Royally Wed - 1. A Royal Baby on the Way (1999) by Susan Mallery

Author:Susan Mallery [Mallery, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-01-29T14:39:02.311000+00:00

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Thirty minutes later Alex pushed away her plate and patted her stomach. "I can't believe I ate that entire steak. It had to be half a pound."

"Probably more,'' Mitch said helpfully, "but the bone was really big."

"Not big enough." She sipped the last of her milk shake and sighed with contentment. "I pronounce my first visit to a diner to be an unqualified success. The steak was excellent, the mashed potatoes, while not quite bringing me to tears, were certainly the best I've ever had." She lowered her voice. "I think the corn came from a can, but even it wasn't too bad."

"And you're hooked on blueberry milk shakes."

"Absolutely." She glanced around at the nearly empty restaurant. "I wish I'd had a place like this nearby when I was growing up."

Mitch finished his last mouthful of steak, then wiped his mouth on the paper napkin. "No Ruby's by the palace?"

"Not one."

"Did you go to a regular school?"

"For a few years, but mostly my sisters and I had tutors. We traveled a lot as teenagers, and the tutors came with us. That allowed us to continue our studies without interruption."

"So even as a child you attended official functions?"

"Of course."

He shook his head. Nothing about her life made sense to him. "I can't imagine it."

"I can't imagine this," she said, motioning to the diner. "Except now that I've been here, I'll remember it always. When the pressure of my world gets to be too much, I'll think of blueberry milk shakes and dinner with you at Ruby's."

Her voice, with its lilting accent, still drove him crazy. But now he knew her well enough to see past the attraction to the woman inside. Her tone was light, but he heard the sadness underneath.

"When does your world get to be too much?" he asked.

"More often than I would like. There are so many responsibilities."

"Keeping the tiara on straight?" he teased.

"That, too." She hesitated. "That's what makes it so complicated about finding my brother."

"I don't understand."

"Wynborough law currently states that the heir must be male. But my parents only had one son and he's been presumed dead for years."

"What's complicated about that? Wouldn't the throne just go to the next male heir? A cousin or something?''

"It would, except there aren't any male heirs. Not without going outside the immediate family to a very distant relative. No one wants that. So there's been some talk in the palace and parliament about introducing a bill to change the law."

Mitch knew what she was going to say. It was the next logical step. But he couldn't believe it. "Change the law how?"

Alex met his gaze. "There have been proposals to make the legal heir to the throne be the oldest child, regardless of gender."

"Which would make you..." His voice trailed off.

She looked faintly uncomfortable, then raised her chin in that damn regal way she had. "That would make me queen."

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