Reluctantly Royal

by Gillian Archer

  I tipped my chin in acknowledgment, then asked in French, “And when was his order issued?”

  Étienne’s eyes flicked to mine and then away. “Before we left Las Vegas, monsieur.”

  “I see.” I sat back in my seat with a muttered curse. That son of a bitch had to try to control every aspect of my life like I was truculent teen who didn’t how to make a decision without involving his dick.

  “Is everything okay?” Hannah asked.

  “It appears we’ve been called in for a royal audience. I apologize, mon chou, but I didn’t know. I had hoped my family would allow us some time to recover from our trip before they bombard us with questions, but apparently that is not the case.”

  “Oh.” Hannah looked at me with wide eyes. Given the tinted glass in the car, we’d both abandoned our sunglasses in favor of being able to watch the passing scenery, so I could see the uncertainty clouding her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and looked away.

  “It’ll be okay, Hannah. Unlike your family, mine is all bark and no bite. Their qualms are with me, most likely since I went off book during my trip and canceled most of my appointments and then fired my palace-appointed assistant. No doubt my brother just wants to call me to the carpet and—how do you say? Oh, yes: read me the riot act? Tear me a new asshole. But in the most civilized way, of course.”

  “Of course,” Hannah returned weakly, and not with the laughter I’d intended. She was nervous and freaked out and there wasn’t much I could do as our sedan rolled to a stop in front of the palace’s rear entrance.

  Fortunately, here at least we were spared the hoopla of the encroaching press. Given the upcoming winter, the palace was closed to tours, except for the gardens, and the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince ran a tight ship when it came to protecting the royal family, especially on our own soil.

  Before I could pop out and help Hannah exit the vehicle, her door opened and Nicolas appeared with his hand out for her. She alighted from the sedan and looked around with an expression somewhere between amazement and fear. I crossed to her and took her sweaty hand in mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  “It’ll be okay, mon chou. It’s just my family. This’ll be a walk in the park.”

  Judging by Hannah’s wide eyes and Nicolas’s carefully blank expression, no one was buying my brand of bullshit.

  A second car carrying Dimitri, Morgan, and a few other guards pulled up. Several members of staff from the palace materialized and began unpacking the vehicles. When I saw my monogrammed bags being stacked alongside Hannah’s on the curb, I paused. “Wait, there’s no need to unpack our bags. We’ll continue to my home down the coast once we’re finished here.”

  “His Highness’s orders, Prince Lucien,” one of the butlers replied before he carried our bags into the palace.

  My sense of foreboding doubled. First the sudden change in itinerary, and now they were off-loading our luggage into the palace? Merde, this wasn’t going to end well. But I couldn’t let Hannah freak out anymore.

  “Ever stayed in a palace, mon chou?”

  Hannah threw me a disbelieving look as we mounted the large staircase. “You know the only reason I even have a passport was to go on a three-day Mexican cruise. I hadn’t even left the North American continent before yesterday. Of course I haven’t stayed in a palace.”

  Okay, she might be a tiny bit stressed. I gave her hand another reassuring squeeze, when really all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and carry her away from the horror show that was due to happen. I thought I’d have more time to prepare her for my family. My brother better not make her uncomfortable, because I would do whatever it took to protect her. Crown and family be damned.

  When we reached the top of the staircase, a butler gestured toward the hall. “His Highness, Prince Sébastien, and Her Highness, Princess Vivian, are waiting for you in the York Room.”

  I sighed heavily. Of course they were. Then I gave Hannah a fake smile that fooled no one. “We’re in luck. Two for the price of one.”

  “So your brother and your mother? We haven’t even talked about protocol! Do I curtsey? Am I allowed to shake their hand? Oh, my god. What do I do?” Hannah’s eyes were so large they almost swallowed her face and her breath was leaving her in short panting huffs.

  “It’s going to be okay, mon chou.” I stopped in an alcove off from the Mirror Gallery. Facing Hannah, I clasped her shoulders and ducked down until I could look into her eyes. “You’ve just got to breathe, Hannah. Slowly. In. And out. In. And out. They’re just people. We might have fancy titles and houses, but we’re people just like everyone else. They won’t bite. If you’re that freaked out about meeting them, I could arrange for you to wait for me in one of the private salons, and I’ll come get you when we’re done.”

  “No.” Hannah took another deep breath, then met my eyes with a determined expression. “I’m okay. I can do this—meet your family. It’s okay. I’m okay. I just had a little meltdown. This is all kinda crazy, you know? I mean, my boyfriend is a freaking prince. Oh, God. Oh, God. They’re just people. No, I’m okay. I can do this.”

  “If you’re sure. I want you to be comfortable. If you’re not ready to meet them yet—”

  “No, it’s okay. I just needed a second to calm down. This is a lot to throw at a person all at once. I thought I’d have more time to mentally prepare, but I’m okay. I can do this.”

  “Hell, yeah, you can. That’s the take-no-prisoners Hannah I know and lo—” I snapped my mouth shut with an audible click. Fuck, it was too soon to say that. Judging by Hannah’s expression I might’ve just made a bad situation worse.

  Fuck me.

  “I…”

  Hannah raised her hand. “It’s a figure of speech. It’s okay. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

  “Right.”

  “Right,” Hannah murmured back.

  “You ready to jump into the lion’s den?”

  Hannah nodded slowly. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “Relax. You’ll do fine. Just be yourself, and whatever you do, don’t—”

  “Prince Lucien? His Highness would like to know if you’ll be much longer. He has an appointment that he mustn’t be late for.”

  “We’re on our way, Antonin.” I grabbed Hannah’s hand and tugged her down the hallway.

  “What is it that I’m not supposed to do?” Hannah whispered furtively.

  “What?”

  “Before, you said there was something I’m not supposed to do. What is it?”

  We’d reached the doorway to the York Room, and I could see Bastien and Mum standing in front of mon Père’s portrait with their backs to us. To cover my instruction, I passed my lips over the top of Hannah’s head in a quick kiss as I whispered, “Do not offer to shake my mother’s hand. She’s very old-fashioned. A slight bob when you’re introduced will suffice.”

  “A bob? What the heck is a bob?”

  But before I could answer, Bastien’s voice boomed across the room in French, “Lucien! I was beginning to wonder if you’d lost your way.”

  I was certain my smile of greeting looked more like a sneer at this point. “Well, if someone had seen fit to fill me in on this little detour, I would’ve made it more of a priority to arrive on time. I wasn’t aware I was still on the clock.”

  “Yes, well, circumstances conspired to make things difficult for you. So sorry to put you out.” Although judging by his expression, he wasn’t sorry at all. Bastien looked from me to Hannah’s shell-shocked expression, then switched to English, and the false charm oozed from him. “Where are my manners? I am so sorry for our rudeness…?”

  Hearing the unspoken question, I kept one hand on Hannah’s back as I gestured with the other. “Hannah, this is my brother Sébastien Greiner. Bastien, this is Hannah Allen.”

  “Your Highness,” Hannah whispered breathlessly as she did her awkward attempt at a bob. It was so endearingly cute. And I instantly felt horrible that I hadn’t prepared her better.
<
br />   “Please call me Bastien. At least when we’re in private.”

  Watching Hannah fall under the spell of Bastien’s smile had a muscle ticking in my eyelid. Needing a distraction from my simmering anger, I gestured to our mum. “And this is our mum, Princess Vivian Greiner.”

  “Your Highness,” Hannah said, her voice a little stronger now as she bobbed into a quick curtsey again.

  “Charmed,” my mum returned with a hesitant smile but no offer to call her by her first name.

  The undercurrents were heavy with dysfunction and genteel suppressed anger. Whatever we walked into, it sure as hell wasn’t good. Now I wished I’d paid a little more attention to the headlines we’d stirred. After seeing the coverage on the local Vegas media, I’d assumed it was all positive, but maybe I was wrong. Merde, they better not have gone after Hannah.

  Bastien cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to say that your home has been besieged by the media given your recent…relationship. After some attempted break-ins last night, there was some property damage and a small fire.”

  “Fire? At my house? Why am I only hearing about this now?”

  “It happened during your flight. It was quickly extinguished, but given the smoke damage and the security concerns, we felt it made more sense for you and Ms. Allen to stay at the palace until things could be handled.” Bastien exchanged a significant look with Mum.

  I pulled Hannah closer to my side. My need to protect her from whatever was coming overwhelmed me. “My guards tell me they got the order to bring us to the palace before we left the States.”

  Bastien exchanged another charged look with our mum. “We were eager to meet the lady who did the impossible and tamed the ‘bad-boy warrior prince.’ ”

  Hannah laughed softly. “ ‘Warrior prince’?” Really?”

  “I didn’t come up with the moniker.” I rolled my eyes at Hannah. “And I thought it’d died after I left my post with the air force.”

  “Ah, dear brother, you should know better than anyone that nothing ever dies with the press,” Bastien said silkily.

  He didn’t need to spell it out. I knew exactly what he was talking about. No doubt my every misdeed from upward of a decade ago was being splashed across the tabloids in graphic detail. Joy.

  “Come, dear, you must be exhausted after your trip.” My mum crossed the room to Hannah and put her arm around her. “Antonin will show you to your rooms.”

  “There’s no need,” I said. “I can—”

  “We need to have a little family meeting before you disappear for the day.” Mum smiled at Hannah. “I’m sure Ms. Allen doesn’t mind.”

  “No, no. Of course not.” Hannah gave me a weak smile, then squeezed my hand. “I’ll be fine, Luc. You worry too much.”

  Given the way she’d practically had a panic attack not even five minutes ago, I’d disagree, but Hannah had left the room before I could come up with a plausible excuse to accompany her. I turned back to my family with an aggravated sigh.

  “Really, Lucien?” Bastien asked with one eyebrow raised. “I give you one week off from your duties, and you cause a scandal.”

  “One, that was no vacation. I had meetings—”

  “Most of which you canceled.” Bastien cut in.

  “I took the important ones, but I wasn’t going to spend all my time glad-handing every person who maybe wanted to do business with Monaco. And two, what scandal? All the news reports I’ve seen have been more than favorable. Because Hannah is an amazing woman. If you spend just the smallest amount of time with her, you’ll see what a remarkable person she is. Everyone who meets her loves her.”

  “Including you?” Bastien scoffed. “You’ve only known her a week. A week, Luc! It’s insane, and totally unbecoming for a member of the House of Greiner. Are you trying to punish me? Is that what this is? I tell you that you need to start considering a union with a woman from an acceptable family, and instead you bring home the first female who runs across your path!”

  “Hannah isn’t some random woman I met. She is an amazing person who makes me want to be a better man. She is more worthy than any European princess you could put in front of me.”

  “Make no mistake, you will never get my approval with such a union. At least in notre Grand-père’s case he married someone with a little class. Not a little nobody who cuts hair for a living. I will never accept someone like her into our family, and I’ll remind you that you need my approval if you ever hope to marry her.”

  “I see. I guess you need to get busy making your heir, because it won’t be me for much longer.”

  “Lucien, don’t be ridiculous. You can’t—”

  “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!” I roared. “You have made your position crystal clear. It’s nice to know where I stand. And it sure as hell isn’t with you. I am so very happy Julien isn’t alive to hear that little speech. He would be ashamed of you.”

  “If Julien was alive I wouldn’t need to make it! You wouldn’t be here.”

  That arrow pierced deep, and I almost doubled over from the pain. I’d often wondered over the past year if my family had wished it’d been me and not Julien who’d disappeared that night with mon Père. Now I had my answer.

  Bastien ran a frustrated hand through his hair, then turned to our mum. “Talk some sense into him. I’m going to be late for my breakfast with the Councillor of Finance.”

  I shook my head. He was so full of bullshit. “I’ll tell you this. If it comes down to her or this dysfunctional mess, it won’t be a difficult choice.”

  Bastien stopped in the doorway and turned back to me. “Do not make threats you’re unable to keep.”

  Once he was gone, I turned to my mum, but I didn’t find the teary-eyed parent I’d known over the past year. Mum had her hands clasped in front of her and gave me the softest look I’d seen from her in months.

  “I will do what I can with Bastien for you and Hannah.”

  I stared at her in confusion for a few moments. It was hard to change gears from my ugly fight with Bastien, and honestly this was the last thing I’d expected from my mum. Where was the lecture about common blood and diluting the royal lineage? “I, uh, what? What am I missing? You’re on our side?”

  “There are no sides, Luc. I love both of you. Equally. If anything I am on the side of making sure the sons I have left are happy and healthy.” She sighed and shook her head. “I did everything that was expected of me—the dynastic royal marriage, I gave my husband an heir and two spares—and I was miserable. Everyone was miserable. It’s a horrible way to live your life, and now I can see Bastien going down that same path. I don’t want that for my children. I want you to find your happiness, be with the person you love, and build a life with them. So, if your cute American hairdresser is that woman, then I approve.”

  I stood there, my eyes burning. This was the woman who loved me unconditionally growing up. The one who chased us through the Mirror Gallery. The one who kissed our scraped knees. The one who stood strong despite the ugly words in the media. She would always be the woman I had loved first.

  And I was so fucking happy to have her back. “Thank you, Mum.” I pulled her into my arms and held her, much like she did with me when I was little.

  “I’ve already lost one son. I couldn’t bear it if I lost another. I’ll talk to Bastien, but whatever happens, I want you to know that I support you. I want what you want.” Her words were muffled by my shirt and I suspected by more than a few tears. “I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated you over the last year. It was just so hard seeing Julien’s face in yours. I miss him. I miss him so much.” Her shoulders heaved with the sobs that she couldn’t hold back.

  “I miss him, too.” My burning eyes had become tears streaming down my face. It hurt so much to hear my mum’s sobs. But it was also cathartic. We needed this. Mourning him together made it feel like I wasn’t alone. Like I had for months.

  “I don’t wish it was you. I never wished it was you. And Bastien doesn’t, eithe
r. You must know that. I just wish it hadn’t been him. Julien had so much more life to live. It’s not fair.”

  “I know, Mum. I know.”

  We stood there holding each other until my mum’s sobs subsided. She took a step back and dabbed at her eyes with my handkerchief. “I’m sorry, Lucien. I hope we can spend more time together now that you’re back. I’ve missed you. And I want to get to know Hannah as well.”

  “I’d like that, Mum. Hannah is an extraordinary woman, and she makes me feel alive for the first time since Julien died. So thank you for giving her a chance.”

  “For you, Luc, I will. And I’ll work on Bastien, too. I want both of my sons to be happy.”

  “Thank you.” I bent down and kissed her cheek.

  She patted the side of my face affectionately. “I love you, Lucien.”

  “Love you, too, Mum.”

  Chapter 19

  The first few days back home were as close to magical as we could get, considering we were under my family’s watchful eyes at the palace and under media scrutiny any time we ventured out. But since I knew I had to return to work next week, we spent as much time as we could outside, enjoying the temperate October weather. We drove down the coastline to admire the panoramic views of the ocean and the amazing Monégasque architecture.

  The day after our arrival, we got up early so I could take her to my grand-mère’s rose garden before it opened to the public. We walked hand in hand on the paths, looking at the different flowers and hedges. When we reached the center fountain, Hannah had to throw a coin to make a wish.

  “I need a coin.” Hannah patted the pockets of her slacks, but came up empty. “Do you have a coin?”

  I rolled my eyes. A coin? I couldn’t remember the last time I had to bother to carry currency, let alone change. I knew my pockets would be empty as well. Instead of double-checking, I beckoned to one of my guards a few feet away. “Dimitri? Do you have a coin? Hannah wants to make a wish.”