her much. She was going back to working at UNICEF in Geneva, and seemed to have benefited little from the extraordinary experience she'd had here. She was surprisingly cynical, and even bitter, for someone so young.

Fiona came in at four in the morning, and the others were all asleep by then. She had delivered two babies that night, and everything had gone well. She got into her bed, and was asleep within minutes. At six o'clock, their alarm clocks started going off, and the women began to stir. They were all good humored when they got up, and headed to the shower together, in their bathrobes, with their towels over their arms. Fiona was up and on her feet with the rest of them, and in good humor, after two hours of sleep. She was used to it, and did it often. She almost never slept in, unless she'd had an exceptionally rough night. But even then, she was usually in good spirits. She loved to sing old Gaelic songs in the shower at the top of her lungs, just to annoy them, and they always groaned and told her how awful her voice was. She loved it. She was the camp clown.

Christianna was dressed and in the dining tent promptly at six-thirty. She ate a hearty breakfast of porridge and eggs, with a bowl of berries that had been grown in the camp. She drank an enormous glass of orange juice and smiled at Max and Sam when they walked in. Breakfast was quick since everyone was busy, and by seven o'clock everyone was doing their jobs and hard at work. Christianna saw Max leave in an old car shortly after that, and Samuel told her quietly that he was going into Senafe, to the post office, to call her father and report in. She nodded, and as directed, followed Mary into the main hut, where the women and children with AIDS were treated and housed.

Mary explained to Christianna, as Geoff had during the bus trip, that they gave pregnant women with AIDS a single dose of the drug nevirapine four hours before delivery, and the baby a small dose during the first few days after its birth. In most cases, that reduced the risk of AIDS by fifty percent, according to studies. The real problem came when they had to convince the mothers to feed their babies formula, not by breast. If they breast-fed their babies, they almost inevitably gave them AIDS, but formula was a foreign concept to them, and they were suspicious of it. Even if the volunteers gave them formula at the center to take home with them, often they didn't use it, sold it, or traded it for other things they needed more. It was an uphill battle, Mary said. And AIDS education for prevention of the disease was an important part of what they did. She had been thinking that Christianna might be good at that. She had a pleasant, gentle way that the women she stopped and spoke to seemed to like, as Mary watched her and translated for her, as needed, until she learned the local dialects. She had an almost professional way of going quietly from bed to bed, saying a few words, offering comfort, and dealing with the African women with warmth, kindness, compassion, and respect.

“Have you ever worked in a hospital?” Mary asked with interest. She had no way of knowing how many hospitals Christianna had visited in her life as a princess. This was standard fare for her. She knew just how long to stay and chat, without wearing the patients out, but still giving them the impression that she was interested in what they said, and making each one feel as though they had her undivided attention.

“Not really,” Christianna said vaguely. “I've done some volunteer work.”

“You have a lovely bedside manner,” Mary complimented her. “Maybe you should think about being a doctor or a nurse.”

“I'd like that,” Christianna said, smiling, knowing only too well that there was no chance of it. Mary had been impressed as well that she didn't seem to flinch at the sight of the worst sores, or the ugliest of wounds. Whatever she saw before her, she remained gracious, warm, and seemingly unaffected. “My father expects me to go into the family business when I get home” was all she said.

“Shame. Something tells me you've got a gift for this.” The two women smiled at each other, as Mary continued to introduce her to patients, and then walked her into another hut, where Geoff was doing checkups, and giving vaccinations. The tiny waiting room was full of patients, and playing children. Once again Christianna stopped to talk to each of them briefly, as though she had done this before.

Fiona took her off to meet some of her pregnant patients after that. Mary stopped to talk to Geoff for a few minutes after Christianna left with Fiona.

“She's awfully good at this,” Mary commented briefly. “She has a lovely way with people. It's almost as though she's not new at it. She's wonderful with the patients. I think I'd like her to do AIDS education for me. And she can work with Ushi with the kids.”

“Whatever you like,” Geoff said over the howls of a screaming child who had just gotten a shot. He wasn't surprised that Christianna was good with patients. Knowing what he did of her, and the others didn't, he assumed correctly that she had visited hospitals all her life. She didn't need to use her title of princess, he could see by watching her that she was royal to her core, and had lovely, gentle ways. She made everyone feel comfortable around her, and yet she wasn't afraid to have fun, to tease and laugh and joke, just like everyone else. He was very glad she'd come, although he'd had some trepidations about it. He could see now what a good addition she was to the team, how well she fit in, and they needed the extra pair of hands, not only hers, but those of her two men. And much to Geoff 's surprise, she wasn't difficult, demanding, or spoiled. She was in fact, open, interested, and humble.

Christianna spent the rest of the morning with Fiona, talking to pregnant women. She helped herself to some food in the dining tent at lunchtime, and didn't bother to sit down to eat it, but ate it on the run. And then she spent the rest of the day with Ushi, teaching the children. Christianna loved doing it, and had taught them two new songs in French before they left. Ushi looked at her with a broad smile as they went outside for some air, and complimented her generously, as the others had.

“You know, you have a gift,” Ushi said, as she lit a cigarette.

“No,” Christianna said quietly, “being here in Africa is the gift.” She said it with such obvious gratitude to be there that Ushi leaned over and gave her a hug.

“Welcome to Africa,” Ushi said, as she hugged her. “I think you're going to love it here, and you're right where you belong.”

“So do I,” Christianna said almost sadly. She had only just arrived and was falling in love with it. She was already sad, knowing that one day she would have to leave. She had found the life she wanted, and knew just as certainly that one day she would have to give back the gift. Thinking about it, she was quiet all the way back to the women's tent.

“What are you looking so depressed about?” Fiona asked her when she saw her. She had just come in herself, and was going out to patients again that night.

“I don't ever want to leave,” Christianna said, looking mournful, as Fiona grinned.

“Uh-oh, everybody, she's got it,” Fiona said to the room at large, as the other women glanced over. Most of them had just finished work, and were enjoying a break before dinner. “She's got African fever! Quickest case I've ever seen.” Christianna laughed at the description, as she sat down on her bed. She had worked for ten hours straight and loved every minute. “Just wait till you see a snake.”

The others laughed, and so did Christianna. She played Scrabble after that with Ushi in German, while Fiona did her nails. She wore bright red nail polish even here. She said it was the one indulgence she couldn't give up. And as she looked around the room at the other women, Christianna knew she had never been happier in her life.

Chapter 8

As Christianna headed for the dining tent the next morning at six-thirty, Max was waiting for her discreetly outside her tent. She was surprised to see him, and he spoke to her in a whisper.

“Your Highness,” he whispered, and she stopped him almost as soon as the words came out of his mouth by habit and reflex. She looked instantly upset.

“Don't call me that,” she whispered back. “Just call me Cricky, like everyone else does.” She had told them all her nickname the day before.

“I can't do that, Your …oh… sorry …” He blushed.

“You have to,” she said to him, and whispered even lower, “that's a royal order.” He grinned. “Why were you waiting for me?” It looked like a serious conspiracy between them as Maggie and Fiona walked by on the way to breakfast.

“I spoke to your father yesterday. I didn't get a chance to tell you last night.” They had never been alone.

“Is he all right?” She looked momentarily worried until Max nodded.

“He's fine. He said to send you his love. If you want to talk to him, I can drive you to the post office sometime. It's not too far.”

“Maybe in a few days. I don't have time right now. There's too much to do here.”

“I'm sure he understands. I told him you were fine.”

“Good. Was that all?” He nodded. “Thank you, Max.” She smiled.

“You're welcome, Your—” He stopped himself before he said it, and she laughed.

“Practice saying it, Max. Cricky. Or you're fired.” They both laughed, and he followed her to breakfast. The others were already in the tent eating when they arrived.

“Slowpokes,” Fiona teased them. “We ate everything.” She was flirting with Max, which Christianna thought was funny. He seemed to be enjoying it. Samuel smiled about it, too. They were both already comfortable in the group.

Christianna enjoyed sharing breakfast with the others, and half an hour later she reported to work. Mary had given her a stack of books to read about AIDS, and some guidelines about what to teach. She wanted Christianna to design her own course, and improve on what they had. She was flattered to be asked. She was going to teach the class in Tigrinya, with a local interpreter beside her to translate. She read as much as she could of the material that morning, visited some of the patients with Mary, went back to her reading, and skipped lunch entirely. She reported to Ushi in the schoolroom after that. She was falling in love with the children. They were beautiful and loving, and they loved talking to her. She read the youngest ones a story after school, and then went outside to the compound for some exercise. She had been inside all day.

She saw Laure sitting quietly by herself when she went out, as Akuba walked by, holding one of her children by the hand. Christianna waved and smiled. Christianna had only been there for two days, but she already felt at home. It was all new and exciting, but she felt so at ease there, and so enamored of the people and the country that it was almost as though she'd been there before. She was about to go for a walk outside the compound, and then decided to turn back and talk to Laure. She had already begun making friends with the others, and she wanted to at least try to reach out to the sullen French girl. She had looked miserable ever since Christianna had arrived. It was hard not to wonder why. The only time Christianna had ever seen her smile was when she was talking to a child. Laure's job was doing administrative work in the office, and filling out and filing medical records. It was tedious work, but apparently she was good at it. Geoff had said she was thorough and precise.

“Hello,” Christianna said cautiously. “Would you like to take a walk? I need some air.” The air there was delicious, no matter how hot it was. There was always a smell of flowers around them. The tall dark-haired French girl seemed to hesitate for a moment. Christianna thought she would decline, and was startled when she nodded. She stood up to her full height and looked down at Christianna. And then they set off on their walk in silence.

They walked past women in their beautiful costumes, and down a path that Laure seemed to know that led past a small river, which suddenly made Christianna anxious.

“Should I be worried about snakes? I'm terrified of them,” Christianna confided.

“I don't think so,” Laure said with a shy smile. “I've been here before and I've never seen one.” Laure looked more relaxed with her than she had before.

They continued walking, and Christianna was startled to see a wart hog in the distance. It reminded her that they were in Africa, not just some pleasant countryside that could have been in Europe. Here everything was exciting and different. It was hard to believe she had only been there for two days. After a while the two women sat down on a log, and watched the stream drift by. It felt very peaceful and somewhat surreal. Christianna just hoped that a snake didn't appear at their feet.

“I met your aunt Marque in Russia,” she said finally, not knowing what else to say to her. She looked as though she had a lot on her mind, or a thorn in her side somewhere. It was obvious that something was bothering her, and maybe had been for a long time.

“It's amazing how many people know her,” Laure said quietly.

“She's a lovely woman,” Christianna said with feeling, remembering when they had met in Russia.

“She's more than that. She's a saint of some kind. Did you know she lost her husband and both her children? She stayed too long when war broke out in the Sudan. And in spite of that, she still loves it here. She has Africa in her blood. And now she devotes her life to other people. I wish I could be more like her, giving to others the way she does. I hate it here.” Christianna was startled by the words. For Laure, it was a long speech and a surprising admission.

“There aren't many people who can do what she does,” Christianna said gently. She was flattered that this woman who seemed to be sealed so tight had opened up to her. “I think it's a gift.”

“I think you have that same gift,” Laure said quietly, as Christianna stared at her in disbelief.

“How can you say that? You don't even know me.” She was flattered by the words. It was a huge compliment, particularly from her.

“I watched you coming out of the classroom yesterday with Ushi. You spoke to everyone, you had children hanging all over you. And when I picked up the records at Mary's office, all her AIDS patients were talking about you. That's a gift.”

“You're good with children, too. I see you smile every time you talk to them.”

“Children are always honest,” Laure said sadly. “It's the adults who never are. They lie, they cheat, they wound. I think most people are profoundly bad.” It saddened Christianna to hear her say it, and was a sad statement about the young woman's life and the experiences she must have had.

Listening to her, and seeing the look in her eyes, Christianna decided to take a risk. “Betrayal is a terrible thing, particularly by people we love.”

There was a long pause as Laure watched her, as though deciding whether or not to trust her, and then finally she did. “They told you why I came here. I suppose it's not a secret. Everyone in Geneva knew it … and Paris … and everywhere else … even here. I was engaged to a man who made a total fool out of me, with my supposedly best friend.” She sounded bitter as she said it, but even more than that, wounded and sad.

“Don't give him the satisfaction of letting it destroy you. He doesn't deserve that, and neither does your socalled best friend who ran off with him. Sooner or later they'll pay a price for that. Things like that come back to haunt you in the end. You don't find happiness at someone else's expense.” There was something quietly reassuring about what Christianna said. She had been praying to find the right words to say to this injured girl.

“They're having a baby. She was already pregnant when they ran off. He got her pregnant while he was engaged to me. I didn't find that out till later. To add insult to injury.”

As Christianna listened to her, she suddenly thought of words she had heard almost daily in Berkeley, and there was no way to translate them into French. She asked Laure cautiously if she spoke English. She nodded seriously and said she did. Christianna looked at her and smiled.

“In that case, all I can say about them is, ‘that sucks.’ It was a disgusting thing for them to do to you.” Laure smiled too as she heard the words, and then suddenly she grinned, and finally started to laugh.

“That's the silliest thing I ever heard,” Laure said, laughing. She was even more beautiful when she laughed. She was a striking-looking girl, and it was hard to believe she'd been jilted. He had to have been a fool to leave her, particularly as he did.

“It is silly, isn't it?” Christianna said, giggling. “But it kind of says it all, doesn't it? That sucks,” she repeated with vigor, and suddenly they were just two young girls sitting by a stream, and life seemed suddenly simpler. They were like two kids who had just finished school. “He must have been a fool. When we drove up in the bus two days ago, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.” It was true. Laure was a spectacular-looking girl.

“Don't be silly.” Laure looked embarrassed. “I look like a tree. I've hated being tall all my life. I always wanted to be small like you. In fact, the woman he ran off with, my so-called best friend, looks a lot like you. It upset me the moment I saw you. And then when you just asked me to go for a walk with you, I told myself that she's not you. I'm sorry if I've been rude. At first, every time I looked at you, I saw her, and I was angry at you.”

“You weren't rude,” Christianna lied to her, “you just looked sad.”

“No,” Laure insisted. “I was rude. But you reminded me so much of her.”

“Sucks for me,” Christianna said again in English. It had been her favorite expression in school. The two young women leaned against each other, laughing.

“No, it sucked for me,” Laure added in her heavy French accent, and they had tears running down their cheeks, as Yaw rode by them on the path. He was riding his bicycle somewhere, heard them laughing, slowed down, rode past, looked up at the tree, and then shouted at them, as they waved at him. They thought he was just saying hello.

“Go!” he shouted at them. “Go away!” He was waving frantically, and they looked at each other, still laughing, and got up. He was waving them away. They weren't sure what he wanted or what he was saying, but he kept yelling at them. They were still giggling, as they walked back onto the path and he pointed to the tree. An enormous green mamba snake had been lying right above them, sunning himself on the thick branch of the tree, and almost as though on cue, it dropped on top of the log where they'd been sitting, and slithered toward the stream. As they saw it, both girls screamed and ran away, waving at Yaw as he laughed and rode away.

“Merde!” Christianna said, and was still screaming, as both girls ran nearly all the way back to the compound, and then they stopped and started laughing again. “Oh my God, did you see that thing?” They had run so fast that Christianna's side ached. “You told me you'd never seen any snakes there,” Christianna said, still shaken.

“Maybe I never looked up at the tree,” Laure said with a grin. “That was the biggest snake I've ever seen.”

“Sucks for us,” both girls said in unison, and then laughed again.

“Thank God I'm going home soon,” Laure said as they walked back more slowly, in deference to the stitch in Christianna's side from running so hard. She had never run so fast in her life as after they'd seen the snake. It was her worst nightmare come true. Or would have been if not for Yaw. And then as they walked along, Laure suddenly realized she'd be sad to leave. Christianna was the first friend she had made here. The others had been nice to her, and pleasant to work with, but Christianna was the first person who had genuinely reached out to her. And surely the first person who had ever made her laugh as hard. Even if she looked shockingly like the woman who had betrayed her, she was a nice girl. It was written all over her. “Do you have a boyfriend?” Laure asked her with interest, as they walked into the camp.

“No, I have a brother, a father, and a dog. For now, that's it. I had one in Berkeley, but it wasn't a serious thing. He e-mails me sometimes, or he did before I came here.”

“Your two friends seem nice, the ones you came with.” Christianna nodded, not sure what to say. Sometimes they were hard to explain, other than that they were just two friends who had wanted to come to Africa, too.

“They were in Russia with me, and they met Marque, too.” Laure nodded, and as they headed toward the women's tent, she stopped and looked at Christianna for a long moment.

“Thank you for asking me to take a walk with you. I had a good time, Cricky.” She had heard the others call her that, and felt comfortable doing so herself now.

“I had a good time, too.” Christianna smiled at her warmly. Making friends with Laure had been a victory of sorts for her, and was an unexpected gift. It had been hard earned. “Except for the snake,” Christianna added, and they both laughed as they walked into the tent everyone called the Ritz. The others were all back from work, in varying degrees of undress, relaxing after a long day.

“Where have you two been?” Mary asked them, surprised to see them together. Everyone had noticed the chill between the two, and how unpleasant Laure had been to Christianna till then.

“We went out looking for snakes, and we found a big one, lying in a tree.” Christianna grinned, and Laure smiled, too.

“You don't sit under trees in Africa,” Mary scolded her with a stern look, and then she glanced at Laure with the same disapproving look. “You know better than that. We can't let you girls go anywhere, can we? I'm going to have to send you to your room.” Both young women laughed, and Laure announced that she was going to take a shower before dinner, which they all knew was not as simple as it looked. But she was sure she could still find someone to pour the water for her. She put on her bathrobe and left the tent, as Christianna lay down on her bed, trying not to think of the enormous snake they'd seen. She'd never screamed as loud in her life or run as fast. Thank God for Yaw.

“What on earth did you do to her?” Fiona asked with a look of amazement. She looked tired. She had delivered three babies in a row that afternoon, and one had died. It always depressed her when tragic things like that happened. She had done everything she could to save the infant, and Geoff had helped, but there was nothing they could do. It happened that way sometimes, but it always weighed heavily on her.

“We just went for a walk,” Christianna said calmly. “I think she needed someone to talk to.”

“Well, she never talked to any of us until you got here. You must have special powers.”

“No, she was just ready to talk.” Christianna had sensed it, although she hadn't expected it to go as well as it did. She just didn't want an enemy living with her in the same tent.

“You have a way with people, Cricky,” Fiona said with a look of admiration. Everyone in the camp had noticed it, and talked about it. It had been obvious to all of them, even in the short time since she arrived. Christianna had a special kind of grace—as Laure had said that afternoon, a “gift.”

Laure came back from the shower shortly after. She looked happy and relaxed, and when they all left for dinner that night, she and Cricky were laughing about the snake. And for the first time since she'd been there, Laure joined in the general conversation at dinner that night. Everyone was surprised to discover that she had a sense of humor. She teased Cricky liberally about how loud she'd screamed and how fast she ran away.

“I didn't see you sticking around to take pictures of him,” Christianna answered, and then they laughed about it again, still shuddering over what it would have been like if he'd fallen out of the tree while they were still sitting there. It didn't bear thinking.

They walked back to the tent together that night, and Christianna asked her quietly why she hated Africa. It had struck her when Laure said it that afternoon.

“Maybe I don't hate Africa as much as I think I do,” Laure said pensively. “I've been so unhappy here. I suppose I brought it all with me, all the misery that happened before I came. I don't know … maybe I just hated me.”

“Why would you do that?” Christianna asked her gently.

“I don't know … maybe because he didn't love me enough to stay with me and be faithful to me. Maybe I thought that if he didn't love me, why should I …I kept looking for what was wrong with me to make them do a thing like that. It's complicated, I guess.”

“They were bad people to do that to you,” Christianna said simply. “Good people don't do things like that. You don't believe it now, but you'll be glad one day, when you find someone else. Next time you'll find a good man. I truly believe you will. Lightning like that doesn't strike twice. Once in a lifetime is enough.”

“I can't even imagine trusting someone again,” Laure said as they walked into the tent. The others weren't back yet, so they were alone.

“You will. You'll see.”

“When?” Laure asked, looking sad again. The pain of the betrayal she'd lived through was still in her eyes, but now she had a friend.

“When you're ready. It was probably good for you to come here, and get away from all of it.”

“That's what I thought. But I brought it all here with me. I haven't been able to think of anything else.”

“When that happens again,” Christianna said quietly, “do you know what you have to do from now on?”

“What?” Laure was expecting pearls of wisdom from her new friend's mouth. She had been wise and accurate so far, and Laure was impressed.

“Just think of the snake that nearly fell on us today, and be glad we're alive. That's two snakes you've narrowly missed. Him, and the one today.” Laure laughed out loud. She was still laughing when the others came in, and looked at them in amazement again. None of them could even remotely imagine what Christianna had done to the girl who never talked. But whatever it had been, it worked. They all agreed. There was no question about it. Christianna had a gift. They felt lucky to have her in their midst. And she even more so to be there with them.

Chapter 9

The day before Doctors Without Borders came, everyone was always busy. Geoff lined up cases he wanted them to see. There were a few small surgeries he suspected they would perform there. They had two serious cases of tuberculosis he was worried about, and there had been a small outbreak of kala azar that he wasn't panicked about yet, but he was always grateful for their presence and consultation, particularly in malaria season in September, which fortunately was still a long way off. There would be four physicians and two nurses joining them for the week, which always took some of the burden off Geoff 's and Mary's shoulders. And there were always their AIDS patients to consult about. The Doctors Without Borders brought new medications for them. And it was always nice to see familiar faces and new ones. They had already radioed the camp several weeks before to say that they had a new doctor with them, who was interested in spending a month or so with them. He was a young American, doing AIDS research at Harvard. Geoff had responded that he'd be grateful to have him around for a month, if he'd enjoy it. It would raise their number of camp residents to eighteen, and Geoff had promised to set up an additional cot for him in the George V, since they were already full up.

Christianna had spoken to her father twice by then, and he said he missed her terribly. It was only February, and he couldn't imagine another five months without her, let alone longer. He said he wanted her to come home at the end of six months, and not stay the full year, and she didn't comment. She didn't want to argue about it with him yet. She was planning to do that later in the year. She had no desire whatsoever to leave East Africa a moment earlier than she had to. He was relieved at least that she was well and happy, although even he knew it didn't bode well for her coming home early. Christianna felt guilty leaving him alone in Liechtenstein, but this time was sacred to her. She knew only too well that she would never get a chance like this again.

She had completed her plan for the AIDS education program by then, and had started small classes for the local women, with her translator at her side, a sweet girl who spoke adequate English, taught to her by missionaries. And often her translations made Christianna and her students laugh. They tittered and giggled at the funny things Christianna said, and seemed to take her seriously about the rest. Mary thought she was doing a fine job and said that to Geoff often, and also to Christianna, although she thought Mary was only being kind.

She was still teaching with Ushi every afternoon, and the children adored her. She had brought Laure in several times to help, and she loved it. With a friend to confide in, and take walks with in the afternoon, the previously dour French girl had begun to flourish. When the others commented on the miraculous transformation that had occurred, Christianna insisted that it had only been a matter of timing. Laure had been ready to open up, and Christianna had just been there at the right time, like an accident of friendship. The others didn't buy it. They could see what had happened, better than she could perhaps, and how gently Christianna had drawn her out of her shell. The angry, taciturn girl she had been for months had vanished. Now she talked, laughed, and made jokes like the others. She even played cards with the men at night, and was delighted when she came back to the women's tent with a handful of nakfa, the local money.

And even more than Laure, the girl they all called Cricky was thriving. Even Geoff forgot now that she was a Serene Highness, which made it easier to keep the secret. She had become one of them in barely more than a month. They could no longer imagine life without her, nor could she. She felt as though she had truly found herself in East Africa, and wished she could stay forever. She couldn't bear thinking of leaving, and wanted to hang on to every moment and savor its delights to the fullest.

The morning the Doctors Without Borders came, Christianna was doing rounds with Mary, before teaching her AIDS prevention class, and when the head of the visiting team walked in with Geoff, he introduced him to Christianna. As always now, he just called her Cricky. The head of the visiting team was Dutch, and spoke to her in German. He was an interesting-looking man who had worked for Doctors Without Borders for years. In the Sudan at one time, then Sierra Leone, Zaire, Tanzania, and finally Eritrea. During the border war with Ethiopia, he had treated a great many casualties on both sides, and was relieved that it was over, as were the locals. Many of those who had fled at the time and migrated elsewhere, had come home to Eritrea now.

He and Geoff were old friends and always happy to see each other, and he was substantially older than Geoff. He always claimed to be too old for this work now, but no one believed him. He was a youthfullooking, vital man, and enjoyed flying the plane himself. He had flown for the British at the very end of World War II, after fleeing Holland. He was a very interesting man, and Christianna was delighted to meet him. She had been hearing about him since she arrived.

They had a lively dinner in the dining tent that night, combining both groups, as the doctor in charge regaled them with funny stories, and the various younger members of the group mingled, and enjoyed getting to know each other or renewing old friendships. It was always nice to have new faces in camp, just as it had been when Cricky and her two men arrived. The young American had sat next to Mary at dinner, and they were talking intently about the new protocols for AIDS being tested at Harvard. He was young but extremely knowledgeable in his field, and Mary thoroughly enjoyed hearing all the latest developments and picking his brain about her current caseload. He had examined all of her patients with her that afternoon, and had made some excellent suggestions. For Christianna, listening to them all around her was like being at a medical convention, but she found it fascinating. And there were lots of times at dinner when they all talked about other things. There seemed to be endless laughter peppered among the more serious topics.

Christianna was also pleased to see that Laure was enjoying talking to one of the young French doctors. They seemed to be having a serious conversation through most of dinner, and after dessert Laure started a lively game of poker. She had turned into the camp's hottest and most successful gambler, and tonight was no exception. She glanced over at Christianna several times, and when no one was looking, Christianna gave her a thumbs-up over the young French doctor, and Laure laughed. She looked happier than she had in a long time, and Christianna was glad.

It was the end of the evening, with the poker game still in full swing, when Christianna was introduced to the American doctor who would be staying with them. His name was Parker Williams, and she had heard him say to someone that he was from San Francisco. While they were chatting over coffee, she told him that she had gone to Berkeley. He very politely said it was a great school, although she knew he had gone to Harvard.

“How did you wind up out here?” he asked with interest. She told him about the siege at the Russian school, meeting Marque, and realizing that she wanted to spend a year of her life doing something like this before settling into her family business. And in response to her questions, he said that he wasn't really part of Doctors Without Borders, he was just following them as part of his research project on AIDS for Harvard, but he said that he was thoroughly enjoying it, and looked forward to the time he would spend in Senafe.

“I love it here,” she said quietly, and from the look in her eyes he could see that she did. Laure had already commented earlier on how attractive he was and how much he looked like Christianna. He was equally blond, had the same deep blue eyes, although he was tall, and she was tiny. But there was nothing small about her spirit, as her coworkers there had already discovered.

She and Parker chatted for a little while, about the camp, the people in Senafe, the work they were doing there. She told him about the AIDS prevention program she had developed with Mary's help. And after listening to her describe the ground she was covering, he said he liked it and was impressed with the progress she had obviously made in a short time.

He joined Laure's poker game after that, and most of the men stayed in the dining tent, while Christianna and the other women went back to their tent.

“He's a cutie,” Fiona cackled to Christianna as they walked back to the Ritz.

“Who?” Christianna said innocently, momentarily distracted. She was thinking that she hadn't called her father for several days, and should probably go into Senafe to do so the next day. He got upset when she didn't call him.

“Don't give me that,” Fiona snorted at her. “I saw you talking to him. You know who I mean. The young doctor from Harvard. Hell, if you don't want him, I'll have a go at him myself.” Fiona always had an eye out for new men, although she was more talk than action. None of them had many opportunities for such liaisons. And other than Maggie and Geoff, most of them steered clear of romances in the camp. It got too complicated later, and they lived together like sisters and brothers. But the arrival of Doctors Without Borders always caught everyone's attention.

“You can have him,” Christianna said, laughing at her, although Fiona was still flirting with Max, but so far it had gone nowhere. It was just talk, and something they both played at.

“Don't you like him?” Fiona asked, referring to Parker Williams again.

“He seems fine. I just haven't been thinking about things like that here. There's too much work to do, to worry about all that.” Christianna was engaged in other pursuits here, and finding a man was the last thing on her mind. She was well aware that it would only complicate her life. It had been different in Berkeley when she was a student. But not here, at the far end of the world, particularly given the burdens of her real life. If she got involved with someone here, it would just have to end when she went back. And this time it might hurt. Last time it hadn't.

All of the women got undressed and went to bed, and an hour later Laure joined them. She'd had a good time, and everyone teased her in the morning about how much money she'd made. She'd cleaned them all out.

“You'll be the only person I know to leave Senafe a rich woman,” Geoff said, as Laure grinned. She'd had fun, and the French doctor was nice.

As always, they were all hard at work at their various jobs by seven. Parker Williams was doing rounds with Mary, the head of the team was seeing patients with Geoff, and the other doctors who'd flown in were helping them see patients and restock their supplies. Christianna was in the tiny office she used for her AIDS prevention class, when Mary came by to ask her if she'd like to join them, and she looked surprised. She wasn't part of the medical team after all, and it was a compliment to be included in medical discussions, even when they were over her head. She always learned something from them, and in the short time she'd been there, she'd learned a lot.

By now she knew all of their AIDS patients fairly well, especially the children. She visited everyone on the ward every day, and brought them little treats, fruit for the women, games for the children. She put fresh flowers in the ward for them, always nicely arranged. She had a way of making everyone's life better, as Mary constantly observed. But she was quiet when she joined them. She didn't want to interfere with Parker's dialogue with Mary. And she only asked him a question once, about a certain medication she had heard about from the others but didn't understand. He explained it to her carefully, and then spoke to the patients. On two occasions, Christianna translated for him, when the patients only spoke French. They had two women from Mozambique on the ward.

“Thanks for the help,” he said casually when she left to teach her class.

“Anytime.” She smiled and went to do her own work. She skipped lunch entirely that day, and went straight to the schoolroom to help Ushi, and when she finished, she dropped by to see Laure in her office. The young French doctor happened to be there, chatting with her. Cricky smiled at her, and rapidly disappeared. And then she went outside to take a walk on her own. Fiona had been gone all day, so she had no one to talk to or walk with. The others had already gone back to the tent to relax.

“Thanks again for your help this morning,” she heard a voice call out to her, and she turned to see who it was. It was Parker. He had worked hard all day, and they had finished at the same time.

“That wasn't a big thing.” She smiled pleasantly, and then to be polite, because she didn't want to just stand around, she asked him if he'd like to take a walk, and he said he would. He thought the area was beautiful, and it was totally unfamiliar to him. He said he had only been in Africa for a month.

“Me too, or just a little longer,” she said pleasantly, as they headed in the same direction she usually went with Laure.

“Where are you from?” he asked with interest. He had thought she was French, but Mary said she wasn't.

“A tiny country in Europe,” she smiled at him. “Liechtenstein.”

“Where exactly is that? I've always heard about it, but to be honest, I wouldn't know where to place it on a map.” He had a nice easy way about him and a warm smile.

“Most people wouldn't. It's landlocked between Austria and Switzerland. It's only a hundred and sixty square kilometers. Very tiny, which is why you didn't know where it is.” She smiled back. They weren't flirting, far from it, they were just making idle conversation as they walked. She thought he looked a little bit like her brother Freddy, but it seemed safe to assume that he was much better behaved. Most people were.

“What do they speak there?” He seemed to soak up information like a sponge. “German?”

“Mostly, and a dialect that derives from it but is very hard to understand.”

“And French?” Hers had seemed perfect to him that morning, and now he was impressed, if it wasn't her native tongue. It had sounded like it to him.

“Some people do. Though most speak German. I just always spoke French at home. My mother was French.”

“Was?” he asked, looking sympathetic.

“She died when I was five.”

“Mine died when I was fifteen.” It was something they had in common, although she didn't pursue the subject. She didn't want to be rude or intrusive and ask painful questions. “My brother and I grew up alone with my dad.”

“My brother and I did, too.” She smiled.

“What does your brother do now, assuming he's old enough to be doing something?” He laughed, she looked very young to him, mostly because she was so small. She was barely taller than a child, although if she was working for the Red Cross in Africa, he knew she had to be a reasonable age, at the very least over twenty-one.

“He's old enough,” Cricky said ruefully. “He's thirtythree. Actually, most of the time, he travels, chases women, and drives fast cars.”

“Nice work if you can find it,” he teased. “Mine is a doctor, and so is my dad. My father is a surgeon in San Francisco, and my brother is a pediatrician in New York. And I live in Boston.” He supplied all the relevant information, as some Americans did, far more so than Europeans, who gave much less personal information away. But Christianna didn't mind it. She liked the open, friendly American ways. She had missed that since she left Berkeley in June.

“I know you live in Boston.” She smiled pleasantly at him, he seemed nice. “You do research at Harvard.” He seemed pleased that she knew.

“What do you do in Liechtenstein … what's your hometown called, by the way?”

“I live in the capital, Vaduz. And I'm going to work for my father when I go home. But I'm hoping to stay here all year first. If he lets me. He gets a bit nervous when I'm away. But my brother will be home from China soon … that will distract him, I hope. Or drive him insane, depending on what my brother does.” They both laughed.

“Is he a race car driver? You mentioned fast cars.”

“No.” She laughed harder this time, as they walked down a path bordered by bushes, flowers, and trees. The smell of the flowers was heavy and sweet, and one that she would always associate with Africa now. “He's just a very bad boy.”

“Doesn't he work at all?” He looked surprised. That concept was new to him, though not to her. Most princes didn't, especially crown princes like her brother, although most were far more respectable than he was, and found tamer ways to fill their time.

“Actually, he works for my father sometimes, too, but he doesn't like it much. He prefers to travel. He's been traveling in Asia now for several months. He was in Japan before, and now China. He's planning to stop in Burma on his way home.” They sounded like an in teresting family to him.

“And your father?”

“He's in politics and PR.” She had it down pat now, and had said it often enough. She had almost convinced herself. “I'll work for him in PR when I go home.”

“That sounds like fun,” he said generously, and she groaned.

“I can't think of anything worse. I'd much rather be here.”

“And what does he think of that?” he asked, looking at her cautiously. She was beginning to intrigue him. She was a very bright girl.

“He's not too pleased. But he let me come. He agreed to six months, but I'm going to push for a year.” He realized that she was still young enough to be ruled by her father, and somewhat dependent on him. He had no idea to what extent she was bound by her father's rules, and the duties imposed on her as a princess. He would have been stunned had he known.

“I have to be back at Harvard in June, but I love it here, too. It's the most interesting place I've ever been. Africa, I mean. I did some research in Central America a few years ago. My specialty is AIDS in developing countries. This has been a terrific opportunity for me.”

“Doctors Without Borders is a wonderful group. Everyone respects them a great deal.”

“It will be interesting for me in Senafe, too, and nice to stay for a while. What I've been doing for the past month was a little more hit and run, although I've been very grateful that they let me tag along.” She nodded as they slowly turned back. It had been a very pleasant walk with him. He asked her about Berkeley then and if she liked it, and she said she did, very much.

“I was very sorry to go home in June.”

“It doesn't sound like you or your brother like being home a lot,” he said with a mischievous grin.

“You're right. Liechtenstein is a very small place. There's not much to do. There's far more for me to do here.” She was enjoying her AIDS work, and the children she was teaching in the afternoon. She felt useful here, which meant a lot to her.

“I'll have to visit there sometime,” he said politely. “I've been to Vienna, and Lausanne and Zurich, but I've never been to Liechtenstein.”

“It's very pretty,” she said loyally, not sounding convinced herself.

“And very dull,” he added for her.

“Yes, very dull,” she admitted with a smile.

“So why go back?” He looked puzzled. In the States, if people didn't like where they lived, they moved, just as he and his brother had. He liked San Francisco, but it was too quiet for him, too.

“I don't have any choice,” she said sadly, but there was no way she could explain. He assumed from what she'd said that her father was pressing her into the family business, particularly if she had an irresponsible brother. It didn't sound fair to him. And the truth of her situation was the farthest thing from his mind. He couldn't have imagined it in a million years. “That's just the way it is. Now I have this year off, and then I have to go back for good.”

“Maybe you can rethink that while you're here.” She laughed out loud at that, and shook her head.

“I'm afraid there's no way I can do that. Sometimes you just have to accept your responsibilities and do what's expected of you, no matter how tedious it is.”

“You can do anything you want in life,” he insisted, “or not do what you don't want. I've never believed you have to play by other people's rules. My father taught me that when I was very young.”

“I wish I could say my father thought that way, but he doesn't. Very much the opposite. He believes in duty before anything. And tradition.” He sounded tough, maybe even unreasonably so, Parker thought, but he didn't say it to her. She looked so happy to be here.

They were back in the camp by then, and Parker said he was going to shower before dinner, as though he were going back to a hotel room.

“You'd better hurry before the water boys go home,” she told him, and explained the system they used to bathe. He had experienced it that morning, but hadn't realized that after a certain hour you could no longer shower, once the water boys left. He thanked her for the information and the pleasant walk, and then hurried back to the tent. And as Christianna wandered back to her own tent, she thought about how easygoing and likable he had been. She didn't know for sure, but she suspected he was about Freddy's age. She was still thinking about him when she went back to her tent, and lay down for a few minutes before dinner.

She was lying on her bed, staring into space with Parker in her mind's eye, and before she knew it, she felt so peaceful she fell asleep.

Chapter 10

The team from Doctors Without Borders stayed with them for a week. The Senafe Red Cross team worked hard with them, and their combined efforts benefited the patients they were treating, particularly in the AIDS unit, with Parker's help. And every night the combination of the two groups in the dining tent made for a festive atmosphere. They had a wonderful time together. Particularly Laure and the young French doctor. By the time the visiting medical team left, there was obviously a spark between Laure and her new friend, and when she talked to Christianna about it, she was beaming.

“So?” Cricky asked her expectantly, as they followed their usual path toward the stream. They no longer sat under the trees, however. Neither of them had forgotten the snake that Yaw had spared them from.

“I like him,” Laure admitted with a shy smile, and then just as quickly looked nervous and afraid. “But what do I know? He's probably a liar and a cheat like all other men.” Christianna was sad to hear her say it, and particularly to see the wounded look in her eyes that went with it. Her fiancé had left her with an ugly gift—the gift of distrust for any man who came near her.

“Not all men are liars and cheats,” Christianna said cautiously. The two young women had become fast friends in the short time they'd known each other, and confided much to each other, mostly about their hopes and dreams and fears for the future. Christianna would have liked to share more with her, about her own particular situation, but didn't dare. Her secret was a big one, and she couldn't share it with anyone here, not even Laure, no matter how much she liked her. She was afraid that it would change everything between them, so she continued to keep what she considered her dark secret to herself, the fact that she was a princess. “Some men are actually honorable and decent, Laure. Look at the life he leads, and what he's doing for humanity. That has to say something about him, don't you think?”

“I don't know,” Laure said sadly, and then with tears in her eyes, “I'm afraid to trust him. I don't ever want to be that hurt again.”

“And then what?” Christianna said practically, in her gentle, measured tone. “You enter a convent? You never date again? You give up on life? You stay celibate forever, afraid to go out with anyone or trust any man? That's a lonely life for you, Laure. Not everyone is as rotten as the man who let you down.” Or the best friend who had gone with him. “This one may not be the right man, or it may just be too soon for you to trust again, but I'd hate to see you close that door forever. You just can't. You're too wonderful a person, and much too beautiful to let that happen.”

“That's what he says,” Laure said, drying her eyes. “I told him about what happened. He thought it was awful.”

“It was awful. It was a totally rotten thing to do to you. He was a real cad, in every sense of the word,” Christianna said vehemently, and Laure smiled at her. She loved her new friend.

“He had a right to change his mind about marrying me,” Laure said, trying to be fair. “And even to fall in love with someone else.”

“Yes, but not in the order he did it, and not with your best friend. He must have known sooner than two days before the wedding that he had grave doubts, and he had obviously been involved with her for a while. Any way you look at it, it was a rotten thing to do. But that doesn't mean that someone else will do the same thing again.” She was trying to divide the two issues so Laure could see it more clearly.

“The same thing happened to Antoine,” she said quietly. He was the young doctor in question. “They weren't engaged, but he went out with her for five years, all through medical school and after. She also went off with his best friend, and then married his brother, so he has to see her all the time. That's why he came here to Africa and joined Doctors Without Borders, so he wouldn't have to see them. He hasn't spoken to his brother since they got married, which must be sad for him.”

“She sounds like a piece of work. It sounds like you both got lucky, getting rid of people like that, even though it may not seem like it right now. I really think you should give this guy a chance. When can you see him again after he leaves?” She didn't know exactly when the team was coming back this way again, although they came to the camp roughly once a month, and Laure was leaving in a relatively short time, in about a month, so she might miss him, if the Doctors Without Borders didn't come back before she left. It seemed a shame to Christianna for them to miss an opportunity to get to know each other. There was obviously something there or she wouldn't be so troubled. She clearly felt a pull toward this man, and at the same time felt vulnerable and afraid.

“He wants to see me in Geneva. He's leaving Africa in a few months. He's accepted a job in a hospital in Brussels, specialized in tropical medicine. He said he'd come to visit me when he gets back. I'm going back two months before him.”

“That gives you time to adjust to the idea. Why don't you see how you feel about it when you go back? Maybe the two of you could correspond or something in the meantime.” Laure laughed in answer, and Christianna had to admit that it wouldn't be easy for them to contact each other in Africa, given their locations and the nature of their jobs. But three months wasn't long to wait, and Laure needed the time to heal. “I think you should give it a shot, or at least leave the door open, and see what happens. You don't have much to lose at this point, you haven't invested anything in it. Let him prove to you that he's a good guy. Be cautious, but at least give the poor man a chance, he's been through a lot, too.”

“I don't want to get my heart broken again,” Laure said, still looking worried. But there was no question, she was tempted, and everything Christianna had said to her made sense.

“Nothing is whole that has not previously been rent,” Christianna offered. “That's a misquote, and I think it's Yeats. All hearts get broken at some point, in the end it makes us stronger.”

“And yours?” Laure smiled at her.

“My heart is a virgin,” Christianna answered. “I've liked some people, a lot even, but I don't think I've ever been in love. In fact, I know I haven't.” She had so little opportunity, except for her years in Berkeley, but other than that the scope of her world was so small, the options for her so narrow as to be almost nonexistent. In order to satisfy her father, it would have to be a prince, or at least someone titled, from her own world. If not, it would cause a huge explosion. Despite other young royals marrying commoners in recent years, her father had always insisted that she had to marry another royal. It was a promise he had made her mother before she died, a tradition that meant much to him, and he always pointed out that few royal marriages to commoners had been successful. It was not only about bloodlines for him, he had a profound belief that it was essential not to marry someone too different. And he had always made it clear to her that he would never give her his approval unless she married another royal. She believed him. And she could not conceive of getting married without her father's blessing. She couldn't say as much to Laure.

“I don't recommend it, falling in love, I mean. I've never been so miserable in my life as after he canceled the wedding and ran off. I thought I was going to die.”

“You didn't though. That's a good thing to remember. And if this man, or another one, is a better man, then you were blessed.”

“I suppose you're right,” Laure said, looking more philosophical, and a little braver. Christianna had made some excellent points, and they hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Laure was ready to hear them, although frightened. She truly liked the man she had just met, a lot. There had been an instant attraction and understanding when they met, almost like soulmates, although she wasn't entirely sure she believed in that anymore. She had been convinced her ex-fiancé had been her soulmate too, although he turned out to be anything but and in fact someone else's. But this man was different, and he seemed vulnerable and cautious, too, also with good reason. They were perfectly matched in many ways, and respectful of each other. “Maybe I will see him when I go back,” she said with a shy smile.

“Good girl,” Christianna said, and hugged her as they walked back to the camp. They passed several of the local women, walking with their children. They both commented on how friendly the people of Eritrea were, even among themselves. They spoke nine different languages in the country, but no matter what they spoke, they always wore a smile, and were constantly helpful. They wanted everyone to feel warmly welcomed and comfortable. It made every encounter with them a joy.

The one thing that always pained Christianna when she saw it were the children with malnutrition, usually from outlying rural areas, but sometimes even here in Senafe. They had had years of starvation and drought, and the distended bellies of starving children brought to them for medical treatment never failed to make her cry. There was so little one could do for them to solve all the ills and sorrows and poverty they had endured and faced so courageously. The Red Cross was doing all they could for them, as were other groups, but the country needed more than a handful of compassionate people caring for them. They needed political and economic solutions that were beyond anyone's control. There was a sense of helplessness being there, while at the same time a sense of gratitude and joy just to be among them. Christianna intended to speak to her family foundation about an enormous grant for their benefit when she got home. And in the meantime, she was giving them her time, her heart, her soul. Just being there was an enormous gift to her, and she would be forever grateful to them for welcoming her so generously, to the Red Cross for allowing her this experience, and to her father for letting her come. Sometimes just thinking about it, her heart overflowed.

They reached the camp in time to shower before dinner. The water girls were gone, but the women poured the water for each other, and Fiona joined them when she heard them laughing outside the tent in the makeshift shower.

“Okay, what's happening, girls?” Fiona asked with her standard look of mischief. She was currently having a hard time trying to decide whether to chase Max or one of the visiting doctors she thought was gorgeous. But he was leaving the next day, which didn't give her much time. Max was a better long-term investment as he was going to be around for quite a while. Christianna and the two men weren't planning to go home for months, hopefully not till the end of the year, so he was a much better bet than a one-night stand, however cute. She discussed it with both women, who laughed at her dilemma.

Fiona was single-handedly changing the face of obstetrics in the area of Debub, particularly Senafe. Before her arrival, women had had to travel three days by donkey to give birth in a hospital far from home, and often delivered their babies by the side of the road. With Fiona's help, far fewer infants were dying in the days immediately before and after birth. And when she sensed a problem that would require a physician on hand at the delivery, she insisted that they give birth at the center. The locals were vastly impressed by her kindness and competence, her energy, and how much healthier their infants were when they were born. Both mothers and babies did well in Fiona's care. She was becoming legendary and much loved.

“What have you two been up to?” Fiona asked with interest as she dried off, after showering at the same time as Cricky and Laure.

“Just talking,” Laure said quietly, but she was friendlier with all of them now. Ever since her friendship with Christianna had blossomed, she had been more open with everyone. To Fiona, it seemed a miraculous change, which no longer surprised her. Christianna seemed to have that gift with everyone. “About Antoine,” she confessed with a blush. “He's very nice.”

Fiona laughed. “He's a lot better than that. He's a very handsome man, and I think he's totally smitten with you.” And Laure with him.

“I might see him when I go back,” Laure said quietly, with a glance at her other friend. Christianna had convinced her that afternoon. She was going to at least leave the door open for him, and see what happened after that. It was a major step for her.

Dinner in the dining tent that night was a festive affair. The residents at the camp on the outskirts of Senafe were sorry to see the others leave. It was so much livelier when they were there. There was a great deal of talk and laughter, the food seemed exceptionally good, and Geoff contributed several bottles of decent South African wine. They all had a good time, and afterward Laure and Antoine stood outside the tent and talked. After Laure's conversation with Christianna, she seemed to have opened up considerably. When Christianna and Fiona wandered out of the dining tent, they glimpsed Antoine and Laure kissing at a little distance. They said nothing, hoping not to disturb the young lovers, and walked back to the Ritz in silence, touched by what they'd seen. It was nice to know that after months of grief over her broken engagement, Laure was finally healing. They both hoped that she and Antoine would see each other again once back in Europe. They seemed to be crazy about each other.

“I'm glad somebody is getting kissed around here,” Fiona said with a grin, and Christianna laughed, as they walked into their tent. “I'm sure not getting any,” she complained good-naturedly. They lived in such close quarters and knew each other so well that they were more like sisters and brothers, and romances didn't flourish or even happen. It seemed simpler like that. She was even losing interest in pursuing Max, and was becoming friends with him. He and Samuel had gotten comfortable with everyone and fit right in. They worked every bit as hard as the others, mostly handling and unpacking supplies, making repairs, filling out requisition slips to replace whatever they were running out of, and going to the market for emergency supplies. Everyone appreciated their help and their tireless efforts. They checked in with Christianna several times a day, and were never far from wherever she was, but they didn't hover over her, or intrude on what she was doing. They had managed to achieve the perfect balance. There had been no slips about her identity, either by them or by Geoff.

“So what about you and our new American doctor?” Fiona asked Christianna, as they got into their beds. “I think he likes you,” Fiona assessed. She loved imagining sex and romance all around her, although there was little or none of it in the camp. They all had other things on their minds, and had set romance aside for the duration of their stays, much to Fiona's chagrin.

“He likes everyone.” Christianna smiled at her with a yawn. She was sorry to see the visiting medical team leave, too. They had been good company while they were there, and had done a huge amount of impressive work. “That's how Americans are. I loved going to school in America. I had a wonderful time while I was there.”

“I've never been,” Fiona commented. “I'd love to go one day, if I can ever afford it.” She made a pittance as a midwife in Ireland, and was making even less here, but it was for a good cause. She had a real calling to do what she was accomplishing with the local women, and had already saved many lives. “I'll probably be poor forever.” She didn't know why, but she always had the sense that that was not the case with Christianna. She wore simple clothes and no jewelry, but she was obviously educated and she had lovely manners, and was kind to everyone around her. Everything about her suggested a genteel background. Fiona had long since observed that she had the generosity of someone very comfortable in her world and in her own skin. There was nothing in her that was jealous or resentful. She seemed to care about everyone, and never spoke of money or the advantages she did or didn't have at home. In fact, she almost never spoke of her home, except now and then her father with great admiration. Fiona suspected but had no way of knowing that she came from a very easy life. It was that word that Mary used when she spoke of her that everyone agreed described her best. Christianna had grace, it was just an air about her, like the smile on her face.

“Maybe we can go to America together one day, if I ever leave Africa, which I'm beginning to doubt. Sometimes I think I'll stay here forever, and maybe even die here,” Fiona said with a dreamy look, as Christianna smiled at her, her head on her pillow, her arms behind her head.

“I wish I could stay, too. I love it here. Everything makes sense here. I always feel like this is where I'm meant to be. For now anyway.”

“It's a good feeling,” Fiona said as she turned off her light. The others still weren't back. Mary had stayed out to enjoy a last night of talking to the doctors. Laure was still somewhere with Antoine, maybe still kissing him, or getting to know him better before he left. The two women could hear laughter outside. And both were sound asleep when the others came in.

Everyone was on hand to say goodbye to the Doctors Without Borders team the next morning. It was one of those gorgeous golden days typical of Africa that kept them all in love with the place. They all hated to see the visiting doctors leave. It had been so much more fun at the camp with them around. And Christianna noticed as she said goodbye to them that Antoine was holding Laure's hand, and she was smiling up at him. Whatever had happened between them the night before seemed to have been a good thing. Laure looked as though she was about to cry when he left.

“You'll see him again soon,” Christianna said confidently as they both walked to work, after saying goodbye to the team. Laure headed toward the office, and Christianna toward the hut, where she visited the AIDS ward every morning.

“So he says,” Laure muttered under her breath, and Christianna grinned.

She found Mary doing rounds with Parker when she went in. He had just finished examining a young mother whose baby had contracted AIDS. Further conversation with her revealed that she hadn't used the formula they'd given her and had given the infant the breast instead. She said her husband had been suspicious of the formula, thought it might make the baby sick, and had thrown it away. It was a tragedy Mary saw every day. AIDS and malnutrition were the curses she was constantly fighting there.

Christianna moved quietly past them to visit the women and children she knew. She didn't want to disturb Parker or Mary, and went about her business in silence, whispering gently in the bits of Tigrinya and Tigre that she had already learned. Both languages accounted for ninety percent of what was spoken in Eritrea. There was some Arabic spoken as well, although Christianna hadn't learned any yet. She was working hard learning the other two, and Fiona was helping her as she was fluent in both, given her extensive work in the field delivering the babies of the local women. The women Christianna spoke to in the AIDS ward had names like Mwanaiuma, which meant “Friday,” Wekesa, which she had been told meant “harvest time,” Nsonowa (seventh born), Abeni, Monifa, Chiumbo, Dada, and Ife, which meant “love.” Christianna loved the sound of their names. The women laughed at her efforts in Tigre, which she didn't speak as well yet, and nodded their approval as she tried to master at least the rudiments of Tigrinya. They certainly weren't languages she'd ever speak again once she left. But they were useful here, for her work with the local women and children, and whenever she moved around Senafe. And the women loved her for the effort she made, even when she made embarrassing mistakes. When she did, everyone giggled in the ward. After she had finished delivering baskets of fruit to each of them, and set out two vases of flowers she'd picked herself, she went to her office to meet with half a dozen young women, to teach them the AIDS prevention course she'd designed.

She was just finishing with the women when Parker walked in, just in time to see her hand each of the women a ballpoint pen and several pencils as they left.

“What was that about? The pens I mean.” He was looking at her with admiration. He had been touched earlier by how kind and attentive she was to everyone in the ward. And he thought the AIDS prevention class she had designed was very impressive.

Christianna smiled before she answered. He was wearing baggy shorts to his knees, and his white coat over a T-shirt. Everything was informal here. “I don't know why, but everyone here loves pens and pencils. I buy them by the case in town.” Actually, Samuel and Max did, and gave them to her when they came back, so she could give them out, on nearly every visit to the ward, and to everyone after each class. “They'd rather have a pen than almost anything except food.” The entire country was fighting a battle with malnutrition. Food was the greatest gift, and the center handed out a lot of it. It was their most important supply.

“I'll have to remember that,” Parker said, watching her. She seemed to have learned a lot in the short time she was there. He had been particularly impressed by her efforts to speak to them in their native tongue. Their languages sounded nearly impossible to pick up to him. He couldn't even imagine managing as well as she did after being there little more than a month. Christianna had been working hard with her translator to learn essential words and phrases in the most common local dialects. “Are you heading over to the tent for lunch?” he asked with a friendly smile. She wondered if he was lonely now that the visiting medical team was gone.

“I teach a class in a few minutes,” she explained, “with Ushi in the classroom. The kids are really cute.”

“Do you speak the local dialects to them, too?” he asked with interest.

“I try to, but they usually laugh at me, a lot more than the women.” She smiled thinking about it. The kids always erupted in gales of giggles whenever she said the wrong thing, which she did often. But she was determined to learn their language so she could speak to them directly.

“Do you give them pens, too?” He was beginning to find her intriguing. She had a kind of quiet, gracious poise that appealed to him, more than he wanted it to. The last thing he wanted to do was get involved with someone here. It would be a lot simpler to just be friends, and he had the impression she'd be good at that, too. She was a good listener, and seemed interested in people.

“Yes, I do,” she said in answer to his question. “Max and Sam buy them for me in cases. Colored pens are always a big hit.”

“I'll have to buy some, too, to give to patients. You'd think they'd want something more useful.”

“Pens are a big status symbol here. They suggest education, and that you have important things to write down. Maggie told me about it when I came.”

“What about lunch?” It was six hours since they'd last eaten, and he was starving. He was holding a nutrition clinic with Geoff that afternoon, where they were going to be giving out food.

“I don't have time,” she said honestly. “I'll grab something on my way to class. I usually just eat fruit at lunch. But they put sandwiches out every day, not just when the visiting team is here.” He was still new to the camp and its habits.

“I was hoping they would. I get so hungry here, it must be the air.” Or how hard they worked, they all did, and he had, too. She had also liked his manner with people. He seemed gentle and competent, and deeply interested in every case. He seemed to respond easily to the warmth of the people he treated. It was easy to see that he was good at what he did. He exuded quiet confidence, and had a manner that assured people he knew what he was doing.

They walked over to the dining tent side by side, and once there, Christianna grabbed a handful of fruit from an enormous basket. There were yogurts there, too, which the camp cook bought in Senafe, but she never touched them. She stayed away from dairy products in Africa. A lot of people got very sick, not just from the major diseases that plagued the area, but also from simple dysentery. She hadn't suffered from it yet, and was hoping to keep it that way. Parker helped himself to two sandwiches, wrapped them in a napkin, and took a banana.

“Since you won't have lunch with me, Cricky”—he smiled—“I guess I'll take mine back to work, too.” The others had come and gone. None of the workers ever lingered at lunchtime. He walked her to the classroom where she and Ushi taught, and then went back to the other hut, to discuss a number of their cases with Mary. “See you later,” he said pleasantly, and then wandered off, looking casual and happy. It was obvious to Christianna that he was trying to make friends, but Ushi didn't think so. She thought he had something a little more personal in mind.

“A lunch date?” Ushi teased her.

“No. I didn't have time. I think he's just lonely without his friends.”

“I think it might be more than that.” Ushi had been watching him for days, and actually found him very attractive herself, but like Christianna and most of the others, she didn't want the complications of a camp romance. And he seemed far more interested in Cricky than in her, she realized. He had made that pretty clear through his friendly overtures to her, and had barely said a word to Ushi.

“I don't have time for more than that, nor the interest,” Christianna said firmly. “Besides, Americans are that way. They're friendly. I'll bet you that in spite of the scheming in the camp, he's not even remotely interested in romance. Just like the rest of us, he's here to work.”

“That doesn't mean you can't have a little fun, too,” Ushi said with a smile. She liked going out with men, but had met no eligible ones for her here. Parker was the first truly attractive candidate who had come along, other than the visiting team every month, although she thought he was too young for her. He was the same age as Max and Samuel, whom she had overlooked romantically for the same reason. She knew from seeing Parker's records in the office that he was thirty-two years old. Ushi was forty-two. Age didn't matter here, and most of the time they hung out as a group. But she had a gut feeling he was interested in Christianna, although there was no serious evidence of it yet, despite his seemingly casual efforts to make friends. She had noticed Parker watching Christianna quietly at dinner, although she seemed oblivious to it. She didn't have romance on her mind, only work, and she had a polite, somewhat reserved, conservative style about her, particularly with men, almost as though she were constantly aware of not exposing herself in any way. She was far more relaxed and outspoken with the women. “I think he has a crush on you,” Ushi finally said openly, and Christianna firmly shook her head.

“Don't be silly,” she brushed off the suggestion, and a moment later they went back to work, but Ushi was convinced her assessment was correct.

She and Fiona chatted about it idly a few days later, as Parker continued to chat with Christianna at every opportunity and had started borrowing books from her, and consulting her about several of the AIDS patients, whom she seemed to have come to know well. He always seemed to have something he needed to ask her about, tell her, lend her, borrow from her. And at her suggestion, he had started handing out pens to everyone he saw. The patients loved him for it, and he became much loved by all within weeks of his arrival, for his gentle ways. He stayed up late at night in the men's tent, poring over the notes he made for his research project. Fiona often saw his portion of the tent lit up when she came home late from deliveries nearby. Often when he heard her, he came out and said hello to her, and they chatted for a few minutes, even at three and four in the morning. And remarkably, he always seemed fresh and good humored the next day.

He often invited Christianna to go on walks with him at the end of their workdays. She saw no harm in doing so, enjoyed his company, and together they discovered new paths and fresh terrain previously undiscovered. They agreed that they both loved Africa, its people, the atmosphere, the excitement of being able to improve conditions for people who were invariably so kind and open to them, and so desperately needed their help.

“I feel as though my life finally has some meaning to it,” she said one day, as they sat on a log before turning back. There was no tree overhead, and she had told him about her experience with Laure when the snake fell out of the tree, some months back. It was nearly April by then, and Laure was getting ready to leave any day. Her correspondence with Antoine had flourished, and she was looking forward to seeing him in Geneva in June. They had already made plans to meet again. “I never felt that way before,” Christianna continued. “I always felt as though I was wasting my time, and never did anything useful for anyone … until that night in Russia … and when I came here.”

“Don't be so hard on yourself,” Parker said generously. “You just finished school, Cricky. No one your age has set fire to the world yet, or cured all its ills. I'm nearly ten years older than you are, and I'm just getting started myself. Helping people is a life's work, and it looks to me like you're off to a hell of a good start here. Is there something like this you can do in Liechtenstein when you go back?” Although they both knew that there were few opportunities in a lifetime like the one they were experiencing here.

She laughed wryly at his question, forgetting for a moment that he didn't know who she was. Talking to Parker was like talking to a brother, though not necessarily her own. “Are you kidding? All I do at home is cut ribbons and go to dinner parties with my father. I was leading a totally stupid life before I came here. It was driving me insane,” she said, sounding frustrated again, just thinking about it.

“What kind of ribbons?” he asked, looking puzzled. “Cutting ribbons” meant nothing to him. The concept of a princess cutting a ribbon to open a hospital or a children's home was inconceivable to him and the farthest thing from his mind. “Is your father in the ribbon business? I thought he was in politics and PR,” and even that explanation had been vague.

Christianna laughed out loud in spite of herself. “I'm sorry … that made no sense. It doesn't matter. I just go on the jobs he sends me on … you know, like an opening ceremony for a shopping mall. Sometimes he sends me in his place when he's too busy. That's the PR part. The political side is more complicated to explain.” She was momentarily horrified that she had almost slipped and spilled the beans.

“It doesn't sound like fun to me,” he said sympathetically. He had felt the same way about joining his father's practice in San Francisco. He much preferred the research project he was working on at Harvard, and now the time he was spending here. Christianna had explained many things to him, and had been very kind about introducing him to life in Senafe, and the others had been equally helpful and hospitable.

“It isn't fun,” she said honestly, looking pensive for a moment, as she thought about her father and the dutiful life she led in Vaduz. She had talked to him the day before. Freddy had finally come back from China a few weeks earlier, in March, as planned, and according to her father, he was already getting restless. He'd been staying at Palace Liechtenstein in Vienna and giving parties there. He said he'd go mad if he had to stay in Vaduz. She suspected, as her father did, that once Freddy inherited the throne, he would probably move the court back to Vienna, where it used to be, for generations before them. It was far more accessible and sophisticated, and he had a lot more fun there. Though once he was the reigning prince, he would have to be far more serious than he had ever been. She was thinking about all of it with a quiet frown, while Parker watched her.

“What were you thinking about just then?” he asked quietly. She had been silent for several minutes.

“I was just thinking about my brother. He's so impossible at times, and he always upsets my father. I love him, but he's just not a responsible person. He got back from China a few weeks ago, and he's already in Vienna, playing and giving parties. We all worry about him in the family. He just refuses to grow up, and for now he doesn't have to. But one day he will, and if he doesn't, it will be just terrible.” She was going to add “for our country,” but she caught herself and didn't.

“I assume that's why so much is expected of you, and why you feel you have to go home and help your father with the business. What if you didn't go home, and stopped enabling your brother? Maybe then he would have to grow up and take some responsibility off you.” It was a sensible solution, and an unfamiliar subject to him. His own brother had been a remarkable student, and was a highly respected physician with a wife and three children. It was hard for him to relate to the tales she told him about her brother.

“You don't know my brother,” she said, smiling sadly. “I'm not sure he'll ever grow up. I was only five when my mother died, he was fifteen, and I think it upset him very badly. I think he runs away from everything he feels. He refuses to be serious or responsible about anything.”

“I was fifteen when my mother died. It was terrible for all three of us, and you could be right. My brother went a little crazy for a while, but he settled down in college. Some people just take a long time to grow up, your brother may be one of those. But I don't see why you have to sacrifice your life for him.”

“I owe it to my father,” she said simply, and he could see that it was a bond and duty she felt strongly about. He admired her for it, and was also surprised she had been able to come here. He asked her about it, and she explained that her father had finally relented, after endless badgering from her, and given her six months to a year with the Red Cross, before coming home to her responsibilities in Vaduz.

“You're too young to have all those expectations put on you,” Parker said, looking concerned as her eyes met his. There was something deep within them that spoke of things he didn't know, and the look of sadness in her eyes touched him profoundly. Without thinking, he reached out and took her hand in his own. He suddenly wanted to protect her from all the intolerable burdens put on her, and shield her from all those who might hurt her. His eyes never wavered and hers never left his, and almost as though it had been meant to be that way since time began, he leaned over and kissed her. She almost felt as though someone else had made the decision for her. There had been no decision, no choice, there was no fear. She just melted into his arms and they kissed until they were breathless. It was comfort, desire, and passion blended into something very heady that dizzied both of them. They sat looking at each other afterward in the hot African sun, as though seeing each other for the first time.

“I didn't expect that,” Christianna said quietly, still holding his hand, as he looked at her ever more gently. There was something about her that reached deep into his heart, and had almost since the day they met.

“Neither did I,” he said honestly. “I've admired you a lot ever since I met you. I love the way you speak to people, and play with the children. I love the way you seem to take care of everyone, and always respect who they are.” She was both grace and gentleness itself.

It was a lovely thing to say about her and she was touched, but even as they began something that might turn out to be beautiful, she was fully aware that if it had a beginning, it would have an end, too. Whatever they decided to share could only exist here in Africa. Their lives were too different, and would be surely once they got home. There was no way she would ever be allowed to pursue a relationship with him. She was just old enough now to be under constant scrutiny, at home and in the press. And a young American doctor, however intelligent or respectable, would never fit the rigid criteria set by the reigning prince for her. He wanted her to marry nothing less than a prince. When the time came for all that, if she was to follow her parents' wishes and family tradition that had existed till now, she would be obliged to ally herself with someone of noble birth. Given his antiquated and rigid ideas, her father would never tolerate a commoner as an acceptable husband for her. So whatever they started now could live only as long as they were both in Senafe. Carrying it beyond that would start a war with her father, which was the last thing she wanted. His approval meant the world to her, and she didn't want to upset him. Freddy did enough of that, and their father didn't deserve that after all he'd sacrificed for them. Christianna had been convinced for years that he had never remarried because of her and Freddy, which had been a sacrifice for him, maybe even a big one. Given how her father felt, once home again, her relationship with Parker would become forbidden fruit for her. It was not just about following rigid guidelines her father set for her. For Christianna it was also about respecting hundreds of years of tradition, however old-fashioned, and the country she loved so much, and even about respecting her father's promise to her dying mother.

She looked at Parker, not knowing how to say that to him, or if she should. But like a married woman, she felt she owed it to him to explain her circumstances, as best she could. One way or the other, Christianna was married to the throne of Liechtenstein, and even if she was not eligible for the throne herself, she was bound to it nonetheless, and everything her father and countrymen expected of her. She felt she had to set an example of how royals behaved. In spite of her own conflicts about it, she was a princess to her core.

“You look so sad. Did I upset you?” Parker asked her, looking worried. He didn't want to do anything that didn't appeal to her, too. He had been smitten by her for weeks, but if she wasn't open to it, even if disappointed, he would have understood. He liked her too much to do anything that might make her unhappy or uncomfortable.

“No, of course not,” she said, smiling at him, her hand still resting in his. “You made me very happy,” she said simply, and it was true. The rest was not as simple. “It's hard to explain. All I can say is that whatever happens between us will end here.” It was the only way she could think of to say it. “I want to be fair, saying that to you now. The person I am here will have to disappear when I leave. There is no room for her once I go home. Once back in Liechtenstein, this will never be possible for us.” He looked worried as she said it. It was too early for them to worry about the future after one kiss, but he could sense that what she was saying had far deeper meaning to her.

“It sounds like you're going back to prison or the convent,” he said with a troubled look, and she nodded, drawing closer to him on the log, as though to hide in his arms. He put them around her and looked deep into her eyes to see what he could find there. They were two deep pools as blue as his.

“I am going back to prison,” she said somberly, it was exactly how she felt about it. “And when I do, I have to go back alone. No one can come with me.”

“That's ridiculous,” he said, chafing at what she told him. “No one can imprison you, Cricky. Unless you let them. Don't let that happen to you.”

“It already did.” The day she was born. And the day five years later when her dying mother extorted the promise from her husband that he would never allow Christianna to marry anyone but a royal.

“Let's not worry about that right now, shall we? We have lots of time to talk about that later on.” Parker was already determined that if he fell in love with her, as he was already starting to, he was not going to let her slip away from him. She was far too lovely and unusual a person for him to be pursuing just a fling. He wasn't asking her for her hand in marriage, but he was absolutely certain that he wasn't going to let her run away from him, no matter what she thought her obligations were to her father and the family business. It made no sense to him. And rather than arguing with her about it, he pulled her tightly into his arms again and kissed her, as Christianna felt she was slipping into a dream. She told herself that she had warned him, she had tried to be fair to him, or even warn him off. But having done that, she abandoned herself to his kiss, and had no desire whatsoever to resist.

Chapter 11

The romance that began between Parker and Christianna was at first invisible, and then it grew, as they got closer and more intimate, passionate, and discreet. It wasn't just a sexual adventure for either of them. They were falling in love. In fact, by May, they had fallen. Hard. They spent all their off-duty hours together, checked in with each other several times a day, sat together at every meal. Living as closely together as they did in the camp outside Senafe, it was inevitable that the shift in their relationship came to everyone's attention within weeks, if not days.

As usual, Fiona was the first one to observe it. She knew Christianna well by now, or so she thought, and she had a keen eye for human interchanges. She had thought Christianna was quieter these days, and less communicative. At first, she was afraid that she was getting sick. Sometimes it started that way. She had been watching her closely for several days, out of concern, several weeks into the romance, when she saw the two lovebirds walking back to camp after one of their afternoon strolls, and both were wearing happy faces and guilty grins. Fiona chuckled to herself and couldn't resist teasing Christianna about it that night.

“Here I thought you were coming down with malaria or kala azar, the black fever, and I was worried about you … and all it is is a bit of romance. Well, well, my little Cricky, spot on! Good on you!” Christianna blushed at first and was about to deny it, but after one look at the knowing expression in Fiona's eyes, all she could do was smile.

“All right, all right … it's not a big deal. It's just something nice for now.”

“The way you two look? Not likely, my dear. I've seen people leave on their honeymoon looking a lot less goo-goo-eyed than that. If a lion had come after the two of you today, I don't think either of you would have noticed … or even a snake!” she teased, and she wasn't far off the mark. Christianna had never been happier in her life, but she reminded herself every day that eventually it would have to end. And besides, he was going back to Harvard in June. They had two months to enjoy idyllic bliss in the magical setting where it had started, and then it would be over. It was something Christianna allowed herself to forget when she was with him.

“He's so wonderful,” Christianna confessed, looking like a little kid. Fiona was pleased. It was nice to see people happy, and she was thrilled for her friend.

“If looks are anything to go by, and I trust my instincts on this one, he's just as crazy about you. When did that all start?”

“A few weeks ago.” They had had a particularly nice time the night before Laure left. The camp gave her a party, and she had left looking like a different woman than the one who had arrived. She had cried when she embraced them all as she left, promising to stay in touch with all of them, particularly Cricky, whom she fully credited with giving her the courage to open her heart to Antoine. “I don't know. It just happened,” Christianna tried to explain. She wasn't even sure she could explain it to herself. She was truly in love for the first time.

And Parker said he was as well. He said he had had one serious romance in medical school, and lived with her for a while. She was a resident when he was an intern, but within a few months they had both figured out it was a mistake and parted friends. According to him, and Christianna believed him, there had never been anyone serious in his life, before or since. With the work he had undertaken at Harvard, he didn't have time. And now, in Senafe, he was discovering love for the first time, and so was she. It was written all over her face.

“Oh my God,” Fiona said, looking suddenly thunderstruck, “is this serious?” The look in Christianna's eyes, and Parker's when she'd seen them together that afternoon, said that it could be.

“No,” Christianna said firmly, looking sad. “It isn't. It can't be. I told him that when we started, before we started, I have to go home to my responsibilities. I could never live in Boston, and he can't come home with me. My father would never approve.” There wasn't even the remotest doubt of that on Christianna's face.

“Of a doctor?” Fiona looked shocked. Her parents would have been thrilled. “It sounds like he has unreasonably high standards to me.”

“Maybe he does,” Christianna answered quietly, just as she had said to Parker in similarly veiled terms. “But that's the way he is. He has many reasons for how he feels. It's complicated,” Christianna said sadly.

“You can't live your life for your father,” Fiona scolded her, upset by what she'd said, and her willingness to accept it unconditionally. “This isn't the dark ages, for heaven's sake. He's a wonderful man, he has a terrific job. He's trying to save the human race from the scourge of AIDS, at one of the most respected medical and academic institutions in the world. How much better does it get?”

“It gets better than that.” Christianna grinned, the dark clouds suddenly gone from her face. “He is also an incredibly decent, wonderful person, and I love him … and he loves me.” She looked totally mad about him.

“Then what nonsense are you talking about it having to end here?”

“That's a different story,” Christianna said with a sigh, as she sat down on her cot, and took off her boots. Once in a while, she really missed wearing pretty shoes. She would have liked to wear high heels for him, but there was no chance of it here. “It's too complicated to explain,” Christianna said again, and went on rhapsodizing about him, as Fiona looked amused.

“It sounds to me like you'd better run away from home when you get back. I hear Boston is a very nice place. I have relatives there,” which was no surprise to Christianna since everyone the world over knew that most of Boston was Irish. “If I were you, I would go.”

“He hasn't invited me,” Christianna said primly, but they talked about a vast range of topics, including their respective plans when they got back. Parker hated hearing about hers. It continued to sound like a prison sentence to him.

“He will,” Fiona said confidently. “He looked totally besotted when I saw you with him today. And come to think of it, he's looked like that for a while. I thought he was just overwhelmed by the unfamiliar surroundings and the work. Now I realize it was you.” They both laughed at the idea. “So what are you going to do about it, Cricky?” She gave her a searching look.

“It's way too soon to worry about that now.” But they both knew that, for whatever reason, Christianna was putting up some kind of wall, not between her and the young American doctor, but between them and any future they might have. Fiona had no idea why she was doing it, but it was clear that Christianna was convinced that their love affair could go no farther than the time they shared in Senafe. And thinking about it made Fiona sad. She liked both of them a lot.

The romance between Parker and Christianna flourished. They spent hours together at night after they had dinner with the others. They walked, they talked, they told each other stories about their childhoods and their pasts. Christianna always had to modify hers somewhat, for obvious reasons, but above all she shared the essence of what she felt, and her every thought. They met early in the mornings for breakfast, grabbed lunch together on the fly. The romance was in full bloom in May, as the African spring ended and moved toward summer, and no matter how in love they were, neither allowed it to interfere with their work. If anything, they worked harder, happier than each of them had ever been in their life. Together they were a force greater than even the sum of their parts that could not be ignored or denied. Being with either or both of them made everyone else happy, and everyone agreed that both were exceptional individuals who brought something special to the camp. Where Christianna had kindness, grace, compassion, and a remarkable way with people, Parker had gentleness, intelligence, and an extraordinary expertise in his field. Both of them bright, each of them funny, they added both spice and balm to every group they joined. As Fiona said, they were the perfect couple, but whenever she said it to Cricky, there was a sad look in her eyes. Something was stopping her from thinking about or talking about the future. All she was able or willing to do with Parker was live in the here and now. He had learned to stay off the subject of any future time with her, or what they would do about seeing each other when they went back. They simply lived day by day, more in love with each other by the hour, and happy sharing their work and their lives in this remarkable place, with people they loved so much.

Their relationship remained chaste for the first month, and then finally both Parker and Christianna asked if they could take a weekend off together. People rarely left the camp during their time off, although there were some wonderful places to visit in the area. But most of the time people who worked in the camp ended up spending time assisting the locals in their free time in whatever way they could. Geoff said he had no problem giving them a few days off, since neither of them was essential to the camp medically. Christianna was a willing, devoted and loving, hardworking spare pair of hands. And although Parker saw patients with Mary and Geoff and offered diagnoses frequently, most of his work was directed toward research. Fiona would have been much harder to spare as the only midwife. Or Mary or Geoff, as the two camp doctors, or Maggie, the only nurse.

After talking to people and doing a little local research, they decided to visit both Metera and Qohaito, which were both within twenty miles of the camp. Metera was known for its remarkable ruins, which were two thousand years old, and Qohaito had equally beautiful ruins, from the Aksumite kingdom. In addition, in Qohaito, they wanted to see the Saphira Dam, which was also over a thousand years old. Eritrea was sitting on the remains of a number of ancient civilizations, many of which had been partially excavated, and some of which had still been only minimally revealed. It sounded like an exciting trip to both of them. And a wonderful first adventure, almost like a honeymoon. They were told about a couple of tiny hotels where they could stay, which sounded very romantic. Klaus and Ernst had made several similar trips when they first came, and highly recommended it to Parker and Christianna. The other two trips they wanted to make later were to Keren, north of the capital, and to the port town of Massawa, where they could go water-skiing in the Red Sea.

The only obstacle Christianna had to deal with before the trip was a brief secret pow-wow with Samuel and Max. She knew she was going to have a serious problem leaving with Parker, without them. They argued about it for two hours, and neither of her bodyguards would relent.

“Why can't you just tell him that we'd like to go on the trip?” Samuel said with a determined look. They had been like bulldogs so far, but she knew they had to answer to the prince. And it wasn't fair to ask them to keep her secret, but she was doing it anyway. They were well aware that if anything untoward happened to her, even accidentally, they would be fully blamed, and perhaps even imprisoned. She was asking a lot of them, although they hadn't told her father about the romance yet. They had agreed between themselves to say nothing about Parker to the prince. It was their gift to her.

“No!” Christianna continued to argue with them. “I don't want anyone with us, and neither does he. It would spoil everything.” And Metera and Qohaito were only a few miles away from the camp. She was nearly in tears, and already had been twice, but they were relentless anyway. Their necks were on the line.

“Look, Your Highness.” Max turned to her finally, realizing it was time to be blunt with her. Nothing else had worked so far. “We don't care who you go with, what you do, what your reasons are for the trip. That's your business, and Parker's, not ours.” Fortunately, they were extremely fond of him, but she was asking them to risk their jobs, and worse, perhaps her life. “We're not going to give your father any details about the trip. Just a touristic weekend. He doesn't need to know more than that. But if we don't come along, and something happens to you …” He didn't finish his sentence, but she got the point. What he was saying was entirely reasonable. Living with it as a twenty-three-year-old woman in love with a man, was not.

“Why do you have to tell my father that I'm going, or even leaving the camp? And don't call me Your Highness again,” she reminded him, and he nodded. “There have been no political problems in Eritrea in years. The truce with the Ethiopians may be uneasy, but no one has done anything objectionable or even frightening since we've been here and long before. Nothing is going to happen, I promise you. Parker and I will be fine. I'll call you if I can, and if I feel uneasy, you can join us then. But please, I am begging you, let me have these few days, for once in my life. Max … Sam … this is truly my last chance. Once I go home, I will never have anything like this again … I'm begging you … please …” As she looked at them imploringly, tears ran down her cheeks, and both men looked agonized. They wanted to help her out, but were afraid.

“Let us think about it,” Samuel said finally, unable to think clearly in the face of her distress. They both liked her enormously, and respected her, but she was asking them to violate the conditions of their jobs, and their entire reason for being in Senafe with her.

Christianna walked away in silence, deeply disturbed. Fiona saw her as she walked back to the tent, obviously in tears.

“What's wrong?” She was instantly sympathetic as she put an arm around Cricky's shoulders. “Did you and Parker have a fight? Did you cancel the trip?” She couldn't tell her what had happened, she just shook her head in answer to Fiona's well-meaning questions. She didn't say anything to Parker either, but she was obviously subdued at dinner, and he was worried.

“Are you all right?” he asked her gently, and she had to fight back tears again. But she couldn't tell him what was happening, and didn't want to share with him the likelihood that Max and Sam would probably come on their trip, and in essence, ruin it for them. She didn't have the heart to tell him until she was sure. But she was almost certain now that neither guard would relent. There was just too much at stake for them, and potentially for her.

“I'm fine … I'm sorry …I just had a headache during dinner.” It was a flimsy excuse and he didn't buy it. He knew her better. He wondered if she was coming down with some tropical disease, but she looked fine to him. She was usually so good humored that he found it instantly suspicious that she was so glum.

“Are you worried about our trip?” he asked gently, wondering if suddenly the idea of going away with him didn't appeal to her. He hadn't asked but suddenly wondered if maybe she was even a virgin and was nervous about sleeping with him. He kissed her, and then put his arms around her before she answered. “Whatever is bothering you, Cricky, I'm sure it's something we can work out together. Why don't we give it a try?” He looked down at her with the love and tenderness of a father for his child, which made her heart ache even more. All she wanted was to take this trip alone with him.

She was about to tell him that he didn't understand when Max signaled to her from behind Parker's back, and there was a definite urgency to his gesture. She stood there with Parker's arms around her and nodded to Max, trying to suggest that she would be with him in a minute. She slowly unwound herself from Parker's arms, and much to his consternation, said she would be back in a minute, she had to say something to Max that she had previously forgotten, and it was urgent. Something about a medication they were trying to get for him in town. Parker didn't question it, but went to sit down on a chair while he waited. Ushi came by soon after that with Ernst, and they had a pleasant chat, while Cricky disappeared into the deserted dining tent with Max and Sam.

“What?” She looked anxious, and both men looked nervous. Max spoke for both of them.

“We should probably be committed for this, but we're going to let you do it.” What had decided it for both of them was that she was going to peaceful areas, and they were both well aware that this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her. Once back in Liechtenstein, she would never be alone again. Forever. Letting her go away with Parker was their gift to her. And given the circumstances and the location of their intended trip, they both felt that she would be safe with Parker, and he would take care of her. He was a totally responsible man, and they knew she would be in good hands. “There's only one condition, two actually.” He smiled at her, and Samuel was smiling, too. “One is that you absolutely must take a radio, and a gun.” The radio might be unreliable in the area, and unable to reach them. But they knew the gun was failsafe, and that she was well able to use it if she had to. She was an excellent shot and knew a fair amount about guns.

“The second condition is that we want you to be aware that if anything happens to you on this trip, we're going to shoot ourselves rather than go back and face your father. So you have two lives on your hands as well as your own.” They both knew that it was a completely insane thing for them to do, and defeated their whole purpose in coming here, but they had decided to take a risk for her, and give her and Parker this opportunity to be alone. She was well aware of what they were doing, and threw her arms around first Max's neck and then Sam's, with tears running down her cheeks again. This time, tears of joy.

“Thank you, thank you … thank you …” They left her breathless with excitement and delight, and she ran out of the dining tent and back to where Parker was sitting with the others. He could instantly see the happiness in her eyes.

“Well, you look happy, Cricky,” he said, looking pleased. All her anxiety seemed to have dissipated, although he had no idea why. “What did Max tell you that made you look like that?”

“Nothing. I got his medication for him, so he paid me back my poker earnings that he owed me. I'm a rich woman now!”

“I'm not sure the rate of exchange on nakfa is that great these days to justify looking like that, but far be it from me to burst your bubble, if it makes you that happy.” Whatever it was, he was delighted that she seemed so comfortable again. She was floating on a cloud until they left. And they set out for Qohaito two days later. Just as Fiona had predicted it would, it felt like a honeymoon to her, and even to him.

They had borrowed one of the old dilapidated cars at the camp and made their way slowly through the countryside, feeling like children on an adventure. It was the most romantic trip Christianna had ever taken, and with each day she came to know Parker better and love him more. They made love the first night in a tiny hotel, with total abandon, and all the love that had grown between them since their whirlwind romance began.

It was almost like a honeymoon, as they drifted from one fascinating location to another, and collected memories like flowers. It was the perfect time. They planned to spend three days together before going back to Senafe. And it was on the second night of the trip that Parker found her gun, in a small case in her suitcase. She had asked him to hand her her nightgown, forgetting what she'd concealed in it, and he looked a little stunned as he held it in his hand.

“Do you always carry a gun?” he asked, gingerly setting it back in her suitcase. He had no idea if it was loaded or not, nor how to tell. Guns were definitely not his thing. He repaired people, not destroyed them. Although she hadn't seemed the type for guns either. He was truly surprised.

“No,” she laughed at him, taking the nightgown from him as she got out of the bath in their hotel. She didn't know why she was bothering with the nightgown, it would be somewhere on the floor for the rest of the night, five minutes after they got into bed. “Of course not. Max gave it to me in case we have a problem.”

“I'm not sure I would feel comfortable shooting someone,” he said, sounding a little nervous. “Would you?” She didn't tell him she was an excellent shot, although she wasn't fond of guns herself. But her father had forced her to learn.

“Not really. But he meant well. I just threw it in the suitcase and forgot about it,” she said blithely, putting her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

“Is it loaded?” He was still uneasy about it, and her explanation seemed a little casual to him, and offhand.

“Probably.” She knew it was, but didn't want to scare him. He pulled her close to him then, held her, and looked into her eyes. He knew there was something deeper there than what she was telling him. He already knew her well.

“Cricky, there's something you're not telling me, isn't there?” he asked calmly. Her eyes never left his, she hesitated for a long time, and then nodded. “Do you want to tell me what it is?” He never loosened his grip, on her body, or her heart, or this time her eyes.

“Not now,” she said in a whisper, clinging to him. She didn't want to spoil everything, and it would. It had to. One day she had to tell him that she was going back to her life as a princess, to serve her country and her father as reigning prince, and there would be no room for him. She couldn't bring herself to say the words. “Not yet.”

“When are you going to tell me?”

“Before we leave Senafe, whichever of us leaves first.” Presumably, it would be him. He nodded. He had decided not to press her about it. He sensed that it was something deep and sad for her that troubled her a great deal. It was the sadness he saw in her eyes sometimes. A look of loss, sorrow, and resignation. He didn't want to pry her secret from her, he wanted her to give it to him willingly, when she was ready. And she was deeply grateful for his understanding. He was truly an amazing man, and she loved him more than ever, in gratitude for the gentle way he loved her.

The rest of their trip was even more beautiful than they had hoped for or expected. They headed back reluctantly, had taken a million photographs on the way, and rolled slowly back into camp late Monday afternoon, feeling as though they had been gone for months. It really felt as though they were returning from their honeymoon. Christianna felt married to him in her very soul. He kissed her as they got out of the car, and he carried her bag to the women's tent. She hated the idea that she wouldn't be able to sleep with him that night, and wake up beside him in the morning. That felt like punishment to her now.

Fiona was the first to see them when they got back, and she smiled at them both. She had just gotten back from a difficult delivery that had taken all day but went well in the end. She looked tired but happy to see them, as she always was.

“How was the trip?” she asked with a tired smile. She was almost envious, but liked them both too much to be truly jealous. And it was so nice to see them happy, which they obviously were. They were both beaming as they walked in.

“It was perfect,” Christianna said, glancing over her shoulder at Parker for confirmation.

“Yes, it was,” he said, smiling proudly at her.

“You lucky dogs!” Fiona complained good-naturedly, and they told her about the travel details of the trip, but obviously not the rest.

Everyone teased the young couple that night at dinner, and Max and Sam looked particularly relieved. She had thanked them profusely moments after they returned, and had returned the gun to Max. They had both hugged her fervently, immensely happy to see her in one piece. They had spent a tortured weekend, worrying about her, and she told them again what an incredible gift it had been, to let her go away with Parker alone.

“Let's not do it every weekend,” Max said wanly, putting the gun back in his own pocket.

“I promise,” she said, although she and Parker had said on the way back that they wanted to go away again. Next time to Massawa, to enjoy the water sports there. It was the port that the Ethiopians had coveted for years.

Dinner was festive that night, and everyone was in good spirits. Parker and Christianna seemed particularly close. The three days alone, staying in hotels together, had cemented the bond of their love. Christianna had to almost tear herself away from him that night, to go back to her own tent, and she slept poorly without him. They met at the dining tent at six the next morning, and were the first ones there. They fell into each other's arms like lost lovers, and Parker told her he couldn't even imagine a life without her anymore. Worse yet, neither could she, and it was dangerous for her to feel that way. In the long run, becoming that attached to him would break her heart. But it was already too late for those concerns.

In late May, Parker went to the post office with Max and Sam one day when they were calling her father. He called his supervisor at Harvard, and got an extension to stay until late July. He told him that he felt the work he was doing, and data he was gathering, was important, and it would be a mistake to leave prematurely in June as planned. The supervising doctor of his project took his word for it, and granted him an extension till late July, even August, if he felt he had to. He gave out a war whoop of glee when he hung up the phone. All he wanted was to stay in Senafe with Christianna. Sam walked him outside to celebrate, so Max could talk when he made his call. Sam didn't want Parker hearing Max call the palace, or asking for His Serene Highness. Parker gladly followed Sam outside, and Max made the call to give Christianna's father their usual report, that all was well and she was fine. She made the trip into town to speak to him herself roughly once a week, and he always told her how much he missed her and couldn't wait for her to come back. It made her feel guilty to hear his voice, but never guilty enough to want to leave. Far from it. And she was far too happy with Parker to go anywhere without him. She was doing all she could to hang on to their little world for as long as possible. One day the end would come, inevitably, but she wasn't ready for it yet, and couldn't even remotely imagine getting there. But at some point, they would have to face it, and she knew she would have to tell him the truth. She just prayed that that moment wouldn't come soon.

Parker was in a celebratory mood as they drove back to the camp outside Senafe. He immediately ran to find Christianna to tell her the good news. She was as excited as he was. She threw her arms around his neck, and he lifted her easily off the ground and spun her around. Their mail had come that day, and everyone was in a good mood. Christianna took a walk with Parker once she finished work, and they talked about their plans to go to Massawa, which they hadn't managed yet, but still intended to do.

When they got back from their walk, Parker went back to his own tent, and Christianna to hers, an arrangement they still found irksome. She was dying to spend the night with him again, and leave on another trip. They were also talking about getting a tent of their own. But she was thrilled with his good news, and the extension granted by Harvard. She was about to tell Fiona, who was lying on her bed reading a magazine, when she noticed that the little Irish woman she was so fond of was very pale. She worried for a moment that she was sick, as Fiona raised her eyes to her friend's. And for a long moment, she said not a word. Her milky-white skin became almost translucent easily, whenever she didn't feel well, or was upset, or enraged. She had a fairly hot temper, and the whole camp teased her about it. Once in a total fury, she had even stamped her feet, and then finally laughed at herself. She was looking every bit as pale as that day now.

“Are you okay?” Christianna asked her, looking worried. Something was very obviously wrong, as Fiona laid the magazine down and stared at her. “What's up?”

“You tell me,” she said cryptically, and handed the magazine to her, for Christianna to see for herself. Christianna couldn't imagine what might have upset Fiona so much, and glanced across the page. And there she saw it. A photograph of herself, five months before, with her father, at the wedding they had attended in Paris before she left for Africa in January. She was wearing the blue velvet evening gown, with her mother's sapphires. And the caption under the photograph said simply, “Her Serene Highness Princess Christianna of Liechtenstein, with her father Reigning Prince Hans Josef.” There wasn't much to say. It was all there. Christianna's face went instantly as white as Fiona's. There was no one else in the tent at the time, which seemed like a good thing to Cricky. This was not a piece of news she wanted to share with anyone, not even Fiona. She had been reading Majesty magazine, which listed all the doings of royals all over Europe. Christianna had often been in it, and was obviously badly shaken that the magazine had fallen into Fiona's hands. Her mother always sent it to her from home. Christianna just hadn't expected to be in a current issue, or she'd have worried about it. But the photograph was five months old. She hadn't counted on that. “Would you like to explain this?” Fiona said, looking furious. “I thought we were friends. It turns out I didn't even know who you were. Your father is in PR, my blooming ass.” In Fiona's mind, friends didn't keep secrets from each other. She was livid, and obviously felt betrayed. And if Fiona felt that way, Christianna was even more terrified of how Parker would react when he found out.

“Well, it is kind of like PR,” Christianna said weakly, still just as pale. “And we are friends, Fiona …it changes everything once people know. I didn't want that to happen here. For once in my life, I wanted to be like everyone else.”

“You lied to me,” Fiona said, throwing the magazine on the floor.

“I didn't lie to you. I didn't tell you. That's different.”

“My ass it is!” She felt utterly foolish and betrayed as she looked at Christianna with fire in her eyes and rage in her heart. “Does Parker know?” she asked, even more furious. Maybe they'd even been laughing at her because she didn't know, which was not the case.

“No, he doesn't,” Christianna said with tears in her eyes. “Look, I love you, Fiona. You are my friend, but it wouldn't have been the same with you or anyone here, if they knew. Look at you now. You're proving the point.”

“The hell I am!” she raged. “I'm pissed off because you lied.”

“I had no other choice, or I might as well not have come. Do you think I want everyone here kissing my ass, waiting on me hand and foot, calling me Your Serene Highness, preventing me from doing any worthwhile work, or putting a doily under my sandwich at lunch? This is my only chance in my whole life to be normal and real. I had to beg my father to come here. And when I leave here, it's all over for me. I am going to have to be that person for the rest of my life, whether I like it or not. And I don't. But it's my duty. This is the only moment of ‘real life’ I'll ever have. Can't you at least try to understand that? You don't know what it's like. It's like being in prison. Forever. A life sentence, until I die.” It was how she truly viewed it, which was sad. There were tears pouring down her cheeks as she said it, and there was a long silence as Fiona stared at her, and the color slowly came back into her face. She had heard what Christianna had said, but said nothing as Christianna choked on a sob. She didn't reach out to the Irish woman again, she just sat there in tears, feeling the whole weight of the crown she wore, whether visible or not, crashing down on her head again, even here.

“And just exactly who are Max and Sam?” Fiona asked with a suspicious look, still angry, but less so. It was hard to understand the misery of her friend. It sounded like fun to her, but looking at the anguish in Christianna's eyes, she was beginning to understand that maybe it wasn't as much fun as it looked in a magazine. Until then, she had always envied the people she'd seen there.

“They're my bodyguards,” Christianna said softly, as though confessing a terrible crime.

“Shit. And I was trying to get Max into bed for months. With no success, I might add,” she said, her sense of humor returning slightly, but not fully yet. “He probably would have shot me if I'd had the balls to really make a pass at him.”

“No, he wouldn't.” And then Cricky had to smile herself at the memory of Parker finding the gun wrapped in her nightgown on the trip. She told Fiona about it, and this time they both laughed.

“You little shit,” she said irreverently, not the least impressed by her title or allegedly lofty status. “How could you not tell me?”

“I couldn't. Think about it. And then what? If I did, sooner or later everyone would know.”

“I would have kept it secret if you told me to. I can keep secrets, you know,” Fiona said, looking insulted, and then she thought of something. “What are you going to do about Parker? Are you going to tell him?”

Christianna nodded miserably. “I have to. Before he goes, or I do. He has a right to know. I just don't want to tell him yet. It will ruin everything once he knows.”

“Why?” Fiona stared at her blankly. It still sounded exciting to her, although Christianna was acting as though it was a fatal illness she had contracted at birth, genetically. And to her it was. “Maybe he'll like the idea of being in love with a Serene Highness. It sounds pretty cool to me, maybe it will to him, too. The fairy princess and the handsome young doctor from Boston.”

“That's my point,” Christianna said sadly. “It's all over when we leave here. It has to be. My father would never let me marry him. Never. I have to marry a prince, someone of royal birth. A duke, or a count at the very least, and he won't be pleased at anything less than a prince. He would never give me permission to continue seeing Parker. Never.” And she didn't want to risk a permanent estrangement with her father.

“And you need his permission?” Fiona looked startled.

“For everything. And his members of Parliament as well, for anything even slightly unusual. There are twenty-five of them. And a hundred members of the Family Court, all of them related to me to some degree. I have to do as I'm told. I have no right whatsoever to just do what I want, about anything. My father's word is law, literally.” She looked devastated as she said the words. “And if I disobey him, and cause an enormous scandal, it would break his heart. He's had enough of that with my brother. He counts on me.”

“So instead, he'll end up breaking your heart.” It was slowly occurring to Fiona what Christianna was dealing with, and would be forever. A hundred and twentysix people decided her fate, if she played by the rules. “Maybe it's not as much fun as it looks,” she conceded as Christianna nodded.

“I promise you, it's not.” And then she reached out a hand and touched Fiona's arm. “I'm sorry I lied. I didn't think I had any choice. Only Geoff knows, and he's been very good about it. And of course the director in Geneva.”

“Wow! It's all very secret service.” And then she reached out and hugged her. “I'm sorry I got so angry. I just felt hurt that you hadn't told me. You've got a hell of a problem on your hands with Parker. Are you sure there's no way they'll ever let you see him when you go back?”

“Never. Maybe once, for tea, if I say we were coworkers here, but nothing more than that. My father would lock me up in a minute.”

“For real? Like in a dungeon?” Fiona looked horrified for her friend, and Christianna laughed.

“Not quite. But they might as well. He would tell me to stop immediately, and I would have no other choice than to follow his orders. If I don't, it will create a scandal in the press, break my father's heart, and break his promise to my mother. My father doesn't believe in all these modern monarchies, where their children are marrying commoners. He believes in maintaining the sanctity and purity of royal bloodlines. It's ridiculous, but ours is a backward country. Women have only voted there for twenty-three years. It would take my father an entire lifetime to see things differently.” She looked devastated at the thought. She was desperately in love with Parker, and he with her. Their love affair had been doomed from the beginning, and he didn't know it. It sounded tragic to Fiona, like a very bad opera.

“What about all those badly behaved princes and princesses you read about in the press, who go around sleeping with people and doing silly things?”

“That would be my brother. It drives my father mad, and he would never tolerate it from me. Besides, he doesn't marry them, he just sleeps with them. I think if he actually married one of them, my father would disown him.”

“I can't believe I never suspected,” Fiona said again with a look of disbelief as Christianna asked her if she would mind ripping out the page so they could destroy it, before someone else saw it, especially Parker. Fiona agreed, and they tore it to bits. “He's going to be heartbroken when you tell him,” Fiona said, suddenly feeling sorry for them both.

“I know,” Christianna said, sounding tragic. “I already am. I probably should never have started with him. It wasn't fair to him. But I couldn't help myself. We fell in love.”

“It seems as though you ought to have that right, like anyone else.” It all sounded so unfair to Fiona, now that she thought about it, and could see the pain in Christianna's eyes. She felt sorry for Parker, too, when he found out that their love affair could go nowhere, and would end in Senafe.

“I don't have that right,” Christianna said, as Fiona reached out and hugged her.

“I'm sorry I got so mad. Maybe you can talk to your father when you go back.”

“It won't make a difference. He will never allow me to be involved with a commoner, and especially an American. He's extremely old-fashioned about those things, and he's very proud of the fact that our bloodline is extremely pure, and has been for about a thousand years. An American doctor is not what he has in mind for me.” It sounded stupid even to her and like something out of the dark ages, when she explained it, but it was reality for her.

“Well, pardon me,” Fiona said, regaining her sense of humor. It had been a hell of a shock. For them both. Christianna was still feeling shaken by having been exposed, even if only by Fiona, whom she trusted. What if someone else got their hands on a copy of the maga-zine—there was always that risk—and then showed it to Parker? The thought of it made Christianna shudder, although she knew he had to find out sooner or later. Preferably from her at the right time, if there was one. And what if he reacted as Fiona had at first? He might walk away and never even speak to her again. Maybe in the end that would be better, and an easier way for them to leave each other, than distraught with grief.

“That reminds me,” Fiona asked, looking at her with a puzzled frown. “What am I supposed to call you, now that I know?” She was teasing her, and Christianna laughed at the question.

“I thought ‘you little shit’ was rather good. What about that?”

“You serene little shit perhaps? Your serene shittiness? You big royal shit!” Despite the seriousness of what they were discussing, they collapsed on their beds in gales of laughter like two naughty kids. They laughed until tears of laughter, and not grief this time, rolled down their faces. They were still laughing when Mary Walker and Ushi walked in, and inquired about what was so funny. The two younger women were incoherent with giggles.

“Oh, I was just telling Cricky what a pain in the ass she is. She was reading my magazine and tore a page right out. She's such a princess sometimes,” Fiona said, rolling her eyes, as Christianna stared at her in horror.

“You little shit!” Christianna said to her this time, and they collapsed in laughter again, as the older women looked at them, rolled their eyes, and went outside to take a shower.

“It must be the heat getting to them,” Ushi said to Mary with a grin, as they left the tent, and Christianna and Fiona exchanged a long look. In the end, Fiona's discovery had tightened the bond between them. The one Fiona was worried about now was Parker. And so was Cricky. This was going to be devastating for him.

Chapter 12

Christianna and Parker went to Massawa for a weekend, as they had hoped to, in June. Samuel and Max let her go alone again. They had an even better time the second time they went away. Every moment they spent together was idyllic, and this time when they got back from their magical weekend, Parker started hinting vaguely about marriage. It was everything Christianna would have wanted in other circumstances. But there was no question of it between them. She tried to avoid the subject, and then finally said that there was no way she could leave her father. He expected her to come home, and stay there, working in the family business with him. She had said all that to Parker before, but this time he was obviously upset and annoyed. It made no sense to him, or even to her now. But she felt bound by her father's wishes as much as by history and tradition. She had been taught since birth to sacrifice herself for her country, her subjects, and to obey her father's wishes on all decisions like this one. She knew that defying him would seem to him and even to her, the ultimate betrayal. She hadn't been brought up to be one of the young royals who married their trainer, a cocktail waitress, or even a respectable young doctor like Parker. If she was to proceed with this, she needed, and wanted, her father's approval, and she knew there was no way she would ever get it. It was simply not going to happen.

“For heaven's sake, Cricky, that's ridiculous. What does he expect you to do, stay home and become an old maid, working for him?” She smiled sadly at the question. In fact, her father expected her to marry, but it had to be someone he approved of, or even chose. Someone from a family comparable to theirs. Parker was from a very nice family, he was well educated. His brother and father were doctors. His mother had been a debutante, he told her once, laughing, because he thought all of that was so silly. Christianna was a Serene Highness, which was even sillier. But the result of it was not going to seem silly to him once he knew. It was going to seem tragic to him, too.

“That is what he expects of me,” she said firmly. “And I'm not going to be able to marry for a long time. Besides, I'm too young,” she said, trying to find plausible excuses to discourage him. She was turning twentyfour in a few weeks, which was not too young to marry. And her father was starting to make noises about her coming home. She had been gone for almost six months, and he thought it was long enough. Parker was still planning to leave in July. And if at all possible, Christianna wanted to finish out the year in Senafe. She had fought hard for it the last time she and her father talked, and things were at a standoff for now. With him at least. But Parker was starting to press her hard.

“Cricky, do you love me?” he finally asked her bluntly with a look of anguish in his eyes. He had never loved anyone as much in his life, nor had she.

“Yes, I do,” she said solemnly. “I love you very much.”

“I'm not suggesting we get married here, or next week. But I'm leaving soon, and before I go, I want you to know how serious I am. You said you might go back to school. Why don't you come to Boston to do it? There are lots of schools for you to choose from. Harvard, Boston University, Tufts, Boston College. Your father let you go to college in the States. Why not graduate school, too?”

“I think I used up the last of my tickets here. He wants me to go to school in Paris now, because it's a lot closer to home, or settle down in Vaduz.”

“Boston is six hours from Europe.” And he had already understood that money was not an object to them. She had never bragged about it, but he could tell. His own father's circumstances were comfortable, too. Parker was no stranger to the good life, or a moneyed world. His father was very successful, as was his brother, and his mother had left him a small trust fund when she died. He was in good shape. Paying for his education had never been a problem. He even owned a small house in Cambridge, and if they married, he could offer her a good solid life. But not if she insisted on playing handmaiden to her father and letting him run her life. Hearing about it really upset him. “You have a right to your own life,” he insisted.

“No, I don't,” she said firmly. “You don't understand.”

“No, I don't, dammit. Maybe if I meet him, he would understand that I'm a respectable person. Cricky, I love you…I want to know when I leave Africa that one day you'll be my wife.” Her eyes filled with tears as he said it. This was awful. She realized more than ever that she should never have allowed this to start. The inevitable sad ending had been written from the first. She nearly choked on her response.

“I can't.”

“Why? What is it that you've never told me? There is some dark, awful secret that you've been hiding from me all along. I don't care what it is. It can't be that awful. I love you, Cricky. Whatever it is, we'll work it out.” All she could do was look at him and shake her head. “I want you to tell me now.”

“It doesn't matter what it is. Believe me, Parker, all I want is what you're offering. But my father will never let me.” She sounded absolutely sure, as Parker looked more and more upset by the minute.

“Does he hate Americans? Or doctors? Why are you so sure we can't work this out?” There was an interminable silence as she looked at him hopelessly. It was time. She knew she had no other choice but to tell him now. It took forever for her to open her mouth and form the words, and then finally she did.

“He doesn't hate anybody. And he wouldn't hate you. I'm sure he would like you very much. But not for me.” The words sounded cruel, and the reality of her situation was cruel. For both of them. “My father is the reigning prince of Liechtenstein.” There was an interminable silence as Parker stared at her, trying to absorb what she had just said. The concept was so foreign to him that he sat very still for a long time, looking at her with no expression on his face.

“Say that again,” he said quietly, and she shook her head.

“You heard me the first time. I don't think you know what that means. I am entirely ruled by him, our constitution, and tradition. And when the time comes, he won't let me marry anyone who is not of royal birth. In some countries, they feel differently about those things. My father doesn't, he is very old-fashioned, and neither he nor the Family Court that makes those decisions will ever allow me to marry you, no matter how much I love you, and I do.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper when she finished, as Parker stared at her in disbelief.

“The Family Court makes those decisions? You don't?” She shook her head.

“I make no decisions for myself. He does. And they do,” she said, looking tragic. The full force of it began to hit him as he stared at her. “According to our constitution, all members of the princely house must approve a marriage, and it must not be detrimental to the reputation, welfare, or esteem of the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Family Court and my father would, I'm sure, consider our marriage detrimental to the country.” Even to her, it sounded absurd, and that much more so quoting their constitution to him.

“Cricky, you're a princess?” His voice cracked as he said it, looking absolutely stunned. He was nearly speechless. And she was overwhelmed with a sense of loss and grief. “As in Your Royal Highness?” He stared at her in amazement, hoping she'd say no, but she didn't.

She smiled sadly at the man she loved so much, and shook her head. “Your Serene Highness. We're a small country. My mother was a Royal Highness, she was French, and a Bourbon. I suppose I could have the choice. I've always preferred Serene. And my father and brother are Serene, too.” She was feeling anything but serene at the moment, and wished with all her heart that she weren't royal, but it did her no good.

“For God's sake, why didn't you tell me?” It was the same thing Fiona had said when she found out. And in Parker's case, he was right. She had owed him that. In his case, she had cheated him out of the absolutely certain knowledge that their romance could go nowhere, and would ultimately break their hearts. She realized, looking at him, how selfish she had been, as tears rolled slowly down her face.

“I'm sorry …I didn't want you to know …I just wanted to be me, with you. And now I realize what I've done. I had no right to do this to you.” He stood up and began to pace, looking at her from time to time, as she watched him miserably, and then he came back and sat down next to her, and took her hands in his.

“I don't know how this stuff works. But people do walk away from all that. The Duke of Windsor did it when he abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson.” And then suddenly Parker looked even more worried. “You're not going to be queen one day, are you, or take the throne? Is that why your father is so tough on you?” She smiled and shook her head.

“No, women can't reign in my country. They're incredibly old-fashioned, women have only had the vote for twenty-three years. My brother will rule the country one day, whether or not he chooses to grow up. But because he's so irresponsible, my father counts on me a lot. I can't let him down, Parker. I can't just run away. This isn't like a job that you quit. It's about family and tradition, and bloodlines, and honor, and thousands of years of history. This isn't something you take off, like a hat, or even a crown. It is who you are, and what you're born to, a country and people you serve as example to. It is about duty, not love. Love always takes a backseat to all the rest. It is about duty, honor, and courage. Not about love.”

“My God, that's sick,” he said, looking outraged. “And your father expects you to live like that, and give up who you are and who you love?”

“I have no other choice,” she said, as though declaring her own death sentence. And for them, it was. “To make matters worse, he promised my mother that I would marry someone of royal birth. They were both incredibly old-fashioned and he still is. He believes in duty before love. Even for himself. And he counts on me even more now to uphold tradition and do the right thing because it's unlikely my brother will. I can't let him down, Parker. He will expect me, and demand of me, that I make this sacrifice for my country, my mother, and him.”

“Will you ever see me again, after we leave here?” he asked, sounding desperate. He felt panicked by what she was telling him. She made it sound absolutely hopeless, because in her mind it was. He suddenly realized what they were facing, what it meant for them, and all because of who she was. She was fully prepared to sacrifice herself, and him, for her country and the wishes of its reigning prince. Parker didn't give a damn about her being a princess. All he cared about was being with the woman he loved. He had given her his heart, and now she was quietly giving it back to him, because of who she'd been born, and what was required of her as a result. For her, it was about honor, duty, sacrifice, and courage.

“I don't know,” she answered his question, totally honest with him now. “I'm not sure I can see you again, or how often.” She suspected Max and Sam would help her see him, at least once, but more than that would be very hard. If they did, it would create a scandal for sure. And one black sheep in the family was enough. Freddy already had that role. If she became one now, too, it would break her father's heart. She could not do that to him. “Maybe we could meet once somewhere. I don't think my father would let me come to the States. I just came back last year, and now I've been in Africa for months. After this, he'll want me home, or no farther than Paris or London.”

“Could I meet you in Paris?” He looked so sad, every bit as sad as she felt. She felt as though she'd put a knife in his heart, and her own.

“I can't promise, but I'll try.” She sounded worried and unsure. She had a feeling her father would want her to stay close to home when she got back. A weekend in Paris might not be too hard. Or perhaps she could go to London and stay with Victoria, and see him there. But the press always hung around her cousin like vultures, which would be disastrous for them. Paris would be infinitely better. “I'll do everything I can.”

“And after that?” There were tears in his eyes now. None of this had been good news to him, just as it wasn't to her. But it was old news to her. It was all very new to him.

“After that, my love, you go back to your life, and I to mine. And we remember forever what we shared here, a memory we cherish … you will always own a piece of my heart, a very, very big one.” She couldn't even imagine marrying someone else. Only him.

“This is the worst thing I've ever heard.” He wasn't even angry at her. What was the point of that? He was just devastated right to his core. “Cricky, I love you. Will you at least ask him?” She thought about it for a long moment, and nodded yes. She could try. But once she did, her father would demand that she stop seeing Parker. As long as he didn't know, there was at least a chance that they could see each other. And she didn't want to give that up yet. Secrecy was the only possible path for now, and she told him that. This time he didn't disagree with her. He could only assume that she knew best. He was totally out of his league. This final twist of fate seemed like a very bad movie to him.

After that, he just sat with his arms around her, thinking about everything she'd said, trying to understand and absorb it, and realize what it meant for them. This was a terrible fate for them both. She was destined to be the lonely princess forever. And he the young doctor with the broken heart. He didn't like anything about the way this story was going to end. There was clearly not going to be a “happily ever after” for them.

They walked back to the camp afterward, both of them looking sad. They said very little. He just held her close to him, with an arm around her, and Fiona happened to see them wander into the camp. They both looked like someone had died, and she wondered. Parker didn't even say hello to her, which was rare for him. He kissed Cricky without a word and went back to his tent.

“What happened?” Fiona asked her, looking worried.

“I told him,” Christianna said, looking bereft.

“About you?” Fiona whispered, and Cricky nodded. “Oh, shit. How did he take it?”

“He was wonderful, because he is wonderful. But the situation sucks.” Fiona smiled at her choice of words.

“Yes, it does. Was he angry?” He didn't look it. He looked destroyed, which was worse.

“No. Just sad. So am I.”

“Maybe the two of you can figure something out.”

“We're going to try to meet in Paris after I go back. But that won't change anything, it will just drag it out. In the end, he has to go back to Boston and lead his life, and I'll be in Vaduz, with my father, doing what I'm supposed to do for the rest of my life.”

“There has to be a way,” Fiona insisted.

“There isn't. You don't know my father.”

“He let you come here.”

“That's different. He knew I was coming back. And I wasn't going to be marrying anyone here. This was supposed to be a sabbatical. My deal with him is that I take up my duties when I go back. He's not going to let me marry an American doctor, a commoner, and live in Boston. That's just not going to happen,” she said miserably, and Fiona had to admit it didn't sound hopeful, even to her.

“Talk to your father. Maybe he'll understand. True love, and all that.” She had never seen two people love each other more, or be happier together than Cricky and Parker. It was hard to ignore, and tragic for it to end so senselessly.

“I'll talk to him eventually. But I don't think it will get me anywhere.” Fiona nodded, and walked quietly back to the tent with her. There wasn't much she could say, and she was sad for both of them. It was a sad story, not a happy one.

That night Parker and Cricky sat close together, and for the next weeks they were together more than ever. If anything, what she had shared with him, and its tragic implications, only made them love each other more. They were virtually inseparable until the end of July. And then the first of their agonizing hurdles had to be faced. He had to go back. There was no delaying any further. The director of his research program had asked him to come back on the first of August. Their last days were bittersweet beyond belief, and their last night had an unreal quality to it. Christianna thought it was the saddest night of her life. They sat outside her tent all night, as he held her in his arms. They had had a farewell dinner for him that night, and Parker and Cricky looked as though they were going to burst into tears at any moment. The others in the camp had no idea why it was so tragic, but they sensed easily that something difficult had happened, and that it was an exceptionally hard time for them.

Many of the people he had treated had come to bring him gifts before he left, carvings and statues, bowls and beads, and beautiful objects they had lovingly made for him. He thanked them all, and had tears in his eyes every time. The AIDS patients he had met and treated there had touched his heart.

He and Cricky sat together all through the night, and watched the sun come up together. They took a walk in the gentle early morning light, under the splendor of the African sky. She knew as she walked with him that she would never forget this moment, or this time in her life. She wanted to stop time, and stay there forever with him.

“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he asked before they walked back.

“Maybe half as much as I love you,” she teased him, but there was nothing funny about it, or easy. When they went back, the others had gotten up and were moving around the camp. Akuba and Yaw were busy. The others were eating breakfast. Cricky and Parker joined them, but ate nothing. They drank coffee, and sat there silently holding hands. Even Max and Sam looked sad. They knew better than anyone there what lay ahead for her, a life without this sweet man that she loved. And he was truly a good man, though even that would do them no good. He wasn't the husband her father wanted for her, and had no hope whatsoever of becoming it. When he left Senafe, the death sentence for their love would have begun. And no one knew that better than the two of them.

Geoff was driving Parker to Asmara in one of the camp cars, and he had invited Cricky to come along. Their romance was no secret, and everyone heartily approved of it. They weren't sure why, but they all seemed to know that Cricky was not going to be able to pursue it when she went back. They assumed from what she'd said that she had a tyrannical father, who wouldn't approve, and expected her to dance attendance on him. They didn't consider it insurmountable, but difficult certainly. Only Fiona, Geoff, Max, and Sam knew the truth, and the two lovers themselves. The others assumed there was still hope for them. Those who knew who she was knew better, and that in fact there was no hope at all, unless she was prepared to defy her father and walk away from all she was, which seemed unlikely to those who knew her well.

Everyone embraced Parker warmly when he left. Mary particularly thanked him for his invaluable help, and he for hers with his research. He had taken a last walk through the ward, and said goodbye to all the patients there. His heart was aching as he left. He and Cricky got in the car with Geoff, and began the long ride to Asmara. Cricky knew the drive would seem even longer on the way back, without him. Now at least she could touch him, talk to him, see him, feel him near her. She had never been as sad in her life. And finally, after a while, they said nothing and just held hands as Geoff drove. He had a feeling from bits and snips of the conversation between them that Parker now knew who she was, but he didn't ask. He had promised to keep her secret for the duration of her stay, and he had. If she had chosen to tell someone, that was up to her. Even now, he remained discreet.

They arrived in Asmara an hour before Parker's flight. The timing was perfect, and as she and Max and Sam had done when they arrived, they stood waiting, this time for the plane to land. Her heart ached even more when it did. She had been hoping it would be late. Every minute was precious, every ounce of her longed to go with him, and to disappear forever into his life. She had never been as close to running away, even if it meant breaking her father's heart. She was torn between two men she loved, what each needed from her, and what she wanted herself.

They had another half-hour after the plane landed, as people lined up, carrying boxes and bags. She and Parker stood quietly to one side, holding hands, as Geoff stood at a discreet distance, sorry for them. Knowing the truth about her, he knew full well what this moment meant.

And then it came. The final moment, final touch, final kiss, final feel of his arms around her and hers around him.

“I love you so much,” she whispered, as they both fought back tears.

“It'll be all right,” he said, wishing it were true. She knew better and said nothing. “I'll see you in Paris as soon as you get back. Take care of yourself.” He smiled down at her. For this one last moment she was his, and perhaps never again. It was almost beyond bearing, for both of them. “And watch out for snakes!” he teased.

One last kiss, and he walked down the tarmac to the waiting plane. She stood staring at him, without moving, her eyes glued to him, as he walked up the stairs to the plane, stopped, and looked at her for an endless moment in time. Her eyes were riveted to him. She blew him a kiss and waved. He touched his heart and pointed to her with a sad smile, and then he was gone. She stood there, with tears running down her face. Geoff continued to stand at a discreet distance, wanting to leave her alone with her private grief, the reality of what they both had to face.

They watched the plane take off and circle high in the sky, on its way to Cairo, Rome, and then Boston. She followed Geoff quietly back to the car. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

“Are you all right?” he asked quietly, and she nodded. She felt as though someone had torn her heart out with their bare hands. She spoke little and never slept all the way back. She just sat, looking out the window at the African landscape sliding by. It looked so different to her now, without him. Everything would for a lifetime. He was gone out of her sky. They would never again have what they had shared for the past six months. It had been an incredible gift, and one she knew she would cherish forever. Their days together in Senafe had been more precious to her than diamonds.

Fiona was waiting for her when she got back. She saw the dazed look on Christianna's face and said nothing to her. She put an arm around her, took her into their tent, and put her to bed. Christianna looked up at her with the broken-hearted eyes of a child. The two women's eyes met, and Fiona smoothed her hair on the pillow and told her to close her eyes and go to sleep. Christianna did as she was told, as Fiona sat and watched her for a while, to make sure she was all right.

Later, Mary came in and spoke to Fiona in a whisper.

“Is she okay?”

“No,” Fiona said honestly, “and she won't be for a while.” Mary nodded and went to bed. No one fully understood it, but they all knew something sad had happened, more than Parker just going home. As surely as if she had gone back to Liechtenstein, her life sentence without him had begun.

Chapter 13

Christianna moved through the next two weeks in a daze. She had a letter from Parker after ten days. All he could talk about was meeting her in Paris. He said he had never hated Boston so much in his life. He was pining for her, just as she was for him. She wrote him two letters, but she didn't want to make this harder for him than it already was. It was unfair enough, and she had caused him enough misery with her impossible situation. She told him how much she loved him, but held out no hope.

On the third week after he left, there was a sense of unease one morning when she went to work. She wasn't sure what it was. It was almost palpable in the air. Everyone looked serious at breakfast, and she noticed that Akuba and Yaw weren't outside as she walked to the dining tent. Christianna glanced at Fiona, who looked as mystified as she did. Geoff explained the situation to them before they left for work. There had been an attack on the Ethiopian border the night before. An ambush. It was the first flagrant violation of the truce in many years. Geoff said he hoped it was a single occurrence, but they all had to be aware. If the war began again between Eritrea and Ethiopia, it could become dangerous even for them. But that was still a long way off. This wasn't a war, it was a skirmish, and hopefully nothing more than an unfortunate incident. Geoff said that UN troops were on hand at the border, as well as those of the African Union, to keep the peace. But everyone looked concerned as they went to work, not so much for themselves as for these people they loved so much. They had suffered so terribly during the last war, all the workers at the camp hoped that the breaking of the truce would not light the fires of war again. It was everyone's dearest hope.

The patients were all upset that morning, there was much talking, and a sense of near panic. They had all lived through it before. In addition, the workers at the camp were worried about malaria season, which would be upon them in the next month. They had enough to worry about with that.

The consensus of opinion was that they just had to keep an eye on the situation, and be aware. For the moment, it posed no threat to anyone in the camp. But they were close enough to the border to have some justifiable concern. And after breakfast, Max and Sam came to talk to Christianna.

“Your father won't like this, Your Highness. We have to report to him.” That had been one of the principal conditions of their being with her, and it had even been her agreement with him herself, that if the political situation ever got dicey, she would agree to leave at once.

“It was just a skirmish,” she pointed out to both of them. “We're not at war.” She had no intention of leaving now, particularly with malaria season coming, they needed her more than ever. And there were reports of a fresh outbreak of kala azar.

“It could worsen at any moment,” they said, looking deeply concerned, “and once it does, it could get out of hand very quickly.” Neither of them wanted to be in a situation where they couldn't get her out.

“Let's not panic yet,” she said tersely, and went to work.

Nothing further happened for the next two weeks. It was the first of September by then, and the first cases of malaria began to come in. It was a grueling time for all of them, compounded by heavy rains. It was miserable in the camp, even in their tents, as they waded through heavy mud. She had been in Africa for eight months by then, and it had already seeped into her soul. With the heavier workload, and the miserable weather, they all fell into bed exhausted every night. And her father had been railing at Max and Sam for weeks to get her home, ever since the border skirmish, which he didn't like at all. But Christianna was refusing to go anywhere. They needed her, and she was staying. She sent the message to him via Sam and Max. She no longer had time to go to the post office to talk to him herself, which was just as well. She didn't want to argue with him. She was still too upset about Parker, and had too much on her mind.

“God, don't you hate this bloody weather?” Fiona said one night as they got back to the tent. She had been out delivering babies all day. Christianna had been helping with AIDS and malaria patients, and two more cases of kala azar had come in, and Geoff was deeply concerned. They didn't need a major outbreak of that on their hands as well.

Fiona had been back for less than an hour, when they called her out again. A woman not far from the camp was delivering twins. Still soaked to the skin, she went back out, praying her little car wouldn't get stuck in the mud, which it had already done several times. One night she had had to walk home in the pouring rain, well over two miles. She'd had a cough ever since.

Christianna saw her go out and waved with a tired smile. “Have fun!”

“Sod off!” Fiona said gamely. “At least you'll be dry in here.” At certain times, it was a hard life, and this was one of them. And Fiona worked as hard as all the rest, often harder. She never complained, she loved what she did, and knew how badly they needed her.

Christianna heard the little car drive off, and finally went to sleep. They were all exhausted, from the weather and increased workload. And it didn't surprise her when she didn't see Fiona in her bed in the morning. She often stayed out all night, especially if the delivery was rough, or the baby frail. And with twins, it was bound to be hard.

Christianna went to breakfast with the others, and as he glanced around, Geoff looked suddenly concerned.

“Where's Fiona? Asleep or still out?”

“Out,” Christianna answered as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

“I hope her car didn't get stuck in the mud.” He said something to Maggie, and then decided to drive out himself and check. The rains hadn't let up all night, and still hadn't. Max volunteered to go with him. If the car was stuck, he could help push it out of the mud. A few minutes later, the two men set off. Christianna and Maggie went to the AIDS clinic, Ushi to her classroom, and everyone to their respective jobs. It was a morning like any other in the rainy season, except wetter and darker.

Christianna was in her office doing some paperwork later that morning when Max and Geoff got back. They had found the car, and Fiona wasn't in it. They had gone to the house where the twins were born, and were told that Fiona had left hours before.

It was the first time that anything like that had happened. Max came to tell her, and Christianna wondered if she had tried to walk home, and either got waylaid, or took shelter in someone's house. She knew just about everyone in the area, since she'd been delivering their babies for several years.

Looking grim, Geoff organized a search party, and assigned drivers to all their cars. Max drove one, Sam another, Ernst, Klaus, and Geoff jumped in the school bus. And Didier managed to start their worst and most unreliable car. Two of the women went with them, and at the last minute, Christianna jumped into the passenger seat beside Max. They had agreed to fan out, and comb the area, stopping at every house to see if she was there. Knowing Fiona, Christianna felt almost sure that she had done something like that. She was a practical, independent woman, and she wouldn't have spent the night in a car stuck in the mud. She would have gotten to a house and knocked on the door. She felt sure they would find her soon enough. Everyone in the area was so friendly. She was probably sitting cozily by the fire in one of their homes, until the rain stopped or she could get a ride back to the camp.

Max said nothing as they drove up one road and down another. They saw the school bus after a while, and conferred with the others. No one had seen anything, and the people in the houses where they stopped hadn't seen her either, although they all knew who she was.

They were out for well over two hours, and Max was still driving diligently, as Christianna looked intently at the side of the road. And then suddenly Max stopped. Something had caught his eye. He said nothing to Christianna, so as not to worry her unduly. He got out, ran through the rain, and then stopped. There she was, lying by the side of the road, like a rag doll, naked, her hair matted, her face half in the mud, her eyes wide. Christianna ran up behind him and saw her, and was horrified by what she saw. Fiona had obviously been raped and murdered, stabbed dozens of times. It was the most horrifying thing Christianna had ever seen. Max pushed her gently away, and told her to go back to the car.

“No!” she screamed at him. “No!” She crouched in the mud beside her friend, took her own coat off and covered her, and gently lifted her face out of the mud and cradled her head, as she herself was soaked by the rain. Christianna was nearly lying in the mud, holding her, sobbing and screaming, while Max tried to pull her away and couldn't. A few minutes later the school bus drove by and he flagged them down. Everyone ran out and saw what had happened. Klaus and Ernst gently helped Max pull Christianna away. They radioed to the others, and someone brought a tarp. Christianna was led away, sobbing, and they gently wrapped Fiona, put her in the bus, and drove back to camp.

The rest of the day was a blur for everyone. The authorities were at the camp all day. They combed the area, but no one had seen anything or anyone. No one knew anything, and the local authorities insisted it had been done by marauding Ethiopians, which seemed unlikely to everyone in the camp. It was obviously some local madman who had gone undiscovered. It was the first violence they had ever experienced in the camp. Geoff went to the post office in Senafe to notify the family by phone himself. They were devastated, predictably. And even though Christianna begged them not to, Max and Sam went to the post office with Geoff to call her father.

His response was exactly what they had expected. “Bring her back. Now. Tomorrow. Today. Get her out.” They came back and told Christianna, but she was in no condition to leave, she was devastated by the death of her friend, and the agonizing way she had died. Conditions being what they were in Africa, Fiona's family had reluctantly agreed to have her buried there. They were still in shock, but it would have been complicated and expensive to bring her home. And she had loved Africa so much. It seemed right and fitting to bury her there.

Christianna wanted to talk to Parker, but she was too distraught to go to the post office with Sam and Max, and she didn't want to talk to her father. She didn't care what he said. She wasn't going home, at least until they buried Fiona. The scene around her was suddenly a jumble and a blur. Everything had gone so wrong, and now suddenly they were all afraid.

They buried Fiona the next day, with the entire camp still in shock. Word spread in the surrounding areas. There was a sense of outrage and horror among the locals, as well as among the workers in the camp. After her brief funeral service and burial, the residents of the camp huddled in the dining tent, crying and looking grim. There was no sense of an Irish wake, which she would have liked. Instead, there were crying, angry, frightened people, unable to believe that they had lost their beloved friend. Christianna and Mary hugged, sobbing. Ushi was inconsolable. Geoff and Maggie were shaken beyond words. It was a terrible time at the camp. And then suddenly the roof caved in.

Two days after they buried Fiona, there was another border skirmish, and within three days Ethiopia and Eritrea were once more at war. This time there was no conversation. Sam and Max did not go to the post office to call her father or discuss it with Christianna. Sam packed her bag, and Max waited outside while she dressed. There was no choice. They were going to carry her out if they had to. She insisted she didn't want to leave her friends. She had come to love this place and the people in it. Everyone gathered around her, and they all cried when she left. Geoff was in full agreement with Sam and Max. The others were all going to have to make their own decisions as to whether they stayed or left. But Geoff told Christianna himself that she had to leave. She had served them well, given richly of herself, and they all loved her for it. But as much as Sam and Max and her father did, he wanted her out. This was not her job, it was a piece of her heart and soul she had given, and he did not now want it to cost her her life. The other workers accepted the risk as part of their mission. Christianna's mission was very different. The time she had spent with them in Africa was a gift to them and for herself.

They all said tearful goodbyes, she made a last tour of the patients in the AIDS clinic to say goodbye to them, and Geoff drove them to Asmara. Once there, they stood in the pouring rain, and she clung to Geoff like a crying child. So much had happened, and she was so frightened for all of them. She felt like a traitor leaving them now. UN and African Union troops had been arriving in the area for days.

“You have to leave, Your Highness,” he said as though to remind her of who she was. “Your father would never forgive us if something happened.” She had been there for nine months, and she still wasn't ready to go home, and knew she never would be. Her heart was here, and a piece of her life she would never forget.

“What about the rest of you?” she asked as the plane landed.

“We'll see what happens in the next few days. It's too soon to say. We'll see what they decide in Geneva, and what the others want to do. But it's definitely time for you to go home.” In the end, this was their home and not hers. She hugged him tightly before she left, and thanked him for the happiest months of her life. He thanked her for all she'd done and all she'd given. He told her she was an extraordinary young woman and wished her well. He knew none of them would forget her, or her loving, selfless grace.

And then she, Max, and Sam got on the plane. She saw Geoff watching them as she looked out the window. He waved, and then ran back to the bus. Moments later, the plane took off for the endless flight back to Frankfurt, and then the short hop to Zurich, and finally home.

She sat staring into space for a long time on the flight, thinking of Fiona, and Parker, Laure before that, Ushi and all the children they had taught, Mary and all the women and children in the AIDS ward. She had left behind so many people that she had come to love. And poor Fiona left with her, forever in her heart. For once, she said absolutely nothing to Sam and Max. She sat on one side of the aisle, and they sat on the other. This time they had done their job. They would have carried her out, if they had to. With a war starting, there was no question in their minds, or her father's, where she belonged. Even Christianna didn't fight them this time. She knew she had no choice.