by Leslie North
“I used to want to live here so badly,” Francesca said with a sigh.
“So what changed?”
“The palace is not this beautiful big house with handsome princes and beautiful dresses. It's a political playground where you have to watch your back all the time.”
Macee nodded as she knew that to be true. From the moment she moved into the palace, she felt the need to watch her back at all times. Ultimately, she was stabbed in the back anyway by Bridgette, the queen’s sister, who had manufactured rumours to break up Macee’s marriage. It only proved to Macee that no matter how careful you were, there were always going to be people that wanted to see your downfall.
“It's very sad isn't it?” Macee asked her sister.
“It is but I think you will be fine.”
“Why is that?”
“Your husband loves you so much and will do anything to protect you. The most powerful weapon you can have in the palace is the king's love.”
Macee frowned. “It's a double-edged sword,” she said. Of course, Prince Louis would protect her at all costs but because of that love, she could become an even bigger target.
“I agree,” Francesca said. She looked at Macee and smiled, “Well you have me now,” she added.
“Thank heavens for that,” Macee said and returned the smile.
* * *
“Stay for lunch,” Prince Louis said to Lord Jacques after their meeting. They had been discussing Jacques's duties as he was had officially started working for the prince as one of his advisors.
“Thank you, your highness, I would like that,” replied Jacques, as they adjourned to the dining room.
“So you are divorced?” the Prince asked.
“Yes, ten years ago,” he replied. He and his wife had divorced after he discovered her infidelities. He was glad that they had yet to have children, thereby avoiding that nightmare of having to maintain relations for the sake of the children and appearances. Since then he had stayed single. He was in no rush to get back into a relationship.
“Do you think you will marry again?”
“I do not think so.”
Lord Jacques had divorced at a young age. They had only been married for four years when his wife’s infidelity had surfaced. As a lord with a large estate just north of Monte Carlo, he had chosen a wife that he thought would be appropriate to the role of lady of the manor, but she had only married him for his money and status. Since then, he had lost trust in the idea of marriage.
“You have not met anyone that has changed your mind?” Prince Louis asked.
“I have not.”
“That's a shame. You are still young. There are many desirable women out there. Perhaps you will find someone who will change your mind.”
After lunch, the men returned to their respective offices to get some work done.
Chapter 3
Francesca took a walk in the palace garden. She had always dreamed about living in the palace as she fantasized about all the activities, the Balls and the elegantly dressed people. She had no idea how boring palace life really was. There were so many restrictions placed on activities and security was tight. While she was glad to spend time with Macee every day, there was nothing for her to do. She was close to completing her degree in finance, but it was not as if she could get a job. In their family, degrees were for show. Their mother did not want them to work; it was merely one more thing to add to their resume to make them suitable for marriage.
Francesca needed to find something to do. She sighed as she walked around the garden. “What is the matter?” a deep voice sounded from behind her.
“Nothing is the matter,” Francesca replied without turning to face the questioning voice. Lord Jacques approached and stood next to her.
“That sigh implied that there is something more.”
“You are mistaken,” she replied. She was not about to speak to Jacques about her jumbled thoughts.
“As you say,” Lord Jacques replied as he looked at her. There was something about her that intrigued him and while he had yet to put a finger on it, he wanted to find out more about her. Francesca stared into the distance, as he admired her. She was tall, slender and carried herself with grace. She had long eyelashes that cascaded over warm hazel eyes, great bone structure, which was accentuated by her light brown hair, which was tied up in a ponytail.
Francesca finally turned her head to see Lord Jacques staring at her. His green gaze was so intense that it made her uncomfortable. “What is it?” she asked him. She could not figure out why he was still standing next to her, as she had chosen not to engage with him in conversation.
“Francesca, right?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied and looked away. She wondered if she should ask his name as she had only ever heard him referred to as Lord Jacques.
“Are you here to visit your sister?”
“No, I will be staying for a while.”
Lord Jacques raised his eyebrows. “Interesting,” he said.
“Why is that interesting?”
“Perfect opportunity for you to find a suitor.”
“That’s not why I’m here,” she replied defensively. She may not be looking but she wanted one. Both her sisters were happily married and here she was still single.
“Why is that?” he found it hard to believe that a woman at her age was not seeking a suitor.
“What if I already have one?” she asked. He had stated that it was the perfect opportunity for her to find one; it was as if he assumed that she was single.
“But you do not,” he replied confidently. Francesca raised her eyebrows. He knew nothing about her and here he was assuming she was single.
“You know that because?”
“I am sure he would not appreciate you living at the court.”
Francesca frowned. Surely, a boyfriend would not mind her living at the court. Besides it would be her decision not his. Lord Jacques seemed to be the type that would mind.
“And yet you are not seeing someone.” He still sounded so confident about it. It was as if someone told him.
“Why are so sure about my private life?” Francesca sounded annoyed as she turned to face him. He stood there so calmly with his hands in his pockets.
“I hit a nerve,” he said. He did not even sound bothered. Francesca squared her shoulders.
“No, you did not. Excuse me,” she said as she turned on her heel and walked off. Lord Jacques watched her storm off. He was definitely interested in knowing more about her. Since this was the second time they had spoken, he could already see that she was not going to be easy to deal with and while he had sworn off women, he found himself wondering if she might be worth it.
Francesca headed back inside the palace to see Macee. When she arrived, Macee was just about to have lunch with Princess Katherine. They invited her to join them. “I would love to, I am famished,” Francesca said as she sat down.
“What have you been up to today?” Macee asked her sister.
“Nothing in particular. I need something to do.”
“You do not enjoy palace life?” Princess Katherine asked. Francesca sighed before she spoke.
“There is not much to do. It is not that different from home either. It's not like I was working, but at least at home, I could go out without requiring an entourage.”
“Can we swap roles?” Macee asked. As Crown Princess, she had so many people pulling her in different directions that she rarely had time for herself.
“Yes, we can,” Francesca smiled as she picked up her fork.
“I met Lord Jacques yesterday. He seems like a nice man,” Princess Katherine said.
“I have not really gotten to speak with him. Louis recently introduced us and that was the last time we spoke. When he came over for dinner, we only said hello to one another,” Macee said and looked at Francesca.
“Okay, Macee, so I danced with him,” Francesca said and narrowed her gaze. She knew that Macee was going to bring it up. Macee shr
ugged her shoulders.
“I did not say anything.”
“Oh, but you were going to.”
Katherine smiled as she chewed. Swallowing, “Was he a terrible dance partner?”
“No, he was not,” Francesca replied. “Actually, he was quite good.”
“Conversation was bad, then?”
“It was fine.”
“Then, can I assume you enjoyed yourself?”
“There is nothing special about that man.”
“Oh, I disagree,” Katherine said as she sipped some of her drink. “He is a handsome, well-educated man with both power and prestige. There is nothing lacking.”
“I concur,” Macee said.
“Oh great, there are two Macees,” Francesca said sarcastically. Macee and Katherine both laughed. “Don’t you think he’s too old?” she asked.
“Well that is not stopping him from being attractive,” Katherine replied.
“All right, I admit it, he is handsome. Now, can we please change the subject? I’m thinking of going to see Simone tomorrow. That baby is so cute!” She was done speaking about the man that had just annoyed her less than twenty minutes ago.
“I will come with you, I miss little Simone,” Macee said. It would also allow her to escape her duties for a while.
“Pass on my regards to Liane and Jean Pierre. I am leaving for Paris tomorrow morning but I will be back in two days,” Katherine said.
“Paris! The city of looove,” Macee said sarcastically and laughed. Katherine laughed with her.
“Unfortunately, I am not there for romantic purposes. My mother is taking care of that,” Katherine replied as she shook her head.
“What do you mean?” Francesca asked.
“She is trying to find me a suitor.”
“You do not want her to?”
“Not really, especially when you see her choices.”
Macee sighed. “Reminds me of our mother,” she said. Mrs LeBlanc had done everything in her power to make sure that Liane had been chosen to be the crown princess. When that failed, she was determined that Francesca would be next. No one anticipated that the Crown Prince would choose Macee over her trained and better-educated sisters.
“Mothers,” Katherine said.
“They are a piece of work.”
“You should say we,” Katherine said as she smiled at her.
“I do not feel as if I am ready to be a mother,” Macee replied as she frowned.
“No one is ever ready,” Francesca said and rubbed her shoulder.
“How reassuring,” Macee said sarcastically, as Francesca smiled.
“You will be fine.”
Chapter 4
Liane stood in front of the mirror admiring herself. For the past few months, she had been working out to regain her prenatal figure and it was finally starting to pay off. Looking up, she saw Jean Pierre standing in the doorway watching her.
“Something I can help you with?” she asked him.
“Yes,” he replied as he walked towards her. Standing behind her, he kissed her neck, as she tilted her head to give him better access. While it was true that they did not get on well under the best of circumstances, they turned each other on and could not seem to get enough of each other.
“Jean Pierre, stop,” she whispered, secretly not wanting him to stop.
“No,” he replied as he pulled her tank top over her head. Sliding his hands across her body, he caressed her skin, which always felt like silk to him. Licking at her neck, he found that he enjoyed the taste of her sweat. Turning her around, he pulled the band off her ponytail as he ran his fingers through her hair.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered as he unclipped her bra. Scooping her up, he carried her to the bed. Laying her down, he leaned over her as he continued to kiss her. Liane wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer to her. He groaned as he felt her nipples brush against his chest.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. “Ignore it,” Jean Pierre said as he carried on kissing her.
The knock sounded again. “What?” Jean Pierre shouted.
“I am sorry to disturb you, but you have visitors,” the maid said. Jean Pierre growled as he got up. Liane quickly dressed before running a brush through her hair.
“Fine,” he replied. “Such bad timing,” he added.
“I agree,” Liane replied as she headed out of the room to see who the visitors were. She found her sisters playing with Simone. She narrowed her gaze at them. She was happy to see them but they had come at the wrong time.
“Hello,” Liane greeted them as she sat down on the sofa. They both turned to look at her.
“Annie,” Macee said with a smile.
“How are you?” Francesca asked.
“Fine,” Liane said but Macee and Francesca were not convinced. Her hair was messy and her cheeks were red. Macee raised her eyebrows.
“What were you doing before we got here?” Macee asked her.
“Nothing much,” she replied. Jean Pierre walked into the room also with messy hair. He smiled at Francesca and Macee and bowed to Macee before he sat down.
“I trust that the two of you have been well?” he asked. Macee and Francesca looked at each other as they burst out laughing.
“What is so funny?” Liane asked.
“We have bad timing. We should have called first,” Macee said.
“What do you mean?”
“She means nothing. How are you Jean Pierre?” Francesca interrupted Macee before she could answer.
“I have been well, thank you,” he replied. “Would you like anything to eat or drink?” he asked. Francesca opened her mouth to speak but Macee spoke first.
“I thought you would never ask. What do you have?” Macee asked.
“You ate before we left the palace,” Francesca said.
“It does not feel that way.”
Liane laughed as she stood up. “It's the baby,” she said. She walked to the door and called the maid.
“But Macee was an eater before the baby,” Francesca said as Macee frowned at her. They were always on her case about eating too much. Jean Pierre smiled.
“How is the pregnancy so far?” Jean Pierre asked. Liane told the maid to bring food, lots of it. Then she returned to her seat.
“It’s a nightmare,” Macee replied. She had thrown up twice that morning. She could not wait until the morning sickness was over. She was even more frustrated that she could not eat some of her favourite foods.
“It's a beautiful journey.”
Macee whipped her head in Jean Pierre's direction and shot him a dark look. She was tired of people saying that to her. Clearly, they either had never been pregnant or had not had a bad experience.
“Were you not at the hospital when Liane was having contractions?”
Jean Pierre cleared his throat and stood up. “I shall leave you ladies to it,” he said quickly to get out of the line of fire. If anything, he learned not to mess with a pregnant woman.
“You sure scared him off,” Francesca said.
“His fault. He has never been pregnant, so he cannot say things so lightly,” Liane said.
“Aren't you thinking of having more children?”
“The rate she's going, she will not have a choice,” Macee joked. Francesca smiled and shook her head.
“We have not been doing it that much,” Liane lied. Jean Pierre could not stay away from her.
“You were doing it before we came.”
“Macee!” Francesca called out. She was the one with the cleanest mind amongst the three of them and she preferred not to speak about sex.
“It's true,” Liane confessed with a red face. “But we did not get to the good part because we were interrupted,” she added as she glared at her sisters.
“Oh God,” Francesca buried her face in her hands as the maids brought in the food. Macee smiled and kissed Simone.
“It's food!” she said to Simone as if she understood her. Francesca reached out to
take the baby from Macee. She knew that her little sister would want to focus on her food.
“How is Prince Louis?” Liane asked Macee.
“Very happy about the pregnancy.”
“That is sweet,” Francesca said.
“Especially because he gets more sex.”
“What?” Francesca was in disbelief.
“You have no idea how aroused you get when you are pregnant. It’s very frequent too,” Macee added as she bit into her croissant. Francesca frowned.
“That is too much information, your highness.”
Liane laughed. “But it is true,” she added.
“Let us speak of something else.”
“You are so stiff.”
“Tell me about it,” Macee said.
“Slow down, no one is chasing you,” Francesca said to Macee as she shovelled food in her mouth. “Hasn't Charles taught you how to eat correctly yet?” she asked as Macee rolled her eyes.
Macee directed the conversation away from her eating habits. “Louis is pleased with Lord Jacques. I guess we will be seeing more of him,” Oh gosh, Francesca thought to herself. It seemed as though all the women in the palace were going crazy over Jacques. Even the maids had been whispering about him amongst themselves.
“I would not mind looking at him every day,” Liane said as she munched on grapes.
“You are a married woman,” Francesca said.
“Don't worry, she will not steal him from you,” Macee teased.
“What does he have to do with me?”
“You would make a lovely couple.” Macee enjoyed teasing Francesca.
“You did dance with him,” Liane added.
“Only once. It does not mean that we should mate,” Francesca said as Macee burst out laughing.
“Who says mate?” Her sister always avoided using blunt words when it came to a sexual topic.
“That is Francesca for you. Can you imagine her on her wedding night?” Liane asked Macee.
“Do not answer that! We are changing the subject,” Francesca demanded.
“Yes, so, Lord Jacques.”