Stella Bagwell - The Expectant Princess

THE EDENBOURG TATTLER

March 2001

Word has it that with the king’s disappearance Princess Dominique Stanbury has returned to Edenbourg sporting a green complexion and enough bouts of morning sickness to draw some very serious conclusions. Not only that, but Marcus Kent, the king’s right-hand man, hasn’t left her side since she stepped off the royal jet. Could it be that Marcus is responsible for the princess’s delicate condition? And if the king is ever found, will he condone Marcus’s inclusion in the royal mix and allow his loyal employee to marry the princess he’s so obviously in love with?

The Blacksheep Prince’s Bride

(SR #1510)

by Martha Shields

Dear Reader,

You asked for more ROYALLY WED titles and you’ve got them! For the next four months we’ve brought back the Stanbury family—first introduced in a short story by Carla Cassidy on our Harlequin.com Web site. Be sure to check the archives to find Nicholas’s story! But don’t forget to pick up Stella Bagwell’s The Expectant Princess and discover the involving story of the disappearance of King Michael.

Other treats this month include Marie Ferrarella’s one hundredth title for Silhouette Books! This wonderful, charming and emotional writer shows her trademark warmth and humor in Rough Around the Edges. Luckily for all her devoted readers, Marie has at least another hundred plots bubbling in her imagination, and we’ll be seeing more from her in many of our Silhouette lines.

Then we’ve got Karen Rose Smith’s Tall, Dark & True about a strong, silent sheriff who can’t bear to keep quiet about his feelings any longer. And Donna Clayton’s heroine asks Who Will Father My Baby?—and gets a surprising answer. No Place Like Home by Robin Nicholas is a delightful read that reminds us of an all-time favorite movie—I’ll let you guess which one! And don’t forget first-time author Roxann Delaney’s debut title, Rachel’s Rescuer.

Next month be sure to return for The Blacksheep Prince’s Bride by Martha Shields, the next of the ROYALLY WED series. Also returning are popular authors Judy Christenberry and Elizabeth August.

Happy reading!

Mary-Theresa Hussey

Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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To Lloyd Henry Cook, who was surely a king in a past life,

or at the very least a prince. This one is for you, dear brother.

Books by Stella Bagwell

Silhouette Romance

Golden Glory #469

Moonlight Bandit #485

A Mist on the Mountain #510

Madeline’s Song #543

The Outsider #560

The New Kid in Town #587

Cactus Rose #621

Hillbilly Heart #634

Teach Me #657

The White Night #674

No Horsing Around #699

That Southern Touch #723

Gentle as a Lamb #748

A Practical Man #789

Precious Pretender #812

Done to Perfection #836

Rodeo Rider #878

*Their First Thanksgiving #903

*The Best Christmas Ever #909

*New Year’s Baby #915

Hero in Disguise #954

Corporate Cowgirl #991

Daniel’s Daddy #1020

A Cowboy for Christmas #1052

Daddy Lessons #1085

Wanted: Wife #1140

†The Sheriff’s Son #1218

†The Rancher’s Bride #1224

†The Tycoon’s Tots #1228

†The Rancher’s Blessed Event #1296

†The Ranger and the Widow Woman #1314

†The Cowboy and the Debutante #1334

†Millionaire on Her Doorstep #1368

The Bridal Bargain #1414

Falling for Grace #1456

The Expectant Princess #1504

Silhouette Special Edition

Found: One Runaway Bride #1049

†Penny Parker’s Pregnant! #1258

Silhouette Books

Fortunes of Texas

The Heiress and the Sheriff

Maitland Maternity

Just for Christmas

STELLA BAGWELL

sold her first book to Silhouette in 1985. More than forty novels later, she still says she isn’t completely content unless she’s writing. Recently she and her husband of thirty years moved from the hills of Oklahoma to Seadrift, Texas. Stella says the water, the tropical climate and the seabirds make it a lovely place to let her imagination soar.

She and her husband have one son, Jason, who lives and teaches high school math in nearby Port Lavaca.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Epilogue

Prologue

March, 2001

“She’s going to be a beautiful princess.”

Queen Josephine of Edenbourg’s announcement was accompanied with a tender smile for the three-month-old baby cradled in the arms of her doting father.

“LeAnn already is a beautiful princess,” Prince Nicholas proudly corrected his mother. “She’s going to grow up to be the spitting image of Rebecca.”

The prince’s comment produced a blush on the face of his young American-born wife and happy laughter among the group crowded around the baby and her proud parents.

Outside, a cool rain was falling on the majestic towers of Edenbourg Abbey, but inside the ancient cathedral the mood was warm and festive. Family, friends and dignitaries from several countries had gathered to attend the christening of baby LeAnn, first grandchild of the king and queen of Edenbourg, one of the most beautiful countries in Eastern Europe, and daughter to the heir to the throne.

“Well put, my son. LeAnn is already quite beautiful,” Josephine agreed. The slender woman with a sleek brown chignon and regal stature touched a gentle finger to the baby’s rosy cheek. “And so far she’s behaved like a little angel.”

“Yes, so far,” Rebecca spoke up in worried motherly fashion. “But I fear once the bishop takes hold of her she’s going to start wailing at the top of her lungs.”

Once more chuckles abounded throughout the group. As if on cue, the baby looked around with wide innocent eyes, then not caring one whit that her audience was made up of royal bloodlines dating back to medieval times, she gave them a toothless grin.

Standing at the prince’s right elbow, golden-haired Princess Dominique Stanbury, the youngest of the Stan-bury siblings, smiled affectionately as she reached for her new niece.

“Let me hold her, dear brother. You’re positively too greedy where your daughter is concerned. You’re going to have her spoiled rotten before she’s old enough to sit upright.”

With a groan of feigned reluctance, the tall young prince with black hair handed the baby to his younger sister. “That’s what princesses are for, aren’t they? To be spoiled. Father certainly pampered you,” he teased.

A spate of laughter followed his words. Dominique wrinkled her nose at him and glanced at her older sister, Isabel, who was standing a few steps away from their brother. “Isabel, you’re not going to let him get away with that, are you?”