The Princess Brides. Jane Porter
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Jane Porter grew up on a diet of Mills & Boon® romances, reading late at night under the covers so her mother wouldn’t see! She wrote her first book at age eight, and spent many of her school and college years living abroad, immersing herself in other cultures and continuing to read voraciously. Now Jane has settled down in rugged Seattle, Washington, with her gorgeous husband and two sons. Jane loves to hear from her readers. You can write to her at PO Box 524, Bellevue, WA 98009, USA. Or visit her website at www.janeporter.com.
Don’t miss Jane Porter’s classic The Sheikh’s Virgin available in October in the M&B™ collection The Desert Sheikh’s Marriage.
In September 2008 Mills & Boon bring back two of their classic collections, each featuring three favourite romances by our bestselling authors…
THE PRINCESS BRIDES by Jane Porter The Sultan’s Bought Bride The Greek’s Royal Mistress The Italian’s Virgin Princess
IN THE AUSTRALIAN’S BED The Passion Price by Miranda Lee The Australian’s Convenient Bride by Lindsay Armstrong The Australian’s Marriage Demand by Melanie Milburne
The Princess Brides
by
Jane Porter
THE SULTAN’S BOUGHT BRIDE
THE GREEK’S ROYAL MISTRESS
THE ITALIAN’S VIRGIN PRINCESS
MILLS & BOON
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THE SULTAN’S BOUGHT BRIDE
by
Jane Porter
For CJ Carmichael. Thank you for everything, Carla. I am so very lucky to call you my very good friend. Jane.
PROLOGUE
‘‘YOU’RE not going to go.’’ Princess Nicolette tossed the heavy parchment paper into the garbage can. ‘‘You just pick up the phone and tell the sultan—or sheikh—or whatever he is that you’re not doing this disgustingly barbaric arranged marriage thing again. For heaven’s sake, Chantal, you’re a woman—not a human sacrifice!’’
Chantal’s mouth curved, but the tight smile didn’t touch her gray eyes, or her tense expression. ‘‘He’s wealthy, Nic. There’s a chance he might be able to buy Lilly’s freedom, and if this is the way—’’
‘‘It’s not the way! Absolutely not the way. You barely survived one hellish marriage. How could you even consider another?’’
‘‘Because our country needs it. Our people need it.’’ Chantal’s slim shoulders lifted, fell, as did her voice. ‘‘My daughter needs it.’’
Chantal’s resignation killed Nic. Her sister had lost her spirit, her backbone, her courage. The last couple of years had virtually annihilated the elegant princess, the eldest of the Ducasse royal grandchildren.
‘‘You have needs, too,’’ Nic shot back. ‘‘And you need to be treated kindly, lovingly, with respect. Another marriage of convenience—to another playboy—will only crush you.’’ Nic’s emotions ran high. If Chantal couldn’t fight anymore, then Nic would have to do it for her. ‘‘And I know you want to help Lilly, but your daughter needs to come home to Melio, Chantal. She doesn’t need another foreign country, another foreign culture, or another foreign nanny saying no princess, you can’t princess, don’t smile princess, we don’t approve of laughter, princess!’’
Chantal winced. ‘‘You’re not helping, Nic.’’
Nic dropped to her knees, and wrapped her arms around Chantal’s legs, holding her sister close. ‘‘So let me help. Let me do something for a change!’’
Chantal’s fine dark brown eyebrow arched and she lifted one of Nicolette’s long blond curls. ‘‘You’ll marry the sultan?’’ Chantal gently mocked. ‘‘Come on, Nic. You’d never agree to a marriage of convenience. And you’re not even close to being ready to settle down. You’re still sowing all your wild oats.’’
Nicolette pressed her cheek to Chantal’s knees. ‘‘I’m not sowing wild oats. I’m just dating—’’
Her sister laughed and tugged on the long blond curl. ‘‘You don’t date, love. You hunt and destroy.’’
‘‘You make me sound like the Terminator! I don’t destroy men. I just haven’t found Mr. Right yet.’’
‘‘And how are you going to find the right man when you sleep with all the wrong ones?’’
‘‘I don’t sleep with everybody.’’
‘‘But you do like sex.’’
Nic eyed her sister thoughtfully. ‘‘Uh-oh, big sis doesn’t approve.’’
‘‘Big sis worries about AIDS. Venereal disease. Herpes. Pregnancy.’’
But that wasn’t really what Chantal worried about, was it? Chantal wasn’t thinking about Nicolette contracting a disease. She was worrying about her sister’s reputation. ‘‘Is this where you make the Good Girls Don’t speech?’’
‘‘Well, Mother’s not here.’’
‘‘Which probably makes you glad because Mother wasn’t a Good Girl, either!’’
Chantal stiffened. ‘‘Don’t speak of Mother that way, and more importantly, you know we all need to make good marriages. This has been the plan for five years.’’ Because their kingdom, consisting of two small islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Mejia and Melio, would be split at year’s end. Mejia would revert to French rule, Melio to Spanish rule if the royal Ducasse family couldn’t pay their taxes and trade agreements.
Chantal had been the one to suggest marriages of convenience. If the three princesses all made good marriages they could save Melio and Mejia, infusing the economy with new money, new alliances, new power. So Chantal had been the first to marry to Prince Armand Thibaudet of La Croix and it’d been a nightmare from the start.
So, no, Nic hadn’t been overly anxious to marry, but that wasn’t to say she wouldn’t do her part. ‘‘You don’t think I can marry well anymore, do you?’’
If Chantal had heard the hurt in Nic’s voice she gave no indication. ‘‘I don’t know anything about your reputation, but I do know we all have a responsibility to take care of Melio. Succession depends on us. Melio’s security, and stability, must come through us. We are the next generation.’’
‘‘I’ve never shirked my duties. While you’ve been gone I’ve taken over your charities along with mine.’’
‘‘Charities are all very well and nice, but it’s money we need. Millions of dollars. And you have had two proposals, Nic.’’
‘‘Years ago.’’
‘‘Exactly!