Royal Bridesmaids by Stephanie Laurens Gaelen Foley Loretta Chase

Author:Stephanie Laurens, Gaelen Foley, Loretta Chase [Stephanie Laurens, Gaelen Foley, Loretta Chase]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-06-30T21:00:00+00:00

They arrived at the castle minutes before sunset. The girls jumped down from the exhausted horse and raced to the field where the duel was to take place.

Giulietta was a mess, running bareheaded through the crowd of courtiers and military men who had gathered to watch the grim proceedings. The mood in the crowd seemed to drive home to the frivolous princess just how serious the situation was that she had precipitated with her childish disappearance.

Each prince’s entourage had gathered around him. They stood making their final preparations on the two opposite ends of the green, north and south, so the sunset in the west would not be in the eyes of either contender.

“Orsino!” Giulietta shouted.

He stopped, looked over, and then yelled her name in answer when he saw her racing through the crowd.

“Don’t do this!” She did not stop to talk to him, but went barreling toward the other prince—at least until the guards surrounding him caught her. Two of them grabbed her by the arms.

“What do you want, girl?”

“Please! I need to see Prince Tor!”

“Who are you?” they demanded.

“Let her pass!” Minerva ordered as she came striding up behind her royal friend.

The guards hesitated. They had become accustomed to taking orders from her over the past few days, but of course, the last anyone had heard, she had been locked in the tower.

Tor turned at the sound of her voice and saw both women. His eyes narrowed.

“Please, Tor, hear us out. For Montevecchio’s sake,” Minerva begged him.

He glowered at her, but dismissed the guards with a nod. “Let them through,” he growled.

As soon as the guards released her arms, Giulietta did exactly as Minerva had advised and rushed toward him, dropping to her knees. “Great Prince! Please forgive me! I have failed you, and shamed my people. I am not worthy of you, but if you can find mercy in your heart for a foolish girl’s cowardice, I am the real Giulietta and I will uphold the treaty.”

The sight of his sister bowing down to the enemy enraged Orsino, who came storming toward them, but Minerva held him back.

“Stop it. For once in your life, think with something other than your ego. Keep your mouth shut!”

“How dare you?”

“Because I know I’m right! You see?” she gestured toward his sister. “Alive and safe, as promised. You owe His Highness an apology for your false accusations.”

He glanced back to where Giulietta was still pleading with Tor, kneeling, tears running down her face. “What is she doing?” Orsino demanded.

“She’s asking him to let us fix the wrong that has been done him. It’s the only way.”

Orsino eyed her mistrustfully. “What if he doesn’t accept it? If a woman did that to me, I’d spit on her.”

“Well, he isn’t you,” Minerva whispered rather bitterly. “Besides, I signed Giulietta’s name on the marriage license. She could make the claim she’s already his legal wife. It just depends on how well the lawyers argue.”

Giulietta must have finished her speech, for she had hung her head and awaited her sentence.

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