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The Improperly Pregnant Princess
Jacqueline Diamond
Scandal Rocks Fairy-Tale FamilySeems that the most proper Princess CeCe Carradigne has stunned New York society and royal watchers all over the globe with the announcement that she is marrying longtime business rival (and uncommonly sexy commoner) Shane O'Connell. The lady, recently hand-picked by her grandfather, the King of Korosol, to be the new ruler of the fabulously wealthy European country, is also said to be in…shall we say…a delicate condition. That must be the reason for the imperially instant nuptials. It certainly couldn't be love–not with the public battles Her Highness and His Handsomeness have been said to have displayed lately. Or perhaps passion is ruling these noble newlyweds?Get all the facts inside…as a search for an heir to the throne leads to scandals of royal proportions for The Carradignes: American Royalty
His Royal Highness, King Easton Carradigne of Korosol, requests your presence during his secret search for a new heir to his throne.
Please join the King and his regal entourage as they journey to the United States on the quest to name a successor. First stop: the city of Manhattan, where three American princesses are about to get a surprise of royal proportions.
Don’t miss any of these exciting tales from
THE CARRADIGNES: AMERICAN ROYALTY
The Improperly Pregnant Princess
by Jacqueline Diamond
The Unlawfully Wedded Princess
by Kara Lennox
The Simply Scandalous Princess
by Michele Dunaway
The Duke’s Covert Mission
by Julie Miller
Dear Reader,
March roars in like a lion this month with Harlequin American Romance’s four guaranteed-to-please reads.
We start with a bang by introducing you to a new in-line continuity series, THE CARRADIGNES: AMERICAN ROYALTY. The search for a royal heir leads to some scandalous surprises for three princesses, beginning with The Improperly Pregnant Princess by Jacqueline Diamond. CeCe Carradigne is set to become queen of a wealthy European country, until she winds up pregnant by her uncommonly handsome business rival. Talk about a shotgun wedding of royal proportions! Watch for more royals next month.
Karen Toller Whittenburgh’s series, BILLION-DOLLAR BRADDOCKS, continues this month with The Playboy’s Office Romance as middle brother Bryce Braddock meets his match in his feisty new employee. Also back this month is another installment of Charlotte Maclay’s popular series, MEN OF STATION SIX. Things are heating up between a sexy firefighter and a very pregnant single lady from his past—don’t miss the igniting passion in With Courage and Commitment. And rounding out the month is A Question of Love by Elizabeth Sinclair, a warm and wonderful reunion story.
Here’s hoping you enjoy all that Harlequin American Romance has to offer you—this month, and all the months to come!
Best,
Melissa Jeglinski
Associate Senior Editor
Harlequin American Romance
The Improperly Pregnant Princess
Jacqueline Diamond
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For Ari and Hunter
who are both princes in their mother’s eyes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacqueline Diamond, who has published more than fifty novels, is a former Associated Press reporter. When she isn’t taking care of her husband, two sons and two cats, she enjoys growing vegetables and flowers. A native of Texas, Jackie grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and currently makes her home in Southern California. You can write to her at P.O. Box 1315, Brea, CA 92822.
Books by Jacqueline Diamond
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
79—THE DREAM NEVER DIES
196—AN UNEXPECTED MAN
218—UNLIKELY PARTNERS
239—THE CINDERELLA DARE
270—CAPERS AND RAINBOWS
279—A GHOST OF A CHANCE
315—FLIGHT OF MAGIC
351—BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS
406—OLD DREAMS, NEW DREAMS
446—THE TROUBLE WITH TERRY
491—A DANGEROUS GUY
583—THE RUNAWAY BRIDE
615—YOURS, MINE AND OURS
631—THE COWBOY AND THE HEIRESS
642—ONE HUSBAND TOO MANY 550-CAPTURED BY A SHEIKH
645—DEAR LONELY IN L.A….
674—MILLION-DOLLAR MOMMY
687—DADDY WARLOCK
716—A REAL-LIVE SHEIKH
734—THE COWBOY AND THE SHOTGUN BRIDE
763—LET’S MAKE A BABY!
791—ASSIGNMENT: GROOM!
804—MISTLETOE DADDY
833—I DO! I DO!
855—DADDY, M.D.
875—KISS A HANDSOME STRANGER
889—SURPRISE, DOC! YOU’RE A DADDY!
913—THE IMPROPERLY PREGNANT PRINCESS
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
435—AND THE BRIDE VANISHES
512—HIS SECRET SON
550—CAPTURED BY A SHEIKH
Contents
Prologue (#ua13d4d2c-754c-5b27-b3a9-78e14de0c50b)
Chapter One (#ued8331a9-c496-5290-bfb2-c2038f0c98e4)
Chapter Two (#u14974376-d094-5e2c-b9f6-c339d72b9820)
Chapter Three (#u5c59a96b-6caa-50d2-98df-cb3ecf21ff74)
Chapter Four (#u5fdfb0ff-428a-59a9-b3f7-8466fcd7f04d)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue
King Easton Carradigne clicked off the phone with a sense of relief. He had just set in motion events that should secure the future of the tiny kingdom of Korosol.
He gazed fondly around the high-ceilinged, tapestry-hung office on the second floor of his palace. Perhaps his successor, after she was crowned, would allow him to occupy this room a little longer…but no. When he handed over the reins of power, he must do so completely.
Feeling restless, the seventy-eight-year-old monarch sprang to his feet and strode to the high, multipaned window. From here, his gaze swept the beloved scene he was about to hand over to a virtual stranger.
Although it was evening, the king could fully appreciate the sweep and splendor of the landscaped grounds, having long ago memorized every inch of the gardens and ponds. Even in February, they were free of snow because of the mild, Mediterranean climate.
To his right, the royal-blue-and-silver flag of his homeland flapped as a groundsman lowered it for the night. A semitame deer raised its head at the sound. Seeing nothing to fear, it resumed grazing.
There was nowhere else in the world quite like Korosol, Easton thought. Tourists flocked to this refuge, which sloped from the mountains to the sea between France and Spain. They prized the beaches and mountain hot springs, the good weather and the rare wines.
He knew that his people credited him with much of Korosol’s affluence and stability. Easton, who had performed his duty for over fifty years to his hundred thousand subjects out of love, only hoped his successor would do as well.
Until last year, the obvious heir had been his eldest son, Byrum. Then, while on safari in Africa, Byrum and his wife, Sarah, had died when their Jeep exploded.
Although by tradition Easton’s choice should have fallen to their son, Markus, terrible rumors had reached him. A few of his grandson’s acquaintances believed Markus was somehow involved in the death of his parents. Even if they were mistaken, Markus’s drinking and dark moods made him unsuited to ruling.
Grieving for Byrum, Easton had let the matter slide until this month, when his intermittent weak spells had intensified to the point that they alarmed his physician. The doctor had sent him to Paris for secret medical tests.
The verdict: Easton suffered from a rare blood disease of unknown origin. The doctors said he would grow frailer over the coming months and had at most a year to live.
The need to choose an heir became urgent. While it was true that, in its eight-hundred-year history, Korosol had rarely been ruled by anyone not in a direct line of father-to-eldest-surviving-child descent, the law allowed the king to name his own successor.
That was what he planned to do.
A discreet knock at the door heralded the entrance of General Harrison Montcalm, Easton’s royal adviser. A thoughtful man with erect military bearing, Sir Harrison stood six feet tall, the same height as the monarch.
At age forty-five, however, the retired general was considerably more muscular. A good man to lean on in a crisis, in more ways than one, the king reflected.
