The Accidental Prince

The Accidental Prince
Michelle Willingham

HIS RUNAWAY PRINCESS Princess Serena of Badenstein intends to flee – from her violent father and from the man to whom she’s been pledged in a political marriage of convenience. Karl von Lohenberg is without a country, a title – and a bride if he lets Serena get away.A ruthless man, he takes her to a secluded island, hell-bent on seduction. Only he discovers a broken woman behind the prim princess façade. The time they spend together mends her spirit and touches his soul, but how will she react to his deception?

‘I don’t believe for a moment that you have any interest in me.’

‘You’re wrong.’ He reached out and lowered her hood, brushing his fingertips against her damp cheek. In her eyes he saw the startled shock. ‘I find you very interesting indeed, Princess.’

He could see from the look on her face that she wasn’t at all looking forward to their union. ‘Our marriage can be more than political.’

She turned her face to the window, the melancholy sinking in. ‘Sometimes I wish I could live like an ordinary woman, just for a few days. Free to make my own decisions.’ Her voice held a note of misery, as though she believed herself a prisoner.

‘Is it such a hardship, wearing diamonds and silks?’

‘Sometimes,’ she admitted. She stared outside the coach and said, ‘This isn’t the way to my grandfather’s lodge.’

‘We can’t go there,’ he admitted. ‘If we do, they’ll find you within a few hours.’

Her face paled. ‘Then you really are abducting me?’

‘Yes.’ He made no apology for his actions. ‘You’ll still have your holiday away from the palace,’ he reassured her. ‘And I’ll bring you back within a week.’

As my wife.

About the Author

MICHELLE WILLINGHAM grew up living in places all over the world, including Germany, England, and Thailand. When her parents hauled her to antiques shows in manor houses and castles Michelle entertained herself by making up stories and pondering whether she could afford a broadsword with her allowance. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, with a degree in English, and received her master’s degree in Education from George Mason University. Currently she teaches American History and English. She lives in south-eastern Virginia with her husband and children. She still doesn’t have her broadsword.

Visit her website at www.michellewillingham.com, or e-mail her at michelle@michellewillingham.com

Previous novels by this author: HER IRISH WARRIOR* (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) THE WARRIOR’S TOUCH* (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) HER WARRIOR KING* (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) HER WARRIOR SLAVE† (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) THE ACCIDENTAL COUNTESS†† (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) THE ACCIDENTAL PRINCESS†† (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) TAMING HER IRISH WARRIOR* (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) SURRENDER TO AN IRISH WARRIOR* (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) CLAIMED BY THE HIGHLAND WARRIOR** (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) SEDUCED BY THE HIGHLAND WARRIOR** (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) TEMPTED BY THE HIGHLAND WARRIOR** (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) WARRIORS IN WINTER

Available in Mills & Boon

HistoricalUndone!eBooks: THE VIKING’S FORBIDDEN LOVE-SLAVE THE WARRIOR’S FORBIDDEN VIRGIN AN ACCIDENTAL SEDUCTION†† (#ulink_372308a4-6567-5495-84ea-93514806de3d) INNOCENT IN THE HAREM PLEASURED BY THE VIKING CRAVING THE HIGHLANDER’S TOUCH

And in M&B: LIONHEART’S BRIDE (part of Royal Weddings Through the Ages)

* (#ulink_5b4898bf-0392-5648-b5c6-e10ace2f828e)The MacEgan Brothers† (#ulink_5b4898bf-0392-5648-b5c6-e10ace2f828e)prequel to The MacEgan Brothers mini-series ** (#ulink_5b4898bf-0392-5648-b5c6-e10ace2f828e)The MacKinloch Clan†† (#ulink_5b4898bf-0392-5648-b5c6-e10ace2f828e)linked by character

Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

AUTHOR NOTE

THE ACCIDENTAL PRINCE is a book I’ve wanted to write for a long time after completing THE ACCIDENTAL COUNTESS and THE ACCIDENTAL PRINCESS. Fürst Karl von Lohenberg was a character who intrigued me in THE ACCIDENTAL PRINCESS, and I wondered what he would do after losing the kingdom he’d been born to rule. He struck me as a fighter—a man who wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. And in this case he’s determined to marry a princess and reclaim his throne before anyone can stop him.

It’s no secret that I love fairytales, and all three books in this series have elements of classic stories such as Cinderella (THE ACCIDENTAL COUNTESS), and The Prince and the Pauper (THE ACCIDENTAL PRINCESS), and it seemed fitting to do a Cinderella reversal with THE ACCIDENTAL PRINCE. I had great fun with this book, and I hope you’ll enjoy how Karl and Serena fall in love as an ordinary man and woman.

Many thanks to my editor, Joanne Grant, and to Flo Nicoll for her help with this book. I always appreciate the work that goes into making a story stronger. Thanks also to my agent, Helen Breitwieser, for being such a wonderful supporter. I appreciate all of you so much.

Visit my website at www.michellewillingham.com for a full listing of all my books, excerpts, and behind-the-scenes details. You’re welcome to interact with me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/michellewillinghamfans or on Twitter at @michellewilling. I love to hear from readers, and you may e-mail me at michelle@michellewillingham.com or via mail at PO Box 2242 Poquoson, VA 23662 USA.

The Accidental

Prince

Michelle Willingham

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To Drew and James,

who will always be princes of their mother’s heart.

Chapter One

The outer borders of Lohenberg—1855

Karl von Lohenberg had always been a bastard. For twenty-five years, he’d merely thought it was a personality disorder rather than a reflection of his birth.

He’d been raised to believe he was a prince, the fürst, who would one day be king of Lohenberg. And only a fortnight ago, one word had stripped away his future: bastard.

His father had ordered him out of the palace, granting him land and a manor house near the borders, as if to say: hide him where he won’t cause any trouble.

Bitterness smouldered within him, at the way they’d turned their backs on him so quickly. Did they believe he was planning to kill or overthrow the true prince? Were the years of obedience and loyalty nothing to the king and queen? They treated him like a lighted fuse, leading to a keg of gunpowder.

Karl was stronger than that. He knew, well enough, that he’d never regain the throne of Lohenberg. It rightfully belonged to his half-brother Michael, and he wouldn’t blacken the royal family or his country with scandal, fighting for something that wasn’t his.

He’d given his life to his homeland, believing that one day he would be king, responsible for the lives of many. He liked being in command, and by God, he’d been good at it.

Fate might have picked him up by the collar and beaten him into a bloody mass, but he wasn’t about to slink quietly into the shadows to lick his wounds. This was his life, and he intended to live it on his own terms.

For there was another way to restore his position. Cold-hearted and villainous, yes, but it was a solution.

He simply had to marry a princess.

Karl reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter he’d received a few days ago like the shred of hope it represented. His betrothed, Princess Serena of Badenstein, was leaving the palace on an impromptu holiday to her grandfather’s hunting lodge in Hamburg. Alone. The letter from her sister Anna thanked him for his promise to accompany Serena as her protector.

At first, he hadn’t understood the letter. He’d made no such promise, since he’d known nothing about Serena’s plans. They hardly knew one another, for Karl had only met the princess twice in the six years they’d been betrothed. She was beautiful, with a heart-shaped face, dark blond hair, and green eyes that held years of unhappiness.

Not once had he seen her smile. When they’d first met, she’d eyed him with distrust and more than a little fear. He didn’t know what falsehoods her family had told her, but he wasn’t that bad. He wasn’t a man who caused small children to flee into hiding. Usually.

Why would the princess make a journey where her sister felt she needed protection? Wouldn’t she have her father’s guards and a hundred servants to keep her safe?

His instincts warned him that something was wrong with this so-called holiday. It was doubtful that Serena had invited him at all. More likely, the princess had lied to her sister, to appease her.

But Anna had turned the tables, letting Karl know that his bride was up to something. He didn’t doubt that Serena would carry out her plan of leaving the palace, but why was she planning to go alone? Was she running away? Or meeting someone else—a lover, perhaps?

Grimly, Karl folded the letter, his mind taking apart each possibility. It was too soon for anyone in Badenstein to know of his fallen status. At the time Anna had sent this letter, he’d still been the heir to the Lohenberg throne.