The Prince's Bride (29 page)

Rand studied her carefully, an odd expression on his face. “Jocelyn, you aren’t...” Rand glanced at Alexei and back to her. “That is, you don’t have ... What I mean to say...”

“I like Alexei very much. As strange as it sounds, given the circumstances, we’ve become friends. But you, my darling husband”—she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck—“are my one and only prince.”

“It shall be very hard to leave.” His dark eyes smoldered.

“It shall be very hard to let you leave.” Her voice was low and sultry.

“I will, however, ask a promise of you before I go.”

“Anything.” The word was practically a sigh. She realized she would indeed do anything for this man and suspected he would do anything for her.

“Swear to me, this time”—his lips quirked upward in a wry grin—“you will stay exactly where I leave you.”

by Lady Jocelyn Shelton, age 10  

Now that I have written all this down, especially the part about what a real princess should be, I’m not certain that a true princess should care as much about things like castles and servants and fortunes as I do. At least I’m sure that’s what my sisters would say. So I don’t know if any of this will come true even if it would be ever so nice.

But this is my treatise and my wish and it is supposed to be about my dreams and what I want. And I do very much want a prince and want to be a princess. At least I think I do. But lam still a bit young and might forget all about this when I grow up although I doubt it.

Even so, I expect that I will still want to be very, very happy someday. Preferably with a prince. Or at least with a gentleman who will think I am a princess whether he is a prince or just a very nice man.

And if he is just an ordinary gentleman I should like him to be handsome and kind and rich. Or at least not very poor.

I do think it would also be very nice if he loved me and I loved him and if he was willing to slay just one dragon for me.

And then I will be content to live happily for all the rest of my days.

The week drew to a close, and as his horse turned back toward the palace, Rand realized that his attitude about his cousin, as well as his own life, was forever changed.

Rand had accompanied Alexei, together with Thomas and Richard, a small honor guard, and various advisers, to towns and villages and hamlets. They spoke to large crowds in town squares and small groups in cafes and on street corners. Rand wondered if, indeed, they had talked to every resident of Avalonia or if it only seemed that way.

Slowly, grudgingly, Rand grew to admire his cousin. Even, perhaps, like him. Rand’s role was minimal in their tour. He was a presence more than anything else and he had a great deal of time to simply observe the crown prince. He was surprised to find Alexei’s behavior with ordinary people far less arrogant and much more relaxed than Rand had expected. As if Alexei was first an Avalonian and only then a prince. One of the people. And by the end of the week Rand no longer thought of the farmers and merchants and noblemen of the small kingdom as Alexei’s people alone but Rand’s people as well.

It was an odd realization. By birthplace and title, Rand considered himself a true Englishman. A viscount and as much, if not more, a product of his father’s blood as his mother’s. Still, his wife was right. He might deny it all he wished but there was a touch of Avalonia in his blood.

And more than a touch of Jocelyn in his heart.

His thoughts turned to her constantly, much as they had when he and Thomas and Richard had undertaken their long journey to rescue her. Even now the word drew a smile to his lips. She’d needed no rescue although none of them, including Jocelyn herself, fully realized it at the time. She was, in truth, the one rescuing him. Doing what she thought she had to do to save his life. And fully capture his heart in the process.

Had he ever had so remarkable a gift? So remarkable a woman?

Was anything too great to offer her in return?

“This week has passed swiftly, cousin.” Alexei rode up beside him. “And it has been most successful.”

“That was my impression.” Rand nodded thoughtfully. “Your fears and your father’s should be set to rest.” He studied the other man curiously. “Your people quite like you, you know.”

“For the moment, but tomorrow all may change.” Alexei’s voice was wry. “The world is not as it was when my grandfather ruled. When a single man held a power that commanded armies and reshaped nations. Power granted to him by birth and his own strength and determination. I daresay it will not be that way again.”

“Is that bad?”

“Probably not.” Alexei shrugged. “Merely different. Power, in this day and age, has to be deserved, granted if you will, and the right to rule earned.” He fell silent, lost in his own thoughts, and the two men rode quietly side by side. Rand noted to himself once again how very different his cousin was than he’d first thought. At last Alexei spoke. “I owe you a great debt.”

“I believe I may be the one who owes you.” Rand blew a long breath. “I have learned a lot in recent days. Not merely about my lineage and history but about duty and responsibility, and, perhaps, about myself.”

Alexei smiled but didn’t respond.

“Regardless of the manner in which you lured me here,” Rand said slowly, “I am glad that I came.”

“There is to be a ball tonight upon our return. I was hoping to make an announcement. Have you given any more consideration to my offer?” Alexei’s tone was offhand, as if it didn’t matter, but both men knew it did. Very much.

“Indeed I have.”

“And will I be able to make such an announcement?”

“I think so.” Rand smiled. “I have thought of little else, save my wife.”

Alexei chuckled. “She is much more than I imagined when we first met. I must admit I do envy you.”

“She still has one sister as yet unwed.” Rand made the offer with a straight face.

Alexei looked at him skeptically and Rand grinned. Alexei laughed and shook his head. “Thank you, but I will pass. It should take me some time to recover from the effect of one sister. I am not ready for another.”

“There is no one like Jocelyn,” Rand said firmly.

“And that, cousin, is at once a pity”—Alexei said with a sincere note in his voice, then chuckled—“and a blessing.”

“And I,
cousin”
—Rand grinned—“am damned grateful for both.”

The ball was well under way, however Rand, Alexei and the others had yet to appear. Still, Jocelyn had been told their arrival was imminent. She forced herself to at least give the appearance of patience. To behave like a proper viscountess—a proper
princess.

There was a lighthearted gaiety in the ballroom tonight that was in stark contrast to the subtle air of tension Jocelyn had noted in the court from the time of her arrival until recent days. According to Countess Lenosky, who was a veritable font of knowledge, the prince’s tour of the country had been decreed a success and peace was assured for now.

Jocelyn kept one eye on the entry but chatted and danced and smiled until she thought her face would crack. She wanted her husband here and now. Wanted to see for herself he was well and safe. Wanted to know from his own lips what he thought of the country of his ancestors. And wanted to know if everything between them had changed.

What if Borloff was right? What if after this taste of being a prince, and indeed that’s what this last week had been, he decided that’s what he now wished? And wished as well an appropriate wife in the bargain?

The music stopped abruptly and a trumpet sounded. All eyes turned toward the ballroom doors.

A majordomo in formal livery, from his powdered wig to his highly polished shoes, stepped forward. “His Royal Highness, heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Greater Avalonia, Servant of the Doctrines of St. Stanislaus, Guardian of the Heavens of Avalonia, Protector of the People, Crown Prince Alexei Frederick Berthold Ruprecht Pruzinsky.”

Alexei stepped into the room and paused. Elegantly clad in white and gold, a military uniform of sorts, he looked every inch a royal prince. A future king. The ladies curtsied and the gentlemen bowed in a brightly colored wave that washed outward from the door through the room.

The majordomo waited for the crowd to straighten, then continued. “His Royal Highness, Prince Randall Charles Frederick Beaumont.”

Rand stepped into the room behind Alexei and once again the gathering bowed and curtsied. All except for Jocelyn, who stared in shock and struggled to keep her mouth from dropping open.

Rand wore a uniform similar to Alexei’s, a dark, royal blue as opposed to white, but festooned with the same gold braids and buttons as his cousin’s. A sword hung at his side. He looked magnificent. He looked like a prince. For the first time it struck her that indeed he was a prince.

He spotted her at once and started toward her. Without warning she was as nervous as if she’d never met him before. Never spoken to him, danced with him, shared his bed. Her blood roared in her ears and she scarcely noted the grand introductions of the Marquess of Helmsley or the Earl of Shelbrooke.

Fear seized her. The man walking toward her was not the viscount she’d married, but a prince of a sovereign nation. Would he still wish to be wed to the sister of a mere earl? Would he want the annulment Alexei had offered? Would he now want a real princess?

Rand stepped before her and stopped. His expression was cool, collected, his dark eyes somber without a hint as to his thoughts. She stared at him and realized if indeed he was different, so too was she. She was not the same woman she’d been the first time they met. And realized as well, whatever his intent, she could bear it. At least in public.

Without thinking she held out her hand. He drew it to his lips; his gaze caught hers; his voice was low. “I have a question to ask you.”

She swallowed hard. Her voice trembled. “Yes?”

Rand’s gaze bored into hers. “Count Borloff and the Princess Valentina have been stripped of their wealth, their property, and their titles. He has been imprisoned and she will never be permitted to step foot in Avalonia again. Alexei has offered me their fortunes and lands. He has asked me to remain here as a prince of the realm and his chief adviser. To help him one day rule Avalonia.”

“Yes?” A lump lodged in her throat. “And?”

His eyes gleamed with an intense light. “I told him I could not accept his offer without the consent of my wife.”

“Your wife?” She could barely get the words out.

“My wife.” He kissed her hand and straightened.

“Then you want me to remain your wife?” She held her breath.

He frowned. “Of course. How could you possibly—”

Relief washed through her and she no longer cared about the rules of etiquette governing royal affairs. She threw herself into his arms with a cry of joy. “Oh Rand,” she sobbed, “I thought, I was afraid that you didn’t want...”

He held her tight and whispered against her hair. “What?”

“I was afraid.” She pulled away and looked up at him. “The way you’re dressed and what you were saying, I thought you might want... might need a real princess.”

“My darling, Jocelyn.” He grinned. “You are a real princess. My own princess, and you always shall be.”

“Ahem.” Alexei appeared beside them with an annoyed frown. Thomas and Richard grinned at his side. “I daresay I am getting quite tired of interrupting the two of you.”

She laughed and sniffed back a tear.

“You shall have to adjust, cousin,” Rand growled but released her nonetheless.

“This infuriating husband of yours says he will not accept my offer without your complete support and approval. I think it’s ridiculous, of course, but there you have it. Well?” Alexei studied her. “What’s it to be?”

She considered her husband thoughtfully. “If you accept, will we have a castle? A castle with a proper roof?”

Rand glanced at Alexei. The prince shrugged. “You may take your pick of castles.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And a great number of servants?”

Rand nodded. “As many as you wish.”

“And ladies-in-waiting?” she asked. “I’ve always rather wanted ladies-in-waiting.”

“If you like.” Rand smiled. “You may have everything you’ve ever wanted. It can all be yours.”

“When I was a small girl, I wished for this and buried my wish beneath the light of a full moon. It was a delightful dream and I cherished it for a very long time. Still...” She paused for a moment, knowing full well there was really no decision to make. She drew a deep breath and turned to Alexei. “It is a wonderful offer, Your Highness, and I know what it would mean to you but”—she shook her head regretfully—“I think not.”

“What?” Alexei stared.

“You owe me ten pounds,” Thomas said under his breath to Richard, who simply grinned.

“Why on earth not?” Shock colored Rand’s face.

“Because, my dear darling husband”—she cast him her warmest smile—“regardless of what Alexei or anyone else says you’re really not an Avalonian, not in your heart; nor are you a prince.”

“He most certainly is,” Alexei snapped.

“I’m not?” A stunned smile curved Rand’s lips.

“No indeed. You are a subject of His Majesty”—she aimed a pointed look at Alexei—“King George. You are the sixth Viscount Beaumont and an Englishman.”

She stepped closer and stared into his dark, wonderful eyes. “All of which makes you, well, you. If you accepted Alexei’s offer you wouldn’t be the man I married. The man I love.”

“And you don’t mind giving up all of this?” Rand said carefully.

“Perhaps a little.” She flashed him a grin.

“Actually,” Alexei said, “even if he does not choose to remain here, the property and the wealth and his royal title will still be his.”

“That’s lovely but”—she shrugged—“it’s of no importance. You’re what I want, Rand, all that I want, and it scarcely matters if you own all of Avalonia or nothing more than a cottage and little money—”

“Little money?” Thomas scoffed. “Don’t you think it’s time you told her the truth?”

“I’ve tried,” Rand said with a laugh.

“Jocelyn,” Thomas said firmly. “Rand’s fortune is quite acceptable, even a bit impressive, and Beaumont Abbey is scarcely a cottage.”

“His finances come as no surprise at this point but...” She stared at her husband, who had the good grace to look a bit sheepish. “Beaumont Abbey? You have an abbey?”

“It’s a small abbey,” he said weakly.

“Yet another lie of omission on your part, I suppose?” Jocelyn raised a brow.

“I simply failed to correct a few erroneous assumptions you made.” His manner was lofty.

“Why?” Richard’s brow furrowed. “I always thought money was rather attractive to women.”

“That’s part of it. At first I remained silent because she was, well, rather mercenary, and I thought it served her right. And later I didn’t want her to care for me only because I had a fair amount of money. And then it was, well, too late.” He smiled apologetically. “I am sorry.”

“Is there anything else you haven’t told me? Anything not relating to government secrets, that is,” she added quickly.

He shook his head firmly. “I can’t think of a thing.”

“I’m not sure I believe you.” She cast him a wicked smile. “But I do believe I’ll have a great deal of fun finding out.”

He pulled her back into his arms and she didn’t care at all if they were being watched by princes and brothers and all of Avalonia as well.

“The fun, my dear wife,” he said as his lips brushed hers, “will be entirely mutual.”

And she knew without question, without doubt that everything she’d ever wanted, everything she’d ever dreamed of, her every wish had indeed come true. Regardless of title or position, of castle or cottage, of great fortune or nothing at all, with this man she was, for now and for always ...

A prince’s bride.