Of Royal Blood

by Carolyn Zane

  Laughing, she leaned away from him so that she could better see his handsome face. This was a moment she would forever remember, she promised herself. Full of hope and possibilities. A veritable dream come to life.

  Playfully, he swung her away from him and back again, then bent her low in a dip that had her giddy laughter ringing out. Their spontaneous hilarity caused those who loitered on the verandah to smile with indulgence as the king’s youngest daughter frolicked in the fountain with St. Michel’s most eligible bachelor. As the tempo of the music increased, so did their silly antics.

  Sebastian lifted Marie-Claire in his arms and spun until they were both dizzy and in danger of tipping into the drink.

  “You’re going to soak us!” Marie-Claire clutched his neck for dear life and wished the ebullient feelings that bubbled into her throat would last forever.

  Neither seemed to notice that the music had stopped.

  “Don’t look now,” Sebastian set her down and pulled her up against the solid wall of his chest, “but we’re pretty much wet.”

  Pretending to pout, Marie-Claire leaned sideways. She paused to study her voluminous skirts, hanging heavy against her legs. “I can’t go back in now.”

  “We’d get the floor all wet.”

  “People might fall.”

  “You’ll let me know if you’re thinking of shucking your dress for a skinny dip?” Grin teasing, he cupped her cheek in his palm.

  “Will I ever live that night down?”

  “You haven’t yet. Not in my mind.” Their noses grazed as he looked deeply into her eyes. Marie-Claire could feel his warm breath against her lips as he spoke. “Even when you were gone away to school, you were never far from my thoughts.”

  “I know. It was the same for me.”

  “You were so young.”

  “Yes, I was.” More than once it had occurred to Marie-Claire that Sebastian could so easily have taken advantage of her foolish crush when she was but a child. But he hadn’t. He was an honorable man, and that was only one of the myriad qualities that attracted her. “But I’m not anymore.”

  “No. You’re not.” The muscles in his jaw worked as his thoughts seemed to race back over the years. “Waiting for you to grow up has been tedious. I knew any involvement for us before you were of legal age could have caused problems for your father. But—” On a heavy sigh, his eyes slid closed. “For so long, I’ve wondered…and wanted….”

  By now, his lips were brushing hers as he spoke and so it was only a matter of allowing himself to finally indulge in the guilty pleasure of their heretofore forbidden kiss. Ever so slightly, he leaned forward until his lips covered hers in a touch so gossamer, Marie-Claire was tempted to wonder if she was dreaming.

  That was all it took for the glowing embers to flare to life.

  Immediately, the kiss became heated. Sebastian’s arms circled her waist, pulling her closer as his mouth closed over hers. The years of waiting and wondering were over and it was with relief and complete exhilaration that their mouths, their bodies, their souls, came together.

  The kiss deepened, and, laboring in sync, their lungs heaved, and their hearts pounded. They struggled to quench their insatiable urge to get closer to each other. To know each other. To learn what they’d wanted to discover for the past five years.

  Marie-Claire wound her fingers into the silky soft hair at his nape as he bent to nuzzle her neck and kiss the spot where her shoulder met her neck. A hot blaze shivered down her spine and coiled deep in her belly. In great waves, gooseflesh raced across her body and she gasped at the onslaught. She could hear the thunder of her pulse and wondered how long her heart could take such exertion.

  It felt so natural, standing here, being kissed by Sebastian LeMarc. It was as if they had some kind of history together that transcended time. And space. And logic. They were each one half of the other. Whole only when they were together.

  And they’d known it that night, five years ago.

  Sebastian held Marie-Claire’s face in both hands and pulled his mouth away from hers, a fraction. “What are we going to do?”

  “Marie-Claire!”

  “We’ve been found out.” Sebastian kissed her hard, then took a step back.

  Marie-Claire groaned. “My sister, Ariane. Do you think if we ignore her, she’ll go away?”

  “Likely not. She sounds upset.”

  Marie-Claire bristled. “I don’t know why. I’m old enough to take care of myself. No doubt she saw us and wants to remind me to appear disinterested.”

  Sebastian grinned. “She’s too late.”

  “We could run,” she suggested hopefully.

  “Your skirts are too heavy. I’d have to carry you on my back. It would slow me down, but we might stand a chance if we bolt for it now.”

  Marie-Claire giggled.

  “Marie-Claire! Marie-Claire! Come quickly! It’s Papa! He’s collapsed!”

  Chapter Three

  Six months later

  It was wonderful to be home.

  Marie-Claire had just finished unpacking and moved from her closet to her bedroom window to study the familiar view. It was incredibly warm for March and flowers were blooming early this year. Down below, a veritable army of gardeners swarmed over the de Bergeron Palace’s grounds. Mowers roared, clippers hummed and the sweet scent of freshly shorn grass filled the air.

  Marie-Claire swallowed against the ever-present lump in her throat. Spring was Papa’s favorite time of the year. He’d liked to say it was a time for new beginnings. She stared, unseeing, at the fountain where she and Sebastian had last danced together. She hoped Papa was right. She was finally ready to put the shattered pieces of her life into the dustbin and take a stab at starting over again.

  The small country of St. Michel was only just now beginning to recover from the shock of King Philippe’s unexpected death. But Marie-Claire doubted that she’d ever fully mend from the mortal wound to her heart. Her heavy sigh fogged the windowpane.

  Thank God for Sebastian.

  During the much-publicized funeral, and in the frenzied days that followed, he’d been a rock. Though he battled his own grief—for Philippe had been like a father to him since Sebastian’s own father had passed away when he was a boy—he was protective and solicitous of Marie-Claire. The tragedy had only strengthened their special bond and she loved him more than ever.

  Even so, the overwhelming memories of her father seemed to haunt her healing process. She was an orphan now. Granted, she was a full-grown orphan, with the money, power and prestige that came of being born into royalty, but nonetheless, she felt cut adrift on an ocean of grief. That she’d been a favorite of her father’s only made her anguish that much more acute.

  A deep depression had absconded with Marie-Claire’s usual carefree nature and left her weepy, exhausted and not caring if she lived or died. She’d known she wouldn’t be fit company for anyone, let alone Sebastian, until she spent some healing time with her maternal grandmother, Tatiana. And so, a week after her father was laid to rest and she’d fulfilled all of her social duties as a member of a grieving monarchy, Marie-Claire listlessly packed her bags and headed off to Denmark to find comfort in the bosom of her mother’s side of the family.

  The last time she’d seen Sebastian was the day he’d taken her to the airport and kissed her good-bye. It had been an emotional kiss, fraught with promises and hope and sorrow and the terrible knowledge that separation, just as they’d finally come together, would be hard.

  And it had been.

  Marie-Claire was sure they could have paid much of St. Michel’s national debt with what she and Sebastian had spent in phone charges. But it was worth it to hear his soothing voice. To hear news of home. To know that he still cared.

  Tatiana had helped her through the worst of her struggles, talking late into the night, drying her tears, telling her stories of her papa’s pride when she’d been born and giving her the benefit of years of living. She was a very wise woman. And for su
ch a tiny thing, she was a tough old broad. Tatiana didn’t have time to baby Marie-Claire and after a month, put her to work as a volunteer in a children’s hospital in hopes of helping her to see that the rain fell on the just and the unjust.

  It worked.

  Immediately, Marie-Claire fell in love with the children and in her effort to comfort, was comforted. There was nothing like the sweet feeling of little arms around her neck to soothe her own emotional injuries and before long Marie-Claire had a new life motto and with a gentle push, Tatiana nudged her out of the nest.

  “Life is too short to waste even a minute,” Marie-Claire murmured against her windowpane. Off in the distance, Le cheval du roi came into focus and a sudden burst of happiness that she hadn’t felt for half a year filled her breast. “Too short, indeedy.” She turned away from the window, rushed to the phone and dialed.

  “Hello, Sebastian? I’m home.”

  Sebastian pocketed his cell phone and, for the first time in ages, his smile was real. Marie-Claire was home. In less than an hour, he’d see her. Hold her. Kiss her. It had been an eternity. These last six months had seemed to drag on longer than the previous five years combined. Yes, waiting for Marie-Claire to grow up had sorely tested his patience, but once he knew the rapture of her kiss, staying away had been hell.

  More than once he’d been tempted to barge in on old Tatiana and take what was his, but he knew Marie-Claire needed time. Truth was, he did, too.

  Philippe’s death had been a shock. Worse, for some reason, than when he’d been a little boy and lost his own father. For as far back as either family could remember, the LeMarcs and the de Bergerons had been close. And Philippe had always been good with Sebastian, possibly seeing him as the son he’d always longed for, Philippe had been a patient mentor, a listening ear, and a model of manliness.

  Sebastian missed him. Nearly as much as he’d missed Marie-Claire.

  Sebastian reached for his jacket as his mother swept into the over-decorated and cluttered parlor of her sprawling country estate.

  “You’re leaving? But you just got here.” Claudette’s face fell as she watched her only son shrug into his jacket and re-knot his tie.

  “I’m sorry, Mère. The royal family has requested my presence at lunch today.”

  “Well, it’s about time.” Claudette bristled. She gave her short, wavy and, still dark at fifty-two, brown hair a smoothing pat and pursed her lips in dismay at her attire. “This will never do. I’ll just be a moment.”

  “Mère,” Sebastian said, suppressing a smile.

  Claudette stopped in her tracks and without turning around, heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m not invited. Oh. Well. I see.” She waved an airy hand and settled upon a settee as if she had no cares.

  But Sebastian could tell she was hurt. Claudette had always been overly enamored with anything that smacked of aristocracy. The fact that she’d been slipping in the St. Michel social ranks since her influential husband had died was not lost on her. A lunch at the palace would surely boost her weight with her cronies down at the club.

  “I’m sure it was simply an oversight.”

  “Of course.” Claudette’s laughter was brittle. “Why on earth would they invite you to lunch over me?”

  “You see? A simple mistake. I’ll give them all your love.”

  “Yes. Do that, darling. And be sure to tell them how deeply I’ve been affected by Philippe’s death.” Making odd faces, Claudette peered into a gilt mirror hanging next to the settee and checked the corners of her eyes and mouth for stray bits of makeup.

  “Yes. I’ll do that too.”

  “Good. Well. When can you come back? We barely had a chance to talk and there is something I need to discuss with you.”

  “What?”

  “It’s…” Claudette huffed in irritation. “It’s financial. I can barely believe it, but I seem to be having some credit problems. I’m sure there must be some mistake down at the bank. Some silly twit or other has punched in the wrong number and left me practically penniless. Could you straighten this out for me?”

  “Mère…”

  Claudette took immediate offense to his censorious tone. “I’ve been as frugal as Ebenezer Scrooge himself, I’m telling you!”

  “I’ll take a look at your bank and credit statements, but I’m still guessing that you need to live a little less ostentatiously.”

  Claudette moaned. “Oh, how would that look to the girls?” Her hoity-toity social circle spent money as if it were something one harvested in a field.

  “Most likely I can cover your debts. This time. But it’s time for you to go on a budget.”

  “A budget?” Claudette stared blankly at him.

  “Yes. Look it up.” Sebastian turned and headed for the vast foyer of her country mansion. “I’ll come by later tonight and we’ll get started putting one together for you.”

  Claudette followed him to the door and watched him slide into his gleaming Peugeot. “Bring me some of those Bavarian chocolates they serve for dessert.”

  Sebastian waved goodbye.

  Marie-Claire sensed that Sebastian had arrived even before she saw him. Hearing the slam of a car door had her flying out of the palace’s service entrance and straight into his arms. He picked her up and whirled her about and they kissed as if they needed to sustain lip contact to survive.

  “You’re here!” Marie-Claire was finally able to say, when they’d paused to gulp in a great lungful of air.

  “Mmm.” Impatiently, Sebastian angled her mouth back under his and went back for seconds. “Mm-hmm.”

  Oh, it was so good to see him. To feel him. To smell him. To taste him. How she’d managed to stay away for so long was a testament to the depth of her heartache over her father’s passing. For an endless moment, they stood, basking in the joy of simply being together. Their kiss slowly grew less frenzied and more soulful, and Marie-Claire was lost to this ecstasy. Was there anything more wonderful than falling in love? She didn’t think so.

  She ran her hands over the powerful planes of Sebastian’s chest then locked them at his nape and hung on for dear life as he playfully ravaged her neck. Liquid laughter burbled past her lips. Though she nestled as closely as she could to him, she longed to be even closer, and knew that she’d never truly be happy until she and Sebastian became one forever in the bonds of holy matrimony.

  That it would eventually happen, Marie-Claire had no doubt. They were meant to be together. Had been from the very beginning. Their eventual marriage was simply a matter of timing and politics. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in a wedding gown, and that she and Sebastian had just taken their sacred vows to love each other until death parted them. Sebastian’s hot mouth on her neck and jaw had her toes curling with delight.

  Her sisters could carry on the tedious royal traditions, and she and Sebastian could settle in their own house in his family estate in the country and raise those three little boys and that darling little girl with his striking blue-gray eyes, so eerily translucent and soul-searching. They would also inherit the darling dimples that bracketed the corners of his mouth. Marie-Claire lifted a finger and traced these curves and then ran her fingers down his jaw to the dimple at the apex of his chin. They would have thick, wavy heads of hair, and be filled with life and mischief and they would call her Mama, or Mère…that was cute…Mère-Claire…

  “Marie-Claire!”

  For heaven’s sake, why did real life always seem to intrude? Frustrated, Marie-Claire’s head dropped and she moaned against Sebastian’s neck.

  “Marie-Claire!” Ariane’s voice reached them from the Ruby Salon on the third floor of the de Bergeron Palace. “Sorry to butt in…”

  Marie-Claire fumed. “You most certainly are not,” she shouted.

  Sebastian laughed.

  “Yes, I am.” Ariane’s own laughter blended with Lise’s and floated down to interrupt what had been a dalliance in paradise.

  “Then say what you must and go away.” Marie-Claire cast
them a withering glance.

  “Grandmama Simone wants everyone present at lunch for a special announcement. Hi, Sebastian.” Again, their girlish giggles.

  He waved.

  “You are to be included in this meeting, Sebastian.” He groaned.

  “What special announcement?” Marie-Claire demanded.

  “We don’t know. She won’t say. But she insists that everyone meet her in the formal dining room in five minutes. She is there waiting now.”

  The formal dining room?

  This was serious. Marie-Claire glanced at Sebastian, her disappointment keen. The Dowager Queen Simone was not one to be ignored, and the formal dining hall always meant a harrowing topic followed by endless and boring discussion.

  With great reluctance, Marie-Claire took a step back and, clasping Sebastian’s hands in hers, regarded him. “Will this be all right with you? I know you weren’t expecting an impromptu meeting on our first day back together.”

  “It’s fine. I’d sit through a presentation on time-share condos if it meant I could be with you.”

  “Somehow, I doubt it will be anything so painless.”

  As it was, Sebastian would rather have been gutted, grilled and served for lunch than suffer the tense scene that followed his all-too-brief reunion with Marie-Claire.

  They were the first to arrive in the cavernous dining hall and find their pre-assigned seats. Soon after, other family members entered, glanced warily about, took in Queen Simone’s dour expression from where she perched on a tallbacked chair at the head of the table, and then cautiously found their own places.

  The bowling-lane-sized table was set for the kind of multi-course meal usually reserved for heads of state and very special occasions. A variety of tantalizing aromas wafted through the air ducts from the kitchen—a floor below—as a legion of domestics slaved over the stoves. The de Bergeron insignia blazed from the center of each platter, and the gold charger plates gleamed from a fresh buffing. Myriad pieces of monogrammed silver cluttered each place setting, along with crystal stemware of every size and shape. Sebastian frowned as he pulled his napkin across his lap. Clearly, everyone would need more than one glass of wine to digest the queen’s latest bit of news.