The Arranged Marriage

The Arranged Marriage
Emma Darcy

Alex King is the eldest grandson of a prestigious family. It's his duty to expand the King empire - and he must also choose a bride and father a son! Gina Terlizzi already has a baby son - she's not looking for a husband! No matter how breathless the chemistry between them, she's simply a guest in Alex's home to attend a wedding - or is she the intended bride?

Dear Reader,

I have always been fascinated by the lives of pioneers—the men who were brave enough, strong enough, determined enough to take on a harsh, dangerous and alien land and forge a future for themselves and their families. To me such men are a very special breed.

Two years ago I wrote a trilogy about the KINGS OF THE OUTBACK from the Kimberly, a family who had become legendary in that vast expanse of Australia. Another part of Australia that tested the grit and endurance of pioneers is the tropical far north of Queensland. Instead of drought, they faced cyclones; instead of desert, almost impenetrable rainforest. Yet the land was cleared for profitable plantations—sugar cane, tea, tropical fruit.

I decided to marry one of the King men from the Kimberly to a remarkable Italian woman, Isabella Valeri, whose father had pioneered the far north. This trilogy is about their three grandsons—Alex, Tony and Matt, and the women they choose to partner them into their future.

These men are a very special breed. Nothing will stop them from winning what they want. I love reading about men like that. I hope you do, too.

With love

Award-winning Australian author Emma Darcy writes compelling, sexy, intensely emotional novels that have gripped the imagination of readers around the globe. She’s written an impressive 80 novels for Harlequin Presents

and sold nearly 60 million copies of her books worldwide.

We hope you enjoy Emma Darcy’s exciting new trilogy:

The King brothers must marry—can they claim the brides of their choice?

Alessandro, Antonio and Matteo are three gorgeous brothers and heirs to a plantation empire in the lush tropical north of Australia. Each must find a bride to continue the prestigious family line…but will they marry for duty, or love?

• THE ARRANGED MARRIAGE

• THE BRIDAL BARGAIN

• THE HONEYMOON CONTRACT

Don’t miss the KINGS OF AUSTRALIA!

The Arranged Marriage

Emma Darcy

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER ONE

ISABELLA VALERI KING eyed her niece by marriage, approving the strength she saw in Elizabeth’s face. This woman, considered to be the matriarch of the Kings of the Kimberley, understood what family was about—property, heritage, passed from generation to generation.

There had to be marriage.

There had to be children.

Elizabeth had three sons, all of them married this past year and two of them begetting children already. She could rest content. Not so Isabella. Of her three grandsons, only Alessandro was planning to marry, and it was not a marriage Isabella favoured.

The woman of his choice was not right for him.

But how to make him see?

How to change his mind?

The wedding date was set in December, after the sugarcane had been harvested. It was May now. Six months Isabella had to somehow show Alessandro that Michelle Banks would never settle happily into his life. She was selfish, that one. Selfish and self-centred. But very clever at wheedling her own way, undoubtedly using sex to seduce Alessandro into indulging her.

How long would that last into their marriage?

And a woman so fussy about preserving her figure…pregnancy would certainly not be attractive to her. Would she agree to have even one child, or would there be excuses, delays, outright refusal?

“This is a wonderful location, Isabella,” Elizabeth said admiringly, looking out over Dickinson Inlet to the cane fields on the other side.