by Emma Lea
A Royal Embarrassment
The Young Royals Book 6
Emma Lea
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Copyright © 2018 Emma Lea
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Cover Design by Michelle Birrell
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Contents
Other books by Emma Lea
Author’s Note
Previously
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
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
The Young Royals
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Thanks
Other books by Emma Lea
Other books by Emma Lea
This is Emma Lea’s complete book library at time of publication, but more books are coming out all the time. Find out every time Emma releases something by clicking here and signing up for her New Release Alerts.
SWEET ROMANCES
These are romantic tales without the bedroom scenes and the swearing, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring!
The Young Royals
A Royal Engagement
Lord Darkly
A Royal Entanglement
A Royal Entrapment
A Royal Expectation
A Royal Elopement
A Royal Embarrassment
Bookish Book Club Novellas
Meeting Prince Charming
Broken Arrow Trilogy
Broken
Cursed
Eternal
SWEET & SEXY ROMANCES
In my Sweet & Sexy Romances I turn up the heat with a little bit of sexy. No swearing, or very minimal swearing, and brief, tasteful and not too graphic bedroom scenes.
Love, Money & Shoes Series
Walk of Shame
Strictly Business
Skin Deep
In The Money
All At Sea
Love, Money & Shoes Novellas
The Five Year Plan
Summer Fling
Standalone Novels
Amnesia
HOT & SEXY ROMANCES
Hot & Spicy Romances turn the heat way up. They contain swearing and sexy scenes and the characters get hot under the collar.
Recommended for 18+ readers
TGIF Series
Girl Friday
Black Friday
Good Friday
Twelve Days
Twelve Days of Christmas - Her Side of the Story
Twelve Days of Christmas - His Side of the Story
Quickies (Collins Bay Novellas)
Last Call
Standalone Novels
Learning to Breathe
TOO HOT TO HANDLE ROMANCES
These are definitely 18+ reads and contain graphic sex scenes and high level swearing – not for the faint of heart
The Young Billionaires
The Billionaire Stepbrother
The Billionaire Daddy
The Billionaire Muse
The Billionaire Replacement
The Billionaire Trap
Music & Lyrics
Rock Star
Songbird
Strings
Sticks
Symphony (coming soon)
About this Book
A Royal Embarrassment
by Emma Lea
Savannah has a secret…a secret that could cost her everything she’s been working for.
Coming to Merveille and taking up a position as one of Queen Alyssa’s ladies in waiting hadn’t been part of Savannah Rousseau’s plan, but she wasn’t going to turn down the opportunity when it came her way. The daughter of an impoverished viscount, Savannah had nothing to lose and everything to gain by being included amongst the new queen’s entourage…as long as no one found out about her secret.
Savannah loved her son. Archer was the sun and moon of her life, but being a single mother would mean instant disqualification from the ladies in waiting. So she hid him from the queen and her new friends…for two years. Now someone had stumbled upon her secret and Savannah would do anything to ensure that she didn’t become a royal embarrassment.
Jed Fairchild came to Merveille to escape his own scandal and the last thing he wanted was to be embroiled in another. Finding out about the young boy and impoverished viscount that Savannah had stashed in the abandoned hunting cabins was a complication that he didn’t need. Being attracted to the hot-tempered lady in waiting was another. All Jed wanted was to live a simple life working with his horses and ignoring the rest of the world, but with Savannah in his life and the inquisitive Archer following him like his very own shadow, the quiet life was the last thing Jed had…and maybe it wasn’t really what he wanted after all.
This is a Sweet Romance - These are romantic tales without the bedroom scenes and the swearing, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring!
Author’s Note
The Young Royals series takes place in a country that doesn’t really exist. If it were to exist it would sit on the eastern edge of France bordered by Switzerland and Italy, quite close to Geneva. The country of Merveille (pronounced Mer-VAY) is a quiet, wealthy place ruled by a constitutional monarchy. Its capital city is Calanais which is situated on the shores of a beautiful lake called Lac Merveilleux and is where the palace, named Château de Conte de Fées, is situated.
This book is written using UK/Australian English.
Previously
Jed
I urged Mistborn into the woods along the narrow path. The horse was a pain in my butt but he was a dream to ride and seeing as though I was the only one he let ride him, I figured I couldn’t complain too much.
The morning was cold and snow was thick on the ground. The woods provided a bit of shelter and the ground, although frozen, wasn’t covered in the white stuff. I still wasn’t quite used to the weather, even though this was my second winter in the Alps. It was a far cry from the horse farm I’d grown up on in Kentucky. Everything about living in this small European country had been an adjustment for me, from working for a royal family to the weather, and the fact that they drove on the wrong damn side of the road. At least Cliff and I spoke the same language - one horseman to another.
There was a high-pitched noise on the wind that could’ve been a bird or some other small animal and Mistborn tossed his head irritatingly. His ears twitched and he started to dance under me. I held my seat, squeezing my thighs together and holding the reins tight. Mistborn was a wily thing and given half the chance, he would toss me from my seat and take off for parts unknown. Ours was a complicated relationship.
The horse had come to be in my care when he was given to the queen as a coronation gift. A pure-bred Arabian with a bad temper, I thought at the time that whoever had given the gift to the queen probably had a nefarious purpose for doing so. Turned out I was right. But the queen kept t
he horse, even after he threw her, and I had to respect someone who wouldn’t hold an innocent animal accountable for the misdeeds of the people he was unfortunate enough to be under the care of.
Cliff hadn’t been so forgiving. I’d taken pity on Mistborn and Cliff - the queen’s master of horse - had given me his blessing. No one wanted the cantankerous horse, so I ended up with him by default. He was a beautiful animal and I had a feeling he’d been mistreated prior to coming to live in the queen’s stables. A strong-willed horse needed a stronger-willed master, but not someone who would try to break his spirit. I suppose in a way, we suited each other. I was sometimes known as somewhat cantankerous myself.
I took a deep breath of the frigid air. I loved this time of morning, before the palace was awake and the day really started. Mistborn and I rode at this time every morning - rain, hail, or shine. We both needed the escape and the solitude to keep us sane for the rest of the day. We had slowly been exploring the large parcel of land that belonged to the crown and I had to admit that the scenery was growing on me, even if the cold wasn’t.
We broke through the trees and caught a glimpse of the lake ahead of us. Now that was something to behold, especially with the snow-capped mountains framing the water. The surface was like a mirror and the mountains were reflected in it. I urged Mistborn into an easy trot as we crossed the flat expanse of land and then headed back under the cover of the woods. I should be starting back toward the stables but there was a curious row of little cottages that I wanted to check out. I’d spied them on another ride and decided to come back and see what they were all about. Cliff said they were hunting cabins and were designed with only the barest of essentials for guests of the queen to stay in while hunting in the woods. There hadn’t been a hunting party since the king and crown prince lost their lives during a deer hunt. It happened before I came to the palace so I hadn’t had the privilege of seeing just what ‘the bare essentials’ meant when it came to the royal family.
“Maman! Maman!”
I reined Mistborn to a stop and looked around for the source of the voice. There were no children on the property that I was aware of and definitely none that should be this far into the woods.
“Archer!” A woman’s voice echoed through the stillness. “Come back!”
“Come and watch me Maman,” the little boy’s voice replied. “Come and see!”
“Slow down!” the woman called again.
Her voice sounded familiar, but I didn’t know who it was. Before I could slide from Mistborn’s back, the brush in front of us parted and a little tow-headed boy burst through the woods and into the clearing. He pulled a bright red kite behind him as he ran, not looking where he was going.
Mistborn danced under me and snorted before wheeling around. He reared, his front hooves kicking out at the boy and the fluttering kite. I fought with him, trying to calm him, but when the little boy cried out in alarm, the battle was lost. Mistborn reared again before bucking and kicking out with his hind legs. I held on as long as I could, but Mistborn was too strong. I landed with a thump, my head hitting the ground. I experienced a blinding flash of pain before blackness claimed me.
Savannah
I chased Archer through the thick undergrowth. I should never have bought him that kite, but when I saw it in the toy shop I couldn’t resist. The poor child barely had anything to his name and I felt so guilty for having to leave him and Papa alone so much. I thought maybe he and Papa could take it down to the lakeshore and play with it during the day while I worked. The last thing I had expected was for Archer to take off into the woods with it as soon as he saw it.
I heard the unmistakable sound of a horse’s neigh - although it sounded more like an outraged cry of indignation. But it was Archer’s answering cry that made me move faster. It was one thing to be caught trespassing by the game keeper and another thing entirely for Archer to be trampled by his horse. I broke through the brush and came to a stop at the sight of the big grey horse, who stood stamping his foot and snorting big puffs of steam into the cold air. Archer stood in front of him, looking up at him in wonder.
“Archer,” I called softly. “Come here baby.”
“Look Maman,” Archer replied without moving. “Isn’t he beautiful?”
I looked at the horse again. I recognised the big brute. He was one of Alyssa’s horses, but not one that she rode. He had been a gift from that traitor Jordan Wicks. I would never understand why she hadn’t gotten rid of the horse after what that man put her through.
But none of that was relevant right now. I kept one eye on Archer and the other on the temperamental horse as I slowly inched forward.
“Don’t touch him, Archer,” I said calmly, trying not to spook either horse or child. “Just come back here to Maman.”
“What about the man?” Archer asked, pointing to the slumped bundle on the ground that I had failed to notice.
“What happened?”
“He fell when the horse went up on his back legs,” Archer explained patiently. “Do you think he’s dead?”
I certainly hoped he wasn’t dead. I didn’t even know who he was, but if he was riding Mistborn then he must be one of the stablehands. The last thing I wanted to do was to explain how I stumbled upon a dead stablehand in the middle of the woods at dawn.
“Archer, mon cœur, I need you to go and get Pépé. Quickly now.”
“Yes Maman,” Archer replied with a sigh.
I waited until he had cleared the horse and the man before approaching the big grey beastie with caution. “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?” I asked the horse who snorted at me. At least he had stopped rolling his eyes around and now seemed calm, if annoyed. I approached gingerly until I could crouch down and see to the man. I pulled back the collar of his coat and gasped. Jed.
His dark lashes brushed the pale skin of his cheeks - skin that was paler than I had ever seen it. I gently brushed my hand through his hair and my hand came away sticky with blood.
“Oh god,” I breathed. “Please don’t be dead.”
I leaned down to see whether I could hear his heartbeat or feel his breath on my cheeks. He moaned lightly and I pulled back, looking down at his face, but his eyes were still closed.
“Jed,” I whispered as I ran a finger over his eyebrow, smoothing away his frown.
His eyelids fluttered open and he stared up at me with deep green eyes before they fell closed once again.
“Jed,” I whispered again, leaning close enough that his cheek brushed mine. “Please wake up.”
He turned his head and his lips brushed mine. I felt a shock of electricity course through me at the touch of his lips on mine and jumped back in shock.
“Mmm,” he murmured.
My heart was racing and I didn’t know what to do or where to look. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment - at what, I wasn’t quite sure. Maybe at the inappropriateness of my reaction.
“Come on Pépé,” I heard Archer say and took a deep breath to calm my racing heart.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” my father replied.
I scooted back from Jed, keeping a careful eye on the horse, who snorted and stamped his foot again at the intrusion, as Papa and Archer came back into the clearing.
“What do we have here?” Papa asked.
“It’s Jed,” I replied, standing to my feet. “His head is bleeding and he seems to be unconscious. We need to get him into the cabin.”
“Do you think that is a good idea, mon amour? Shouldn’t we just leave him so that we are not discovered?”
“Non Papa,” I replied forcefully. “I will not leave an injured man here to freeze to death. Now help me get him into the cabin.”
“But what about us? What if we are found?”
I stood and stared down my father. I loved him, I did, but I didn’t particularly like him sometimes. “We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” I replied.
Papa threw his hands in the air and then crossed the clearing to help me.
We dragged Jed through the snow and back to the cabin where I had hidden my son and my father. Mistborn followed along behind us without any direction. Archer chattered away happily to the horse as if they were best friends. The horse didn’t seem to mind.
Chapter 1
Jed
I woke slowly. My head hurt. I couldn't remember what I’d done last night. I could only assume it was my bachelor party and I was now suffering the inevitable hangover.
I sensed, more than saw, someone moving about the room. It was still dark and I didn't know why I was awake or what had woken me.
"How are you feeling?" A soft voice asked.
I groaned. "I've felt better."
There was a soft chuckle and I smiled and then groaned again because it hurt my head.
"I had this awful dream," I said. "I dreamed that you were with Chase. It was awful. I even ran away from home."