by Leslie North
The Prince’s Unwilling Lover
By Leslie North
Royals of Monaco Series Book 1
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Dedications
I dedicate this book to you, my loyal readers. Thank you for all the lovely e-mails, reviews and support. Without you, this wouldn't be possible.
Table of Contents
The Prince’s Unwilling Lover
Dedications
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Liane LeBlanc called an emergency sister meeting as she texted both her sisters, “Code red”. Her younger sisters rushed into her room and sat on her bed.
“What's wrong?” both Francesca; the middle sister, and Macee, the youngest, asked.
Liane sighed as she turned to her siblings. “So you remember how I am to marry Prince Louis and how he will be coming here next month?” Liane said.
“No, we don't,” Macee said sarcastically.
“Well, of course. Mother hasn’t stopped talking about it since the arrangements were made,” Francesca said, as she ignored Macee.
“Yes, well, the thing is…there’s a problem. I’m pregnant,” Liane said.
“What?!” Both her sisters shouted at the same time.
“Yes.”
“Oh my life, Liane! You were to be the queen of Monaco! How do you end up carrying another man's seed?” Francesca asked.
“Technically, you cheated on the prince,” Macee joked.
“Mace, this is a serious matter.”
“And I am serious too. That is how his family will see it.”
“What should I do?” Liane asked.
“Who is the father?”
“Jean Pierre.”
“What?” Her sisters both said at the same time. Macee got up and started pacing up and down the room. The situation was bad, really bad. Not only was her sister pregnant when she was the Crown Prince's fiancée, but the father of the baby was his cousin.
“When?” Francesca asked Liane. This news was troubling and scary.
“Last month, at the party at the country club. We were drunk. One thing led to another and well...” Liane nervously played with her hands.
“Annie, this is crazy. How do we hide this?” Macee asked. When she was little, she called her sister Annie because she could not say Liane. They all thought it was cute and the nickname stuck.
“I do not know.”
“Will you keep it?” Francesca asked
“Of course,” Macee and Liane both snapped at her.
“Okay, but we can't say who the father is,” Francesca threw her hands in the air in surrender.
“Have you told him yet?” Macee said.
“No. I haven’t figured out how to tell him,” Liane said.
“Well, congratulations.”
Liane and Francesca looked at her as Macee smiled and shrugged her shoulders. While the timing couldn’t be worse and the father was unexpected, a baby was still a blessing. The sisters sat and planned what they were going to do. They had to hide the pregnancy from the prince.
His family could not know, at least for now, they were not going to take this lightly. Luckily, it was the twenty-first century and not the eighteenth, otherwise Liane would have been hung for it and her father exiled from office. Liane felt lucky to have her sisters to help her.
“It isn’t as if I had feelings for the prince,” Liane attempted to joke. The marriage had been arranged while they were still children. The pressure placed on her at a young age meant that her behaviour had to be continually exemplary and dating was out of the question as she was spoken for. Every week, she attended her princess lessons without fail. She studied history and learned etiquette, three new languages, calligraphy and ballroom dancing.
Days later, when she could no longer keep it a secret, Liane broke the news to her parents over dinner. The palace had sent a messenger that the prince was arriving earlier than anticipated and her mother was ecstatic, as she rushed around issuing final instructions to the staff.
When Liane blurted the news out, her mother almost fell out of her chair. “Come again, young lady?” Maybe she had not heard right. Her father had dropped his fork and stared at his daughter in disbelief.
“I am with child,” Liane said.
“How? Did the prince come for you and we did not know? Because there cannot be another father.” Liane looked down and shook her head.
“LIANE!” her mother shouted as Liane jumped out of her thoughts and quickly apologised. She had no excuse.
“Mother, please remain calm. Shouting will not help,” Macee jumped to her sister's defence.
“So, you knew?”
“We all did,” Francesca said. All the while, their father was still sitting there silently in shock, trying to process the situation.
“This is something Macee would do. You're a bad influence on your sister!” their mother said. Macee shook her head. It was not new to her that her mother would have such negative feelings toward her. Her mother continually reprimanded her for her unladylike behaviour. While her sisters participated in the etiquette training and additional lessons, Macee refused. She did not want to be known as the Colonel’s daughter or the sister of the queen. She simply wanted to be Macee.
“Mother that is unfair,” Liane said.
“Young lady, just what were you thinking lying with another man when you were betrothed to the prince?” her father asked.
“It was a mistake, father.”
“That I am aware. We have to tell the royal family.”
“No!” everyone shouted at once. The girls wanted to hide the father's identity and the mother knew what repercussions they would face. She wanted to keep the last dignity they had intact.
“We have to come up with something! The prince will be here in a fortnight,” their father stated.
“We have worked too hard for this country, therefore, Francesca will replace Liane, as someone is marrying the Crown Prince,” their mother stated. Everyone turned to face her.
“Why me?” Francesca asked.
“Because it cannot be Macee.”
“Darling!” her husband voiced out. He was not fond of his wife constantly singling out Macee.
“Francesca attended lessons with Liane, she speaks three languages fluently and she has poise.”
“Why does anyone HAVE to marry the Crown Prince?” Macee asked.
“Why shouldn't she? We deserve what the marriage will bring and more.”
Macee shook her head and dismissed herself from the table. Her mother was too much for her sometimes. Ever since her father advanced to the highest position of Colonel in the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Roi, she became impossible to be around. She craved the power and attention too much and Macee did not want to be a part of it. She left her parents discussing excuses for breaking the betrothal and went to her room.
Colonel LeBlanc would speak with the king the following day to let him know that they were going to replace Liane with Francesca. This
arrangement had been in place for years and he hoped that it would not cause too much unrest with the royal family. His wife suggested sending Liane out of town before she began to show to avoid any embarrassment. They had to hide the pregnancy at all costs.
Liane did not want to leave but her mother was giving her no choice. She reminded her that her transgression affected the entire family. Francesca did not fight them much on the matter of her marrying the Crown Prince. At first the idea seemed preposterous but the more they discussed it, the more she warmed up to the idea. Being queen meant fine clothes and jewellery, respect and she could have anything she wanted whenever she wanted. It was not such a bad idea to be queen and at least the prince was handsome.
Chapter 2
Liane woke Macee up early the next morning. She was the only one unaware that their mother was sending her away and she wanted to say goodbye. Macee groaned when Liane shook her. She sat up with a frown on her face and her eyes closed. “This better be important,” she said.
“I'm sorry, babe, but I had to see you before I left,” Liane said as she sat on the bed.
“Left? Where are you going?”
“Mother is sending me to North Creek until the baby is born.”
“What?” Macee jumped out of bed.
“Macee, wait!”
Macee ran downstairs to speak with her parents. They were both sitting in the living room waiting for Liane. “You're moving Annie away?” Macee shouted as soon as she ran into the room.
“Of course. We cannot have her around when she starts showing. People will talk,” Mrs LeBlanc said.
“You always worry about what people think and not how we feel. Appearances first for you, mother,” Macee accused.
“Macee, let it go,” Liane said and touched her arm.
“No, Annie, it's not fair.”
Francesca walked into the room and hugged her sisters. The three of them hugged and held hands. Only one year apart in age, the sisters had never been separated from each other for more than a week or two since Macee started to walk. Now, Liane was going to be in North Creek until she gave birth.
“How can she be all alone for nine months? She needs her family,” Macee said to her father. He kissed her on the forehead.
“I know, sweetheart,” he said.
He took Liane's hand. It was time to leave. She kissed her sisters before she left. Macee stood there with her arms crossed over her chest furious with her mother. It was not fair that Liane was being shipped away like that.
When Colonel LeBlanc arrived at the palace, he went straight to the king's office. The king greeted him with a big smile as the Colonel bowed.
As the highest-ranking officer in the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Roi, it was Colonel LeBlanc’s job to oversee the day-to-day operations of the small, elite military unit. Long-time friends and colleagues, he was not looking forward to this discussion.
“Your highness, it is with regret that I must speak to you about the pending nuptials between the Crown Prince and my oldest daughter, Liane.” The king waited for him to continue. “I am afraid that we must break the betrothal,” he added. The king's face dropped. For the life of him, he could not understand why after all these years they would want to break the agreement.
The Colonel carefully relayed the story that they had agreed upon the night before. Liane had been diagnosed with a health condition and rather than risk passing anything on to the Crown Prince, they thought it best that she receive the necessary treatment and rehabilitation while they hoped for a reasonable recovery. He felt uneasy lying to his long-time friend and king knowing that it could come out in the future. However, to preserve the reputation of the family and avoid any embarrassment for the royal family, this was the best solution at present.
“Will she be alright?” the king asked with concern.
“The doctor is hopeful. But given the circumstances, we would like to offer our daughter; Francesca.” Colonel LeBlanc answered the king’s questions, as he did his best to paint his daughter in the best possible light. His wife was so much better at these situations.
The king said that he would speak to the queen and the prince. Since the prince was going to their house in a few days anyway, he would have the opportunity to meet Francesca and make his decision. Thanking the king for understanding, the Colonel quickly took his leave. Unable to wait, he called to inform his wife about the meeting.
By the time he arrived home, Francesca and her mother were going through the new clothes Mrs LeBlanc had purchased. They had to pick out the right outfit for when she met the prince. At first Francesca was not so sure about the whole thing, but the more they talked and prepared, the more excited she became as the idea of becoming queen was starting to sink in. She had only been to the palace once but she had fallen in love with it immediately. In existence for more than seven centuries, the architecture was amazing and Francesca loved the idea of having so many servants to do her bidding. Francesca smiled to herself just thinking about it.
“Hello, father,” Francesca greeted him as he walked through the door. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. He asked what they were up to, as he looked at all the clothes spread around the living room.
“Darling, we are finding her suitable attire. Tell us how it went at the palace. I know you said that it went well, but give us the details,” Mrs LeBlanc asked. Her husband moved some of the clothes before sitting down. He told them everything that had happened with the king. His wife smiled and said she would take care of the rest. One of her daughters was getting married to the crown prince no matter what.
* * * * *
The day had finally arrived when the Crown Prince would visit their home. After speaking at length with the queen and providing a letter from the family doctor that Liane’s condition was not yet contagious and no other members of the family had it, the queen seemed satisfied. The queen's sister, Bridgette, remained unconvinced as to the validity of what Mrs LeBlanc told her. She had never liked the woman and never understood why the queen trusted her so. Something was up with the LeBlancs, she was sure of it.
Francesca was all dressed up and nervously awaiting the prince as she paced. Macee had elected to stay away from the house when the prince arrived, as she had no desire to meet him. She did not agree with her mother’s actions and her mother was more than happy not to have her youngest around while the prince was there. She left the house early that morning to spend the day with friends. They had decided to try out a new paintball park and Macee was looking forward to burning off some of her pent up energy. Her mother could be incredibly difficult to deal with at times and it was simply easier to avoid her.
The LeBlancs stood when their maid walked into the room with the crown prince. Francesca curtsied; she had practised how to do it perfectly while her parents greeted him with a deep bow. The prince stood there with his hands behind his back and accepted their greetings.
“My apologies for being late,” the prince said after he had sat down. He had reached the house two hours later than he was meant to. When he found out that the marriage to Liane was off, he had not reacted too much to it. While he had grown used to the idea of marrying her, it was a political marriage unifying two old families and had nothing to do with love. However, he was put off that now he had to meet another young woman and start all over again. He did not even remember Francesca. He was told that he had met her once when she came to the palace more than ten years ago, but they were still children. Things were different now.
“Please do not apologise, your highness,” Mrs LeBlanc said with a smile. She sent one of the maids to the kitchen to bring refreshments for the prince.
As Mrs LeBlanc spoke, the prince studied Francesca. While he didn’t find her particularly unappealing, he wasn’t overly impressed. Admittedly, she carried herself with poise, but he found her to be of average looks, unlike Liane, who was much prettier. Francesca was tall with ramrod straight posture and high cheekbones giving her an almost birdlike appearance.
Her brunette-coloured hair and brown eyes seemed lacklustre and her small lips did not look particularly kissable. Nothing about her jumped out at him. She was not intriguing, which did not surprise him. Political marriages were always like that.
Chapter 3
As the Crown Prince Louis sat there listening to Mrs LeBlanc describe her daughter’s many attributes, he couldn’t help interrupting to ask how Liane was coping.
“I assure you that she will be fine. She is receiving the best medical care,” Mrs LeBlanc said.
“I hope so. Please pass her my regards when you speak to her,” Prince Louis replied. The sound of his deep, rich voice made Francesca's insides melt like butter. The prince was refined and such a gentleman.
As the prince was getting ready to leave, the front door crashed open as Macee came limping in. Dressed head to toe in black and completely covered in different colours of paint, she was hopping up and down as she attempted to pull her boots off when she realized that she had an audience. Looking up, she groaned. She wasn’t sure which was worse. The fact that the prince was still in their home or the look of fury on her mother’s face. Dropping her boot, she turned and gave the prince an awkward curtsy as she idly swept her socked foot across some paint that had dripped on the floor.