Читать книгу Royal Seducer / Bossman Billionaire - Kathie DeNosky - Страница 11

Within five minutes of meeting her, Chris suspected that he and Princess Melissa would get along quite well.

Though he typically preferred blondes, Melissa’s dark hair and eyes and her warm complexion were unexpectedly exotic and appealing. She was not only attractive and seemingly pleasant, but as had been suggested by King Phillip, she had a resilient personality and a sharp wit. Traits some might find undesirable, but a necessity for the type of arrangement they were considering.

He walked her over to his family to start the introductions. It had already been determined how everyone was to behave. It was imperative they make her feel welcome.

“Melissa, I would like to introduce you to my parents, the king and queen of Thomas Isle.”

Melissa curtsied and said, “It’s an honor, Your Majesties.”

His mother took her hand and said warmly, “The honor is ours, Melissa. We’re so happy that you could visit us.”

“I hope we find it mutually beneficial,” his father said, his tone serious.

“I’m certain we will,” Melissa answered with a warm smile.

The king cast Chris a sideways glance, one that conveyed the message don’t screw this up. Despite his past resistance when it came to the idea of settling down, even Chris couldn’t deny that an alliance with the royals of Morgan Isle would be a smart move. Politically and financially.

“Meet my brother and sisters,” Chris said, introducing them each in turn. “Prince Aaron Felix Gastel, and princesses Anne Charlotte Amalia and Louisa Josephine Elisabeth.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Melissa said. She shook each of their hands, and just as planned, they all greeted her warmly. Aaron was simply relieved that it was Chris in this position and not himself, though at thirty-one he should have been ready for the responsibility.

Louisa, the younger fraternal twin by five minutes, greeted Melissa with her usual bubbly enthusiasm. From the time that she was a small child, Louisa loved everyone, often to her own detriment. Her siblings had spent a good deal of time sheltering her from harm.

Anne was the older and more cautious twin. Too many times her trust had been betrayed by people she had mistakenly considered her friends. But even she put her best foot forward and welcomed Melissa warmly. She, like everyone else, knew how important it was that this visit go smoothly.

The introductions complete, Chris gestured to the maid who would tend to Melissa for the duration of her trip.

“Elise, would you please show our guest to her quarters?” Then he asked Melissa, “How much time do you need to settle in?”

“Not long,” she said, a light of excitement flashing in the dark depths of her eyes. “I’m anxious to see the gardens. They looked decadent from the air.”

“Then that’s where we’ll begin,” he told her. “Will an hour suffice?”

She nodded. “I’ll expect you in an hour.”

Elise stepped forward, curtsied, and said, “This way, Your Highness.”

When they disappeared inside the castle and out of earshot, and the staff was dismissed to resume their duties, everyone seemed to let out a collective breath of relief.

“I think that went quite well,” his mother said.

And from his father, “Have you discussed it with her?”

Chris refrained from rolling his eyes and struggled to keep the exasperation from his voice. “Of course not, Father. We’ve only just met.”

His mother shot her husband a sharp look. “Give it time, James.” Then she told Chris, “Take all the time you need, dear. A decision like this shouldn’t be rushed. But I do have to say, I think she’s lovely.”

“Although illegitimate,” the king reminded her.

“That’s hardly her fault,” she snapped back. “Besides, what family doesn’t have its share of scandal? And secrets.”

“Just some more than others,” Aaron quipped, receiving a stern look from the his mother.

“Well, I like her,” Louisa bubbled.

Anne shot her an exasperated look. “You like everyone.”

“Not everyone. But I really like Melissa, and I’m an excellent judge of character.”

Actually, Louisa was a rotten judge of character, but Chris hoped in this case she was right.

“We all have to remember to be on our best behavior,” their mother said firmly. “Make her feel welcome.” She took Chris’s hands in hers and gave them a squeeze. “I think this might be the one, dear.”

Though at first he had resisted, now Chris was inclined to agree.

He was quite sure already that Melissa would make a suitable wife.

“We need to talk,” Aaron said quietly to Chris as the rest of the family dispersed.

Chris nodded and followed his brother away from the castle, where they could speak in private. “Is there a problem?”

“There might be,” Aaron said, brow wrinkled with concern, which wasn’t at all like him. It took a lot to put a frown on his face.

“Something about Melissa?”

Aaron shook his head. “No, no, nothing like that. I had an urgent message from the foreman of the east fields, saying he needed to see me as soon as possible. So I drove down there this morning.”

The east fields, which made up close to a third of the royal family’s vast acreage, was used primarily to grow soy and housed the largest of their research and greenhouse facilities. “What did he want?”

“There’s some sort of disease causing a blight on the crops. A strain he doesn’t recognize.”

Due to the organic nature of their business, disease and insect infestations were at times a concern. “Is it treatable?”

“He’s tried several methods, but so far it appears resistant. He called in a botanist from the university who he believes will be able to help. But at the rate it’s spreading, we could lose half of the crop. Maybe more.”

Which would be unfortunate, but not a devastating loss. Unless it spread. “You say it’s confined to the east fields?”

“So far, yes.”

“And there have been no problems reported from local farmers?”

“None that I’ve heard.”

“Good. Lets try to keep it that way. The last thing we need right now is an epidemic. Or the fear of one.” Which could be just as damaging. The timing couldn’t be worse. “And we shouldn’t burden Father with this. Not until it’s absolutely necessary.”

“I’ll see that the situation is handled discreetly,” Aaron assured him. “Although if it begins to spread we’ll have no choice but to post a countrywide bulletin.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” This alliance with the royal family of Morgan Isle depended on a stable economy and strong leadership. Their father’s health issues were a closely guarded secret known only to the family and the king’s personal physician. And Chris intended to keep it that way. If he was to become king, sooner rather than later as the case might be, he needed a strong base on which to build.

“Try not to worry about it. Concentrate on your princess.” Aaron flashed Chris a sly grin. “Not that it will be much of a hardship. She’s very attractive.”

“And just think, once I’m married off, you’ll be next.”

Aaron snorted out a rueful laugh. “I wouldn’t hold your breath. Only the crown prince is required to marry and have an heir.”

“That won’t stop Mother from setting you up with every eligible female on the island.”

“She knows better.”

Chris laughed and said, “You keep telling yourself that. But mark my words, the instant I’m spoken for, you’ll be next.”

Aaron glared at him. “Don’t you have a princess to seduce?”

He did, and seduce her was exactly what he planned to do.

The interior of the castle was even more magnificent than the exterior.

As the maid led Melissa up to the room she would occupy for the duration of her visit, she took in with sheer wonder the high, ornately scribed ceilings and tall stained-glass windows, the authentic period furniture, magnificent tapestries and rich oriental rugs over gleaming polished wood and inlaid marble floors. On the walls hung amazing works of art, landscapes and portraits and even a few abstracts.

In New Orleans she’d seen many magnificent residences—her own estate had been highlighted in its share of newspaper and magazine articles—and the palace on Morgan Isle was the pinnacle of luxury and style. Yet none could compare to the grandeur of Sparrowfax Castle. Though she had anticipated a dark, dank atmosphere—it was after all built of stone and mortar—it was surprisingly bright and airy, her own room included.

While her things were unpacked, she took some time to change and freshen her makeup, then investigate her chamber. It wasn’t a terribly large room, maybe only a third the size of her suite at the palace. But what it lacked in size, it made up for in luxury. The furnishings were rich and traditional, authentic to the period and meticulously preserved.

The bathroom was enormous and updated with all the modern amenities, including a whirlpool tub and three-headed shower. The stall, she noticed, was big enough for two. And she was sure that as good as Chris looked in his clothes, he probably looked better out of them.

Don’t get ahead of yourself, Mel.

She unpacked her laptop, booted it up, and typed in her password, scanning for a wireless signal. Her family expected daily updates on her visit and trusted encrypted e-mails over a cellular line that could easily be intercepted. Not that Mel expected they would be doing espionage, but she supposed one could never be too careful.

She established a link and opened her e-mail program, addressing a note to Phillip. She wrote:

Arrived safely. Greeted warmly. Nothing to report yet.

A knock sounded at her door, so she hit Send and snapped her laptop shut. She crossed the room and opened the door.

Chris stood on the other side. He had changed out of his suit into dark slacks and a black silk dress shirt.

He looked delicious. Dark and sexy and a little mysterious.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said.

“Of course not.” She flashed him a warm smile, and noticed the way his eyes roamed slowly over her with no shame or hesitation, taking in the gauzy silk dress she had changed into. The deep, warm blue enhanced the gray of her eyes. She’d also let her hair down and brushed it out until it hung in rich, dark waves down her back.

She looked damned good, and it didn’t go unnoticed.

“You look lovely,” he said, heat flickering in the depths of his eyes like emerald flames. “How fortunate I am to have the privilege of spending the next two weeks with such a beautiful woman.”

His words made her feel weak in the knees, and she was tempted to say You’re not so shabby yourself. But she should at least play a little hard to get. Instead she batted her lashes and turned on the Southern charm. “You flatter me, Your Highness.”

He grinned like a sly, hungry wolf anticipating his next meal. And, oh, how she hoped he would sink those pearly whites into her.

“Is the room satisfactory?” he asked.

“Quite,” she said. “What I’ve seen of the castle is breathtaking.”

“Are you ready to see the gardens?”

More than he could imagine. “I’d love to.”

He offered his arm for her to take, and she slid hers through it. Again she felt that exciting little rush of awareness. That tingle of attraction. And she could tell by the heat in his gaze that he felt it, too.

He led her downstairs, gesturing to points of interest along the way. Family heirlooms that dated back hundreds of years, gifted to the royal family from friends and relatives and neighboring kingdoms. Melissa had so little left of her own family. After her mother and the man she’d known as her father had been killed, her aunt and uncle had seen that all of their possessions had been auctioned off and the proceeds put in a trust. But Mel would have preferred their possessions, something to remember them by, more than all the money in the world.

She didn’t even have the albums of photographs and scrapbooks her mother had meticulously kept. They had probably been tossed in the trash, deemed useless. The only reminder Melissa had of her parents was a single 4x6 snapshot of the three of them taken only weeks before their accident.

“It must be wonderful to be so connected to your family,” she said. “To be so close.”

He shrugged. “It all depends on how you look at it, I suppose.”

“Well, it looks pretty good to me.” She had hoped to rediscover that closeness, that sense of continuity with her half siblings, yet something was missing. Though they made an effort to include her, she still felt like an outsider. And maybe she always would.

She was the oldest, and illegitimate or not, technically, she had a rightful claim to the crown. But despite signing documents swearing that she would never challenge Phillip’s position as ruler, she didn’t think they were ready to trust her. Maybe someday.

Then again, maybe not.

Chris led her through an enormous great room and out a rear door onto a slate patio bordered by a meticulously tended perennial garden so alive with color its beauty made her gasp.

“It’s amazing,” she said. On the patio sat a variety of chairs, chaise longues and wrought-iron tables. She could just imagine herself out there in the morning, drinking coffee, or lounging in the afternoon, reading a book. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty tang of ocean air, could hear the waves in the distance, lapping against the rocky bluff.

It felt like paradise.

“Do you spend much time out here?” she asked him.

He shook his head. “It’s mostly used for entertaining. Although you might occasionally find Louisa out here practicing yoga.”

If she lived in the castle, Melissa would be out here every day, weather permitting. Although that was easy to say. She hadn’t spent nearly as much time as she would have liked in her gardens at her New Orleans estate. There always seemed to be more pressing business that needed tending.

“Can we walk to the bluff?” she asked.

“Of course.” He offered his arm and they walked down a twisting sandstone path that wound its way through the gardens. His knowledge of the different varieties of flowers and shrubs impressed her, as did the steady strength of his arm, and his solid presence beside her.

She’d never been what one would consider a fading flower, she could hold her own in almost any given situation, but even she liked to be pampered every now and then.

“Can I ask you a personal question, Melissa?”

She didn’t have to wait for the question to know what was on his mind. She could hear it in his tone, see the curiosity in his eyes.

She’d been getting that same look from many people lately.

“Let me guess. You’re wondering if it was a shock to learn that I was an illegitimate royal?”

He grinned. “Something like that.”

Her illegitimacy wasn’t something Melissa tried to hide, or felt she should be ashamed of. After all, how could she be responsible for the actions of a mother she’d lost twenty-three years ago, and a father she had never even known? Nor was she shy about discussing it. Why attempt to hide something everyone already knew? It would only sit like the proverbial elephant in the room. She was who she was, and people either accepted her or they didn’t. Loved her or hated her.

“I felt as though I’d been caught up in some surreal sequel to The Princess Diaries,” she said.

His eyes crinkled with confusion. “Princess Diaries ?”

“Suffice it to say, I was flabbergasted. I had no idea that I wasn’t my father’s daughter.”

“Did it upset you that your parents never told you the truth?”

“On some level. But honestly, I have little room to complain. If my father knew I wasn’t his, he never let it show. I had an extremely happy childhood. And my real father…well, I honestly think he did me a favor by staying out of my life. Although after my parents died it would have been nice if he’d claimed me. But I understand why he didn’t.”

“Life after your parents passed away wasn’t so happy?”

The directness of his question surprised her a bit. Most people tiptoed around the subject of her parents’ deaths. It seemed almost as though he was testing her. Seeing how tough she was.

“To quote Nietzsche,” she said “‘That which does not kill me makes me stronger.’”

Chris smiled. “I believe he also said, ‘No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself’.”

And she did own herself. Despite everything that had happened, she was in control of her own life. Her own destiny. And she intended to keep it that way.

The path ended and the gardens opened up to a rocky bluff that seemed to stretch for miles in either direction. Over its edge was nothing but cloudless sky and calm blue ocean, and farther in the distance, the coast of Morgan Isle. Fishing boats dotted the expanse that lay between the two islands, and closer to the Morgan Isle shore she could just make out the luxury craft common to the tourist trade.

She toed closer to the edge and peeked over the side, to the jagged rocks below. It was a long way down. At least three or four stories, with no discernible beach that she could make out in either direction. She looked back at Chris. “Is there a path down?”

He shook his head. “Not for miles. It’s a straight drop down to the water. Tactically speaking, it was the perfect place for my ancestors to build the castle. Invading forces would have been forced to dock their ships miles down the coast.”

She leaned farther over, trying to see the sharp incline of the cliff wall.

“Be careful,” he said, concern in his voice.

“I’m always careful.” At least, almost always.

“Not afraid of heights, I guess.”

She shrugged and backed away from the edge. “Not afraid of anything, really.”

He regarded her curiously. “Everyone is afraid of something.”

She though about it for a moment, then said, “Centipedes.”

He grinned. “Centipedes?”

“All those legs.” She shuddered. “They give me a serious case of the creeps.”

“Well, then, you have nothing to fear here,” he said, offering his arm and leading her back toward the castle. “We don’t see many centipedes.”

There was one other thing she feared. Feared it more than a stampede of creepy centipedes.

She was afraid she might fall for Prince Christian. Then get her heart broken as she had so many times before.