Royals: Chosen By The Prince: The Prince's Waitress Wife / Becoming the Prince's Wife / To Dance with a Prince

He loved his country so much that he’d marry a woman he didn’t love because the people expected it.

Holly glanced at the sun-baked pavements and then at the perfect blue sky. ‘It’s beautiful here,’ she agreed. ‘When I looked out of the window this morning, the first thing I saw was the sea. It felt like being on holiday.’

‘You looked very pale during the service.’ His eyes lingered on her face. ‘You were on your feet for a long time. I was worried that you might keel over.’

‘And presumably a prostrate bride wouldn’t have done anything for your public image,’ she said lightly. ‘I was fine.’

‘I’m reliably informed that the early weeks of pregnancy are often the most exhausting.’

He’d talked to someone about her pregnancy? Her heart lurched, and it suddenly occurred to her just how little she knew about his life here. Had he been talking to a woman? She was aware that his name had been linked with a number of European beauties. Was he…?

‘No,’ he drawled. ‘I wasn’t.’

Her eyes widened. ‘I didn’t say anything—’

‘But you were thinking it,’ he said dryly. ‘And the answer is no, my conversation wasn’t with a lover. It was with a doctor.’

‘Oh.’ She blushed scarlet, mortified that her thoughts had been so transparent, but filled with unimaginable relief that he hadn’t asked another woman. ‘When did you speak to a doctor?’

‘While you were at Foxcourt Manor, I interviewed a handful of the top European obstetricians. It’s important that you feel comfortable with your doctor. After all, you’re not good with detached and cold, are you?’ He gave a faint smile as he alluded to their previous conversation, and Holly was so touched that for a moment she forgot the presence of the cheering, waving crowd.

‘You did that for me?’

‘I don’t want you upset.’

‘That was incredibly thoughtful.’ She wanted to ask whether he’d really done it for her or the baby, but decided that it didn’t matter. The fact that he’d noticed that much about her personality was encouraging.

‘You’re stunning,’ he murmured, his gaze lingering on her glossy mouth and dropping to the demure neckline of her dress. ‘The perfect bride. And you’ve coped with the crowd really well. I’m proud of you.’

‘Really?’ Deciding not to mention the fact that she found him far more intimidating than any crowd, Holly relaxed for the first time in what felt like an eternity. She felt drugged by happiness and weak with relief at the change in him.

He was unusually attentive and much more approachable.

Perhaps, she mused silently, he’d finally deduced that the baby must be his.

What other explanation was there for his sudden change of attitude?

‘And now you need to fulfil your first duty as royal princess.’ He smiled down at her. ‘Smile and wave at the crowd. They’re expecting it.’

Finding it hard to believe that anyone would care whether she waved at them or not, Holly tentatively raised her hand, and the immediate roar of approval from the crowd made her blink in amazement. ‘But I’m just someone ordinary,’ she muttered, and the prince’s eyes gleamed with wry amusement.

‘That’s why they love you. You’re living proof that fairytale endings can happen to ordinary people.’

The last of her insecurities faded and Holly gave a bubble of laughter, her mood lifting still further as she saw the smiles of genuine delight on the faces of the people pressing against the barriers.

Flanked by mounted guards, the carriage moved slowly down the tree-lined avenue, and ahead of her she was surprised to see Emilio’s bulky frame.

‘But you sent Emilio home.’ Puzzled, she glanced at the prince. ‘He came to say goodbye to me yesterday, and told me that you’d been brilliant.’

‘He insisted on returning this morning.’ Casper gave a faint smile. ‘On such a huge public occasion he refused to entrust your security to anyone else.’

‘Oh, that’s so kind.’ Incredibly touched, Holly gave Emilio a wave. ‘There do seem to be millions of people. What’s this street like on a normal day?’

Casper settled back against the seat. ‘The road leads directly to the palace. It’s a favourite tourist route. Turn to the right at the bottom, and you reach the sea.’

Holly was still smiling at the crowd when she saw a toddler stumble and fall to the ground, his little body trapped against the metal barriers by the sheer pressure of the crowd. ‘Oh no! Stop the coach!’ Before Casper could respond, Holly opened the door of the carriage, hitched her white silk dress up round her middle and jumped down into the road.

Oblivious to the havoc she was creating in the security operation, she hurried across to the bawling toddler and the panicking mum. ‘Is he all right? Oh my goodness—can everyone move back a bit, please?’ Raising her voice and gesturing at the crowd, she breathed a sigh of relief as everyone shifted slightly and she saw the mother safely lift the sobbing child. ‘Phew. It’s a bit crowded, isn’t it? Is he all right? There—don’t cry, sweetheart. Have you got a smile for me?’ She reached out to the child who immediately stopped crying and stared at her in wonder.

‘It’s your tiara, Your Royal Highness, it’s all sparkly, and he loves everything sparkly.’ The woman flushed scarlet. ‘We all wanted to get a good view of you, madam.’

Holly noticed a trickle of blood on the child’s forehead. ‘He’s cut his head on the barrier. Does someone have a plaster?’

‘Holly.’

Hearing her name, she looked over her shoulder and saw Casper striding towards her, a strange expression on his face. ‘Holly, you’re giving the security team heart-failure.’

‘I’m sorry about that, but do you have a handkerchief or something?’ She glanced anxiously back at the toddler who now had his thumb in his mouth.

Casper hesitated and then produced a handkerchief from the pocket of his uniform.

Holly took it and leaned over the barrier to press it gently against the toddler’s forehead. ‘There. It doesn’t look too bad when you look at it closely.’ One of the security team produced a plaster and vaulted the barrier to deal with the child, and Holly suddenly realised that the crowd was cheering for Casper.

The prince delivered a charismatic smile and slipped his arm round his bride. ‘Next time, don’t leave the coach. It isn’t safe.’

‘It isn’t safe for that toddler, either. People are crushing too close to the barriers. What was I supposed to do?’ She knew it was foolish to read too much into his comment, but she couldn’t help it. Would he warn her not to leave the coach if he didn’t care about her?

The cheering intensified, and then there was a yell from the crowd that turned into a chant.

‘Kiss her, Prince Casper! Kiss, kiss, kiss…!’

Holly blushed scarlet but Casper, clearly as experienced at seducing a crowd as he was women, pulled her gently into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers with his usual cool confidence. Stunned by the unexpected gentleness of that kiss, Holly melted against him, stars exploding in her head and her heart.

Would he kiss her like that if he didn’t care?

Surely it was another sign that he finally believed that she must be telling the truth? That he’d been wrong about her.

The crowd gave a collective sigh of approval, and when Casper finally lifted his head there was another enormous roar of approval.

‘Now you’ve charmed the crowd, we need to go back to the coach.’ Amusement in his eyes, he tucked her hand into his arm. ‘And you need to stop jumping out of carriages and behave with some decorum. Not only are you now a princess, but you’re a pregnant princess.’

‘I know, but—’ She glanced towards the crowd. ‘Some of these people have been standing outside all night, even the children—do we have to go in the carriage? Couldn’t we just walk? We could chat to people along the way.’

Casper’s dark brows locked in a disapproving frown. ‘It would be a major security risk.’

‘I know you don’t care about that. When you’re in public you always walk. I read that you have a constant argument with your bodyguards and the security services.’ She bit her lip, suddenly wishing she hadn’t reminded him of her Internet moment, but he simply smiled and took her hand firmly in his.

‘In this instance I was thinking of your safety. Don’t you find the crowds daunting?’