Rebecca Winters: His Majesty's Marriage

“I-I don’t know what else to say except that I can assure you she’s very sorry. Depending on her condition, I’m sure you’ll hear from her in the morning, if not tonight. Now, if I could prevail on your friend Philippe to drive me to the Belle-Vue, I’d be grateful.”

His hand stilled against his solid chest. “You’re meeting someone there?” he questioned.

“Oh, no. It’s a place to stay for the night before I return to Nyon tomorrow.” No more lies.

His veiled eyes studied her upturned features. “What’s in Nyon?”

“The boarding school where I live and work.”

“It wouldn’t be Beau Lac, would it?”

She nodded. “Sophie and I both attended it for several years. While we were there we became best friends. I stayed on and obtained my university degree in Geneva. Now I’m one of the staff.”

He moved closer, filling her with a fluttery sensation. “Where are you from in America?”

Oddly enough she got the impression he wasn’t making polite conversation. He sounded as if he really wanted to know. She couldn’t understand why he was asking so many questions.

“Jackson, Wyoming.”

His eyes flared a darker blue. “I’ve been there. That’s some of the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen.”

He had the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen.

“I thought it was paradise until I saw pictures of the Swiss Alps for the first time. When I was old enough to climb the Grand Teton with my father, I pretended I was on the Matterhorn.”

The slow smile that broke the corners of his mouth reached his eyes, illuminating dark places in her soul where she’d thought the light had been extinguished forever.

“Did you find goats and hear yodeling?”

She chuckled in spite of her nervousness. “I’m afraid not.”

“Have you ever been up on the Matterhorn?” came the silken inquiry.

“No,” she whispered, fighting tears because her father had promised it would be their next climb. But that had been right before everything ended…

A strange tension hovered between them.

“How would you like to spend your weekend climbing it with me?”

SUDDENLYLee felt the room tilt. Sophie’s words came back to haunt her.

If my own best friend can tempt him to spend the weekend with her, then I’ll go to my parents and tell them I refuse to marry a man who can’t even be faithful to me eight weeks before the wedding!

Except that Lee hadn’t tempted him! In fact she’d gone out of her way to do just the opposite.

Shaken to the foundations by his invitation, she was thrown into a new morass of conflicting emotions.

Part of her was in pain for Sophie, who’d already suspected that Raoul might be unfaithful to their engagement, not to mention their marriage. Already Lee had proof that the Prince felt no compunction in replacing Sophie with the next available female.

Unfortunately there was another part of Lee inexplicably drawn to the exciting male standing too close to her. More than anything she wanted to say yes to him.

It didn’t matter that Sophie had given Lee permission to entice her fiancé into a weekend tryst. The fact that he’d jumped at the opportunity without any machinations on Lee’s part meant that if he and Sophie were forced to marry, their union would be disastrous for them and any children born to them.

Angry at herself, at Sophie, at him, she blurted, “Is that what you were planning to do with the Princess?”

Raoul felt strong emotion coming from those gorgeous eyes flashing purple sparks at him. Obviously his invitation had surprised her as much as it had him. But now that it was out he had no desire to take it back.

The moment Philippe had returned with the breathtaking stranger Raoul had realized his carefully laid plans to put Sophie off the idea of marrying him were dashed for the time being.

At this point he was intrigued to know why she’d sent this American woman to make a personal apology. Sophie could have phoned him with her excuses. Something didn’t add up…

“The answer to your question is ‘yes’,” he answered honestly. “I thought she might like to share one of my favorite sports with me.”

Her beautiful body stiffened. “Climbing the Matterhorn isn’t exactly like playing a set of tennis. If you’d bothered to get to know Sophie better you’d understand she has a terrible fear of heights.”

Raoul was taken aback. Where was all this anger coming from? She sounded like a mother lion defending her cub.

“Is that why the Princess sent you in her place? Because she knows you don’t have the same problem?”

Those heavenly eyes stared straight into his. “I’m afraid her mind wasn’t on mountain climbing.”

His gaze narrowed on her passionate mouth. “You’re sure about that?”

“I’d stake my life on it,” she bit out. “Otherwise she would probably have suggested you meet her in Geneva.”

A tiny nerve was hammering at the base of her throat. What flawless skin she had.

“Apparently the Princess doesn’t have a problem sending her best friend to fill in for her.”

“What are you insinuating?”

“Give me a little credit, Ms Gresham. You wouldn’t have arrived with some fairy tale about having climbed the Grand Teton unless you’d done your homework first.”

Hectic color stained her cheeks. “It sounds like you believe what the tabloids say about the thousands of female admirers who follow your every move and know everything down to the brand of shampoo you use. Give me a little credit for not being part of the adoring horde!”

She wheeled away from him and reached for her suitcase.

Stunned by her fiery reaction, Raoul blocked her path so she couldn’t escape down the hallway.

“Not so fast,” he cautioned, putting his hands on her shoulders so she couldn’t turn and run out the front door. His hands scorched where they held her.

Lee froze in place, remembering another conversation with Sophie.

What if he’s not a gentleman?

Then I need to find that out too. I’m sure you’ll know how to handle him. You weren’t the most brilliant girl in school for nothing.

Right now Lee wasn’t sure of anything. She’d been playing with fire and had let her temper get the best of her. As a result, he held her in his firm grasp, almost daring her to take another step.

With his powerful male body so close she could feel its warmth and smell the fresh scent of the soap he used; she was blinded to the issue at hand. This was so much worse than anything she’d imagined. Especially when she was guilty of almost everything he’d accused her of without realizing it.

“I’m afraid you and I have gotten off on the wrong foot,” he began in his deep compelling voice. His hands seemed to slide away from her upper arms with reluctance. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to start over.”

Chastened by his conciliatory tone and her own guilt, she backed away from him. “I-it’s my fault,” she faltered. “I’ve lived around Sophie long enough to understand why you’re both suspicious of strangers. You had every right to think and say the things you did. Please tell me you forgive me, then I can leave feeling a little better.”

She heard his sharp intake of breath. “What if I don’t want you to go?”

Lee blinked in shock.

“You admit you’ve accomplished your errand and have little else to do but wait in an empty hotel room until tomorrow. If you would enjoy a good climb, then why not go up on the mountain with me and my friends in the morning? The guys will love it.”

Now what was he saying?