Her Royal Masquerade (Her Royal Romance)

by Natasha Moore

  Her Royal Masquerade

  Her Royal Romance book #1

  Time is running out for Prince Vittorio. His father’s health is failing and he must find a royal bride. Fast. He’s never forgotten his glimpse of a beautiful Scandinavian princess and lures her to his Mediterranean country with an invitation to his father’s birthday ball. He’d planned to propose a marriage agreement as cold as her icy reputation, but then he discovers she's as colorful and warm as a summer sunset. The heat between them flares red-hot and when she allows him to seduce her, Vittorio sees his future unfolding just as he had planned. But what he doesn’t know is that the woman in his bed is not a princess at all.

  The last thing schoolteacher Mia Holmberg expects when she masquerades as her royal cousin is to be swept off her feet by a charming prince. The incredible night in Vittorio’s arms is like a fairy tale come true, but she’d never want the life of a real princess, with all its pomp and politics. Knowing they can never have a future together, she slips out of his bed and back to reality, where she belongs.

  But Vittorio discovers the deception and kidnaps Mia back to his palace, demanding she be his mistress until the real princess appears. Despite her attempts to stay aloof, Mia soon learns there’s more to the prince than arrogance and attitude, but now she’s in danger of falling in love with a man she can never have.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Her Royal Masquerade

  By Natasha Moore

  Copyright @2013 by Natasha Moore

  Cover by Lacey Savage

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  Chapter One

  “Princess Birgitte of Stagatland?”

  Mia Holmberg handed over the engraved invitation and lied smoothly. “Yes. Good evening.”

  Nerves scrambled in her stomach as she followed the line of elegantly dressed dignitaries headed toward the palace ballroom. Birgitte said there would be no one here who knew her well.

  Everything was going to be fine. There was absolutely nothing to worry about.

  If Mia repeated it enough times, she just might believe it.

  The ice blue satin gown slid sensuously against Mia’s skin, so unlike the cotton and wool she usually wore. The plunging neckline showed more cleavage than she ever had before, not that she had that much to begin with. Her face felt like a mask with the heavy make-up and false eyelashes. The sparkly heels would be killing her feet before the night was over.

  Everything about tonight was so unlike Mia’s everyday life, but she knew how to play the game. She’d done it plenty of times before. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made a mistake by agreeing to this deception tonight.

  Her cousin Birgitte, the real princess of their small Scandinavian nation, had called her last week, begging Mia to take her place at the birthday celebration for the king of Mezzano this evening. The two of them looked nearly enough alike to be twins, and when they’d been younger they’d had fun switching places to fool the palace security and the paparazzi. Still, it had been a while since Mia had played the part of a princess.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun,” Birgitte had said in that persuasive, entitled tone she’d developed over the years.

  “If it’s going to be so much fun, why don’t you want to go?” Mia had lesson plans to write up and she knew nothing about the small Mediterranean nation.

  “I’ve already made other plans,” her cousin replied. “I hadn’t expected this invitation.

  Our countries don’t have much of a relationship with each other.”

  “Maybe they want to start one.”

  “Maybe.” Mia heard the careless shrug in her cousin’s voice. “My parents want me to go to Mezzano but I promised some friends to be at their gallery opening in Paris. I can’t let them down.”

  Mia would love to go to Paris someday. “Even if I wanted to go, I don’t have anything to wear to a ball.”

  Birgitte had laughed. “I’ll play your fairy godmother and bring you a lovely gown and glass slippers. Okay, not really glass slippers, but I know you’ll look gorgeous in the dress.” When Mia still hesitated, Birgitte added, “You can keep the dress. And the shoes.”

  “Where am I ever going to wear a ball gown again?” But she’d finally given in because, when really would she have ever had the chance to wear a ball gown in the first place? And if she couldn’t go to Paris, at least she could escape the icy Stagatland winter for a couple days and enjoy some sunshine in Mezzano.

  “I knew I could count on you,” Birgitte had said, as if there had ever been any doubt.

  The quiet murmur of cultured voices now rode the air around Mia. Strains of lovely music grew louder as she neared the doorway of the ballroom. All around her were members of royalty from neighboring nations, along with presidents, prime ministers and ambassadors. What would they think if they knew the woman in their midst was an imposter? A mere commoner?

  The last thing she’d want to be was a real princess. To have to deal with all the pomp and politics on a regular basis? No, thank you. Mia was happy living a quiet life with her students and her gardens. Still…she couldn’t deny she enjoyed dressing up once in a while.

  Mia wasn’t totally out of her element. She often visited the Stagatland palace to see her aunt and uncle, had even attended a few parties there over the years. But if she ever made a misstep, she was forgiven. After all, she was the poor relation.

  Her breath caught when she entered the ballroom. It was enchanting, almost as if she’d stepped into a fairy tale. Tiny lights dotted the darkened ceiling, giving the impression of walking beneath the stars. Potted plants and flowers were scattered everywhere and she could almost imagine she was strolling on an outdoor terrace instead of inside a huge palace.

  Mia swept her gaze around the room, looking for a place to land. Small, round tables adorned with flowers and trays of finger food had been placed around the outer edges of the room, leaving the center of the floor clear for dancing.

  She sighed. She loved to dance. Birgitte would probably walk up to one of the men wearing tuxedos or military dress uniforms and ask them to dance without a second thought. Maybe Mia could get up the nerve after a drink. Or two. A waiter paused and offered her a flute of champagne and she resisted the urge to down the entire glass in one gulp. Time to plant herself at one of the tables, nibble on some hors d'oeuvres and watch the couples on the dance floor for a while.

  Mia began to make her way around the edge of the dance floor, exchanging polite small talk with people along the way. It was easier for her to talk to strangers when she was pretending to be Birgitte. The fancy clothes and makeup helped too. She could tell herself that it wasn’t Mia speaking with these influential people – it was Birgitte, future ruler of Stagatland.

  But she quickly saw why her cousin was so sure these people wouldn’t recognize her masquerade. All the quick conversations were superficial, a comment on the weather, an exclamation on the lovely ballroom, best wishes for the king and queen of Stagatland, and then on to the next very important person.

  The song ended. In the sudden silence, the crowd on the dance floor parted down the middle. Mia couldn’t resist glancing over to see why. At the other side of the dance floor stood a tall man elegantly dressed in a black tuxedo. His dark gaze zeroed in on her and the pow
er of it held her where she stood. The murmurs that ran through the crowd were nothing compared to the sudden pounding of her heart.

  Who was this man? She swallowed to moisten her suddenly dry mouth. Shivers danced along her skin and it was difficult to simply take another breath.

  Mia knew she should keep up on international politics, but her students were barely seven years old, so she focused more on reading and writing. As the man strode confidently across the dance floor toward her, she wished she’d at least checked on the insanely handsome important people.

  The string ensemble started playing another slow song and the couples began to filter back onto the dance floor, but he didn’t even hesitate in his steps. Mia remained where she stood, as if frozen in place, and maybe she was. The sheer force of his presence commanded it on a subconscious level. Her hand tightened on the champagne flute. Birgitte would have viewed this as a challenge. Mia couldn’t forget that she was the princess tonight, but at the moment there wasn’t a thing she could do but watch him approach.

  He didn’t stop until he was a mere step away from her.

  “Princess Birgitte.” His smooth voice slid over her frazzled senses like warm syrup, breaking the spell. He enveloped her free hand with his long, warm fingers, lifted it to his lips and pressed a hot dry kiss to her fingertips. She swore she could feel the warmth of his breath through the long white glove.

  Did he know her cousin? How could Birgitte have done this to her?

  Mia nodded once, a quick dip of her head, but she was afraid her lips would tremble if she tried to force a smile. “Good evening,” she replied in her most gracious princess voice. She slowly slid her hand out of his.

  “This white blonde hair.” He reached out and had the nerve to wrap one loose tendril around his finger as if he was used to taking whatever he wanted. “Impossible to mistake. So lovely.”

  She swallowed. “Thank you.” She’d left her hair down tonight on purpose. The unusual hair color she shared with her cousin was what most people noticed. They rarely looked past the long white tresses to focus on her features. “How lovely to see you,” she added, lifting her chin in a pose she’d seen her cousin hold on many occasions. A silent question when one shouldn’t have to ask.

  He bowed gracefully. “Vittorio Fiorenzo, crown prince of Mezzano. You are our guest this evening.”

  Oh no. Mia desperately hoped she didn’t blush. She should have at least researched the Mezzano royal family. “Of course, Your Royal Highness. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.

  Thank you for your gracious invitation.”

  “Vittorio, please. And the pleasure is mine.” He tugged almost imperceptibly on her hair before releasing the strands from his fingers. “It seems impossible we haven’t met before.

  Unfortunately, we seem to have traveled in different circles until tonight.”

  Oh, he had no idea.

  Mia took a tiny sip of champagne and tried to ignore the strange scrambling of nerves in her stomach. Was it simply apprehension at maintaining her deception, or did it have something to do with the impossibly handsome man in front of her? Was he really flirting with her?

  Or rather, with Birgitte?

  The sharp planes of his face and his strong jaw gave him a hard look, but his deep brown eyes were warm. His thick dark hair was wavy and long enough to skim the collar of his tuxedo jacket in the back. His sensuous lips curved into another lazy smile and she couldn’t help but wonder what they would taste like.

  Really? When had she ever wondered that before?

  His scent was a heady mix of musk and man, and it wound around her senses, tugging at places inside her that hadn’t been tugged at in quite a while. What a shame he was a prince.

  She’d not felt such an immediate attraction to a man since…since ever. But he wasn’t a mere man, he was a prince. And he didn’t know she was a mere woman, not a princess at all.

  But wait.

  There was no need to be nervous. He didn’t know Birgitte. More importantly, he didn’t know she wasn’t Birgitte. Mia would never see him again after tonight. And though that was a terrible shame, what could be wrong with a little harmless flirting? He thought he was flirting with Birgitte, which made it even better.

  Not taking the time to think about it, she let herself smile back at him and was pleased to discover she did it without a tremble. “I’ve never been to Mezzano before. It’s a beautiful country. And the people are so warm and welcoming.”

  “Ah, thank you.” He ran his gaze along her body. “We are a hot-blooded people. Hot to match our weather.”

  The way he looked at her was enough to melt her where she stood. He might as well have been skimming his hands along her body, she felt his gaze so strongly. And then the longing to actually feel his hands on her body took her completely by surprise, so seldom had that ever happened to her before.

  She had to do something before she acted totally inappropriately and stepped into his arms. “Are you hinting that because our country is up north, that the people of Stagatland are cold and unfeeling?”

  “Oh, no. I am so sorry. I’m afraid my thoughts suffered in the translation.”

  She shrugged slowly. “I know that the princess of Stagatland has been referred to as the Ice Princess.”

  “Birgitte. May I call you Birgitte?”

  Mia inclined her head in that princess pose her cousin did so well.

  “It was not my intention to say I thought you were anything other than the beautiful, charming woman I see in front of me.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s all right then.” Mia drained her champagne then looked at the empty glass as if she didn’t know where it had come from.

  The prince took the empty glass from her hand. “Would you care for some more?” he asked.

  “No, thank you.” Despite her earlier thought, the last thing she wanted tonight was to have alcohol go to her brain. She would have to keep her wits about her. She had a feeling the prince was well versed in the sexual banter between a man and a woman—or between a prince and a princess. Mia was no virgin, but her boyfriends in the past couldn’t compare with this man who exuded confidence and sexual energy in a way she’d never experienced before. She was in way over her head.

  He skimmed his hand down her arm and she shivered with the sensation. He threaded his fingers with hers. “Then perhaps I can interest you in a dance.”

  This was it. Either she turned tail and ran, or she would give him her best princess impression and see where the evening would take her.

  “How did you know?” she asked, daring to step closer to him. Almost close enough to brush her body against his.

  “Know what?”

  “That I’ve been dying to dance.”

  His eyes blazed. He placed her empty glass on the nearest table and swept her into his arms.

  She was every bit as lovely as he remembered. Yet she was not at all as he remembered.

  Vittorio drew the beautiful princess out onto the dance floor. She felt like anything but ice in his arms. She was soft. Warm. Willing. Her flowery scent was lighter than he expected. Her demeanor sweeter than he expected as well. He pulled her closer and reveled in the feel of her body finally pressed against his.

  It had been months since he’d first caught sight of Princess Birgitte in one of the hot clubs in London. He’d been visiting friends there before his father’s illness had called him back to the palace. He’d noticed her hair first, practically glowing beneath the pulsing lights. Then, of course, the long, leggy body and the wide smile had held his attention, even from across the room. He’d felt like a besotted school boy when he’d asked his friends about her.

  They told him she stayed aloof, had hundreds of acquaintances, yet didn’t seem to be close friends with anyone. She loved to surround herself with adoring men but never seemed to stay with one for more than a few weeks, leaving the proverbial string of broken hearts behind her.

  Vittorio had checked up on her later. According to all reports
, she rarely drank, never did drugs. And she loved to dance.

  He rubbed his cheek against her hair, the silken strands so soft against his skin. Her body fit well against his and she followed his lead perfectly as they glided around the dance floor. The other couples gave them plenty of room and Vittorio used it to his advantage. Her ball gown hugged her slender form, the skirt not too tight for dancing nor too full to prevent him from feeling her long legs brush against his as he kept her close.

  Her small breasts were pillowed against his chest, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. He brushed his lips over her ear. “You’re a very good dancer, Birgitte.”

  She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. Had he known how bright her blue eyes were? “As are you, Vittorio.” She sighed softly, the warm puff of air brushing his cheek. “This string ensemble is wonderful.”

  “Music is an important part of the Mezzano culture.” He whirled her around and admired her graceful pirouette. Her hair shimmered as the strands settled back around her shoulders. The string of perfect diamonds hugged her collar bone, highlighting the place on her throat where he wished to brush his lips. Matching earrings glittered beneath the lights. “Only our finest musicians are here tonight for the celebration.”

  “I must give my best to the king.” She scanned the crowd over his shoulder. “I haven’t had a chance to greet him yet and wish him a happy birthday.”

  “He’ll be making an appearance in a short while. Unfortunately he’s not been well and it would have tired him to be here for the entire evening.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said softly and lightly rubbed his back as if she thought he might need comforting. “I hope he’ll be feeling better soon.”

  Unfortunately, that was unlikely. Vittorio didn’t say the words out loud, didn’t even like to think them, but his father’s physicians were not at all optimistic. “Yes,” he said instead. “We all hope so.”