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  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or used fictitiously.

  THE ROYAL NANNY

  Copyright © 2026, Carlson Management Co., Inc.

  All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole is strictly forbidden without the express written consent of the publisher, with the exception of a brief quotation for review purposes.

  WhiteCrown Publishing, a division of WhiteFire Publishing

  13607 Bedford Rd NE

  Cumberland, MD 21502

  ISBNs:

  979-8-88709-143-3 (paperback)

  979-8-88709-144-0 (digital)

  1

  After two years of teaching missionary kids on a remote island in the South Pacific, Meredith Cardwell was ripe for change. But suddenly on her own in Vienna, she knew she was in over her head. Not because of language challenges—she’d hoped her slight grasp of high school German might be helpful—but because the sounds and smells and busyness of this bustling metropolis was a shock to her system. Wasn’t Vienna supposed to be elegant, timeless, charming? The European mecca of art, intelligence, music? Instead of feeling charmed, she felt suffocated by the stench of diesel fumes.

  She’d heard that people who’d lived in Papua New Guinea for a year or more typically experienced culture shock, but she’d imagined herself immune. Except that her head was spinning and her pulse was racing as she stood outside the crowded train station. It was a late Friday afternoon in mid-June and perhaps not the ideal time for travelers. Getting from the international airport via train hadn’t been that much of a challenge, thanks to the airport information desk. But standing outside the Wien Haptbahnhof at this hour was a bit overwhelming. Okay, that was an understatement. It was downright horrifying. And lonely. Although how she could feel lonely in such a populated place defied reason.

  Despite herself, she missed David. Wasn’t he supposed to be with her here in Europe? Hadn’t that been the plan? She and David had gone to Papua New Guinea together after graduating college with education degrees. They’d decided to volunteer for two years with a mission organization, teach school, and tour the world together. And to tie the knot there. That had been David’s idea. A way to get married without their families turning their wedding into a three-ring circus, like they’d witnessed happening to their friends.

  After their two years were finished, they’d planned to tour Europe on their return trip to the States. Yet she was alone in Vienna, and despite that it had been more than a year since David had bailed on her, her broken heart felt fresh and new once again. Don’t be a baby, she silently chided herself as she clutched her carryon bag handle. David was a jerk, and you know it. Good riddance. Holding her head higher, she looked around, trying to decide whether to take a taxi or use the metro to reach the hostel in the center of the city. Her plan was to lodge there for three days while exploring this historic city before boarding the train for Salzburg. She’d already mapped out her entire European tour. She had a Eurail pass zipped safely into an inner pocket of her backpack, along with her passport, traveler’s checks, and return air ticket back to the States. She’d read several books—the internet had been sketchy where she’d lived in Papua New Guinea—and everything had seemed doable and straightforward. Until now. Now it was overwhelming, and she was starting to feel slightly dazed and dizzy.

  “Hello there.”

  Meredith turned to see a sweet-faced older woman smiling at her.

  “Oh, hello.” Meredith smiled back, taking in the woman’s stylish gray hair, expensive looking clothes, and Louis Vuitton luggage.

  “I’m waiting for my car,” the woman told her. “Traffic is awful at this hour.”

  “I’ll say.” Meredith peered more closely at the woman. “Are you American?”

  “No, dear. Not anymore. I married an Austrian. Goodness, almost thirty years ago.” She adjusted her sunglasses and looked to where cars and taxis were lined up and waiting. “Oh, good, I see my car down there.” She pointed.

  “Lucky you.” Meredith tried not to feel envious.

  “Is your ride on its way?” the woman asked with concern.

  “I just arrived and was deciding on whether to use a taxi or—”

  “Goodness, no. You’ll never get a taxi right now. Why don’t we give you a lift?” She waved to a dark sedan pulling to the curb in front of them.

  “But it’s too much trouble.”

  “Nonsense. My driver won’t care. And I certainly don’t.”

  “Well, I...” Meredith was torn. The offer was tempting, but she didn’t even know this woman. However, she seemed harmless enough. And quite friendly. And she spoke English. “If you don’t mind, I’d like that.” She slid a strap of her heavy backpack off her shoulder, which was starting to throb. She’d tried to travel light with just her carryon and backpack, but she’d packed in a lot. Some of which she might unload at the hostel.

  “Not at all.” The woman spoke in rapid German to the driver, whose name seemed to be Hans and who was loading the Vuitton luggage into the trunk. She instructed Hans to help with Meredith’s things too and just like that, he relieved Meredith of her tightly packed roller-bag and heavy backpack.

  “Now, let’s get comfortable and just relax.” The woman waved Meredith toward the sedan’s opened back door. As Meredith slid onto the sleek leather seat, she took in the car’s luxurious interior. Nothing like this in Papua New Guinea. In fact, she’d never been inside a car this luxurious before. Not surprising since she and her schoolteacher dad had never been exactly wealthy.

  “Now you can tell me all about yourself and why you’re in Vienna.” The old woman grasped Meredith’s hand, giving it a warm squeeze. “But first let me introduce myself. I am Louise Von Pentz. You may call me Louise.”

  “I’m Meredith Cardwell, but friends call me Meri.”

  “Meri.” She smiled. “I like it. Lovely name for a lovely girl. Please, tell Hans where we are taking you.”

  Meredith repeated the name of the hostel, and Hans nodded as if he understood then carefully pulled out into traffic. As he skillfully navigated what appeared to be Viennese rush hour, stopping again and again, Meredith told her about teaching school in Papua New Guinea. Louise seemed to find this fascinating, telling her about her own father who’d been stationed there in World War II.

  “Of course, he hated it,” Louise explained. “But I’m sure it’s changed a lot since then.” She kicked off her shoes with a relieved sigh. “Ah, much better. I’ve been on my feet too much today.”

  “Mine are swollen from the flight,” Meredith admitted. But she didn’t want to remove her shoes.

  “Hans?” Louise called up to the front. “Where is my Pellegrino?”

  He said something that sounded apologetic, and Louise frowned then turned to Meredith. “Are you as parched as I am after standing out in the sun?”

  Meredith nodded, and Louise instructed Hans to stop somewhere for drinks to go. “I know a sweet little spot with the best coffee in Vienna.”

  “I love iced coffee,” Meredith told her.

  “May as well stop for coffee as to sit in this traffic.” Louise called something else to Hans, and he pulled in front of a quaint shop built of stones. She fumbled with her wallet. “Meri.” Louise pointed to her stockinged feet. “Could you get the coffees for us?” She chuckled. “I doubt I can get my shoes back on.” She handed her a twenty Euro bill “This should cover whatever we want. Feel free to get us a pastry too. Their strudels are to die for. And I’ll have an iced latte with a dash of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon.”

  “Sounds good. Thank you.”

  “No. Thank you.” Louise beamed at her. “You’re an angel of mercy.”

  Hans called something back and Louise translated, explaining he was in a no parking zone. “So we may have to circle around.”

  “No problem,” Meredith assured her as she got out. She felt blessed to have fallen in with such a kind generous woman. As she shut the door she remembered how her friends back in Papua New Guinea were praying for her trip...and that she’d meet some good people along the way. Maybe this was an answer! Perhaps her unexpected encounter with Louise would end up being more than just passing. She hoped so.

  The coffee shop, with its geranium filled flower boxes on the windows, turned out to be even more charming on the inside. But as the Dutch door closed behind her and the sedan pulled away, she got a sinking feeling. Was she foolish to leave her bags with someone she barely knew? Chiding herself for her suspicions, she attempted a chuckle. That sweet old woman? How ridiculous.

  She got into a short line but felt a little uneasy about how slowly it was moving. Although this did allow her time to study and translate the menu and to prepare to order in German. Finally it was her turn, and she stumbled through her order of two iced coffees and one apple strudel and one raspberry scone. The barista, a short blonde woman looked amused. “Ame

rican?” she asked with arched brows.

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “I’m from Seattle,” the woman told her with a grin.

  “Really?” Meredith blinked. “Do you live here?”

  “Just for the summer.” She told her the total, and to Meredith’s surprise, it took most of the twenty. “Yeah, we have taxes on some food items here.” She winked. “For the tourists.”

  “Oh, yeah. Of course.” Meredith smiled back. “Sorry, that’s all the cash I have.” She dropped the meager change into a tip cup.

  “No problem.” The blonde waved to the next customer and told Meredith to enjoy Vienna.

  As Meredith moved out of the way, she glanced out the window. Traffic was still snarled and the sedan not in sight, but perhaps that was for the best since they’d only have to wait anyway. Instead of fretting over the absent car, she thanked God for allowing her to meet Louise at the train station. Perched on a stool, she allowed herself to daydream. After all, she was in Vienna, living out her dream to see Europe. She thought about the elegant Louise, imagining what it might feel like to be invited to visit her home. Judging by the older woman’s appearance, she was well off. Wouldn’t it be a treat to be a guest in her home? Not only would it save some Meredith’s travel funds, it would probably be much more luxurious than the hostel, which would be like a noisy dorm with smelly shared bathrooms and probably a lot of partying college students. Louise looked like the kind of person who would live in a beautiful townhouse. Or perhaps an estate. Like something out of a movie. Maybe she had a delightful son…or grandson…or maybe Meredith was being perfectly ridiculous. Still, it would be cool to save some money and stay in the hypothetical lovely place.

  Meredith’s plan was to frugally budget her money early in the trip. She would save splurging for later. For two years, she’d been earning extra money by babysitting for various missionary families who lived on the base where she’d taught school. She’d managed to accumulate about $4,000 which she’d used to purchase traveler’s checks, as well as her Eurail pass. She’d heard you could get by on a hundred dollars a day by staying in hostels and purchasing food from open markets and such.

  And if worse came to worst, she’d heard you could sleep on the train at night to save lodging money. For emergency backup she still had the Visa card her dad had sent her after David had left her behind. She hoped not to use it, but it was reassuring to know it was safely tucked in the interior pocket of her backpack along with her other valuables…in the trunk of Louise’s car…which was still MIA.

  She bit her lip as she stared out the window. What if something went wrong? With all this traffic and circling around, they might’ve gotten into a fender-bender. She wished she’d thought to grab her phone from her pack. And to have gotten Louise’s number. More than that, as her order was called, she wished she hadn’t allowed Hans to put her pack in the trunk.

  The blonde barista smiled, wishing her a good visit as Meredith picked up the tray holding the coffees and small bag of pastries. She thanked her but had no interest in food or drink. Instead, she felt slightly sickened in the pit of her stomach, like she’d just swallowed a brick.

  She tried to make light of herself as she stepped outside into the late afternoon sunshine to wait for Louise. She must be making a mountain out of a molehill. Probably symptomatic of culture shock. The car likely was coming around the corner right now. But as she peered down the one-way street, she saw a steady stream of traffic but nothing resembling the missing sedan. What make was it anyway? Mercedes? She was no expert on cars. And although she thought it was black, she wasn’t positive. Maybe it was navy? Or slate? She only remembered it was dark.

  Her pulse raced like she’d just climbed a mountain as she sat down on a bench in front of the shop. She took several slow deep breaths. She’d learned the trick after she’d suffered a panic attack after David left her behind in Papua New Guinea, a way to calm her down and soothe her nerves. She didn’t want to look like a basket case when Louis’s car pulled up, acting like she didn’t trust them.

  Meredith breathed a few more slow breaths then sipped her iced mocha, which tasted metallic despite the sweetener. Or maybe it was just her. As she slid the drink back into the space on the cardboard holder, she wondered what time it was now. How long had that car been gone? Without her phone, she had no idea.

  Biting her bottom lip, she continued staring down the street, praying desperately for God to bring that sedan back. But although traffic was lightening and time was passing, she still didn’t spot that car. As tears threatened, she suspected she’d seen the last of it. What a fool she’d been to trust complete strangers—and in a foreign country too! Good grief, she’d been warned about scams like this. Still, she’d never expected it could happen to her. Had it really?

  She stood, not quite ready to give up. After all, Louise was well off. Why would she want Meredith’s humble bags? That was just silly. Surely, they’d been involved in a fender-bender like she’d imagined earlier. They were probably on a side street, answering questions, filling out paperwork. Hadn’t she heard enough sirens to explain that?

  Determined to turn every stone, still carrying her tray, she walked down the one-way street toward oncoming traffic then turned at the first corner. She continued, following the streets that seemed to loop the coffee shop block, hoping she wouldn’t get hopelessly lost in the process. Until she was finally back on the original street, in front of the coffee shop, with no sign of Louise or her fancy car anywhere.

  Meredith had been duped.

  2

  She couldn’t stop the tears now. Tears of frustration, humiliation, and exhaustion from her long flights just to get to Vienna. What does one do in a situation like this? No phone, no money, no passport, no nothing! Was this what it felt like to be homeless?

  She thought of her father. She could ask him for help, but the last time they’d talked, while she was in Hong Kong, he’d excitedly explained his own vacation plans. His summer break had begun last week, and his best teacher friends, Mike and Brad, were just starting out on what they hoped would be their final trek on the Pacific Crest Trail. They’d been going at it for two summers now and hoped to finish up in Canada by August. More than likely he would be out of cell phone reach by now. Not that she could call him.

  With one last hopeless look down the street, she remembered the friendly American barista in the coffee shop, but when she tried the door, it was locked with a Geschlossen sign hanging in the window. Closed. She peeked over the geraniums to spy lights still on, and the blonde barista counting out the till. In desperation, balancing the coffee tray in one hand, Meredith knocked on the window until the blonde finally came over to see who was making the commotion.

  Meredith mouthed the word “help.” The barista, who bore a furrowed brow, unlocked the door, let her inside, then relocked it. “What’s going on?”

  Fresh tears sprung out and, between sobs, Meredith poured out the story. “It was all in my pack and I—I—have nothing,” she gasped. “No credit card—no traveler’s checks—no train pass—no passport—nothing!”

  “You need to sit down.” The blonde removed the tray, which was about to spill anyway, setting it on a table then pulling out a stool. “Everything was in their car?” she asked Meredith. “Everything?”

  Meredith used one of the napkins to wipe her face.

  “Haven’t you ever heard of a money belt?”

  “I have one,” Meredith confessed. “In—in my backpack!” Now she was crying again.

  “Oh, man. I’ve heard of that happening. In fact, a lot lately. But I never can figure out how anyone could be so stupid as to let a stranger take all their stuff like that.”

  “I know. So stupid. I feel like the village idiot—but I believed her. The woman—seemed so—so nice.”

  “I bet she did. Scammers are always nice…and smooth.” The barista laid a hand on Meredith’s arm. “And you’re not stupid. I shouldn’t have said that.” She smiled and pointed to her name tag. “I’m Faith Reynolds. Who are you?”

  “Meredith…Cardwell.” She blew her nose. “I’m from the West Coast too. Oregon.”

  “Well then, welcome to Vienna.” Faith’s tone was laced with cynicism as she grimly shook her head. “Sorry about that. It’s really an amazing city. With a lot of good people. You just got seriously unlucky.”