Romancing The Crown: Lorenzo and Anna: The Man Who Would Be King / The Princess And The Mercenary

“Wait! You don’t understand. I have information about Prince Lucas.”

His jaw set, he didn’t so much as spare her a glance. “Yeah, right. Let me see if I can guess. You found him waiting tables in L.A., and for the right price, you’ll tell King Marcus where he is. Save your breath, sweetheart. I’ve heard it all before. The king gets a hundred letters a week from people just like you. I don’t know how you all live with yourself. Don’t you have any conscience?”

“Of course I do,” she retorted, stung. But heat burned her cheeks and deep inside, she had to wonder if he was right. The king and queen had lost a son, and though she had come to give them news they longed to hear, she also wanted an exclusive when they learned he was alive. So how was she any different from the con men trying to cash in on the Sebastianis’ grief?

Uncomfortable with the question, she reminded herself that she wasn’t trying to extort money from the king or keep his son’s whereabouts from him. Of course she wanted the story, but she had that already. At this point, she was just doing the right thing and bringing the king news of his son. “Look, I know how this must look, but I’m serious. I have vital information—”

“And I’m the tooth fairy,” he retorted. “Put that in your paper and smoke it. It’s probably one of those scandal rags, anyway.”

That was the wrong thing to say. Stopping abruptly, she jerked free of his grasp and drew herself up to her full five foot seven inches and gave him a narrow-eyed look that should have reduced him to the size of an ant. “For your information, I wouldn’t be caught dead writing that kind of trash, so I’d appreciate it if you’d keep a civil tongue in your mouth.”

She’d caught him off guard, and for a moment, he had the grace to look embarrassed. But then he obviously realized that he’d just been brought to task by a reporter, of all things. “That was good,” he told her dryly. “For a moment there, I actually forgot that you broke in here.”

“I didn’t break in. The door was unlocked—”

“So you thought you’d just walk right in,” he finished for her. “I wonder how you’d feel if I did the same at your house.”

“Dammit, I just need to talk to the king!”

“Not a chance,” he growled, and grabbed her arm again.

Indignant, she tried to jerk free, but this time, the duke had a firmer grip, and there was no escaping him. Still, she had to try. Struggling, uncaring that she’d probably have bruises on her arms tomorrow, she cried, “You’re the most irritating man. I don’t know why I ever thought you were charming.”

Before she could say another word, they were interrupted by a servant, who hurried forward with a worried frown. “Is there a problem, Your Grace?”

“As a matter of fact, there is,” he said flatly. “Show this lady to the door, will you, Rudolpho? She’s a reporter. And make sure she doesn’t get back in.”

“Of course,” the older man replied, and took Eliza’s arm in a grip that was surprisingly firm.

“No! Wait! At least talk to the king for me,” she called after the duke, but it was too late. Without sparing her a glance, he turned and walked away.

Chapter 2

“Please don’t give me any trouble, Miss,” the servant said quietly. “I don’t want to call a guard.”

Trapped, Eliza considered her options. Old enough to be her grandfather, Rudolpho seemed a gentle soul, but she knew better than to mistake him for a soft touch. The duke wouldn’t have turned her over to him if he hadn’t felt he could trust the old man to throw her out. And that could only mean one thing. She had to talk fast.

“I know you’re only doing your job, Mr. Rudolpho—”

“Sabina,” he interjected with a half smile as she fell into step beside him. “The name is Rudolpho Sabina. I’m the king’s personal servant.”

“And not easily snowed, I’ll bet,” she replied solemnly.

His lips twitched, but he only said, “No, Miss, I’m not.”

That made it more difficult. Falling back on the truth and praying it didn’t let her down, she said earnestly, “Then I hope you’ll believe me when I tell you I didn’t fly all the way from America just to get a scoop on the king’s announcement.I didn’t even know he planned to name a new heir today. If I had, I would have tried to call to convince him he doesn’t need to do this. You have to believe me, Mr. Sabina. That’s why I’m here. I have news of the prince.”

For a minute, she thought he was going to listen to her. He hesitated, but just when she began to hope that he would help her, he continued his pace steadily toward the nearest exit. “You seem like an intelligent woman,” he said quietly. “I’m sure you must realize that over the course of the past year, the king has been hounded by dozens of fortune hunters who claimed they’d found the prince. None of them could produce him. Can you?”

Just that easily, he had her neatly cornered. “No,” she sighed in defeat. “No, not yet. But I’m sure I’ll be able to with time.”

“The world is full of people who might be able to do that, Ms. Windmere. That’s not a good enough reason to see the king.”

His decision made, they reached an exit then, but before he could show her out, they were joined by a woman who hurried toward them with a frown, scolding Rudolpho all the while. “Rudy, thank God! I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been? The king is about to greet his guests—”

“Oh, please, you must stop him!” Eliza said quickly, interrupting. “There is no need for him to announce a new heir. Prince Lucas is still alive! I have proof!”

“She’s a reporter, Josie,” Rudy said when his wife gasped. “She broke in—”

“Because the guard at the gate wouldn’t let me in. I was desperate.”

Josie Sabina, to her credit, didn’t dismiss her out of hand. “Well, I suppose I might do the same thing if I was desperate,”she said with a slight smile. Studying her speculatively, she suddenly held out her hand and introduced herself. “I’m Rudy’s wife, Josie. And you’re…?”

“Eliza Windmere.” Sensing a kindred spirit, she took her hand with a sigh of relief. “It’s very important that I talk to the king, Mrs. Sabina. His son wasn’t killed in the plane crash. I live in Colorado. I wouldn’t have flown halfway around the world for a hoax. I’m not that kind of person. I really do have proof.”

When Josie glanced at her husband for guidance, Eliza felt her heart sink. This was her last chance. If Josie didn’t help her, she was going to be tossed out on her ear, and she could forget getting a message to the king. Duke Lorenzo would spread the word that she was a crazy American reporter and nothing she said would be taken seriously.

“Duke Lorenzo said to show her out,” Rudy told his wife. “I’m just following orders.”

That was her clue to do the same, but just when Eliza felt sure Josie was going to tell her she couldn’t help her, the older woman hesitated. “If there’s the slightest chance the prince is alive, you know I have to tell the queen, Rudy,” she told her husband finally. “She would want to know.”

“But what if this is nothing but a scam?” he argued. “The king won’t be happy that you upset the queen for nothing.”

“That’s a risk I’ll have to take,” she said simply. “If the prince was my son and there was the slightest chance he was alive, I would want to know.”

Put that way, Rudy knew when he was beaten. “All right,” he sighed. “We’ll wait here for you.”

Thrilled, Eliza wanted to hug them both. Finally, someone was listening to her! Now, if only the queen would! Sending up a silent prayer as Josie rushed off to talk to her, she waited with Rudy and tried not to be concerned when one minute turned into two, then three, then ten. It wasn’t easy. She didn’t like letting other people speak for her, and her too-active imagination was jumping to all sorts of conclusions, none of them good. What was taking so long?

Impatient, worry eating at her stomach, she would have gone looking for Josie and the queen if Rudy hadn’t been watching her like a hawk. And he obviously knew that. Standing nearby, he had the patient look of a man who had no intention of letting her out of his sight, even if that meant watching her for the rest of the day.

Trapped and hating it, she was looking around for a way to distract him so she could slip away when she spied Josie quickly approaching from the far end of the hall. Her heart in her throat, she stepped toward her. “Well? Will she see me?”

“You have ten minutes,” she replied solemnly, only to laugh when Eliza pulled her into a hug. Patting her, she smiled. “Come. You don’t have any time to waste.”

With Josie now as her escort, they made their way through a maze of corridors before they finally reached a small solarium at the back of the house. Stopping outside the elegantly panelled double doors, Josie gave her a quick lesson in royal etiquette.

“You wait for the queen to speak first, and you curtsy when you are introduced. And don’t worry. The queen isn’t a stickler for such things, but it is the polite thing to do, and she will appreciate it.” Amusement glinting in her dark eyes, she added, “Smooth your hair, dear. That’s it. Ready?”

No! Eliza almost cried. She was about to meet the queen of Montebello. Of course, she wasn’t ready! Too late, she realized she should have taken time to freshen her makeup and clothes at the airport before rushing to the palace, but there was no time for that now. The queen was waiting and the clock was ticking.

Drawing in a calming breath, she nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Without a word, Josie knocked lightly on the door and pulled it open. A heartbeat later, she found herself ushered into a beautiful room with pale green walls, mosaic floors and the most gorgeous plants and flowers Eliza had ever seen. And there waiting for her was not only Queen Gwendolyn, but King Marcus, as well.

Her heart pounding crazily in her breast, Eliza told herself there was no reason to be nervous. They weren’t ogres. In fact, according to all accounts, they were amazingly friendly and down to earth, considering they lived in a palace. And even though Eliza had never met them, she’d written about them and their children and extended family so much over the years that she almost felt like she knew them.

But even as she went over all the reasons why she should be perfectly at ease in the presence of royalty, she curtsied awkwardly before Josie had a chance to announce her. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, blushing as red as her hair. “I was supposed to wait until I was introduced—and you spoke first.”