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Madeline loved to tease with him whenever she could. It helped to hide her unprofessional and seemingly undeniable attraction to him. The attraction had blindsided her last Christmas at Tristan and Jennifer’s wedding. The king had danced with her. She knew he’d only asked because Chad was Tristan’s best man and they both loved each other’s sons. They’d danced and teased and laughed, but underlying all of that his touch had transported her to a different world, full of tingles and light, and his blue eyes had captivated her. She thought of that dance far too often. She’d felt like she was floating. Silly but she couldn’t deny the power of those feelings.
“King Nolan. Prince Tristan.” She cleared her throat and prayed for professionalism. Before they could both insist on her dropping the titles, she rushed on, “I’m here on official business as an emissary from parliament and Prime Minister Carrera.”
“Oh?” King Nolan leaned back, not looking quite as happy at her being here.
She had it on authority from Chad and had seen glimpses herself that the newly appointed prime minister did not have the rapport and comfortable yet effective relationship former Prime Minister Shule had with the royals. Henry Shule had been too comfortable, some on parliament had once believed. Not any longer.
“What business might that be?” the king asked, his blue eyes piercing now.
Nerves rolled around in her stomach but Madeline had known as soon as the issues had been brought up by Albert Gustaff, seconded by George Monaco, and approved by Prime Minister Carrera, that she had to be appointed. The other quick to volunteer members had former associations with the infamous Rindlesbachers and were not fans of King Nolan and his family. Thankfully she had more loyal friends within parliament and had won the vote.
She vowed to herself and to parliament and the prime minister that she would be thorough in her investigations and observations and fair with the royal family, particularly King Nolan, and the kingdom she’d pledged her allegiance to. It was a very sticky situation and everyone had agreed the investigation needed to be done very quietly. The entire parliament had been sworn to silence.
She personally did not believe the allegations of misuse of funds, some whispering of embezzling, but worst of all the association, protection, funding by, and a possible scandalous relationship with Naomi Rindlesbacher. Naomi was a beautiful and conniving lady who had convinced, tricked, or paid a lot of men to be her pawns, but there was no world where King Nolan would associate with that vile manipulator. Ninety percent of parliament was in agreement with her but with this serious of an issue regarding their illustrious king, the most powerful man in Augustine, the naysayers had to be proven wrong to their satisfaction. She wondered how long that would take? The bonus—lots of time alone with the most enticing man she’d ever known.
“Sir, the members of parliament and Prime Minister Carrera have sent me to work personally with you …” Her voice trailed off as his gaze became almost smoky. Her stomach lifted, not from nerves but from anticipation of sticking close to this man’s side for the foreseeable future.
“Personally?” King Nolan repeated. The way he said that word sounded as if she’d asked him to cuddle up, talk for hours, and get to know each other better.
No. She was projecting her hidden desires, that would definitely stay hidden, onto him.
“Yes, sir.” She made her voice stiff and unyielding. “Until the issues and allegations have been resolved to parliament’s satisfaction via my reports.”
“What issues and allegations?” Tristan demanded, obviously confused at her formal tone and bothered by those words directed at his father. As anybody would be.
Madeline prayed they could all make it through this without her offending either of these impressive men. She pulled a paper out of her large bag and laid it on the desk. The king didn’t look at it, his eyes fastened on hers.
“The misuse of the people of Augustine’s funds by the royal family. King Nolan in particular.” She started there. She didn’t know that she could spit the rest out. No way was King Nolan in cahoots with that evil temptress, Naomi Rindlesbacher.
The office was silent. King Nolan held her gaze. His blue eyes filled with challenge and injury. She could almost see the question in his eyes. Did she believe these allegations?
How to assure him that she believed he was an honest man and a loyal king while maintaining her purpose here? She had to resolve the issue to the members of parliament and Prime Minister Carrera’s satisfaction without making a mistake and revealing she was enthralled with the king in the process. If she didn’t close this issue; they’d send someone else. The slick-tongued George Monaco had made certain she knew that. After he asked her to dinner for the hundredth time. The man seemed to relish her constant rejections.
If the king thought ‘misuse of funds’ was damaging, how would he feel when he read that paper, or she had to reveal the rest? She could only pray he wouldn’t escort her straight out of his office and the castle. She’d have to convince him she had his best interests in mind and was protecting him from a much harsher and more devious emissary. She’d have to convince herself she had no personal interest or attraction to the king or she might mess up the entire mission.
Staring into his blue eyes, she feared the last part of her mission would challenge all of her long-standing self control around handsome and powerful men. Was there a more handsome or powerful man in the world than the king of Augustine? She’d never met his equal.
* * *
FindThe Grieving King and the Emissaryon Amazon.
The Royal Captain and the Designer
Chapter One
Faith Radisson peeked around the corner of the solid mahogany wood doorframe and her heart took off at a gallop.
“He’s coming,” she whispered to her co-conspirator Princess Kiera August.
They hid in the elaborate ballroom, quiet on this early December morning. Outside the towering castle the world was picture perfect—high mountains covered with green pine trees and bare-limbed deciduous trees heaped with white snow. Inside the spacious castle, decorated beautifully for Christmas, Faith’s world was going to be perfect—as soon as they waylaid Captain Levi Favor and talked him into a snowball fight. Faith had it on good authority that he was finished with his shift and headed home.
She would love to see his home, but first she had to convince him to date her. She’d met Levi over a year ago on her first visit to the royal family’s palace in Augustine. The delightful Kiera had talked Levi and Lieutenant Mason Henson into guarding them on a hike through the forest to the waterfall. She’d been half in love with the captain since that first meeting, but regrettably something was holding him back. He would initially respond to her flirtations or meet her gaze with a smolder in his dark-brown eyes, but then he’d always school his reaction and keep his distance.
She was determined that this Christmas, invited to stay in Augustine for the entire month to celebrate with everyone the marriage of her brother-in-law Chad’s mum to the king, she would get Levi to fall for her. Maybe an impossible quest, but Faith always chose to focus on the positive. Despite being deserted by her parents at twelve, having her oldest sister brutally murdered two years ago, and almost being shot and killed by the foul Ramone Pitcher last year, she believed in God and in love.
Levi’s strong, determined footfalls approached. Her palms were clammy as she tried to think how to convince him to spend time with her. The snowball fight was only an excuse, but she figured nobody could say no to the adorable thirteen-year old Kiera.
She edged to the center of the doorframe and Kiera moved with her, giggling quietly at their ploy. She adored the young princess. She’d overheard Hope telling Madeline that Faith enjoyed Kiera so much because she was still youthful and a child at heart. While that was partially true, Hope spent so much time with Kiera because she’d also lost her mum at a young age and she knew how it felt to live in a world of grownups. Though her sisters were only two and four years older than her respectively they’d all been forced to grow up quick when their parents left. Faith had delved deep into her creative mind and mostly shut the real world out.
