Read Arianna & Finn (Royals of Valleria #3) Online
Authors: Marianne Knightly
Arianna & Finn (Royals of Valleria #3)
Arianna & Finn (Royals of Valleria #3)
Copyright © 2015 Marianne Knightly.
Cover Design: Marianne Knightly.
ISBN# 978-1942729020
All Rights Reserved.
Thank you for downloading this ebook. This ebook remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed for any commercial or non-commercial use without permission from the author. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of content is allowed. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental. The places mentioned are used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
*****
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Royals of Valleria Series
Book 1
: Alexander & Rebecca
Book 2
: Marcello & Grace
Book 3
: Arianna & Finn
Book 4: Coming Fall 2015
Book 5: Coming Winter 2015
The Italian Shipping Millionaires Series
Book 1
: Dante
Book 2
: Adrian
Book 3
: Giovanni
Book 4
: Luc
Book 5: An Italian Shipping Millionaires Short Story (Coming Fall 2015)
Hike to Forget Short Story Series
Book 1
: A Smokey Mountain Hike to Forget
Book 2
: A Big Bear Hike to Forget
Book 3
: A St. Michaels Wedding to Remember
Book 4
: A Bahamian Hike to Forget
Meet the Royals of Valleria, a country as old as the fall of the Roman Empire. The reigning king and patriarch rules with his beloved queen. Nine children, ranging from the eldest twins to the youngest son, watch over the country they love and care for. Bound by honor, duty, and each other, follow their lives as they fall in love, face tragedies, and triumph against the evils facing them.
***
Proper Princess Arianna is the essence of style, grace, and appropriate behavior. After a disastrous love affair years ago that embarrassed both her and the royal family, she had vowed to stay on the straight and narrow, and she has. When a marriage is suggested to form an alliance with another country, she jumps at the chance for redemption; after all, she doesn’t believe in love anymore. However, if that’s true, why does she think of love whenever her fiancé’s brother, Finn, is nearby, bringing up feelings she had long since buried?
Finn de Bara cares little about strategic political alliances and, as second in line to the throne of Brazenbourg, he doesn’t have to. As the bad boy of the aristocracy, he doesn’t need to settle down; he saves that for his arrogant older brother, Henry. However, when Henry becomes engaged to Arianna for convenience and not love, he can’t help but be intrigued by a woman who would give up her future for her country. When the passionate nature she hides breaks through her prim exterior, Finn realizes he wants her and not just in bed. He knows his brother may make a more proper match, but can he convince her, and himself, to take a chance on each other despite the international fallout?
When Henry’s true motives are revealed and Arianna is placed in danger’s path, can Finn act quickly enough to help her? Or will Arianna need to save herself?
Princess Arianna delicately patted her upswept hair as she walked down an ornate hallway. Satisfied that nary a lock of her caramel-colored hair was out of place, her hand fell to her side and brushed the lines of her fitted forest green skirt suit. The suit was chosen not because she liked it, though she did; it was chosen for diplomatic reasons above all else. The color was a favorite of the royal family in Brazenbourg, where they currently were for a royal visit.
Her heels clicked softly against the marble floors of the Brazenbourg Royal Palace, echoing against the others walking around her. Her eldest brother, Prince Alexander and heir to the throne of Valleria, was next to her, his confident stride slow and steady, allowing her to keep up with him in her muted nude-colored heels.
Arianna and Alex were on their way to meet Prince Henry de Bara, the reigning monarch of Brazenbourg. It was a whim that had made Arianna volunteer to go with Alex when their father, King Gabriel, had not been able to come. Perhaps it had been fate.
The Vallerian Royal Protection Service agents with them halted them in front of a set of ornate wooden doors etched in gold with the Brazenbourg family coat of arms. The guards in front of the door nodded and opened the double doors. Arianna stifled a gasp after she walked inside, as her eyes, which were as rich a caramel color as her hair, took in the room around her.
This was clearly the throne room of the palace. Two large ornate chairs sat at the far end of the room, also etched with a golden coat of arms. The white-gray marble floors and columns stood in graceful opulence. The walls, lined with wallpaper a similar shade as her outfit, were also covered with works by well-known Brazenbourg artists. As she glanced up, the ceiling was another work of art. Large murals broke up the ceiling into panels. From the looks of things, they must have been restored in recent years, as they seemed to glow bright with colors and not be dull with their age. An astonishing crystal and gold chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling and easily illuminated the entire room.
While the Vallerian Royal Palace certainly had its own share of opulence, it was clear this small country boasted their own palace to intimidate, if necessary.
“I wonder why they showed us to the throne room,” Arianna muttered as she glanced at Alex’s narrowed eyes. “Henry’s not even here.”
“He should have met us at the entrance. He wants us to know he holds the upper hand by bringing us to him rather than meeting us,” Alex said in a very low voice. “I don’t appreciate tactics like these. They’re disrespectful.”
“We’ll have to put up with it, I suppose. We’re the ones who need his help, after all.”
“But at what price will we get it?” Alex’s words struck a sense of foreboding into her.
“This way, Your Highnesses,” one of the Brazenbourg guards said, and led them towards a door in the far left corner of the room.
When they entered the next room, it was to find a series of offices. The walls here were covered in rich green and chocolate brown wallpaper, and burnished wood furniture was scattered around the rooms for efficiency.
One of the royal assistants stood waiting for them and bowed twice when they neared, once to each of them. “This way, Your Highnesses,” he said in an affected accent.
“Prince Alexander. Princess Arianna. Welcome to Brazenbourg,” Prince Henry said in a very posh accent, from behind a formidable desk clearly meant to intimidate. He bowed to each of them and then walked around his desk to greet them.
Arianna had never met Prince Henry before, though he looked much like the pictures she had seen. His raven hair had one streak of gray slashing across the front. His dark mustache matched the black eyes set in his round face, and hid a pair of thin lips. His body, clad in a dark suit, was slim and his shoulders were square. He held the bearing of a ruler and the arrogance of one compensating for the size of his country or, perhaps, something else.
Alex bowed briefly in return and shook the man’s hand. “Prince Henry.”
When Henry turned to her, Arianna dipped into a small curtsy and held out her hand. Henry took it and brushed her knuckles with his lips. His mustache tickled against Arianna’s hand but decorum kept her from reacting. When he lingered a few moments too long, Alex impatiently cleared his throat in warning. Henry smiled and let go, then gestured for them to take a seat.
“Thank you for meeting with us,” Alex said, sitting comfortably back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other. It struck Arianna the difference in the two men in the room. Alex, though he was not the reigning monarch yet, held the regal bearing of a confident ruler. It was echoed in the way he held his broad body, the way his sharp, black eyes took in everything around him, and even in the way he brushed back his dark hair with an easy confidence. Henry on the other hand, seemed to be trying too hard to look intimidating.
Henry sat down, adjusting his jacket as he did so. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me in Brazenbourg. I know it has been a hectic time for you in Valleria.”
Though Alex’s broad body appeared relaxed, his eyes flashed. “Indeed. Though I find, as a ruler, it is always pleasantly busy. Seeing to the needs of our citizens, after all, is a twenty-four hour a day duty.”
“Indeed,” Henry said dryly.
“Where is Prince Finn?” Alex asked. “I believe he was also meant to be in this meeting, was he not?”
Henry’s thin lips seemed to become even thinner. “Yes, I must apologize for my brother’s absence. He was unavoidably detained.”
Alex nodded with a small smile on his face. If the tabloids were telling the truth for once, then even Arianna could have guessed what may have been keeping Finn. The Brazenbourg prince was well known for his late night antics, which tended to be brimming with both women and alcohol. As the second son, Finn seemed to have all the fun that Henry seemed to avoid.
“I’m sure you know how it is, Alex. You have some rascals as brothers yourselves, do you not?”
“Do I?” Alex asked, his voice deceptively mild.
“Oh, yes. I’ve heard all about your terrible brothers. What a handful. It is so hard to keep your siblings in line, don’t you find?
Arianna could feel the tension wind tight around Alex; he would never stand for anyone insulting his family, even if the statement were partially true. Sensing the need for some relaxed conversation before Alex’s temper got the best of him, she put her hand on Alex’s arm. “Prince Henry. Could we trouble you for some tea or something to eat? No doubt our conversations will be much easier after we’ve had some refreshments, or rested a bit first.”
Henry flushed as he realized the faux pas he had made; he should have offered that to them when they had first arrived. “Of course. Certainly. Yes. We’ll retire to a sitting room, unless you would prefer to rest first?”
Alex gave Arianna a furtive glance before responding. “We’ll rest. Perhaps we can regroup for dinner?”
“Of course. I’ll have someone see you to your rooms. We’ll dine in three hours.”
“Does that suit you, Arianna?” Alex asked and Henry hid a scowl.
“Yes, just fine,” she said as she stood. Alex, gentleman that he was, stood immediately, but Henry stood only after a pointed glance from Alex.
“I’m glad it meets with your approval,” Henry said in a mildly condescending tone. Alex quirked an eyebrow but did not say anything in response. Alex shook Henry’s hand and they left the room.
When they were clear of his offices and were being led towards their rooms, Alex spoke in a low tone. “Why did you interrupt?
“I thought a break might be best, even though we’d barely sat down. I could see your temper starting to go. That was a very odd meeting, Alex. He didn’t follow protocol at all.”
Alex scowled. “He didn’t follow basic manners, either. He disrespected our family.”
“He disrespected
you
, Alex. You’re the future king. It doesn’t really matter how I’m treated.”
Alex touched her arm and she turned to face him, halting their progress in the hall. “Do you really think so little of yourself?”
Arianna shook her head; she only spoke the truth. She was nobody next to her accomplished brothers and sisters. She deserved to be nobody after what she’d done in the past. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just here as a buffer, anyway.”
“It does matter. What’s going on with you, little sister?”
She recalled Marcello, one of their brothers, asking her a similar question a few weeks ago. “This is neither the time nor the place,” she said as she looked up into Alex’s eyes. Though she was tall, she was not nearly as tall as Alex.
After a few moments, when Alex’s gaze threatened to rock her carefully crafted comportment, he nodded. “Later, then.” As they began walking once more, he said, “I don’t like seeing you this way.”
“What way?”
“Sad.”
Apparently, she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as she thought. “I’m not sad. Not exactly.”
“If you think we don’t see it, you’re blind,” he said as they turned a corner and began walking up a long flight of stairs. “It breaks our hearts, Ari.”
The use of her nickname had her voice catching in her throat. None of her older brothers and sister could say her full name when she had been born, so ‘Ari’ had stuck until they were older. Though she was the fifth child, smack dab in the middle of all of them, her older brothers and sister had still been quite young when she had come along. Her younger brothers and sisters had the same issue as they’d grown up, and the nickname stuck.
Arianna cleared her throat. “Please stop worrying about me. I’ll be just fine. You need to focus on diplomacy right now, not your little sister.”
“You forget that I’m very adept at multi-tasking. I can do both.”
Arianna’s lips quirked at that. “It’s a shame Rebecca couldn’t come along on this trip. I could have been spared some time with my overbearing big brother.”
Alex’s expression softened at the mention of his fiancée. “There will be other opportunities for Rebecca. We’re finalizing some wedding details in the next few days and she needed to stay at home. Besides, if she didn’t stay back, there’s no telling what Mama may have agreed to on her behalf.”
Arianna laughed. Their mother, Queen Genevieve, was thoroughly enjoying wedding planning. “Poor Rebecca.”
“Indeed,” he said with a smile. “Anyway, we hope to finalize some of the details by the time Mama and Papa’s fortieth anniversary celebration comes around in a few days.”
Arianna sighed. What must it be like to be married your true love for forty years? Arianna knew she would never find out; she didn’t believe in love anymore, not for her.
“Well, hopefully we can finish up here quickly so we don’t miss it.”
“We won’t miss it,” Alex said simply. “Even if Henry and I haven’t come to terms by then, we’ll take a break and go home. You don’t need to stay the whole time.”
“Of course I’ll stay. You need me. I could tell you wanted to smack Henry across the face, and I very deftly diffused the situation for you.”
“Was I that obvious?”
“Only to the little sister who has known you her whole life.”
“Well, since I’m sure I’ll feel that way again, perhaps it is best that you stay.”
“You should relax a little,” Arianna said as they reached the landing for the next floor and began a trek down a long corridor filled with rooms. “I’m sure Henry’s behavior today was the exception, not the rule. You probably just overwhelmed him. You are quite foreboding at times.”
“Am I?”
Arianna chuckled. “Oh, yes. All of my brothers are. Except for maybe Ethan,” she said, referring to the youngest of them all, who was currently a doctor in the Vallerian Royal Navy. Everybody doted on Ethan.