The Royal Wager: Persuading the Playboy King / Unmasking the Maverick Prince / Daring the Dynamic Sheikh

Kate strolled around the room for a moment before facing him again. “She wanted to know if you received her gift, the one with blue eyes and blond hair. She had it delivered to the palace. So I suppose you could say the mystery of Cecile’s mother is solved.”

At first Marc was perplexed, until he realized what Elsa had been referring to. He couldn’t stop the chuckle, not a good thing to do considering the acid look Kate sent him. If her eyes were dueling pistols, he’d be a dead man.

Marc pushed away from the door, crossed the room and reached behind the armoire to retrieve the “gift” in hopes of clearing up this whole misunderstanding.

Grabbing the edge of the frame, he withdrew the photograph and presented it to Kate. “This is Elsa’s gift. An eleven-by-fourteen glossy from her recent photo shoot. You will note that she has blond hair and blue eyes.” And practically no clothes on aside from a skimpy swimsuit.

Kate took the picture from him and stared at it for a time before bringing her gaze back to Marc. “She considers this a gift?”

“Elsa considers herself a gift to all mankind.” He took the photo back and hid it away again behind the armoire before returning to Kate, maintaining some distance even though he wanted to kiss away her doubts. “She thought I would be interested enough to keep it as a reminder of our brief association. She was mistaken. I’ve meant to have Nicholas discard it, but I’ve not had the time with everything that’s been happening of late.”

“But you don’t deny you were lovers.”

“No, I cannot deny that.” He also couldn’t deny the jealousy in Kate’s tone, nor could he deny that on some level that pleased him.

She narrowed her eyes. “And there’s no way she could be Cecile’s mother?”

“There is as much chance of Elsa being a mother as there is a chance that her breasts are real.”

A hint of a smile teased at Kate’s full lips, but it didn’t quite form. “How can you be so sure?”

He offered his own smile, hoping to lighten the mood. “I happen to know when a woman has natural attributes.”

She frowned. “I meant about her not being Cecile’s mother.”

So much for his attempt at humor. “If Elsa had been pregnant, she would not have abandoned the baby. That much I know.”

“Then she’s not just another pretty ego?”

“Elsa is very self-absorbed and she would not risk an end to her modeling career with an unplanned pregnancy. She made it quite clear she never wanted any children. And if by some chance she’d chosen to have a baby, she would have turned it into a publicity campaign, especially if that baby were mine.”

Kate remained silent for a few moments as if attempting to digest the information. “Okay, I guess I believe you.”

She might as well have slapped him. “You guess? Have I not given you enough proof?”

“You’ve provided proof that Elsa probably isn’t Cecile’s mother. But I have the proof that odds are Cecile is either yours or Philippe’s child.”

As he’d suspected. “Then she has our blood type.”

“Yes. I confirmed the results with Dr. Martine.”

He saw mistrust in Kate’s eyes, and he hated that. “You must believe me when I tell you that Elsa was the last woman in my life for well over a year, and I have exercised the greatest care. The baby is not mine.”

“It doesn’t really matter what I believe.”

“It does to me.”

“Why?”

A difficult question, and one he had avoided asking himself. “Because you’re a very special person, Kate. I need you to trust me. I know that you hold the truth in very high esteem.”

Kate’s gaze faltered. “I’m not beyond telling a lie, Marc. In fact, I told one today. A big one.”

“You’ve lied to me?”

“Not you. Renault. When he came into the exam room, he started asking questions. I told him Cecile is my daughter.”

He could not have asked for a better plan. “That’s brilliant, Kate.”

“It is?”

“Yes. Perhaps now there won’t be any speculation in terms of Cecile’s parentage until someone comes forward with the truth.”

“If someone comes forward.”

Marc did not foresee that happening, at least not soon. It would be up to him to clear his name. “I doubt that will be the case, but it’s still imperative that we find out who the mother is. Chances are, my perfect brother was not so perfect after all.”

She sent him a severe look. “Are you doing this for Cecile or for yourself? Do you want to prove that Philippe wasn’t as innocent as he seemed? And if you do that, how will it affect your family?”

Kate’s honesty threw Marc mentally off balance. He hadn’t considered how the truth might affect his mother if they proved Philippe was Cecile’s father. “I need to put this issue to bed once and for all, for everyone’s sake. How I’ll handle the rest remains to be seen. First, I must attempt to find out the mother’s identity.”

“And how do you propose to do that?”

He had no right to ask, but Kate was his only hope. “With your help.”

“My help?”

“I’m only asking that you keep your ears open for any gossip. Perhaps search the hospital’s records for any mysterious woman who gave birth six to eight months ago. The staff in the palace might be forthcoming with information about my brother since you’re—”

“A commoner.”

“Yes, in a manner of speaking.”

“Then you’re asking me to do a little investigating in my spare time.”

“Only if you feel comfortable in doing so.”

“As long as we’ve absolutely ruled out your lover.”

He took a step forward. “Former lover. It’s over between us, Kate.”

She slowly ran a fingertip along the edge of the desk, fueling Marc’s all-consuming desire for her. “Obviously you still have something she wants.”

“She wants attention and not necessarily only from me.”

Kate leaned back against the desk, using her arms as a brace, thrusting her breasts forward, driving Marc to distraction. “Are you sure about that? She’s very vocal about your skills as a lover. So are you, Marc?”

A fool? A man too weak to resist her charms? “Am I what?”