Nina Milne - Conveniently Wed To The Prince

This royal wedding is strictly business...

Or is it?

When Prince Stefan learns he might inherit land in his estranged principality, he sees a chance to honor his late mother. However, beguiling Holly Romano, whose family works the estate, is also named in the will—and the land goes to whomever marries first... So they join forces and marry each other ! As romance blossoms, is Holly and Stefan’s arrangement truly just a matter of convenience?

NINA MILNEhas always dreamed of writing for Mills & Boon—ever since she played libraries with her mother’s stacks of Mills & Boon romances as a child. On her way to this dream Nina acquired an English degree, a hero of her own, three gorgeous children and—somehow!—an accountancy qualification. She lives in Brighton and has filled her house with stacks of books—her very own real library.

Also by Nina Milne

Christmas Kisses with Her Boss

Claiming His Secret Royal Heir

Marooned with the Millionaire

The Derwent Family miniseries

Rafael’s Contract Bride

The Earl’s Snow-Kissed Proposal

Claimed by the Wealthy Magnate

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Conveniently Wed to the Prince

Nina Milne

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07810-8

CONVENIENTLY WED TO THE PRINCE

© 2018 Nina Milne

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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This book is for my lovely parents,

who made my childhood a happy place.

Thank you!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

PROLOGUE

Eighteen months ago, Il Boschetto di Sole —a lemon grove situated in the mountains of Lycander

HOLLY ROMANO STARED at her reflection. The dress was ivory perfection, a bridal confection of froth and lace, beauty and elegance, and she loved it. Happiness bubbled inside her—this was the fairy tale she’d dreamed of, the happy-ever-after she’d vowed would be hers. She and Graham were about to embark on a marriage as unlike her parents’ as possible—a partnership of mutual love.

Not for Holly the bitterness and constant recrimination—a union based on the drear of duty on her father’s part and the daily misery of unrequited love on her mother’s. Their marriage had eventually shattered, and in the final confetti shards of acrimony her mother had walked away and never come back. Leaving eight-year-old Holly behind without so much as a backward glance.

Holly pushed the images from her mind—she only wanted happy thoughts today, so she reminded herself of her father’s love. A love she valued with all her heart because, although he never spoke of it, she knew of his disappointment that Holly had not been the longed-for son. And yet he had never shown her anything but love. Unlike her mother, who had never got over the bitter let-down of her daughter’s gender and had never shown Holly even an iota of affection, let alone love.

Enough. Happy thoughts, remember?

Such as her additional joy that her father wholeheartedly approved of his soon-to-be son-in-law. Graham Salani was the perfect addition to the Romano family—a man who worked the land and would be an asset to Il Boschetto di Sole, the lemon grove the Romano family had worked on for generations. For over a century the job of overseer had passed from father to son, until Holly had broken the chain. But now Graham would be the son her father had always wanted.

It was all perfect.

Holly smiled at her reflection and half turned as the door opened and her best friend Rosa came in. It took her a second to register that Rosa wasn’t in her bridesmaid dress—which didn’t make sense as the horse-drawn carriage was at the door, ready to convey them to the chapel.

‘Rosa...?’

‘Holly, I’m sorry. I can’t go through with this. You need to know.’ Rosa’s face held compassion as she stepped forward.

‘I don’t understand.’

She didn’t want to understand as impending knowledge threatened to make her implode. Suddenly the dress felt weighted, each pearl bead filled with lead, and the smile on her face froze into a rictus.

‘What do I need to know?’

‘Graham is having an affair.’ Rosa stepped towards her, hand outstretched. ‘He has been for the past year.’

‘That’s not true.’

It couldn’t be. But why would Rosa lie? She was Graham’s sister—Holly’s best friend.

‘Ask your father.’

The door opened and Thomas Romano entered. Holly forced herself to meet her father’s eyes, saw the truth there and felt pain lance her.

‘Holly, it is true. I am sorry.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes. I have spoken with Graham myself. He claims it meant nothing, that he still loves you, still wants you to marry him.’

Holly tried to think, tried to cling to the crumbling, fading fairy tale.