My only daughter, Princess Melody, had been living in the Idolian countryside with her husband and three children of her own: Lilianna, Richard, and Georgia. They were ten, eight, and five respectively, and more of a hassle than my children were. My grandkids were vibrant, energetic creatures. Upon hearing the news that they’d be arriving at the palace to spend time with Grandma Giselle and Grandpa Leo, they apparently dashed about their cottage house and ran circles around my daughter.
Prince Philip was the scholar. He lived abroad, attending university after university in pursuit of science. He was a gifted doctor, just like his father before him, always on the cutting-edge of a brand-new discovery. He often worked side by side with my youngest boy, Prince Benjamin—though he was about twenty now, so I shouldn’t keep calling him that. Benjamin had his father’s humanitarian heart. While he wasn’t as gifted in medical science, he was great at organizing charity efforts to provide aid to those most in need.
Yes, my children really were my pride and joy.
That evening’s dinner was going to be the real showstopper, though. I had the house attendants clear out the west wing dining hall and arrange for a number of tables to be set up to accommodate my large family’s numbers. A fantastic feast was ahead of us, full of savory meats, sweet treats, and roasted vegetables. To finish the evening off, there was a multi-tiered chocolate cake waiting to be devoured.
I woke up that morning, eager to get started. I stretched my arms above my head and crinkled my toes, yawning against the cool morning air. The calm sunlight radiated in through the bedroom curtains, casting everything in soft white light. I was surrounded on all sides by fluffy pillows and soft blankets. I had to admit that it was incredibly tempting to just stay in bed, cuddled up to Leo for warmth.
Beside me, a little cough sounded from beneath a heap of pillows.
I rolled over and pulled the covers down from over Leo’s face. “Good morning, sweetheart,” I whispered.
“Mornin’,” he grumbled. Leo’s voice was gruff and scratchy, and his nose appeared to be stuffed and red. I sat up to get a better look, brushing my fingers across his brow to smooth away his messy hair. His forehead was incredibly warm.
“Are you feeling alright?” I asked. “Goodness, you’re so warm.”
Leo coughed into his hand, but shook his head. “No, I’m fine, darling. No need to worry.”
“Oh, please, it’s far too early for stubbornness. Let me check on you.”
I pulled a couple pillows away to get a better look at my husband. Even though there were a few more wrinkles about the corners of his eyes and his lips had thinned a bit, I still thought he was as handsome as the day we first met that fateful day on the Obsidian Vow. His face was pale, but his upper cheeks were flushed pink. His nose was bright red, and the skin of his lips was cracked and chapping. Leo coughed again into his elbow. It sounded harsh and wet all at the same time, congested and sharp. It didn’t sound too serious, however, just a common cold.
“Would you look at that?” I mumbled to myself. “The Royal doctor is sick!”
Leo managed the flimsiest of smiles. “First time in years too. I should get an award.”
I pressed my fingers to his lips and giggled. “Hush, go back to sleep. I’ll have the chef prepare some soup for you.”
Leo shook his head and shifted, attempting to sit up. “No, no. I don’t want to spend our anniversary in be–” He broke out into a fit of coughs, his last words pinched off like he was trying to hold back the severity of his cold. “I’m fine,” he insisted.
I placed my hands on his chest and urged him to lay back. “I’m sure you are, but just to be safe, stay in bed. I’ll have someone bring you some cough medicine.”
“But you were really looking forward to today.”
I cupped his cheek, the prickly hairs of his beard scratching my palm. “That may be true, but I’d rather my husband be happy and healthy instead of miserable and dragging himself around for my sake.” I pulled the blankets up and tucked them beneath his chin. “Sleep, sweetheart. I’ll be right back. Let me take care of everything.”
I rose from bed, but didn’t bother changing out of my pajamas. With a quick phone call to my private secretary, I had a bowl of warm chicken soup brought up for Leo to eat. I also made arrangements to deal with the events I’d organized for the day. The second I hung up, I crawled back into bed with my husband and lay on my side, fondly brushing my fingers through his hair as I watched him struggle against his own eyelids as sleep tried to drag him under.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
“Whatever for?”
“I know you were looking forward to today.”
I smirked. “I’m not going to hold it against you for being sick, sweetheart. It happens.”
Just then, three sharp knocks sounded at the door.
“Mother? Father?” called Davin’s voice from the other side. “I just got your message. May I come in?”
“Come on in, honey!” I said.
The door to our bedroom creaked open. Davin poked his head in and said, “I heard you were feeling unwell. I landed just a couple of hours ago and thought I’d stop by. Look who I ran into in the lobby.”
Davin stepped into the room and out of the way, making way for Melody’s children. Lilianna, Richard, and Georgia dashed inside, giggling wildly as they climbed onto the bed to sit near Leo.
Georgia gave her grandfather a tight hug. “We hope you feel better!”
Richard was similarly affectionate, crawling into my lap. “You’re not contagious, are you?”
Lilianna, arguably the sweetest girl to ever walk the Earth, carefully sat herself on the edge of the bed instead of climbing all over us. “I hope you get well soon, Grandpa.”
It was then that Melody walked into the room, followed by my youngest sons, Philip and Ben. Melody had grown into a fine young lady. I rather liked to think she was the spitting image of me when I was younger. Philip looked like his father, boasting a handsome face, square shoulders, and wonderful bluish-green eyes. And Ben, darling Ben, was the perfect combination of both his parents with light amber eyes and dirty blond hair.
Melody sighed. “Kids, get off the bed. Did you even greet Grandma, first?”
I giggled. “It’s fine. They’re just excited.”
I turned to Leo who, despite his poor health, was smiling wide. As the first of the house attendants entered the room with soup for him and tea for everyone else, I couldn’t help but notice the tears welling up in the corners of Leo’s eyes. If I recalled correctly, this was his dream—to be surrounded by family with a house full of our children. I supposed that, even if we couldn’t get to all of the day’s festivities, that this alone was enough.
In fact, it was perfect.
THE END
Thank you so much for reading Her Royal Physician. We hope you enjoyed Giselle and Leo’s love story. If you did, we think you’ll also want to read Royal Holiday.
Princess Martina Parisier hates the lavish royal parties with their boring guests, having to behave like a lady for hours on end.
But this year’s ball will be a masquerade. Everyone there will be in costume, so at least she can hide in plain sight.
So when a dashing masked man captures her under the mistletoe and gives her a toe-curling kiss then leaves her with a single red rose, she has no idea who he is.
Now the mysterious stranger is sending her a red rose each day in a countdown of his own. He knows who she is and claims he will see her under the mistletoe again on Christmas Eve…
Order Royal Holiday today so you don’t miss it.
If you like romances where the heroine winds up with her soul mate AND a healthy bank balance, check out our Inherit Love books.
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MEET MCKENNA
Mckenna James is the pen name for a collaborative writing duo who share an addiction to sweet tea and a love for wealthy, attractive men.
Since they don’t know enough devastatingly handsome men with boatloads of cash to spare, they decided to create some. They specialize in fairytales for today’s world featuring modern princes and heroines who speak their minds and carve out happily ever afters on their own terms.
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
EPILOGUE
ALSO BY MCKENNA JAMES
MEET MCKENNA
Her Royal Physician Page 16