The Prince's Royal Dilemma. Brenda Harlen

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СКАЧАТЬ smile was smug. “Of course I’m right. And I know just the man to make you forget all about His Royal Arrogance.”

      She groaned. “Please tell me you’re not talking about a blind date.”

      “Actually, I’m not talking about a date at all, but a job.” She broke a peanut butter cookie in half and popped a piece into her mouth.

      “What job?” Lara asked.

      “Taking care of Luke’s kids.”

      “Your Luke?”

      “My boss,” her friend clarified.

      Lara had met him a couple of times at the art gallery and knew a little of his basic background from Tanis. A hunky widower with twin girls, if she remembered correctly. And the object of her friend’s secret affection. “I thought he had a nanny.”

      “He did. Until last week when she ran off with a sculptor whose work was on display at the gallery.”

      She managed a smile. “And you think he’s desperate enough to hire a nanny fired by the royal family?”

      “I know he’d be lucky to have you,” Tan said loyally. “In fact, I’ll give him a call right now if you’re interested.”

      Lara was tempted to say no, to let herself dream that the prince regent would somehow realize he’d made a mistake and ask her to come back, but she knew that would never happen.

      “But if you’re not sure, you can take some time to think about it,” Tan continued. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to.”

      “Thanks,” Lara said, grateful for the offer, though she knew she couldn’t accept it. Her friend’s apartment was barely big enough for one person, even without all the art supplies scattered around. “But I think starting a new job would be good. I need to move on.”

      “Then I’ll call Luke right away.” Tanis was already reaching for the phone.

      Lara sipped her wine while her friend made the arrangements.

      “He wanted to come over and pick you up right now,” Tan said when she disconnected the call.

      “I could go now,” she agreed.

      “No way. It’s a rare occurrence for us to have the same day off and I want to go shopping.”

      “Shoe shopping?”

      Her friend grinned. “Is there any other kind?”

      “I guess a new job calls for new shoes,” she agreed, but her eyes filled again with tears.

      Tan touched her hand. “It will get better.”

      “The worst part of this whole situation is that I wasn’t prepared and I should have been. I knew Prince Rowan never liked me—I just didn’t realize how much he actually disliked me.” She swallowed. “It was almost as if he was looking for an excuse to fire me.”

      “That’s because he’s an arrogant, pompous ass,” Tanis declared with such conviction that Lara had to smile.

      “Married?” Rowan stared at Henri Marchand, certain the information he’d just been given couldn’t possibly be true. “You must be joking.”

      “I’m afraid not,” his political advisor and longtime friend said solemnly. “If you don’t marry within six months of your thirty-fifth birthday, you risk losing the throne.”

      “Can I challenge the law? Change it?”

      “You could try, but it would be a difficult and time-consuming process and your birthday isn’t far away.”

      Rowan scanned the highlighted portion of the text again, shaking his head. “Which means that I have little more than six months to find a suitable bride.”

      The corners of Henri’s mouth curved just a little, and Rowan knew he was amused by the thought of his avowed bachelor friend finally sticking his head in the marriage noose.

      “That’s right, Your Highness.”

      “And if I refuse? Would the throne then pass to Eric?”

      It was a hypothetical question, really, because he wouldn’t ever ask his brother to give up the career he loved in the navy just to help him avoid a pesky little matter like marriage. And if the throne passed further down the line to Marcus—no, he couldn’t even imagine it. His youngest brother was barely old enough to be responsible for himself, never mind an entire country.

      “It’s not that simple,” Henri warned. “Because Tesoro del Mar is a cross between a hereditary and an elective monarchy, the appointment of your successor would need to be approved by the royal council.”

      “As mine was approved.”

      “Yes. Much to the annoyance of the princess royal.”

      Rowan frowned. “My aunt Elena objected to my appointment as prince regent?”

      “When a ruler dies without an heir of legal age, his successor is to be chosen from all eligible members of the royal family, and your aunt thought her eldest son, Prince Michael, should have at least been considered for the position.”

      “And Michael is already married.”

      Henri nodded. “I don’t know that your cousin is even interested in the position, but there’s no doubt his mother wants it for him, and if you choose to ignore this legislation, she will find a way to use it against you.”

      Rowan folded his hands on top of his desk, not wanting to give any further indication of the frustration churning inside. He understood that it was his duty to fill the role of prince regent until his eldest nephew was of an age to take his rightful place on the throne, but he sure hadn’t been thinking about marriage when he’d accepted the position. Now he was being pressured not just to find a wife but to do so within a specified time frame—or put the future of the monarchy in jeopardy.

      “Okay,” he said to his friend. “You’re supposed to be my advisor. Advise me. How exactly am I going to pull this off?”

      “With all due respect, while marriage seems to be a political necessity, the choosing of a bride should be a personal decision.”

      Rowan just scowled.

      “You’ve escorted any number of beautiful women to various social events,” Henri reminded him. “Surely it wouldn’t take much persuasion for one of them to accept a permanent position at your side.”

      “Choosing a suitable companion for a state dinner or a few pleasurable hours behind closed doors is entirely different from deciding who will be not just the next princess of Tesoro del Mar but the person with whom I share the rest of my life.”

      “There must be someone who made an impression,” Henri said. “At least one woman you couldn’t stop thinking about after you’d said good-night.”

      Rowan tried to summon СКАЧАТЬ