Crowning His Secret Princess by Kate Hardy

Author:Kate Hardy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-08-16T20:39:59+00:00

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The next morning, Louisa woke to her alarm. Her eyes were sore and her head was pounding from a night spent tossing and turning. A shower and washing her hair made her feel a bit better, though she could see in the mirror that her poor night’s sleep really showed in the shadows under her eyes. Cross with herself, she used the lightest make-up possible and pulled her hair into a severe bun. Presumably this counted as a business meeting, she thought, and put on a dark grey business suit. Dressed, ready to face him and carrying the documentation she needed, she walked across the corridor to Sébastien’s apartment at precisely seven-thirty.

Even though it was a Saturday, he was wearing a formal suit, so she knew she’d made the right call. But again she wondered whether he actually owned a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Looking at him, she simply couldn’t imagine him growing up on a farm, with muddy paw-prints from the farm dogs on his jeans or hair from the farm cats smeared across his sweater. He was a smooth, urbane machine. Part of the palace.

She shook herself. ‘Good morning.’

‘Good morning. Did you sleep well?’

‘Very,’ she fibbed, not wanting to admit to just how much his proposal had rattled her. ‘Is the doctor here?’

‘No. We’re meeting her in my office,’ he said.

This time, he didn’t take her arm as he shepherded her through the endless corridors; Louisa wasn’t sure whether she felt more relieved or disappointed, and that in turn made her feel even antsier. How could she possibly want closer physical contact with someone who’d asked her to marry him as a business deal?

In his office, Sébastien introduced her to Pascal, his PA, and to the doctor who was conducting the test.

Louisa handed over the photographs and documentation, and the doctor signed the back of photographs to confirm they were a true likeness of the person whose documents she’d seen and whose DNA she was collecting. She also signed a form from the lab, stating that she’d seen the birth certificate and passport of Louisa Gallet.

The swab took seconds and was completely painless.

The doctor smiled at her. ‘All done.’ She sealed the swab in a container, which she placed in a sample bag and sealed it; in turn, the sample bag was placed in an envelope with the form. She sealed the envelope and signed along the join where the flap of the envelope met the back. Sébastien and Louisa added their signatures next to hers.

‘The lab will be in touch with the results,’ she said with a smile, and left.

‘Is there anything you need, Mademoiselle Gallet?’ Pascal asked, his tone kind.

‘Thank you, but I’m fine,’ she said.

‘I’ve arranged that access you asked for, Séb,’ Pascal said.

It was the first time Louisa had ever heard Sébastien called anything other than his full first name or the more formal ‘Mr Moreau’. Was that what his family and friends called him? she wondered. Was he different with them—more relaxed and carefree, a Séb rather than a Sébastien?

‘Thanks, Pascal.

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