Crowned for the Prince's Heir

‘Like ours, you mean?’ she said.

‘I think you know the answer to that question,’ he answered lightly.

She stared down at the silk-covered bump of her belly before lifting her gaze to his again. ‘He wasn’t a good choice of partner. My stepfather was an extremely good-looking man who didn’t know the meaning of the word fidelity. He used to screw around with girls his own age—and every time he was unfaithful, it broke my mother just a little bit more.’

‘And that affected you?’

‘Of course it affected me!’ she hit back. ‘It affected me and my sister. There was always so much tension in the house! One never-ending drama. I used to get home from school and my mother would just be sitting there gazing out of the window, her face all red and blotchy from crying. I used to tidy up and cook tea for me and Britt, but all Mum cared about was whether or not he would come home that night. Only by then he’d also discovered the lure of gambling and the fact that she was weak enough to bankroll it for him, so it doesn’t take much imagination to work out what happened next.’

His dark lashes shuttered his eyes. ‘He worked his way through her money?’

Lisa stared at him, trying not to be affected by the understanding gleam in his eyes and the way they were burning into her. But she was affected.

‘Lisa? What happened? Did he leave you broke?’

She thought she could detect compassion in his voice, but she didn’t want it. Because what if she grew to like it and started relying on it? She might start wanting all those things which women longed for. Things like love and fidelity. Things which eluded them and ended up breaking their hearts. She forced herself to remember Luc’s own behaviour. The way he’d coldly left her in bed on the night their child had been conceived. The way he’d focussed only on the mark she’d left on his neck instead of the fact that he had used her. And that there was some poor princess waiting patiently in her palace for him to return to marry her. Kind Princess Sophie who had been generous enough to send them a wedding gift, despite everything which had happened.

So don’t let on that it was a stark lesson in how a man could ruin the life of the women around him. Let him think it was all about the money. He would understand that because he was a rich man and rich men were arrogant about their wealth. Lisa swallowed. He’d shown no scruples about buying out her business and exerting such powerful control over her life, had he? So tell him what he expects to hear. Make him think you’re a heartless bitch who only cares about the money.

‘Yeah,’ she said flippantly. ‘The ballet lessons had to stop and so did the winter holidays. I tell you, it was hell.’

She saw the answering tightening of his lips and knew her remark had hit home. And even though she told herself she didn’t care about his good opinion, it hurt to see the sudden distaste on his face. Quickly, she turned her head towards the window and looked out at the bright blue sea as they began their descent into Mardovia.

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘AND THIS,’ SAID LUC, ‘is Eleonora.’

Lisa nodded, trying to take it all in. The beautiful green island. The white and golden palace. The child kicking frantically beneath her heart. And now this beautiful woman who was staring at her with an expression of disbelief—as if she couldn’t quite believe who Luc had married.

‘Eleonora has been my aide for a number of years,’ Luc continued. ‘But I have now assigned her to look after you. Anything you want or need to know—just ask Eleonora. She’s the expert. She knows pretty much everything about Mardovia.’

Lisa tried to portray a calm she was far from feeling as she extended her hand in greeting. She felt alone and displaced. She was tired after the flight and her face felt sticky. She wanted to turn to her new husband and howl out her fears in a messy display of emotion which was not her usual style. She wanted to feel his strong arms wrapped protectively around her back, which would be the biggest mistake of all. So instead she just fixed a smile to her lips as she returned Eleonora’s cool gaze.

She wondered if she was imagining the unfriendly glint in the eyes of the beautiful aide. Did Eleonora realise that Lisa had been feeling completely out of her depth from the moment she’d arrived on the island and her attitude wasn’t helping? The aide was so terrifying elegant—with not a sleek black hair out of place and looking a picture of sophistication in a slim-fitting cream dress, which made Lisa feel like a barrel in comparison. Was she looking at her and wondering how such a pale-faced intruder had managed to become Princess of Mardovia? She glanced down at her bulky tum. It was pretty obvious how.

Lisa sucked in a deep breath. Maybe she was just being paranoid. After all, she couldn’t keep blaming Eleonora for not putting her in touch with Luc that time she’d telephoned. She hadn’t known Lisa was newly pregnant because Lisa hadn’t told her, had she? She’d only been doing her job, which was presumably to protect the Prince from disgruntled ex-lovers like her.

So she smiled as widely as she could. ‘It’s lovely to meet you, Eleonora,’ she said.

‘Likewise, Your Royal Highness,’ said Eleonora, her coral lips curving.

Luc glanced from one woman to the other. ‘Then I shall leave you both to become better acquainted.’ He turned towards Lisa. ‘I have a lot of catching up to do so I’ll see you at dinner. But for now I will leave you in Eleonora’s capable hands.’

Lisa nodded, because what could she say? Please don’t go. Stay with me and protect me from this woman with the unsmiling eyes. She and Luc didn’t have that kind of relationship, she reminded herself, and she was supposed to be an independent woman. So why this sudden paralysing fear which was making her feel positively clingy? Was it the see-sawing of her wretched hormones playing up again?

In silence Lisa watched him go, the sunlight glinting off his raven hair and the powerful set of his shoulders emphasising his proud bearing. Suddenly the room felt empty without him and the reality of her situation finally hit home. She was no longer ordinary Lisa Bailey, with a failing shop, a mortgage and a little sister who was being dominated by a feckless man. She was now a princess, married to a prince adored by all his people—and all the curtseying and bowing was something she was going to have to get used to.

And despite all her misgivings, she couldn’t help but be entranced by the sun-drenched island. During the drive to Luc’s palace, she had seen rainbows of wild flowers growing along the banks of the roads and beautiful trees she hadn’t recognised. They had passed through unspoiled villages where old men sat on benches and watched the world go by in scenes which had seemed as old as time itself. Yet as they had rounded a curve in one of the mountain roads she had looked down into a sparkling bay, where state-of-the-art white yachts had dazzled like toys in an oversized bathtub. It had been at that point that Lisa had realised that she was now wife to one of the most eligible men in the world.

‘You would like me to show you around the palace?’ questioned Eleonora in her faultless English.

Lisa nodded. What she would have liked most would have been for Luc to give her a guided tour around his palatial home, but maybe that was asking too much. She could hardly tell him she had no intention of behaving like a real wife and then expect him to play the role of devoted husband. And mightn’t it be a good idea to make an ally out of his devoted aide? To show a bit of genuine sisterhood? She smiled. ‘I should like that very much.’

‘You will find it confusing at first,’ said Eleonora, her patent court shoes clipping loudly on the marble floors as they set off down a long corridor. ‘People are always taken aback by the dimensions of the royal household.’

‘Were you?’ questioned Lisa as she peeped into a formal banqueting room where a vast table was adorned with golden plates and glittering crystal goblets. ‘A bit shell-shocked when you first came here?’

‘Me?’ Eleonora’s pace slowed and that coral-lipped smile appeared again. ‘Oh, no. Not at all. My father was an aide to Luc’s father and I grew up in one of the staff apartments on the other side of the complex. Why, the palace is the only home I’ve ever really known! I know every single nook and cranny of the place.’