H.R.H.

She was also very interested in women's rights, which was a sore subject in her country. Women had only had the vote for just slightly over twenty years, since 1984, which was unthinkable. She liked to say that her arrival had brought them freedom, since the year of their emancipation was the one in which she'd been born. In many ways, it was still an extremely conservative country, in spite of her father's very modern ideas about economics, and his politically openminded views. But it was still a small country, bound by traditions that had existed for nine centuries, and Christianna felt the weight and burden of them all. She loved the idea of bringing fresh ideas back from the States with her, and developing more job opportunities for women, but with only thirty-three thousand subjects, and fewer than half of them women, there were painfully few women who would be affected by Christianna's youthful, energetic outlook. Nonetheless, she wanted to try. Even the fact that she could never inherit the throne was an archaic tradition. In other monarchies and principalities she would have been as eligible to rule as Freddy, although inheriting the throne was the last thing she wanted. She had no desire to reign, but she thought the traditional discrimination was inappropriate in a modern country, on principle. She mentioned it to her father's twenty-five members of Parliament, whenever she saw them, just as her mother before her had hounded them about giving women the right to vote. Little by little they were coming into the twenty-first century, but far too slowly for Christianna, and in some ways even for her father, although he was less a rebel than she was. Ideologically, he still had deep respect for their old traditions, but he was also three times her age, which inevitably made a difference.

They talked about her trip to London in the car on the way back to Vaduz. Her father had brought a briefcase bulging with papers to read on the trip, but the drive was long enough that he had time to chat with Christianna, too. She was going to visit Victoria on Tuesday. She cautiously suggested going alone, without guards, and her father was adamant about it. Ever worried about potential violence, he wanted her to take at least two bodyguards with her, maybe even three.

“That's silly, Papa,” she complained. “I only had two in Berkeley, and you always said America was much more dangerous. Besides, Victoria has one of her own. I only need one.”

“Three,” he said firmly, frowning at her. He hated even the remotest chance of her being in danger. He preferred to be overly cautious than to be cavalier.

“One,” Christianna bargained, and this time he laughed.

“Two, and that's my final offer. Otherwise you stay home.”

“All right, all right,” she conceded. She knew her brother had three with him in Japan, and a fourth for relief. Other royal families sometimes traveled with fewer bodyguards, but because it was public knowledge that their family and country were immensely rich, it put all of them at greater risk. It was about wealth, as much as about who they were, perhaps even more so. The prince's greatest fear had always been that one of his children would be kidnapped, and he was exceptionally cautious as a result. Christianna had long since made her peace with it, as had Freddy. He used his bodyguards to fetch and carry for him, albeit good-humoredly, and to get him out of messes he created, usually with women, or help him escape from a nightclub late at night when he was too drunk to walk. Christianna had far less use for hers, as she was much better behaved, and she had a comfortable, easy relationship with them, as they were very fond of her, and very protective. But she still preferred to go out alone, and almost never could. Her father simply wouldn't allow it, with good reason in some countries. He wouldn't even think of letting her travel to South America, although she had always wanted to go there. The stories about kidnappings of the wealthy and powerful were legion, and a Serene Highness with a vast fortune behind her would be a plum they couldn't resist. Prince Hans Josef preferred not to put temptation in their path in the form of his daughter. He forced her to confine her travels to the United States and Europe, and he had taken her to Hong Kong himself, which she loved. She said she wanted to travel to Africa and India next, which made him shudder. For the moment, he was relieved that she was satisfied with a week in London, staying with her cousin. That was as exotic as he wanted her to get, which was exotic enough. The young marchioness was extremely eccentric, given to outrageous behavior, and for several years had had both a python and a cheetah as pets. The prince had flatly forbidden her to bring them to Vaduz. But he knew that Christianna would have fun with her, and he knew also how much she needed it.