A Royal Engagement: The Young Royals Book 1 (36 page)

Acknowledgements

This book was a very different one for me to write.
 
Merveille is a completely made up place, pulled completely from my romantic dreams of places I wish I could visit.
 
I have always loved stories about Princesses and their fairytale castles and it was like a little fantasy to write one myself.

With each book I write, I try to push myself further and I could only do this with the support of my husband, sons and friends.
 
My husband is such a big encouragement to me and I love being able to discuss plot points with him and ask his opinion when I write myself into a corner.
 
My sons, although they rib me about writing romance, love that I am following my dream and I hope that I am teaching them by example.
 
And of course no one could do this without friends to bounce ideas off and debate the finer points of male body types.
 
Thanks to Kathryn, as always, for her faithful beta reading and spell checking and to my ARC group.

And, of course, thank you to you, my readers, without you this would all be for nothing.

About the Author

Emma Lea is a business owner, artist, cook, mother and wife.
 
She lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia with her wonderful husband, two beautiful sons, her dog and cat (both of which are female because, hey, we needed to balance all that testosterone!)

She is a ferocious reader with eclectic tastes and has always wanted to write, but
 
never had the opportunity due to one reason or another (excuses, really) until finally taking the bullet between her teeth in 2014 and just making herself do it.

She loves to write stories with heart and a message and believes in strong female characters who do not necessarily have to be aggressive to show their strength.

Connect with Emma Lea via her website (
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A Royal Entanglement

The Young Royals Book 2

By Emma Lea

On the day of the new Queen's coronation, a man from Lady Alexandra's past turns up unannounced in Merveille.
 
Lord Frederic intercepts him and discovers that Alex had left this man at the altar six months ago and now he was here to claim her.

The last thing Freddie wants is to get entangled with a woman.
 
He liked to keep his options open, but now that he had returned to Merveille for good, his mother was trying her damnedest to get him married off and producing the next Bingham heir.
 
When Alex asks for his help, he is only too eager to help her and maybe get his mother off his back in the process.

Alex hadn't told anyone the real reason she left everything she had worked so hard for in the States to return to Merveille and take up the position of Queen Alyssa's personal assistant.
 
But now the main reason for her flight from the US as turned up on the palace's doorstep and she is backed into a corner.
 
The only person that she can think of to help her is Freddie, but she worries that getting too close to him might just do more harm than good.

Chapter One

Frederic

I stood in the doorway and watched the American pace.  He looked like hell.  His suit, although expensive, was rumpled and his hair looked like he'd been running his hands through it constantly.  He needed a shave and probably a few hours sleep.  A couple of fingers of brandy probably wouldn't go astray either.
 

This was the man Alexandra had been going to marry? I couldn't really imagine her with him, okay that was a lie, I could, I just didn't like the image.  Alexandra had that straight laced, conservative look about her and I had no doubt that when she stood beside this man they would look like the perfect couple.  But I had recognised something else in Alexandra that most people probably didn't see, there was a touch of wild in her.
 

I smiled at the thought of telling her that.  She would deny it and she would get that cute little crease between her eyebrows that I itched to smooth away.  She would deny it, protest that she was anything but wild, but I knew better.  She may have hidden it deep, but it was there and I knew I could bring it out of her.
 

And I really wanted to bring it out of her.
 

But that little project would have to wait.  The Coronation was today and Alexandra was swamped with all of her responsibilities.  The last thing she needed right now was that man in there turning up to claim his runaway bride.  
 

And why the hell had it taken him six months to come and find her anyway?  If the guy was so broken up about her leaving him at the altar, why hadn't he come sooner?  Well, there was only one way to find out.
 

I stepped into the room and the man immediately stopped his pacing, turning to look at me with narrowed eyes.
 

"Who're you?" he asked with a sneer.
 

"Lord Frederic Bingham, Earl of Avonlea and you are?" I stepped forward, not offering my hand and mustering all of the haughty, high handedness that I could channel from my parents and my upbringing in the royal court.
 

"Bradley Corsair," he replied, "Am I supposed to bow to you or something?"
 

I laugh, "No, of course not.  I do have a few questions for you though," I said stepping closer, "Why don't you take a seat."
 

"I'd rather speak to Alex," he said, still standing.
 

I smiled sympathetically at him, "I'm afraid that isn't going to be possible, especially not today."
 

Bradley sat heavily on the antique settee.  He wasn't a big man, but he was solid and he seemed to take reasonable care of himself, his jet lag not withstanding.
 

"How was it that you managed to get onto the palace grounds?" I asked knowing that both Von Bartham and Benjamin would have a fit knowing that he had gotten past security.
 

"I followed a crowd of Press in," he replied without thinking.
 

"They didn't check your identification?" I asked, annoyed that after the recent troubles with security in the palace that it had been so relatively easy.
 

He shrugged, "There was a bit of a crush and I kept to the middle of the pack."
 

I nodded.  "Do you know what is happening today?" I asked.
 

"Uh," he looked around the room to get some kind of clue as to why a crush of Press would be entering the palace grounds en mass.  "Not really, no," he replied, "I really just needed to find Alex."
 

I studied the man before me.  He did look rather distraught, but not exactly heartbroken.  There was something else that was making him edgy, nervous and I really didn't think it had anything to do with Alexandra.
 

"Do you know what Lady Alexandra does here in the palace?" I asked.
 

"Um, some sort of secretary?  That's what she was back home, anyway."
 

I had to hold back the snort of disgust that threatened to escape.  Alexandra was so much more than a secretary, even before she had become the Queen's personal assistant.
 

"Her role here is a little bit more than that," I replied, picking at imaginary lint on my pants.  Alexandra was probably in panic mode right now wondering where I was, but I needed to get this matter put to bed before this buffoon started stomping through the castle and making demands.  "Which is why you won't be able to see her today.  I'm sure we can find you some comfortable accommodation and set up a meeting in the next couple of days."
 

"No," he replied standing, a wild look in his eyes, "I need to see her today, now."
 

"I'm afraid that's simply not possible," I replied calmly, staying seated and not reacting to his spike of anxiety.
 

"Why the hell not?" His voice had risen and he had resumed his pacing.
 

"Returning to my earlier question Mr Corsair, do you have any idea what today is?"
 

"I told you already," he said turning to me, "I have no idea what today is."
 

"And you have no idea what Lady Alexandra does here in the palace?"
 

"No, I do not."
 

I stood with a sigh and an apologetic look on my face, "Today is the coronation of our new Queen," I said, "And the reason you cannot see Lady Alexandra is because she is the Queen's personal assistant and will be a little too busy today to deal with you."
 

He sat with a thud back onto the settee and I winced with the impact on such a delicate piece of furniture.
 

"I suggest you take me up on my offer of accommodation and a meeting at a later date."
 

He looked up at me, "There is no accommodation," he said, "I've checked."
 

I just smiled, "Leave it to me," I said, summoning one of the hovering palace staff.
 

"Find Dayne and ask him to organise somewhere for Mr Corsair to stay." Dayne was my own personal assistant and the man was a whiz at getting things done, "And maybe notify Benjamin to have someone escort Mr Corsair to his lodgings." I hated to do it to the Queen's personal security team leader, but he needed to be apprised of the situation.  I turned back to Bradley Corsair.
 

"Now, if you will excuse me," I said making a show of looking down at my watch, "I have somewhere I need to be.  Dayne will be here any moment to get you settled and I will contact you tomorrow about setting up an appointment to meet with Lady Alexandra."
 

I didn't wait for his nod before I left the room.  I was already late and Alexandra would be in a fit, but that was nothing to what she would be when she found out about her visitor.
 

Alexandra

I froze as I felt the heat of him on my back.  I knew who it was, how could I not?  I had been obsessing over the man for the last six months despite trying to deny it.  He had gotten under my skin from the very first meeting and, try as I might, there was no way for me to shake him.  And he seemed to know it.
 

"We need to talk," he whispered in my ear and I only just controlled the full body shiver that threatened to rattle through me.  His warm breath on my ear, his scent, his body so close to mine that if I leant back, just a little, I would be pressing up against his firm chest.
 

I cleared my throat, trying to get my vocal cords to work.
 

"I'm a little busy right now," I managed to squeak out.
 

"Tonight," he said, "As soon as you can get away."
 

"I hardly think it is appropriate..." I trailed off, my mind wandering to places that they shouldn't especially when I was in the middle of a coronation.
 

"You're going to want to talk to me," he whispered, leaning closer, his hand brushing my shoulder lightly, his lips skimming the shell of my ear.