Christina Dodd - Princess 01 by The Runaway Princess

Author:The Runaway Princess [Princess, The Runaway]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-10-17T14:57:48+00:00

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

As the pain began to ease, she laid her head back on her stony pillow.

And stiffened when he said, “Let me assure you that you will not have to perform that service for me.”

“Well . . . no. I mean . . . yes.” Irked at her own stammering, she said, “I’m not the princess, so I won’t be wedding you, but I’m sure your queen will be relieved to hear that she won’t have to trail after you and pay off the products of your liaisons.”

He rumbled on as if she hadn’t spoken. “From the moment I realized the anguish my father caused my mother, and the dishonor of a broken marriage vow, I swore to be discreet. I’ve had few lovers—”

“Really, I don’t want to hear about this.”

“—And those were mature women who participated in our pleasure without illusion. I took care that every encounter was without issue, for I am determined the only children of my loins will be ours.” Our children.

The phrase resounded in her mind.

He spoke as if their offspring were already conceived, borne, were alive and happy to have two such noble parents. She could almost see them, a tall, thin girl on the cusp of womanhood and a stocky boy with Serephinian eyes. And another girl with raven hair and another boy, and twin toddlers and the baby

. . . she brushed her hand over her eyes to dispel the vision. Yes, if she mated with Danior, she had no doubt the union would be fertile. It would be no life for an intelligent woman, a woman better trained to ruling than to parenting. She’d always be with child, or nursing, or running after babies or in bed with Danior making new ones.

“Am I hurting you?”

She stared blankly at Danior. “What?”

“Your toes are curled. Am I hurting you?”

Was he hurting her? He was killing her—with temptation. “Yes,” she babbled. “Yes, that’s it. You’re hurting me, but I know it’s the right thing to do. You do the right thing, and I’ll do the right thing, and somehow this will come out, um, right.” She thought he was smiling as if he read her thoughts, saw the children she had created out of a few of his simple words.

He was a simple man. He couldn’t have planned to trap her in a dream of her own making. Even if he had, well, she didn’t have to let him know he’d succeeded.

Then an extraordinary thought occurred to her. “Wait,” she said. “You know I’m not Princess Ethelinda!”

“I do?”

“You wouldn’t have told her all this. She would have known it.” Leaning forward, he spoke in his stuffy noble prince voice, “I would hope that the good sisters at the school would have the sense not to tell you how my father’s callous fornication put you in danger from all Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

sides.”

“Oh, you always have an answer.” Stupid to pout, but every, time she thought she could poke a hole in his insufferable armor, he parried and left her without a weapon.

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