“Is there something going on in Eyjania that would concern him?” Dave asked out of curiosity, fulling expecting the princess to tell him to buzz off.
“Not particularly. Benjamin removed his uncle, Isaiah, from his post as Special Adviser to the Monarch earlier this year. I have no direct knowledge of what they discussed when Papa traveled to see Benjamin, though. I’m a little surprised they hired you officially without a meeting.”
“I’ve got a two-month trial period. If it’s not extended, my contract will come to an end, and I’ll have to find something else.”
“I’m sure you will be fine. Will you be living on the premises?”
“Yes.” He tried not to let the concern over his new living arrangements seep through. If this didn’t work out, he didn’t have anywhere on San Majoria to fall back to. He could go to San Mediano where he owned a small house, but he needed to be in Cabo Juan-Eduardo.
“Have you been a valet before?”
The innocence behind her question had to be faked, right? “Would they hire me if I hadn’t?”
“Probably not,” she admitted. “My stylist is younger than you I think, but she’s worked with a couple of designers already. She didn’t have any experience as an actual stylist before I hired her, but there were other things to recommend her, including cosmetology school.”
“I’ve never been an actual valet,” he admitted. “But I also have other things to recommend me.” In a move that surprised even himself, Dave leaned on the armrest closest to the princess and whispered. “But I’ve never been to cosmetology school.”
Her laugh warmed Dave even more than the sun and made him smile. Maybe he could make her laugh again before the day was out. Before he could think of a good joke, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and sighed. “Duty calls. They’ve asked me to start this evening. It seems your father’s head valet wants me to be there because someone is ill.” Likely not the full story but the official one. “They want me to come in and make sure I’m ready for some trip in a couple weeks.”
“We’re all going to Islas del Sargasso for a few days. The Eyjanian family will be there, too. I think all of them will, anyway. It’s possible a couple members of other families will be there as well. The Auverignonians are sending someone, I believe. Esme will probably represent her family.”
Esme? Right. Crown Princess Esmeralda of Islas del Sargasso. And all of the family was going? Did that mean Princess Esther, and possibly even Prince Darius, would be there? No one knew where they’d been for well over a year.
Dave put his phone back in his pocket. “I better get Mary so I can get her to the daycare before reporting in ninety minutes.”
The princess waved him off. “We can see she’s returned to the palace and take her for you. If you think she’d rather stay here and play with Kiara for a while longer.”
He stood and bowed at the waist. “I’m certain she would like that. Thank you, Your Royal Highness.”
She gave him the same slightly uneasy smile she had when he first arrived, not the genuine one he’d seen later. Her public smile. “My pleasure. Don’t let us keep you. I’ll make sure you’re informed when she’s safely ensconced at the day care.”
“Thank you.” He pushed his feet through the soft sand until he reached his car. At least his things had been moved into the small apartment in the palace. A quick shower, and he’d be ready to go. Mary had never stayed at the daycare, though they’d toured it together earlier in the week. She knew she’d been staying there when he started working.
An hour after he parked in the secure employee lot, he presented himself to the head valet and one of the other assistants, who looked remarkably well for allegedly being ill.
Mr. Ferdinand looked him up and down then smiled. “You’ll do quite nicely.” He gave a single nod. “Yes. You’ll definitely do.”
Order now!
Princess Jacqueline Grace of San Majoria is weary. Weary of cameras. Weary of her every move as a “single mom” being criticized. Weary of people who know nothing about her except what they see in a 30 second sound bite knowing how to run her life better than she does.
Weary of being alone.
In walks Dave Smith. With a gorgeous accent and magnetic personality, his presence both calms her and stirs up emotions she has little experience with. Jacqueline Grace isn’t sure what to think when her father sends Dave on a trip as her undercover bodyguard.
Shared experiences - including each raising a daughter they’re not related to - bring them together, but secrets could tear them apart. Secrets about her foster daughter’s parentage. Secrets among those tasked with protecting them from outside threats. Secrets about what really happened between them when a passport was lost overseas.
Secrets about who Dave really is.
When her family and the Eyjanians get together to finally publicly celebrate her sister’s secret marriage, threats and secrets merge. Is Dave the secret to countering the threats? Is he more than her undercover bodyguard? Could he be her Undercover Prince?
Available free for newsletter subscribers!
Fall 1990
Bargaining with God was never a good idea.
Offering the throne handed down through your family for nearly a millenium was probably worse.
God would do as He pleased regardless of any deals an earthly king tried to make with him.
And Alfred wasn't even king yet.
Just a crown prince desperate for a date with the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.
At the moment, he'd settle for her name. Then the courage to talk to her. Then he'd ask God to help him with that date thing.
“She's out of your league.” Edward was Alfred’s best friend and, as crown prince of San Majoria, knew better than anyone what his life was like. He was one of the few who never worried about speaking openly with him either.
“I’m going to be king of Eyjania.” Alfred spoke quietly. Their royal status wasn’t a secret on the university campus, but they didn’t advertise it either. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
Edward took a bite of his sandwich as he shook his head. “Nope. That girl is way too good for you. She’s in my biology class. Too smart for the likes of you.”
“You know her?”
“Not really. We were in a big group last week and did introductions. Her name is Eliana, I think.”
If Edward thought her name was Eliana, it was Eliana. He never forgot a name or face, something that would serve him well as the eventual king of San Majoria. Alfred had to work harder at it.
In the six weeks they’d been at university in Auverignon, Edward had made dozens of new friends. Alfred was a bit more cautious in his new relationships. His reticence was likely learned from his own father, who didn’t particularly care for the public eye or large crowds. Edward was an extrovert, much more so than his father, and he was embracing his more out-going nature as he continued his education outside the royal bubble found in the Eyjanian capital of Akushla.
Edward hopped up and brushed his hands on his pants. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
Alfred shook his head. “Not yet, but thanks.” Maybe he’d work up the nerve to introduce himself. He shouldn’t need Edward to do this. “I’ve got to get to class.”
“Like they’d flunk you.”
Hoisting his backpack over one shoulder, Alfred looked down where his friend still lounged against the tree. “I’m not their crown prince. You never know what they might do. My father would be displeased if they didn’t give me the grades I deserved.”
He leaned down and picked up the book he’d been looking through before noticing the beautiful girl on the other side of the quad. No matter what Edward said, Alfred needed to pass the test in his government class. Not just pass, ace it. The governmental systems in Auverignon didn’t quite match Eyjania, but they were close. As king, Alfred wouldn’t have as much power as an elected head of government, but he would have some, and a lot of influence.
The test was easier than expected. Breathing a sigh of relief, Alfred set his test on the professor’s desk and grabbed his backpack as he walked past his seat on his way out the door. Once outside, he slid his sunglasses on, tried to ignore the two bodyguards who constantly shadowed him, and juggled his backpack as he tried to grab his notebook out of it while walking down the stairs to the governmental studies building.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone else approaching. He didn’t look up, but did stop, tucking his notebook under his arm as he tried to zip his backpack up. You’d think, with as much money as his staff likely spent on it, that the stupid thing wouldn’t get stuck so often.
“Need some help with that?”
Alfred looked up to see Eliana standing there, an amused look on her face. He managed a half-smile. “I think I can get it.”
She held out her hand. “At least let me hold the notebook so you don’t drop it.”
He handed it over. “Thanks.”
“You’re not from around here. Eyjania?”
Alfred set the bag down on a nearby bench. “Akushla,” he confirmed. “Good ear.”
A smirk crossed her face. “I wish, but I know who you are.”
He finished zipping the pocket and held out a hand. “Alfred. And you’re Eliana.”
She took his hand, but her eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”
The sizzle from their single point of contact told Alfred everything he needed to know.
Someday, he would marry this girl.
For your free copy, subscribe to my newsletter!
If you prefer an “official” Kindle copy, you can get one here.
Before she was the queen mother, Eliana Robertson was just a young woman studying at an Auverignonian university.
Then she met a prince.
Crown Prince Alfred of Eyjania knew he wanted to marry Eliana the moment he saw her, but even though he knows they're meant for each other, it can't be that simple.
A scheming brother, a sister who thinks she knows best, and a mom who would give anything for her daughter to be queen all make it difficult for Alfred and Eliana to discover if they really do have a Love for the Ages.
About the Author
When she's not writing about her imaginary friends, USA Today Bestselling Author Carol Moncado prefers binge watching pretty much anything to working out. She believes peanut butter M&Ms are the perfect food and Dr. Pepper should come in an IV. When not hanging out with her hubby, four kids, and two dogs who weigh less than most hard cover books, she’s probably reading in her Southwest Missouri home.
Summers find her at the local aquatic center with her four fish, er, kids. Fall finds her doing the band mom thing. Winters find her snuggled into a blanket in front of a fire with the dogs. Spring finds her sneezing and recovering from the rest of the year.
She used to teach American Government at a community college, but her indie career, with over twenty titles released, has allowed her to write full time. She's a founding member and former President of MozArks ACFW, blogger at InspyRomance, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
www.carolmoncado.com
[email protected]
The CANDID Romance Series
Finding Mr. Write
Finally Mr. Write
Falling for Mr. Write
The Monarchies of Belles Montagnes Series
(Previously titled The Montevaro Monarchy
and The Brides of Belles Montagnes series)
Good Enough for a Princess
Along Came a Prince
More than a Princess
Hand-Me-Down Princess
Winning the Queen’s Heart
Protecting the Prince (Novella)
Prince from her Past
Serenity Landing Second Chances
Discovering Home
Glimpsing Hope
Reclaiming Hearts
Crowns & Courtships
Heart of a Prince
The Inadvertent Princess
A Royally Beautiful Mess
The Indentured Queen
Her Undercover Prince
Crowns & Courtships Novellas
Dare You
A Kaerasti for Clari
(currently available in the Out of the Blue Bouquet Collection)
Love for the Ages
(available as a thank you to newsletter subscribers - click here to join)
Serenity Landing Tuesdays of Grace
9/11 Tribute Series
Grace to Save
Serenity Landing Lifeguards
Summer Novellas
The Lifeguard, the New Guy, & Frozen Custard
(previously titled: The Lifeguards, the Swim Team, & Frozen Custard)
The Lifeguard, the Abandoned Heiress, & Frozen Custard
Serenity Landing Teachers
Christmas Novellas
Gifts of Love
Manuscripts & Mistletoe
Premieres & Paparazzi
Mallard Lake Township
Ballots, Bargains, & the Bakery (novella)
Timeline/Order for Crowns & Courtships and Novellas
1. Love for the Ages
2. A Kaerasti for Clari
3. Dare You
(the first three can be read in any order,
but technically this is the timeline)
3. Heart of a Prince
4. The Inadvertent Princess
5. A Royally Beautiful Mess
6. The Indentured Queen
7. Her Undercover Prince
The Indentured Queen Page 32