She refused his royal proposal...
...but will she let him unlock the passion within?
King Theodosius must find a queen to keep his throne, but his less-than-romantic proposal letter leaves sheltered Princess Moriana cold. So Theo decides to make Moriana an offer she canât refuseâif sheâll consider becoming his bride, heâll heat things up by initiating his innocent queen into the pleasures of the marriage bed...
KELLY HUNTER has always had a weakness for fairy tales, fantasy worlds and losing herself in a good book. She has two children, avoids cooking and cleaning and, despite the best efforts of her family, is no sports fan. Kelly is, however, a keen gardener and has a fondness for roses. Kelly was born in Australia and has travelled extensively. Although she enjoys living and working in different parts of the world, she still calls Australia home.
ISBN: 978-1-474-07187-1
CONVENIENT BRIDE FOR THE KING
© 2018 Kelly Hunter
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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CHAPTER ONE
PRINCESS MORIANA OF ARUN wasnât an unreasonable woman. She had patience aplenty and was willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt at least once. Maybe even twice. But when she knew for a fact she was being passed around like a Christmas cracker no one wanted to pull, all bets were off.
Her brother Augustus had said he wasnât available to speak with her this morning. People to see, kingdom to rule.
Nothing to do with avoiding her until she regained her equilibrium after yesterdayâs spectacularly public jilting...the coward.
So what if Casimir of Byzenmaach no longer wanted to marry her? It wasnât as if it had ever been Casimirâs idea in the first place, and it certainly hadnât been hers. When you were the progeny of kings it was commonplace for a politically expedient marriage to be arranged for you. And yet...inexplicably...Casimirâs defection after such a long courtship had gutted her. Heâd made her feel small and insignificant, unwanted and alone, and, above all, not good enough. All her hard work, the endless social politics, the restraint that guided her every move, had been for what?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Arunâs royal palace was an austere one, mainly because Morianaâs forefathers had planned it that way. Stern, grey and never quite warm enough, it invited application to duty over frivolous timewasting. It chose function over beauty, no matter how much beauty she found to hang on its walls. It favoured formal cloistered gardens for tidy minds.
Her brother had taken residence in the southern wing of the palace in the gloomiest rooms of them all, and not for the first time did Moriana wonder why. Her brotherâs executive secretaryâan elderly courtier whoâd been in service to the House of Arun since before she was bornâlooked up as she approached, his expression smooth and unruffled.
âPrincess, what a pleasant surprise.â