Crowns & Courtships Compilation Volume 1

by Carol Moncado

  He should probably make sure his father knew before Isaiah found out.

  The meeting was predictably short with Isaiah sticking to his position despite its irrationality, and Kensington not giving in. Ten minutes after walking into the office, he walked out. In the back seat of his car, Kensington pulled out his phone and called his father’s direct line.

  After telling him about the meeting, Kensington hesitated.

  “What is it?” his father asked. “Something else is going on.”

  “You’re not going to like it,” Kensington told him. “But it’s too late now, and you wouldn’t have been able to talk me out of it anyway.”

  “Does it have something to do with your quick trip to Athmetis yesterday?”

  Of course he knew about that. “Yes. While I was there...” Time to rip off the bandage. “I got married.”

  Silence greeted him from the other end of the line. “Married?”

  “Yes. To a wonderful woman. She’s already been checked out by security. Her name is Anabelle Gregorson, and I fell in love with her at first sight. The feeling was mutual. She’s raising her younger sister who is a little older than Sofia.”

  “So you’re essentially a father as well.”

  “Basically.” No explosion from the other end of the line. That was good.

  “Why did you decide to elope instead of introducing her to us and having an actual wedding?”

  Here came the more delicate part of this conversation. “Her grandfather controls their inheritance. He was going to force her to marry a man of his choosing or she would lose everything. I couldn’t let that happen. Not when I could make a difference. It had to happen quickly before her grandfather made her.”

  “I see.” Kensington could almost see the wheels turning in his father’s head. “Was this other man so awful? Or she just wasn’t in love with him and fancies herself in love with you and your titles?”

  Kensington pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s just it. She doesn’t know about my titles. She thinks we run resorts in both countries. I tried to tell her yesterday, but Gracie had to go to the bathroom, and I never had another chance.”

  “Gracie?”

  “Her sister.”

  “Your grandmother will like that.” His father’s amusement came clearly over the line.

  “I know she will.”

  “So the other man was awful then?”

  How to put it? “He’s not awful, but he’s not known for being warm and fuzzy either. She met him once, and he was indifferent at best. Really, condescending would be a better word.”

  “So you know him?”

  “We’ve met.” Kensington tried to remain noncommittal. His father had taken the news of the wedding better than expected. He likely wouldn’t take the news that Kensington had “stolen” Benjamin’s bride quite so well.

  “Do I know him?”

  “Better than I do.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Kensington stared out the window. “This is the part you’re really not going to like.”

  He could almost see the wheels turning in his father’s head. “A member of the royal family? Who? Darius?”

  “No.”

  “Isaiah wanted her to marry Benjamin?” The incredulity matched Kensington’s own two days before.

  “Yes. She met him the other day. He looked her up and down, said she’ll do, and walked off.”

  “So you married her instead?”

  He needed his father to understand. “I was already falling in love with her. I’ve known her longer than Astrid knew Jordan before their engagement was announced.”

  “But she doesn’t know who you are, everything that goes along with becoming your wife.”

  “It’s not like I’m the heir,” he pointed out. “And with the baby coming, it’s even less likely that I ever will be.”

  Kensington heard his father’s office door open and then the voice of his father’s assistant. “I have to go. I’ll see you soon.” The vague threat hung in the air between them. “I do love you, Kensington, but I’m afraid this decision is going to end up costing us. I wish you’d come to me first. I’ll talk to you later today.”

  He hung up as the car pulled to a stop in front of Anabelle’s apartment building. Time to put his father’s disapproval out of his mind and help his wife pack.

  Anabelle opened the door without looking through the peephole first, something she regretted as soon as she did.

  Prince Isaiah pushed past her and into the living area. “The announcement will be made this afternoon.”

  She blinked. “What announcement?”

  “Your engagement to my nephew.”

  “There is no engagement.”

  The prince held out a box. “Your engagement ring. The wedding will be in March.”

  Anabelle pushed the door closed, though she wasn’t sure it latched. “I am not marrying your nephew. Not in March. Not ever.”

  “You will if you want to keep your sister with you.” Something sinister lurked in his eyes and in his tone of voice.

  “I will not take my sister to live in the palace.” She would never see Gracie. Somehow Anabelle knew Gracie would be kept from her - if not officially, it would be the reality. “I will not be marrying King Benjamin.”

  “Of course you won’t.”

  Anabelle turned to see Kensington walk in.

  “Hi, Isaiah. How’d you beat me here?” Without waiting for an answer, Kensington slid an arm around her waist. “Honey, I’m home.” The light tone of his voice couldn’t hide the seriousness underpinning it. After a quick kiss, he kept his arm where it was and turned to Isaiah. “Did you tell her your plan to leave Gracie with ‘an appropriate caregiver’?”

  Anabelle moved away from him, putting herself between Isaiah and the hallway to Gracie’s room. “What?”

  “We didn’t think Ms. Gregorson would want to be burdened with raising a child while settling into a new marriage. It would be temporary until things were more comfortable.”

  Kensington crossed his arms over his chest. “You mean until Ben has his heir, you whisk the baby away to be raised as you see fit, and Anabelle is superfluous? Or do they need to have two kids first? Twins would certainly save time.”

  Anabelle gasped at Kensington’s attitude toward King Benjamin’s right hand man, his use of such a familiar nickname, and the accusation that Prince Isaiah had yet to deny.

  “The decision has already been made. Her grandfather signed the contract.”

  Another gasp ripped from Anabelle as she grasped her abdomen.

  “You don’t have marriage contracts.” Kensington shut the door and went to sit on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table and crossing them at the ankles. “This isn’t Mevendia. Besides, if Anabelle didn’t sign it, it can’t make her do anything. Her grandfather could threaten to take away her inheritance, but he can’t force her to do anything.” He winked at her. “Besides, I’ll see they’re taken care of.”

  Isaiah pulled himself up to his full height. “On the contrary. Her grandfather has power of attorney. He can sign documents on her behalf, and he did.”

  Kensington looked at her. “Is that true?”

  Anabelle could only nod through her tears.

  “When was it signed?” Kensington asked Isaiah.

  “Last night.”

  Kensington chuckled. “Too bad. Because she was already married by the time it was signed. It’s invalid.”

  The blood drained from Isaiah’s face before it turned red. “Married? To who?”

  With his fingers linked behind his head, a smug look appeared on Kensington’s face. “Me.”

  “You?”

  “Yep. We eloped yesterday.”

  Anabelle couldn’t keep up with the volleys of conversation between the two men. Why hadn’t they stayed away after all? If she wasn’t in town, this couldn’t be happening.

  “Do your parents know?”

  “I haven�
�t talked to Mother, but Father is ecstatic. My grandmother is going to be thrilled with Gracie. So will Sofia. Technically, they won’t be cousins, but close enough. She’ll have a little girl to play with after we move to San Majoria permanently.”

  What? Anabelle’s head spun, but she wasn’t about to confront Kensington about announcing his plans to return to San Majoria without talking to her. Not now. Not when it was infuriating Isaiah.

  “Consider this your expulsion from Eyjania.” Isaiah glared at both of them. “You have twenty-four hours to leave the country or face arrest and public deportation.”

  Anabelle’s knees buckled, the wall behind her the only thing that kept her from ending up on the floor.

  Kensington actually laughed. “Oh please. That’s an empty threat and you know it. Only the king can do that without following all sorts of proper procedures that you know will never fly. Even though you’ve got Ben wrapped around your little finger, he wouldn’t approve that. He knows how my father would react.” He turned his head to look at Anabelle, an apology for something written all over his face before he looked back at Isaiah. “And Ben would never risk alienating the king of such an important trading partner.”

  The apartment began to swim before her eyes as she tried to wrap her mind around what Kensington had said. The king wouldn’t deport them because of how Kensington’s father would react. Benjamin wouldn’t want to alienate the king of Kensington’s country.

  Kensington’s father was king of San Majoria.

  That meant...

  She couldn’t say it. Not in front of Isaiah. The prince couldn’t know she hadn’t known.

  Kensington stood. “Now, I suggest you remove yourself from my wife’s home. We won’t cause any trouble for you or Benjamin, but neither will you cause any for Anabelle. She has the full support of the Majorian family behind her. You would do well to remember that.”

  “This isn’t over.” The threat in Isaiah’s voice wasn’t even veiled. “In fact, I suggest you leave the country, whether you think I can force you to or not. There will be no more discussions about Games with you or anyone else in your family or on behalf of San Majoria. You may be right that King Benjamin won’t have you publicly deported, but he has put me in charge of the Games, and I guarantee it won’t end well.”

  Kensington didn’t stand up, but just stared at Isaiah from his seat. “You don’t scare me, and I’m quite certain you don’t scare my father.”

  “I’ll be in touch.” Isaiah turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

  Before Anabelle realized he’d moved Kensington was in front of her, gathering her in his arms. “I’ve got you, love. I’m sorry you had to live through that.”

  She wouldn’t let him pull her too close. “Your father is the king of San Majoria?” Until he told her, she could have misinterpreted what he said.

  “Yes, he is. Technically, my name is His Royal Highness Prince Kensington Wilhelm Edward Charles, Duke of Pennington, Earl of Caromache, and Baron of Navarricia.”

  This time when her knees gave out completely, Kensington caught her, swept her into his arms, and held her close.

  8

  Not exactly how he’d planned for her to find out, but she had. Kensington held Anabelle in his arms as he lowered himself carefully into the obviously well-loved arm chair.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered, settling her head against his shoulder. He took that as a good sign.

  “I wanted to, but it was kind of nice having someone special in my life who didn’t know, and therefore didn’t care, about all the titles and tiaras that go with eventually becoming my wife. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but I couldn’t find the time before the wedding. The minister had to leave right after, remember? If I took the time to find you, we would have had to wait until today, and I was really hoping it wouldn’t matter.”

  He felt her take a deep, shuddering breath. “Do I know the real you?”

  “Except for the fact that my family is royal and not simply wealthy, yes.”

  “Then the only thing that bothers me, at least at this point, is that you weren’t completely honest and didn’t let me choose if I wanted to live the rest of my life in the limelight that comes with marrying a prince. It’s one of many reasons I didn’t want to marry the king. I don’t want my life, my parenting choices, my clothes, scrutinized by people I’ve never met and media types who care far more about getting their picture than they do about safety.”

  He tightened his hold. “We have paparazzi in San Majoria, but they aren’t allowed to get close enough to cause harm. The penalties are stiff if they do, but as a general rule, we have a good relationship with the media.”

  “I saw the pictures of your sister and the man she married. I don’t know why I didn’t realize that’s who it was when you told me her name. You can’t say that went very well.”

  “They weren’t putting Astrid or Jordan in any danger, were they? They were far away, though I think a couple of them were charged with trespassing. My sister and Jordan are extremely happy and, this isn’t public news yet, are expecting a child. He didn’t know who she was until the news came out. He thought she was just from a wealthy family until his sister called from Canada and told him.”

  “But he had a choice. He didn’t have to marry her once he knew he’d someday be prince consort.”

  “Yes and no, but that’s a discussion for another time.”

  “Annie?” Gracie’s voice caused both of them to turn their heads toward the little girl, who clearly just woke up.

  “What is it, sweetheart?”

  Gracie climbed up next to them in the chair as Anabelle resituated herself.

  “Somethin’ scare me,” Gracie told them.

  “The door slamming?”

  The little girl nodded.

  “It won’t happen again.”

  Gracie snuggled close to Kensington, her eyelids already starting to droop again. “‘Kay.” In just a minute, she was asleep.

  “We have to live in San Majoria?” Anabelle asked him once Gracie’s soft snore filled the air.

  “For now, probably. I’m in charge of the Games of the Sargasso Sea. But, once I’m a little further down the list, it won’t matter as much.”

  “The list?”

  “The line of succession. Right now, it’s Astrid, Sofia, then me. Soon they’ll add another baby to the mix. It wouldn’t surprise me if they have more than two kids. The more kids they have, the less likely I’ll ever be asked to take the throne. Until they’re done, though, when Astrid is pregnant or has infants, the rest of us are asked to take over some of her official engagements, which means spending most, but not necessarily all, of our time in San Majoria.”

  “I guess I can understand that.”

  “We don’t have to live in the main palace, either. There’s plenty of room in my apartment there if we want to, but we don’t have to. My family has several other homes we can choose from or find one of our own whenever we want. And we don’t have to go public with our relationship until you’re ready. At least, not until we see how this whole thing with your grandfather, Isaiah, and Benjamin is going to play out.”

  “Is that why you didn’t show a whole lot of respect to Prince Isaiah?”

  “That’s because he doesn’t deserve it. If he was female, he’d be a manipulative shrew. I don’t know what the male equivalent is, but he is one.”

  “I think it’s a boar, but that doesn’t quite fit.”

  Kensington smiled. “Well, then, he’s a manipulative boar. He’s been trying to run the country through Benjamin for years. Besides, if we were at the same event, and they were lining up royalty in order of rank, I outrank him because I’m much higher in my line of succession than he is.”

  “That’s also why you call the king by his name or even a nickname.” He could hear it dawning on her. “Because you actually know him.”

  “Not really. I called him Ben to irritate Isaiah, but we’ve only met a few ti
mes at official functions. We’re not friends. My father and his were close. Not as much with Benjamin, probably because of the age difference but also Isaiah limiting his outside influences. I know my father is concerned about how much Isaiah has managed to isolate Benjamin.” He probably shouldn’t be so open about his father’s feelings on the matter with someone his father had never met, but Kensington thought it would be okay.

  “That explains why he would let his uncle choose a wife for him.”

  “Yes, it would.” He kissed the side of her head. “Now, why don’t we pack what you want to take with you on the family plane and let someone else take care of the rest? I do think we should probably head to San Majoria as soon as we can. I’ll call my father and ask him to send the plane for us tonight. We can spend a few days vacationing before settling in.”

  Anabelle sat up and turned to look at him. “Does this mean I’m a princess?”

  Kensington winced. “Kind of? You’ll probably be referred to as Princess Anabelle from the beginning, but I’m not sure if you’ll actually hold the title. Everyone calls Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Princess Kate, but she’s not. I don’t think princess is even part of her titles until her husband becomes Prince of Wales after Queen Elizabeth passes and Prince Charles is no longer Prince of Wales but King of England. But when Prince Carl Philip of Sweden got married, his wife became Princess Sofia, even though he’s not the heir apparent, his sister is. I’m pretty sure Prince Richard of Montevaro’s wife is also officially a princess, though he was first in line for the throne when they got married. His sister was already queen, but didn’t have any children.” He sighed. “It’s all very complicated in what titles go where and when.”

  She just blinked at him. “Long answer short?”

  “Every country is different. I’m not sure if princess automatically follows our marriage or not, but most titles will have to be conferred by my father regardless. It’s normally done immediately prior to a wedding with a statement included that it takes effect when the marriage becomes official. You will likely be referred to as Princess anyway. Once my father does make it official, you will also be Duchess of Pennington, Countess of Caromache, and Lady Navarricia.”