by Jane Porter
“But, Emmeline, I’m not you!”
“So be yourself. Smooth things over. I know you can.” “Why should I? What have you ever done for me?”
“What do you want me to do?”
Good question. What did Hannah want? She already had the great job and good friends. She liked herself. Liked what she’d accomplished in life. All she really wanted now was to fall in love, but she wasn’t going to find her Mr. Right if she was with another woman’s man. “I just want you to come here and get me out of this. This is your relationship. Your engagement.”
“I know!” Emmeline’s voice suddenly broke. “Hannah, I know. But I’m in trouble. And I can’t see my way clear yet.”
“Do you even want to marry King Patek?”
“Yes,” Emmeline said quickly then paused. “No. No, I don’t. But I have to. It’s what our families want. Zale’s father and mine. They worked out an arrangement that essentially forces me into the marriage. If I don’t marry Zale, it will cost my father five million euros. If I fail to fulfill my obligations in any way, my family pays.”
“So you can’t end the engagement.”
“No. Not without disgracing my family.”
“And what if King Patek breaks off the engagement?”
“If he breaks the engagement without cause, he pays my family two and a half million euros. But if he breaks it off with cause, my family still has to pay him five million.”
“Why does he only have to pay half of what your family pays?”
“He’s a king. I’m just a princess.”
Just a princess, Hannah silently repeated, overwhelmed by this world of nobility, wealth and power.
“So you see why I need you,” Emmeline said wearily. “I need you to convince Zale I am right for him and once I get there, I will make it work. I will walk down the aisle, and say my vows, and make him happy.”
“Can’t you talk to your family about this? Can’t you go to your father—”
“No. My father would never understand. Or forgive me. My … parents … they aren’t like me. They’re very strict. Very old-fashioned. I know they mean well but they already disapprove of me, already view me as if I’m … tainted.”
“Tainted? How?”
“Not truly noble.” “But why?”
Silence stretched across the line and it took Hannah a moment to realize that Emmeline was crying.
“Emmeline.” Hannah felt for the princess. “It’s going to be okay. Things always work out—”
“Not this time, Hannah. This time I lose no matter what happens.”
Hannah’s brows pulled together. She hated suffering in any form, and Emmeline was clearly suffering. “Don’t give up. Stay calm. I’ll do my best until you can get here.”
“Thank you, Hannah, and I will be there. As soon as I can.”
Hannah hung up the phone, exhausted. This was such a mess. An absolute disaster.
And none of this would have happened if Hannah didn’t wear her heart on her sleeve.
Her father had always warned her that she was too tenderhearted, that people would—and did—take advantage of her. He’d predicted that one day her lack of backbone would come back to haunt her, and he was right. It’d happened.
A half hour later Lady Andrea entered Hannah’s suite expecting to find her dressed and ready for dinner. Instead Hannah lay stretched on her bed using her high-tech phone to do some research on the Internet.
“Your Highness, His Majesty is expecting you in minutes.”
Hannah looked up from the screen where she’d been doing a crash course on celebrity gossip so she’d know as much as she could about Emmeline’s Argentine boyfriend, Alejandro.
It was just unfortunate that she’d waited until now to learn what she could about Emmeline, but celebrities and royals had never interested her, and growing up without a television or even Internet access, she’d never known such a world existed until she entered high school. But now she wished she’d spent a little more time paying attention to Hollywood celebrities and European royals, particularly the young royals today.
“I know. I’ll be ready,” she said. “I just need to finish this article and I’ll go.”
“But you aren’t dressed for dinner. Do you even know what you’re going to wear?”
“No. You can pick something for me, if you’d like.”
Lady Andrea sent Hannah to dinner in a stunning marine blue gown that was loosely gathered at the throat and yet cut away to leave her shoulders and arms bare. Rich blue sapphire teardrops hung from her ears and a matching bracelet circled her wrist.
With her hair softly gathered at her nape and sleek high heels on her feet Hannah felt more glamorous than she ever had before.
They were to have a quiet dinner in the King’s Chambers, which were four large rooms strung together. Zale’s butler opened the living room door, inviting her in.
“I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet, Your Highness, but I look forward to serving you soon,” Mr. Krek said with a formal little bow.
Hannah smiled warmly. “It’s good to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
He flushed with pleasure. “I look forward to serving you, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Mr. Krek.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see to your drinks and appetizers.”
Hannah watched him walk out and she was alone, and then a moment later, she was not.
She knew the moment Zale entered the room. Felt a frisson of pleasure race down her spine. Turning slowly, Hannah looked over her shoulder.
There he was, Zale Patek, standing in the doorway, dressed in an elegant dinner jacket, crisp shirt and tie. His hair was combed, his jaw freshly shaven.
“Your Majesty,” she said, suddenly breathless.
“Your Highness,” he answered, allowing his gaze to slowly sweep over her, making her feel as if she was about to become his next favorite plaything. He moved from the doorway and walked toward her. “I like the dress.”
Her heart beat double fast. “But not the lady?”
His piercing amber gaze met hers. “I’m still trying to decide.”
She lifted a brow, her full lips pursing. “Well, when you’ve come to a decision, do let me know.”
Heat shot through Zale, his body hardening instantaneously. My God, she was good. Interesting. Clever.
He was fascinated by the way she carried herself, her wit, her intelligence. She was beautiful and challenging and complex.
He’d fully intended to end it with Emmeline earlier today. He was going to make a clean break, wire the money he’d owe the d’Arcy family to the Bank of Brabant and move on so that he could find someone more suitable.
That’s why he’d gone to her in her dressing room. That’s why he’d been honest.
Blunt.
But now that she was fighting back, demanding a chance to prove herself worthy, he felt compelled to give her that opportunity.
Not out of any altruistic gesture, of course.
When it came to Emmeline he was appallingly carnal. He might not like her, but she was right—he wanted her. And the intensity of his desire surprised him.
He’d thought her beautiful at their engagement party but he hadn’t felt this fierce physical attraction that evening. The truth was he hadn’t felt much of anything for her throughout the year. Until now.
But ever since yesterday, whenever he looked at her, he thought of one thing—getting her in his bed, naked beneath him.
He wanted to see her long blond hair tousled about her face, a golden ripple across the pillow.
He wanted to part her thighs as wide as he could and bury himself in her, thrusting deep and hard to make her come.
He wanted to shatter her control and make her fall apart and see if there was perhaps a real woman, a warm woman, underneath the shimmering hair and stunning face.
“We both have busy schedules,” he said, “but I’ll see if I can’t have our appointments and
appearances shuffled around to allow us to spend as much time together in the next few days—”
“Four,” she interrupted. “You’ve promised me four starting tomorrow.”
“I think that was four, starting today.”
“Tomorrow,” she insisted firmly. “Today was already half over when we made the agreement.”
“Perhaps, but as I intend to spend all our time together, I think you might find four days excessively long, unless you don’t think you’ll weary of me after morning, noon and night?” His voice trailed off and he shrugged, as if to say it was entirely up to her.
Two bright spots of color burned high in her cheekbones deepening her blue eyes. “I would only weary of you if you were boring.” Her full lips curved. “Do you intend to be boring?”
She was outrageous. She should be punished. With his hands, and mouth, and tongue.
His body hardened just thinking of how she’d feel beneath him.
Emmeline glanced around the room, her expression serene. “I’m starving. Do you know when dinner will be served?”
“I’m not so easily distracted,” he said, “and a change of subject won’t change my intentions.”
“And I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, don’t put the cart before the horse?”
He let his gaze travel slowly over her, resting provocatively on her breasts, hips and the juncture of her thighs. “Are you the cart? Or the horse?”
Her chin lifted. “Neither.”
Hannah was thrilled when Mr. Krek invited them to dinner, which was served at an intimate round table before the living room’s tall gold marble fireplace.
“I knew your English was excellent,” Zale said, midway through dinner as the footmen removed one plate only to replace it with another. “But I hadn’t realized you spoke it with an American accent. Did you study in the States or have an American tutor?”
She’d read that Zale Patek spoke more languages than any other royal—Spanish, Italian, French, English, Swedish, Turkish, Greek and of course his native language, Raguvian. He was that rare breed of scholar and athlete.
“American tutor,” she said, trying to remember if Emmeline had ever studied in the United States but didn’t think so. “And you?”
“I was educated in England—sent to boarding school at ten, and then on to university after.” “Why England?”
“Tradition. I attended the same schools as my brother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.”
“When you have children, will your son do the same?” A slightly mocking note entered his voice. “You mean, our son?”
Hannah glanced up, straight into his eyes. They were such a unique color, not exactly brown, not exactly gold. “Yes, ours,” she said, blushing as she imagined having Zale’s child.
“Our one of two,” he added. “The heir and spare. It’s all you’d agree to give me, remember?”
Hannah just looked at him.
“Why, Emmeline, were you so adamant that it only be two? You never gave me a proper explanation.” His lips curved in a lazy smile that failed to touch his eyes. “We finally have time to talk properly. To discuss all the things you wouldn’t discuss this past year. I’d love to know why you insisted we limit our family to two. If we hope to save our relationship, then this is probably the best place to start.”
“I don’t know.”
Zale took her hand, lifted it to his mouth. “Was it your figure you feared losing?”
She tugged her hand back, fingers tingling from the touch.
“No!”
“Your freedom then?” “That’s silly.”
“Well, it is hard to gallivant about when you’re pregnant.” “I don’t gallivant, and despite what you might think, I look forward to having a family.” “Just not a large family.” “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Personal preference. Why do you want a large one?”
“Because I enjoyed having brothers. Their friendship and companionship meant a great deal to me.” His lashes lowered concealing his expression as he toyed with the delicate stem of his wine goblet. “Do you ever think your fear of pregnancy might stem from your mother’s death after childbirth?”
Hannah froze, suddenly chilled.
Emmeline’s mother had died in childbirth?
But how was that possible? Emmeline’s mother, Queen Claire, was alive and well and had just been in Spain on holiday last week.
“My mother is alive,” she said numbly, finding the subject too close to home as Hannah’s own mother had died in childbirth as well.
“I’m sorry. I should have said your birth mother. You were adopted by your parents, King William and Queen Claire d’Arcy, when you were just six days old.”
“How did you find out?” she whispered.
“Your father told me several months ago when we hit that impasse in our contract negotiations. He wanted me to understand that your reluctance to have children wasn’t out of selfishness, but probably fear.”
“So if my father gave you a reason, why put me through this?” Hannah fought to hang on to her temper.
“I wanted you to tell me.”
“Why?”
He was angry now, too. “Because just once I’d like to hear the truth from you. I’d like to know the real you. I don’t know who that person is, or what she wants, or what she really feels.”
She flinched at the words, real you, but wouldn’t linger on them.
“You want to know what I think?” she blazed. “I think it’s a crime that women still die in childbirth. We can put men on the moon. Create weapons of mass destruction. Produce miracle drugs and design modern hospitals. So why can’t we make childbirth safe? How can we allow women to die while creating life?”
“Because we’re mortal. Life eventually ends for all of us.”
Hannah’s father, Jake, had said the same thing regularly while Hannah was growing up. “It’s tragic.” Her voice dropped, deepening. “Children need their mothers.”
“Just as mothers need their children.” His broad shoulders shifted uncomfortably. “It broke my mother’s heart that she couldn’t save my older brother. I heard her say more than once, that she wished she could switch places with Stephen.”
“Didn’t that hurt you?”
“Stephen was her firstborn. She’d always been close to him.” “Weren’t you two close?”
“Not as close as I would have liked. But I was the middle child and my younger brother needed my mother more.” “Where is your younger brother?”
“Here, in the palace.” “Why haven’t I met him?”
He hesitated, choosing his words with care. “Constantine has special needs and requires round-the-clock care. He forms attachments easily and doesn’t comprehend loss.”
Hannah frowned, puzzled. “Are you afraid I’ll hurt him?”