The Prince's Unwilling Lover (The Royals of Monaco, #1) (2 page)

The king said that he would speak to the queen and the prince. Since the prince was going to their house in a few days anyway, he would have the opportunity to meet Francesca and make his decision. Thanking the king for understanding, the Colonel quickly took his leave. Unable to wait, he called to inform his wife about the meeting.

By the time he arrived home, Francesca and her mother were going through the new clothes Mrs LeBlanc had purchased. They had to pick out the right outfit for when she met the prince. At first Francesca was not so sure about the whole thing, but the more they talked and prepared, the more excited she became as the idea of becoming queen was starting to sink in. She had only been to the palace once but she had fallen in love with it immediately. In existence for more than seven centuries, the architecture was amazing and Francesca loved the idea of having so many servants to do her bidding. Francesca smiled to herself just thinking about it.

“Hello, father,” Francesca greeted him as he walked through the door. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. He asked what they were up to, as he looked at all the clothes spread around the living room.

“Darling, we are finding her suitable attire. Tell us how it went at the palace. I know you said that it went well, but give us the details,” Mrs LeBlanc asked. Her husband moved some of the clothes before sitting down. He told them everything that had happened with the king. His wife smiled and said she would take care of the rest. One of her daughters was getting married to the crown prince no matter what.

*                             *                                *                                *                                             *

T
he day had finally arrived when the Crown Prince would visit their home. After speaking at length with the queen and providing a letter from the family doctor that Liane’s condition was not yet contagious and no other members of the family had it, the queen seemed satisfied. The queen's sister, Bridgette, remained unconvinced as to the validity of what Mrs LeBlanc told her. She had never liked the woman and never understood why the queen trusted her so. Something was up with the LeBlancs, she was sure of it.

Francesca was all dressed up and nervously awaiting the prince as she paced. Macee had elected to stay away from the house when the prince arrived, as she had no desire to meet him. She did not agree with her mother’s actions and her mother was more than happy not to have her youngest around while the prince was there. She left the house early that morning to spend the day with friends. They had decided to try out a new paintball park and Macee was looking forward to burning off some of her pent up energy. Her mother could be incredibly difficult to deal with at times and it was simply easier to avoid her.

The LeBlancs stood when their maid walked into the room with the crown prince. Francesca curtsied; she had practised how to do it perfectly while her parents greeted him with a deep bow. The prince stood there with his hands behind his back and accepted their greetings. 

“My apologies for being late,” the prince said after he had sat down. He had reached the house two hours later than he was meant to. When he found out that the marriage to Liane was off, he had not reacted too much to it. While he had grown used to the idea of marrying her, it was a political marriage unifying two old families and had nothing to do with love. However, he was put off that now he had to meet another young woman and start all over again. He did not even remember Francesca. He was told that he had met her once when she came to the palace more than ten years ago, but they were still children. Things were different now.

“Please do not apologise, your highness,” Mrs LeBlanc said with a smile. She sent one of the maids to the kitchen to bring refreshments for the prince.

As Mrs LeBlanc spoke, the prince studied Francesca. While he didn’t find her particularly unappealing, he wasn’t overly impressed. Admittedly, she carried herself with poise, but he found her to be of average looks, unlike Liane, who was much prettier. Francesca was tall with ramrod straight posture and high cheekbones giving her an almost birdlike appearance. Her brunette-coloured hair and brown eyes seemed lacklustre and her small lips did not look particularly kissable. Nothing about her jumped out at him. She was not intriguing, which did not surprise him. Political marriages were always like that.

A
s the Crown Prince Louis sat there listening to Mrs LeBlanc describe her daughter’s many attributes, he couldn’t help interrupting to ask how Liane was coping.

“I assure you that she will be fine. She is receiving the best medical care,” Mrs LeBlanc said.

“I hope so. Please pass her my regards when you speak to her,” Prince Louis replied. The sound of his deep, rich voice made Francesca's insides melt like butter. The prince was refined and such a gentleman.

As the prince was getting ready to leave, the front door crashed open as Macee came limping in. Dressed head to toe in black and completely covered in different colours of paint, she was hopping up and down as she attempted to pull her boots off when she realized that she had an audience. Looking up, she groaned. She wasn’t sure which was worse. The fact that the prince was still in their home or the look of fury on her mother’s face. Dropping her boot, she turned and gave the prince an awkward curtsy as she idly swept her socked foot across some paint that had dripped on the floor.

The prince raised an eyebrow, as he looked at what appeared to be another sister. Mrs LeBlanc felt as if she was going to have a heart attack. While Macee was usually messy, this was much worse. Her normally unkempt hair had been pulled back in a ponytail as stray strands curled around her face. The bottom of her t-shirt was ripped and underneath the paint, her pants were covered in dirt and grass stains. Since she had only managed to remove one boot, Mrs LeBlanc noticed her big toe poking out from her torn sock.

“MACEE!” Mrs LeBlanc growled. She cleared her throat when she realised how unladylike her tone sounded. “Darling, what happened to you?”

Francesca blinked a few times in disbelief as she stared at the mess that was her sister. It was the Crown Prince for goodness sake.

“I am so sorry,” Macee said, as she looked at the prince. “I thought that you would be gone by now.” She smiled as she picked up her bag and boot and awkwardly dismissed herself as she limped out of the room. The whole time, Prince Louis hid his smile. Never in his life had he met a woman like her. He studied her from head to toe in all her mess. Every woman around him was always so nicely dressed and poised; he found her utterly refreshing. He couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like under all that paint.

“Your highness, I am so sorry about that,” Mrs LeBlanc quickly apologised.

“Please, do not apologise. She is allowed to be free in her own home.” Prince Louis bowed his head slightly and left the house.

Mrs LeBlanc marched up to Macee's room and flung the door open. What on earth was she thinking coming in looking like that when the prince was at their house. She had promised to be out of the house for the entire day, she should have stayed out.

“Mother, I apologise. The prince was supposed to be gone already. I did not do it on purpose,” Macee said.

“What were you doing to get this dirty?”

“Paintball.”

“What on earth is that?”

“Mother, you are overreacting. The prince didn’t come to see me, so let it be.”

Macee threw herself on the bed. “At least take a shower before you lay on your bed,” Mrs LeBlanc said and pushed Macee off the bed. She groaned in complaint as she headed to the bathroom. Her mother was always overreacting about things.

Francesca let herself into the bathroom whilst Macee was in the shower. She was excited about meeting the prince and wanted to tell her little sister about it. Macee popped her head out of the shower. “Was there chemistry at least?” she asked.

“Who cares about that? I get to live in the palace,” Francesca replied.

“Frannie, you are so materialistic.”

“When I am queen, you will have to stop calling me that! It sounds so ugly.”

“Frannie, fanny,” Macee sang and started laughing. Francesca opened the tap water. Macee screamed when the water went hotter.

“Serves you right!” Francesca shouted and left the bathroom.

*                                       *                                                 *                                                            *

T
oward the end of the week, the Colonel and Mrs LeBlanc were summoned to the palace. They were surprised to be called so soon. Mrs LeBlanc felt positive that their earlier meeting with the prince had gone well and he was probably calling them to agree to the marriage to Francesca.

Prince Louis sat in the courtyard with his mother and aunt when the LeBlancs arrived. They greeted the royal family with bows. Prince Louis gestured for them to sit down as the maid brought out a tray of deliciously-baked pastries and drinks. They immediately started discussing Francesca, as it was a matter of urgency that deserved full attention.

“Did you like her, son?” the queen asked Prince Louis.

“She is a well-mannered and poised young lady,” the prince replied.

“Thank you, your highness,” Mrs LeBlanc said. Her husband smiled and bowed his head. He was always proud of his girls. They had turned out well, even Macee. He was not as hard on her as his wife.

“So, we will be going ahead with the wedding plans?” Bridgette, Prince Louis’ aunt asked. She was not keen on it. She liked Liane and wanted her to marry her nephew. This sudden change was unsettling for her. She did not trust Mrs LeBlanc, never had.

“Not quite,” Prince Louis said.

“Why not?” Bridgette asked.

“Well, we will need to meet with her before anything,” the queen said.

“Of course, but he must like his bride.”

“Is there something displeasing about her?” Mrs LeBlanc asked. She was ready to fight tooth and nail for her daughter. This marriage was going to happen.

“Nothing is wrong with her,” Prince Louis replied.

“Then what is the matter?” Bridgette asked.

“I would like to marry your other daughter,” the prince looked at Mrs LeBlanc as he spoke. She was confused.

“Liane?” she asked.

“No, the other one.. with the paint.” 

“Good gracious me, Macee?”

“Yes, her.”

The LeBlancs looked at each other. That was something they had not seen coming. The prince wanting to marry Macee? Mrs LeBlanc closed her eyes. She was not sure she had heard right. “Pardon me, but why? Francesca is much more suitable,” she said.

“I have taken more interest in the other one, more than Francesca.”

For goodness sake, he did not even know her name
, Mrs LeBlanc thought to herself. This was a disaster. Macee would embarrass the family.

“Your highness, she has not been trained for this and we do not have sufficient time to do so before the wedding,” Colonel LeBlanc added.

“Is Macee your youngest?” the queen asked.

“We’ve never met her,” Bridgette added. She looked at her nephew. “You met her at their house?”

“Sort of. She came in as I was leaving.” The prince laughed. “The girl was soaked in paint.”

“And that is whom you wish to marry?”

“Yes.” The prince had not stopped thinking about her since he saw her. She may have been scruffy and covered in paint but underneath all that was a lively woman. He could tell by the way her eyes sparkled. He knew that she would be more fun than Francesca would be.

“We will have to meet her first,” the queen said.

“As you wish, your majesty,” Colonel LeBlanc said. His wife was still in shock. She thought that maybe it was some sort of joke but the prince was very serious. He wanted to marry Macee. It did not make sense to her, as he had barely spent a minute with her.

“We’ll meet her and get to know her before making a decision about marrying her,” Bridgette said.

“You may meet her,” Prince Louis replied, “But I intend to marry her.”

C
olonel LeBlanc and his wife returned home deciding to break the news to the girls over dinner. Francesca was excited to hear about their meeting with the royal family. Mrs LeBlanc watched Macee eat. 

“Slow down, young lady, no one is chasing you,” Mrs LeBlanc said to her daughter. 

“Why are you watching me eat?” Macee asked with food in her mouth. Her mother closed her eyes. She was definitely going to embarrass the family.

“Never mind her eating habits, how did it go at the palace?” Francesca asked. Her parents looked at each other before anyone said anything.

“Prince Louis...” Mrs LeBlanc drifted off and looked at her husband. She could not even say the words.

“Would like to marry Macee,” Colonel LeBlanc finished for her. Both Francesca and Macee dropped their forks on their plates.

“What?” Macee said. “This must be some kind of sick joke.”

“How did this happen?” Francesca asked. The two stared at their parents waiting for an answer. They were not sure that they had heard correctly.

“For the life of me I cannot understand it either but the prince was clear,” Mrs LeBlanc said.

“Macee is as good as Francesca. It does not matter who the prince wants,” the Colonel added, but his wife and Francesca looked at him as if he was insane.

“But he hasn’t met me.” Macee was struggling to understand when the prince had seen her to even like her.

“The other day when he was here.”

“When she was that unkempt?” Francesca was in disbelief. Her mother looked at her with the same facial expression.

“Well, tell him to take it back, I will not marry him.” Macee dismissed herself from the table. That was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard and her mother said plenty.

Macee stormed into her room. She had to call Liane and let her know what was happening. She was in too much shock and had to share it with her older sister. Macee flipped open her laptop and called her sister on Skype. As soon as Liane answered, Macee dived right into the conversation and told her what had happened.