Nina Milne - Claiming His Secret Royal Heir

Married for their baby? Or for real...

Crown Prince Frederick of Lycander needs a wife and an heir, and discovering he has a secret son with beautiful supermodel Sunita makes him determined to claim them both!

But Sunita has no desire to live and raise baby Amil as part of Frederick’s royal entourage! Until he persuades her it’s the best thing for their son. Their engagement reveals that their passion still simmers but, to keep Sunita and Amil by his side, Frederick discovers he must also admit his love...

For an instant it was as if the world went out of focus.

Sunita could almost see a line being drawn in the sands of time—this was the moment that separated before and after. She nearly took the coward’s route, and wondered if Frederick would swallow the lie that Amil was Sam’s. Then she realised she could not—would not—do that.

‘Yes. He is yours. Amil is your son.’

Now she understood the meaning of a deafening silence. This one rolled through the room, echoed in her ears until she wanted to shout. Instead she waited, saw his body freeze, saw the whole gamut of emotion cross his face, and watched as his expression settled into an anger so ice-cold a shiver rippled over her skin.

Panic twisted her insides. The die had been cast and she knew now that, whatever happened, life would never be the same.

Claiming His Secret Royal Heir

Nina Milne

www.millsandboon.co.uk

NINA MILNE has always dreamed of writing for Mills & Boon Romance—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.

To the memory of my very lovely ‘Nanni’—

I still miss you.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Married for their baby? Or for real... Crown Prince Frederick of Lycander needs a wife and an heir, and discovering he has a secret son with beautiful supermodel Sunita makes him determined to claim them both! But Sunita has no desire to live and raise baby Amil as part of Frederick’s royal entourage! Until he persuades her it’s the best thing for their son. Their engagement reveals that their passion still simmers but, to keep Sunita and Amil by his side, Frederick discovers he must also admit his love...

Introduction For an instant it was as if the world went out of focus. Sunita could almost see a line being drawn in the sands of time—this was the moment that separated before and after. She nearly took the coward’s route, and wondered if Frederick would swallow the lie that Amil was Sam’s. Then she realised she could not—would not—do that. ‘Yes. He is yours. Amil is your son.’ Now she understood the meaning of a deafening silence. This one rolled through the room, echoed in her ears until she wanted to shout. Instead she waited, saw his body freeze, saw the whole gamut of emotion cross his face, and watched as his expression settled into an anger so ice-cold a shiver rippled over her skin. Panic twisted her insides. The die had been cast and she knew now that, whatever happened, life would never be the same.

Title Page Claiming His Secret Royal Heir Nina Milne www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author NINA MILNE has always dreamed of writing for Mills & Boon Romance—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.

Dedication To the memory of my very lovely ‘Nanni’— I still miss you.

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

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

August 15th—Online Celebrity News with April Fotherington

Who will be the new Lycander Princess?

All bets are off!

It’s official! Lady Kaitlin Derwent is no longer a contender for the position of Lycander Bride—the people’s favourite aristo announced that her new squeeze for the foreseeable future is Daniel Harrington, CEO of Harrington’s Legal Services.

Who’d have thought it?

Exit Lady Kaitlin!

So Prince Frederick, ruler of Lycander, is on the lookout for a new bride.

Who will it be?

Will it be the type of woman who graced his arm and his bed back in his playboy days, before the tragic death of his older brother and the scandalous death of Prince Alphonse, his flamboyant father, in a house of ill repute propelled him to the throne?

FREDERICK II OF the House of Petrelli, Prince and Ruler of Lycander, stopped reading and pushed his screen across the ornate carved desk, resplendent with gilt—a royal gift from an English monarch of yore.

The phrase pounded his brain—tragic death of his older brother—but he forced his features to remain calm, and made himself focus on the man standing in front of him: Marcus Alrikson, his chief advisor. After all, he needed all the advice he could get.

‘I don’t understand what the problem is—this article is nothing more than a gossip fest. And it’s old news.’

Marcus shook his head. ‘That is the problem. The article serves to remind the people of your past.’

‘Don’t you mean my sordid, scandalous and immoral past?’ Might as well tell it like it is, he thought.

‘If you like,’ Marcus returned evenly. ‘The bigger problem is that we both know you are holding on to the crown by your fingertips. The people did not want you on the throne because of your past—so any reminder causes damage.’

‘I understand that.’

The all too familiar guilt twisted his insides—the people had wanted his brother on the throne. Axel had been born to this. He would have been the ideal ruler to bring prosperity and calm to the land after their father’s turbulent rule.

But Axel was dead and buried—victim of a car crash that should have been Frederick’s destiny. Frederick should have been in that car on his way to a State dinner; instead he’d asked Axel to step in and take his place and his big brother had—no questions asked. So Frederick had attended a party on board a glitzy yacht to celebrate a business deal...and Axel had died.

The dark secret tarnished Frederick’s soul, weighted his conscience.

And now Lycander was stuck with the black sheep of the royal line and the people were threatening to revolt. Bleak determination hardened inside him. He would keep the crown safe, whatever the cost—he owed that at least to Axel’s memory.

‘So what do you suggest?’

‘I suggest you find a new bride—someone like Lady Kaitlin. Your proposed alliance with Kaitlin was a popular one. It showed the people that you had decided to settle down with a suitable bride, that you’d changed—proof there would be no repeat of your father’s disastrous marriages.’

‘I have decided to settle down.’ To bind himself to a lifestyle he’d once sworn to avoid and the formulation of a cold-blooded alliance undertaken for the sake of the throne. ‘But Kaitlin is no longer an option—she has fallen in love with another man.’