The Monarch's Son by Valerie Parv

Author:Valerie Parv
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Allie had seen enough of the royal residence to know that the rambling granite villa could easily provide the set for a movie based on a Jane Austen novel. But this was the first function she had attended here, and the grandeur of the Painted Salon was breathtaking.

The vast room took its name from a magnificent mural by a famous French artist that dominated the longest wall. The painting echoed the splendid ocean view the villa enjoyed from two sides. It was so realistic that Allie was tempted to try stepping through it to the seascape beyond, anything to escape the curious eyes of the sixty or so other guests.

She couldn’t speak more than a few words of the Carramer language, but she knew enough to recognize the word for Australian, and her own name, hovering on dozens of lips. Most of the glances directed at her were openly friendly and curious, but a handful were downright hostile, notably from a couple of older women chaperoning younger clones of themselves.

Mothers hoping Lorne would look favorably on their daughters? Their furious looks almost made Allie laugh aloud. Not only was she no threat to their ambitions, she didn’t even want to be. If they only knew, Lorne had probably elected her as his escort because she was the only single woman in the room with no designs on him.

Her restless gaze took in the chandeliers, fine antiques, Aubusson rugs and a fireplace as large as a room in many normal households. It was all very grand and beautiful, but it wasn’t the home Allie imagined for herself.

She could hardly fault the ambience. By day the long French windows provided a view of a manmade lake brimming with water lilies and surrounded by century-old Tallow wood trees, their branches echoing with birdsong.

On this fine, tropical night, the doors stood open, and the sumptuous drapes were drawn back. Flaming torches invited guests to step out onto the marble-paved terrace beyond. She looked at it longingly.

If Lorne had been her escort for real, they could have wandered outside and savored the beauty and sensuality of the fragrant night air. He might have pulled her into the circle of his arm, letting her rest her head against his shoulder while he murmured sweet nothings into her ear.

For a moment she could practically feel his firm, warm arm, and her heartbeat began a wild tattoo, until Helen Pascale’s soft voice shattered the vision. “The nights here are so beautiful. They’re one of the reasons I decided to stay.”

Allie made an effort to gather her wits. Letting herself fantasize about Lorne was not only foolish but dangerous. When her two months’ bond was up, she would be more than ready to return to Australia and let someone else take her place as Nori’s companion. Even if a romance with Lorne was advisable, the reality would never fit Allie’s vision. She had only to look around her to see what royal life was really like.

For a moment she envied Helen the love of a man she didn’t have to share with a kingdom.

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