The Duke's Boardroom Affair / Convenient Marriage, Inconvenient Husband: The Duke's Boardroom Affair

“You have nothing to worry about. They don’t bite.” He paused then added, “Much.”

She shot him a look.

He grinned and said, “I’m kidding. They’re looking forward to meeting you.” He jerked his head in the direction of the stairs. “Come on.”

She didn’t pitch a fit this time when Charles touched a hand to the small of her back to give her a gentle shove in the right direction. But he kept his hands to himself as he led her up the marble staircase to the second floor, gesturing to points of interest along the way. Family portraits dating back centuries, priceless heirlooms and gifts from foreign visitors and dignitaries.

It all sounded a bit rehearsed to her, but the truth was, as the family lawyer, he’d probably taken lots of people on a similar tour. Not just women he was hoping to impress. And it did take her mind off of her nerves.

“The family residence is this way,” he said, leading her toward a set of doors guarded by two very large, frightening-looking security officers. He gestured to the wing across the hall. “The guest suites are down that way.”

Feeling like an interloper, she followed him toward the residence. The guards stepped forward as they approached, and Victoria half-expected them to tackle her before she could make it through the doors. But instead they opened the doors and stepped aside so she and Charles could pass. Inside was a long, wide, quiet hallway and at least a dozen sets of double doors.

Behind one of those doors, she thought, waited the entire royal family. And what she hadn’t even considered until just now was that each and every one of them knew the dire financial situation she and her father had been in. For all she knew, they might believe she was responsible. She could only hope that Charles had told them the truth.

“Ready?” he asked.

Ready? How did one prepare herself for a moment like this? But she took a deep breath and blew it out, then looked up at Charles and said, “Let’s do it.”

Five

Victoria was tough, Charles would give her that.

Typically when people were introduced to members of the royal family, it was one or two at a time. Victoria was meeting King Phillip and Queen Hannah; Prince Ethan and his wife, Lizzy; and Princess Sophie and her fiancé, Alex, all at the same time.

Everyone was gathered in the sitting room of Hannah and Phillip’s suite, and they all rose from their seats when he and Victoria entered.

If she was nervous, it didn’t show. Her curtsy was flawless, and when she spoke her voice was clear and steady. It never failed to intrigue him how a woman so seemingly small and unassuming could dominate a room with sheer confidence. He could see that everyone was impressed. And though it was totally irrational, he felt proud of her. Hiring her had in no way been his idea. He had merely been following orders.

After the introductions and several minutes of polite small talk, an aide was called in to give Victoria a tour of the business offices and familiarize her with palace procedure.

“I like her,” Sophie said, the instant they were gone. It had been at her insistence that they had hired Victoria in the first place.

Charles nodded. “She’s very capable.”

“And attractive,” Ethan noted, which got him a playful elbow jab in the side from his very pregnant wife, Lizzy.

“Stunning,” Hannah added.

“Quite,” Charles agreed. “And she would have been an asset to the Royal Inn.”

“Would have been?” Phillip asked.

Sophie narrowed her eyes at Charles. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” He held both hands up defensively. “I swear.”

He explained Victoria’s outburst and admitted to showing her the file on the Houghton sale. “She seems to think we see her as some sort of charity case. She has no idea her expertise. Nor does she have the slightest clue how valuable she is. Had it not been for her, I think the Houghton would have collapsed years ago.”

“Then it will be up to you to see that she learns her value,” Phillip said.

Easier said than done when she was suspicious of his every move. “She’s stubborn as hell. But I’m sure I can convince her.”

“Stubborn as hell,” Alex said, glancing over at Princess Sophie. “She’ll fit right in, won’t she?”

Now she narrowed her eyes at him. “Is it so wrong that I don’t want my wedding to be a spectacle? That I prefer small and intimate?”

“You have other news for us?” Phillip asked Charles, forestalling another potential wedding argument.

Yes, it was time they got to it. Charles took a seat on the couch beside Sophie, rubbing his palms together.

“I gather the news isn’t good,” Ethan said.

“The DNA test confirmed it. She’s the real deal,” Charles told them. “Melissa Thornsby is your illegitimate sister and heir to the throne.”

“We have a sister,” Sophie said, as though trying out the sound of it. Phillip and Hannah remained quietly concerned.

“And here I believed I had the distinction of being the only illegitimate heir to the throne,” Ethan quipped, even though he was the one who had taken the time to investigate their father’s notorious reputation with women, and the possibility of more illegitimate children. But who could have imagined that King Frederick would have been so bold as to not only have an affair with the former prime minister’s wife but to father a child with her? And he never told a soul. Had Ethan not stumbled across a file of newspaper clippings King Frederick had left hidden after his death, they might never have learned the truth.

“She’s older than Phillip?” Lizzy asked.

“Twenty-three days,” Charles said.

Everyone exchanged worried glances, but Hannah broached the subject no one else seemed willing to speak aloud. “Could she take the crown?”

This was the part Charles hadn’t been looking forward to. “Technically? Yes, she could. Half Royal or not, she’s the oldest.”

Hannah frowned. “But she wasn’t even raised here.”

“She was born here, though. She’s still considered a citizen.”

In an uncustomary show of emotion, Phillip cursed under his breath. Losing the crown for him wouldn’t be an issue of status or power. Phillip truly loved his country and had devoted his entire life in the preparation to become its leader. To lose that would devastate him. “We’ll fight it,” he said.

“I don’t think it will come to that,” Charles said. “She doesn’t seem the type to take on the role as the leader of a country. Despite a first-rate education, other than heading up a host of charities, she’s never had a career.”

“As a proper princess wouldn’t,” Phillip said, sounding cautiously optimistic. “Meaning she could very well fit right in.”

“Would she be the type to go after our money?” Sophie asked.

Charles shook his head. “I seriously doubt it.”

“Why?”

“Because she has almost as much money as you do. She inherited a considerable trust from her parents on her twenty-first birthday, and her aunt and uncle left her a fortune. She’s at the top of the food chain in New Orleans high society.”

“How did she take the news?” Hannah asked.

“According to the attorney, it was definitely a shock, but she’s eager to meet everyone. So much so that she’s dropping everything so that she can move here. Temporarily at first. Then she’ll decide if she wants to stay.”