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A Royal Masquerade
Arlene James
In denim and rawhid Roland Thorton looked every inch a stable hand. But his bloodlines ran as blue as teh Montagues, age-old enemies of the Thortons, whose palace the prince infiltrated, searching for his kidnapped half sister. Yet it was another woman whose image consumed him day…and night.Lily claimed to be a lady's maid, yet her grace rivaled any royal princess's. Initially Roland thought to use Lily to expose the Montagues' deceit. Instead, it was his guarded heart that this fair maiden broke open with her innoncence.Then he discovered he wasn't the only royal masquerading….
HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
THE GRAND DUKE OF
THORTONBURG WISHES TO
ANNOUNCE THE SHOCKING
ENGAGEMENT OF PRINCE
ROLAND TO PRINCESS LILLIAN
MONTAGUE OF ROXBURY,
DAUGHTER OF HIS
SWORN ENEMY!
LET IT BE KNOWN that “spare heir” Roland masqueraded as a stable hand at the Montague keep (we’re still curious why) and fell for Princess Lillian, herself masquerading as a commoner….
LET IT BE KNOWN that Lillian, who’s been rather reclusive in recent years (some say she was betrayed by a gold-digging love), along with Roland, have helped to ease the feud between their families that has been ongoing for decades….
Now, if only Lillian’s widower brother, Prince Damon, could marry and provide the heir his parents and countrymen so desperately demand!
Dear Reader,
March roars in in grand style at Silhouette Romance, as we continue to celebrate twenty years of publishing the best in contemporary category romance fiction. And the new millennium boasts several new miniseries and promotions…such as ROYALLY WED, a three-book spinoff of the cross-line series that concluded last month in Special Edition Arlene James launches the new limited series with A Royal Masquerade, featuring a romance between would-be enemies, in which appearances are definitely deceiving….
Susan Meier’s adorable BREWSTER BABY BOOM series concludes this month with Oh, Babies! The last Brewster bachelor had best beware—but the warning may be too late! Karen Rose Smith graces the lineup with the story of a very pregnant single mom who finds Just the Man She Needed in her lonesome cowboy boarder whose plans had never included staying. The delightful Terry Essig will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone with The Baby Magnet, in which a hunky single dad discovers his toddler is more of an attraction than him—till he meets a woman who proves his ultimate distraction.
A confirmed bachelor finds himself the solution to the command: Callie, Get Your Groom as Julianna Morris unveils her new miniseries BRIDAL FEVER! And could love be What the Cowboy Prescribes…in Mary Starleigh’s charming debut Romance novel?
Next month features a Joan Hohl/Kasey Michaels duet, and in coming months look for Diana Palmer, and much more. It’s an exciting year for Silhouette Books, and we invite you to join the celebration!
Happy Reading!
Mary-Theresa Hussey
Senior Editor
A Royal Masquerade
Arlene James
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Books by Arlene James
Silhouette Romance
City Girl #141
No Easy Conquest #235
Two of a Kind #253
A Meeting of Hearts #327
An Obvious Virtue #384
Now or Never #404
Reason Enough #421
The Right Moves #446
Strange Bedfellows #471
The Private Garden #495
The Boy Next Door #518
Under a Desert Sky #559
A Delicate Balance #578
The Discerning Heart #614
Dream of a Lifetime #661
Finally Home #687
A Perfect Gentleman #705
Family Man #728
A Man of His Word #770
Tough Guy #806
Gold Digger #830
Palace City Prince #866
* (#litres_trial_promo)The Perfect Wedding #962
* (#litres_trial_promo)An Old-Fashioned Love #968
* (#litres_trial_promo)A Wife Worth Waiting For #974
Mail-Order Brood #1024
* (#litres_trial_promo)The Rogue Who Came To Stay #1061
* (#litres_trial_promo)Most Wanted Dad #1144
Desperately Seeking Daddy #1186
* (#litres_trial_promo)Falling for a Father of Four #1295
A Bride To Honor #1330
Mr. Right Next Door #1352
Glass Slipper Bride #1379
A Royal Masquerade #1432
Silhouette Special Edition
A Rumor of Love #664
Husband in the Making #776
With Baby in Mind #869
Child of Her Heart #964
The Knight, the Waitress and the Toddler #1131
Every Cowgirl’s Dream #1195
Marrying an Older Man #1235
Baby Boy Blessed #1285
Silhouette Books
Fortune’s Children
Single with Children
The Fortunes of Texas
Corporate Daddy
ARLENE JAMES
grew up in Oklahoma and has lived all over the South. In 1976 she married “the most romantic man in the world.” The author enjoys traveling with her husband, but writing has always been her chief pastime.
Contents
Chapter One (#u3a930fa7-189e-593b-bd0a-4617e291ea07)
Chapter Two (#udcb40bce-c721-5ba2-a8e0-c2f7d6115998)
Chapter Three (#udc2fa454-c574-55f0-a94e-a9fde850cd32)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
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 One
The obsequious little man in state dress, complete with the sash of office, made yet another bow and droned on. “We of Wynborough understand, of course, and most assuredly admire the rich maritime history of our trusted and revered ally Thortonburg.”
“Our piratical history, you mean,” Roland Thorton interrupted with droll impatience, secretly amused to see the little man jerk and grapple with his composure.
“Oh, no, Your Highness. Never!” The man gasped, as if shocked to his core.
“Come now,” Roland said, frowning and drumming his fingertips on the ornate arms of his chair in a show of regal boredom while delightedly baiting the snobbish little twit. “We Thortons are not ashamed of our forebears. Pirates they were, fierce and unscrupulous, and they kept our marvelous isle afloat with their ill-gotten gains. Our current shipping concerns are but a pale, distant image of those magnificent marauders of our past. We are pirates of banking and horseflesh, oil and tourism now. And it is the same with our smaller neighbor of Roxbury, though I have little doubt that Prince Charles would deny it. Pirates we were, sir, battling for the same plunder. Now we are but dignified and proper purveyors of goods, vying for the same contract year after year with your honorable King Phillip for no good reason except that it is tradition. So, who shall it be? Does my father, the Grand Duke of Thortonburg, or Prince Charles Montague of Roxbury win this year’s shipping contract with Wynborough?”
The little man gulped and dug a finger beneath the tight, starched collar of his shirt, bobbing from the waist in that perpetual bow. “As to that, my lord Roland, His Majesty King Phillip bears the highest regard for Thortonburg and all its interests.”
“I should hope so,” Roland drawled. “He saw his daughter married to Thortonburg’s heir apparent, after all.” He leaned forward suddenly, skewering the statesman with a pointed glare. “I should think that as my brother Raphael is son-in-law to your king, special consideration might be given to us. Even now Princess Elizabeth awaits the birth of a child who will further both royal lines.” Actually, it was his father, the Grand Duke, who thought special consideration should be given, despite the fact that Rafe refused to ask his wife to intervene on Thortonburg’s behalf. Roland had his personal doubts, which his father, as usual, chose to ignore.
Wynborough’s Deputy Minister of Trade drew himself up to his official best and finally—finally—approached the heart of the matter. Roland gritted his teeth, suspecting what was coming and dreading what would follow.
“There, Prince Roland, you have hit squarely upon the problem. Surely you understand that His Highness must avoid all semblance of favoritism. He means to rule justly, you see.”
Impatiently, Roland crossed his legs and flicked lint from the trousers of his ceremonial costume. “Yes, yes. Out with it, if you please, while I am still young. Do we or do we not have the contract?”
The minister pursed his lips, abandoned diplomacy and answered baldly, “Not.”
Roland slumped, half in relief, half in regret and wholly in exhaustion. The celebration of King Phillip’s twenty-year reign as monarch of Wynborough continued unabated, despite the fact that numerous business meetings such as this one were taking place all over Wyndham Castle. In truth, it was the business that brought Roland to Wynborough. Although his presence as a member of the royal family of Thortonburg was required and expected, he had little patience with pomp and circumstance, which, to his mind, was to be endured rather than enjoyed and then only when absolutely necessary. Twenty-six years of training, however, immediately had him straightening his spine again. Squaring his shoulders, he gave his head that regal tip.
