“Why would they make something like this up?” Maya pointed to the letter on the coffee table. “I mean Montovia is so random. Not to mention extreme.” She picked up the envelope and examined the front. “This stamp and postmark look authentic. Like it really came from overseas. Vicki and Lance wouldn’t go to this much trouble for a silly practical joke. Seriously? What’s the payoff? What’s the point?”
“It has to be a scam then. Someone is phishing for money.”
Maya snatched up the letter again. “But whoever wrote this hasn’t asked for a penny. They only want you to respond and accept their invitation to visit their country. Completely at their expense!”
“Why?”
Maya pointed to the second page of the letter. “It says here that the king is ill, which is why it’s imperative you go visit.”
“Yes, that’s how those scams work. They play on sympathy and make it seem dire. When you agree, they ask you to use your own funds, which they assure you they’ll reimburse. But in the meantime, they empty your bank account.” She sighed. “Not like there’s much in mine to begin with.”
Maya held up the letter and read it out loud again. Adelaide hated to admit it but hearing the words read by someone else did make it seem less like a scam or practical joke. But still.
“It’s just too weird.” Adelaide went to her bookshelf and removed an old atlas. She looked up Montovia and pointed it out to Maya. “See, it’s this tiny little country. Right there. Big as a flyspeck.”
“Did your mom ever mention it?”
“No. But I do recall hearing about a trip to Europe she and Lela took in college.”
“And she never told you anything about your father either, right?”
Adelaide shook her head. “Not a word about my father or Montovia.”
“Maybe she wanted it buried.” Maya held up a finger. “Hey, why not ask Lela?”
Adelaide considered this. Lela was her mom’s best friend in nursing school and had been like an aunt to Adelaide when she was younger. But when she married a naval officer and moved to Maryland to continue her nursing career, she grew a little distant from her old friend. The last time Adelaide had seen Lela was at her mother’s funeral three years ago.
“I guess I could call her.”
“Yes,” Maya urged. “Right now.”
Adelaide pulled up Lela’s number and, with a slightly shaky finger, clicked call. After a quick exchange of stilted greetings, Adelaide plunged ahead. “Lela, do you remember going to Europe with my mom, back in college?”
After a long pause, Lela answered. “Yes. Of course.”
“Was my mom ever in the Principality of Montovia?”
“Why are you asking me this?” Lela sounded uneasy and a bit suspicious, so Adelaide explained the strange letter.
Lela let out a little gasp. “Max was a king?”
“So you do know about Max?” Adelaide exchanged glances with Maya.
“Oh, honey, I knew about Max, but that was so long ago I’d almost forgotten him. And yes, your mom and I did spend a month in Europe. It was August. Right before our third year of nursing school. I’d received a small inheritance from my aunt and had always dreamed of touring Europe, so I talked your mom into going as my traveling companion.”
“I’m surprised she could afford to go.” Adelaide knew how her mom had struggled to make it through school.
“Thanks to my aunt, I was able to cover our expenses, but it was a pretty frugal trip. We were young and carefree. It was fun. And you know how pretty your mom was—kinda like you, Addie. In a blue-eyed and blond way. She was a real head-turner back then. She even got mistaken for Sharon Stone and—”
“Yeah, okay,” Adelaide interrupted, “but this Maximillian guy? How did you meet him?”
“We met him in Zurich. Your mom caught his eye, and he invited us out. He spoke great English and insisted on taking us to dinner in this swanky restaurant. The best meal we had in Europe. Heck, it was the best meal we’d had anywhere. Max was obviously very wealthy.
“Our trip was almost over, but your mom still wanted to see Vienna. I said no way. We were short on funds at that point, and our train passes were almost expired. But Max offered to drive us to his family’s villa just outside Vienna. I thought it was a bad idea, but your mom insisted we go. I won’t deny it was pretty fun. Like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. But when it was time to go, your mom dragged her heels. Max asked her to stay, and she and I had this huge fight. I was furious, so I just left her there in Vienna.”
“Oh.” Adelaide’s head was spinning. “What happened after that?”
“I honestly don’t know what happened with your mom. I was so angry. I got home in time for fall classes and pretty much wrote her off. Later I heard that she came home, but she didn’t return to school and we weren’t exactly on speaking terms.”
“But you patched it up?”
“When I found out she was pregnant, I realized she needed a friend more than ever, so I stepped in. Your mom moved in with my mom until the baby came, but she refused to speak about the circumstances. And we never pushed her. I was there at your birth. After that, my mom babysat you while your mom finished her LPN degree. Not the RPN like she’d originally planned, but at least she could support you two after that.”
“Yeah.” Adelaide knew how much they’d scrimped to get by. Clipping coupons, riding the transit, shopping at thrift stores.
“I was always surprised she never married.”
“She had plenty of opportunities.” Adelaide cringed at the memory of some of the guys who’d pursued her mom. As an angst-ridden teenager, Adelaide had even accused her mother of being a “jerk magnet” more than once.
“I guess that’s about all I know, Addie.”
“But you haven’t told me everything.” Adelaide took in a steadying breath. “Did you think Max was my father?”
“I’ll admit I had my suspicions. But your mom refused to talk about it. Ever.”
“Right. Same here. She always got mad if I brought up the paternity subject. She told me not to ask. I used to imagine my dad as a lowlife . . . like a meth addict or a drug dealer or maybe someone who was doing time as a serial killer.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I never knew that, honey. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks, Lela.” Adelaide took a deep breath, then asked the question that had been rumbling around in her head. “So, this letter—you think it’s authentic?”
“Sounds like it, Addie. But for clarity, you are saying that Max is a king?”
“That’s what this letter says. He’s the king of the Principality of Montovia.” Adelaide stared at the page in her hand. “I was almost certain it was a scam at first.”
“I never dreamt Max was royalty, but he definitely came from money. He never mentioned royalty or Montovia. Where is that, anyway?”
“It’s a tiny country wedged between Austria and Hungary. And you said his family had property in Vienna.” She peered down at the still-open atlas. “That’s pretty close to Montovia.”
“So it sort of makes sense. But do your own research just to be sure.”