Invitation to the Prince's Palace / The Prince's Second Chance: Invitation to the Prince's Palace / The Prince's Second Chance

Rikardo seemed willing to go to any lengths to help those who depended on his family for their livelihoods. ‘What can I do to help you? To help … them?’

‘You are kind, aren’t you?’ It wasn’t a question, and he seemed as concerned by it as he was possibly admiring of it. ‘Even though you don’t know what I may want.’

Mel lowered her gaze. ‘I try to be. What is it that you need?’

‘If it is at all possible, if it’s something you can do without it interfering unreasonably with your life or plans and I can convince you that you will be secure and looked after throughout the process and after it, I would like to ask you to take Nicolette’s place.’ Blue eyes fixed on her face, searched.

‘T-take her place?’ She stuttered the question slightly.

If Mel had peered in front of her in that moment, she felt quite certain she would have seen a hole. A rabbit hole. The kind that Alice in Crazyland could fall down.

Or leap into voluntarily?

‘Just to be clear,’ Mel said carefully, ‘are you asking me to be the one to temporarily marry you?’

CHAPTER FOUR

‘I know a marriage proposal must seem quite strange when you expected to be sent back to Australia today.’ Rik searched Melanie’s face.

He felt an interest and curiosity towards her that he struggled to explain.

And an attraction that can only get in the way of your goals.

He couldn’t let that happen. And right now he needed to properly explain his situation to her. That meant swallowing his pride to a degree, something he wasn’t used to doing. Yet as he looked at the carefully calm face, the hands clenched together in the folds of her skirt as she braced herself for whatever might come next, it somehow became a little easier.

At worst she would refuse to help him.

That would be a genuine ‘worst’, Rik. You need her help, otherwise you’ll end up locked into a miserable marriage like that of your parents, or unable to help the people of Braston at all because this plan of yours has failed.

‘May I be plain, Melanie?’

‘I think that would be best.’ She drew an uneven breath. ‘I feel a little out of my depth right now.’

She would feel more so as he explained his situation to her. He had to hope that she would listen with an open mind.

‘The arrangement that I made,’ he said carefully, ‘was to bring your cousin over here and marry her a month later.’

Melanie responded with equal care. ‘You indicated that would be a temporary thing?’

‘Yes.’ He sought the right words. ‘The marriage was to end with a separation after three months and Nicolette would then have been returned to Australia and a quick divorce would have been filed for.’

‘I see.’ She drew a breath and her lovely brown eyes focused on his blue ones and searched. ‘You didn’t intend to let your father know those circumstances until after the marriage, I’m guessing? What did you hope to gain from that plan?’

‘Aside from my brothers, Nicolette, and my aide, no one was to know of the plan.’ He’d intended to outplay his father, to get what he wanted for the people without having to yield up his freedom for it. ‘This plan probably sounds cold to you.’

‘It does rather reject the concept of marriage and for ever.’ Melanie sat forward on the bench seating and turned further to face him. Her knee briefly grazed his leg as she settled herself.

The colour whipped into her cheeks by the cold air around them deepened slightly. That … knowledge of him, that awareness that seemed to zing between her body and his even when both of them had so much else on their minds …

Is something that cannot be allowed to continue, Rik, particularly if she is willing to agree to the business arrangement you’re asking for with her.

‘In my family, many lifelong marriages have been made to form alliances or for business reasons.’ He hesitated, uncertain how to explain his deep aversion to the idea of pursuing such a path. ‘That doesn’t always result in a pleasant relationship.’

Melanie’s gaze searched his. ‘It could be quite difficult for children of such a marriage, too.’

‘It’s not that.’ The words came quickly, full of assurance and belief as though he needed to say it in case he couldn’t fully believe it?

Rik had his reasons for his decision. He was tired of butting heads with his father while the king tried to bully him to get whatever he wanted. His father needed to acknowledge that Rik would make his own decisions. That was all. ‘There have been myriad problems in the past couple of years.

‘The first year the truffle crop failed it was difficult.’ People relied on the truffle industry for their survival. ‘Around that same time, my mother, the queen, moved out. That was an unprecedented act from a woman who’d always advocated practical marriages and putting on a good front to the public, no matter what.’

Melanie covered her surprise. ‘That must have caused some complications.’

‘It did. For once my father found himself on the back foot.’

‘And you and your brothers found yourselves without a mother in residence. I’m sorry to hear that. It’s never pleasant when you lose someone, even if they choose to leave.’ A glimpse of something longstanding, deep and painful flashed through her eyes before she seemed to blink it away. ‘I hope that you still get to see her?’

‘I see my mother infrequently when there are royal occasions that bring us all together.’ Would Mel understand if he explained that his contact with his mother hadn’t changed much? That the queen had never spent much time with her sons and what time she had spent had been invested in criticising their clothing, deportment, efforts or choices in life? Better to just leave that alone.

‘My parents died years ago.’ She offered the confidence softly. ‘I went to live with Nicolette and my aunt and uncle after that happened.’

He took one of her hands into his. ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’

Dominico had informed him of some of these things this morning after the security check the aide ordered on her came through. The invasion of Melanie’s privacy had been necessary, but Rik had refused to read the report, asking only to be told ‘anything that might matter’. Though he had to protect himself, somehow it had still felt wrong.

‘Thank you.’ She gently withdrew her hand, and folded both of them together in her lap.

She went on. ‘You’ve explained about the truffle crops failing, how that’s impacted on your people. One year is a problem but two years in a row—’

‘Brought financial disaster to many of our truffle workers.’ And while Rik pursued every avenue to find a cure for the blight to the truffle crops, his father had denied the depths of the problem because he was absorbed in his anger and frustration over his queen walking out on him.

‘On top of these issues, the tourist industry also waned as other parts of Europe became more popular as vacation destinations. Tourism is Anrai’s field. He has the chain of hotels and the country certainly still gets a tourist market, but when there is so much more to do and see just over the border …‘

‘You have to have something either comparable, or totally unique, to pull in a large slice of the tourist market.’ Melanie nodded her head.

‘Exactly. Our country needs to get back on its feet. My brothers and I have fought to get our father to listen to the depth of the problems.’ They’d provided emergency assistance to the people out of their own pockets as best they could but that wasn’t a long-term solution. None of them had endless supplies of funds.

In terms of available cash, nor did the royal estate. It had what it had. History, a beautiful palace and the means to maintain it and maintain a lifestyle comparable to it for the royal family. Their father oversaw all of that, and did not divulge the details of what came and went through the royal coffers. It was through careful investment of a shared inheritance that Rik and his brothers had decent funds of their own.

‘Despite these difficulties you came up with a plan.’ Mel searched Rikardo’s face. Her heart had stopped pounding in the aftermath of his remarkable request, though even now she still couldn’t fully comprehend it, couldn’t really allow herself to consider it as any kind of reality.

It was Alice down that alternative universe hole again, yet it wasn’t. He truly wanted her to marry him. For practical purposes, to outwit his father, and just for a few months, but still … he wanted her to marry him.

She started to find it hard to breathe again. ‘And somehow your plan involved trading off a brief marriage for sorting out the country’s economic troubles.’

‘Yes. My father has pushed all three of us to marry. I think we all have expected that Marcelo would have to do that whether he wanted to or not because he is the eldest. It is part of his heritage.’

Mel nodded. ‘I thought when I came here, well, I guess I was so overwhelmed by it all that I didn’t stop to think that everything might not be rosy just because there’s a palace filled with amazing things. Just because you’re a prince doesn’t mean everything is easy for you. Or for your brothers, either.’

‘My brothers and I went to our father in a concerted bid to get him to listen to the seriousness of the problems the people are facing and with our plans for addressing those problems. Leadership reform is also desperately needed, and that is something Marcelo has been working to achieve for some years now.’ Rikardo drew a breath. ‘Our father finally did listen. We got our concessions from him.’

His tone became even more formal as he went on. ‘But that agreement came at a cost. In return for agreeing to requests that will help us protect Braston’s people from further financial hardship, his demand was that we each marry within the next six months.’

‘To ensure that the family carries on?’ Mel asked the question and then wondered if she should have.

Even as a king, did Georgio have the right to push his sons to marry if they didn’t feel ready? If they didn’t want to? For Rik to go to such lengths to avoid the institution, he must have some deep-seated reasons. Or did he just not want to be bullied? That was reason enough, of course!

Mel might not ever fully understand, and for some reason she felt a little sad right now. Her gaze shifted to the cliff face opposite. Two men were near the top, tourists or locals with rappelling equipment.

Mel had to navigate this discussion. And Rik’s explanations did help her to start to understand what was at stake, at least for the people of Braston.

Could she decide to just walk away when the futures of so many people hinged on Rik meeting his father’s demands? When him bringing her here by mistake could have ruined those plans? If she hadn’t been on the street filled with allergy medication …

Whether she’d meant it or not, her actions had contributed to this current problem, and if there was no other way to fix it …

But it’s such a big undertaking, Mel. Marriage, even if it is only for a few months! And there’d be publicity and a dress and so much else, and you’d be fooling Rik’s father the whole time and then he’d realise he’d been fooled and be very angry.

Yet Mel knew that Rik would protect her; that he would make sure his father didn’t bring any of his wrath down on Mel’s head. Rik wouldn’t allow that anger to have its head. ‘When it ended you would send me back to Australia, to Sydney. I wouldn’t be exposed to the aftermath here.’

‘And because we’d give an interview when we dissolved the marriage and let the magazines and tabloids have that, I would hope you wouldn’t attract much media interest when you went home.’ His gaze searched hers. ‘I would direct them towards me and ask you to do the same. At worst there might be some photographs and speculation about you in the newspapers over there for a brief time.’

That was to be expected when such an event had happened, but if all the information were already given, surely the papers wouldn’t care much once they realised Mel wasn’t going to talk to them, and the split had been amicable? ‘That shouldn’t be so bad.’ The whole thing wouldn’t be too scary if she decided to do it. Would it?

She reached for the picnic basket that sat ignored on the table before them, and hoped that Rik couldn’t see the tremble in her fingers. ‘Would you like coffee? Something to warm your hands around?’

‘Thank you.’ His gaze, too, shifted to the men on the nearby mountain peak before it returned to Mel. ‘I should have unpacked the basket and made it all available to you the moment we got up here.’

The thought of a prince unpacking breakfast for her horrified her but she bit back her words about it and instead, served the food and coffee for both of them.

When she set his plate in front of him, he caught and held her gaze.

‘I know what I’m asking isn’t easy. I made this plan because I do not feel I can marry, truly … permanently.’ He hesitated. ‘The demonstration of that institution within my family—’

‘Has been about as warm as what I’ve seen in Nicolette’s family.’ Mel bit her lip, but that was her truth and there didn’t seem to be much point in avoiding saying it now.

They started on their food. There were eggs cooked similarly to a quiche but without the pastry base. Small chunks of bread dipped in fragrant oil and herbs and then baked until they were crisp and golden. Grilled vegetables and fruits and a selection of pastries.

‘What you’ve asked me to do is unexpected.’ Stunningly so. ‘But I ended up here, you can’t swap me for Nicolette, and if I don’t agree, the game is up with your father and you either have to marry someone for real and stay married to her, or your father won’t grant you the “concessions” you asked for.’

‘I’m afraid I didn’t allow for collecting the wrong woman outside Nicolette’s home, but that is not your fault.’ He frowned and sipped his coffee. ‘It’s important you don’t make your decision based on guilt. A mistake happened that was out of my control, and yours.’

She did feel at least partially responsible, but Mel kept that thought to herself and instead took a small bite of a tasty grilled vegetable before she went on. ‘I’d like to know what the concessions are that your father has agreed to.’

‘I am determined that the truffle crop this year will not fail.’ Rikardo set down his knife and fork and turned to face her. ‘When it flourishes, I’ll need a spectacular marketing idea to get buyers back onside to buy our product. Many of them have lost faith because of the blight that struck our crop two years running.’

Mel, too, set down her utensils. ‘What is this marketing idea?’

‘On the palace grounds there are truffles that grow naturally.’ Rik’s gaze shifted to where the palace sat in splendour in the distance. ‘For centuries those truffles have been eaten only by royals. It probably sounds rather archaic but—’ He shrugged and went on.

‘These truffles are particularly fine. If buyers are given the chance to obtain small quantities of them in exchange for purchasing commercial quantities of our regular truffles, I believe they will jump at the opportunity.’

‘What a clever idea.’ Melanie spoke without hesitation. ‘People will go nuts for a chance like that. I can also imagine that you might have had a job on your hands to get the king to allow you to use those truffles.’

‘Correct. My father tends to adhere to a lot of the old ways and does not want to consider change.’ Georgio was strong, stubborn, unbending. Rik preferred to take the strengths he’d inherited from his father, and turn them to better purpose.

As for Melanie, she looked beautiful and innocent and wary and uncertain all rolled into one as she sat beside Rik on the bench. Yet she also seemed well able to think with a business mind, too, and her eyes shone with genuine encouragement for him as she heard his plans for the truffle marketing.

Would she agree to help him out of the corner he’d got himself stuck in? Did he even have the right to ask that of her?

‘I don’t want to harm you through this agreement, Melanie.’ That, too, had to be said. ‘I have asked for your help, but if it is not something you can do, you do not have to give it.’

‘But you want to help your people.’ Her gaze turned to meet his, and held. ‘You chose Nicolette because you weren’t … romantically attached to her or anything like that, didn’t you?’

‘I did. That allowed the situation to remain as uncomplicated as possible.’

‘It would be easy to end the marriage and get on with what you really wanted to do with your life afterwards.’

He dipped his head. ‘Yes.’

‘I’m not ready to consider marriage yet. The real thing, I mean.’ Even as Melanie spoke the words, a part deep inside her whispered a question. Did she believe she would ever be ready? Did she even feel she had the right—?

What did she mean by that? Of course she had the right, and she would still have the right if she married Rikardo and they then divorced. Melanie pushed the strange question aside.

And she thought about all those people subject to circumstances beyond their control, just trying to get on with their daily lives. People in a lot of ways who would be just like her. Not royal people, but everyday people who simply needed a bit of a hand up.

Mel could do this. She could be of help. She could make it so Rikardo didn’t have to lock himself into a long-term marriage he didn’t want. Maybe later he would find someone and be able to be happy. The little prick she felt in her chest must have been hope that he would indeed find that happiness.

‘I’ll do it.’ Melanie spoke the words softly, and said them again more forcefully. ‘I’ll do it. I’ll marry you so you can make your plan work. I want to help you.’

‘You’re quite certain?’ Rik leaned towards her as he spoke.

‘I am. I’m totally sure.’ And in that moment, Mel was. She could help him. She could do this to make up for him not being able to marry her cousin.

‘Thank you, Melanie.’

‘You’re welcome.’ Her face softened and the beginnings of a smile came to her lips. Her gaze moved to his lips and suddenly she had to swallow because something told her he was going to kiss her as part of that thank you.

She thought it, and her breath caught, and then he did.

Rik’s lips brushed hers in a soft press. His hand cupped her shoulder, and even through layers of cloth Mel felt that. Registered that as she received a kiss from a prince.

That was why it felt so remarkable. It had to be the reason—a kiss from a prince to thank her for agreeing to help him out of a tight corner.

Yet Melanie didn’t feel as though a prince was kissing her. She was being kissed … by a man, and it felt wonderful in a way no kiss had before.

In that moment her response was completely beyond her control. Her mouth softened against his, gave itself to his ministrations before her thoughts could catch up or stop her. If those thoughts had surfaced, would the kiss have ended there, with a simple brushing of lips against lips? A simple “thank you” expressed in those terms? Because that was indeed what Rik had set out to do.

It had to have been and yet somehow, for Mel at least, it had become something very different.

Mel closed her eyes. For a moment she forgot she was on a mountainside in Europe with a royal prince, seated at a table with a picnic breakfast spread before them and the most amazing scenic vistas on all sides.

She forgot that it was chilly here but that the sun shone and they were sheltered from the wind. A man was simply kissing her and she was kissing him back and that man had a pet truffle hog he’d named and whom he doted on, even though he tried very hard to hide the fact. He cared for his brothers and for the people who lived in his country, and she’d liked him from the moment she’d thought he was a gorgeous cab driver come to take her away to the airport so she could make her way to Sydney.

‘Rik.’ She’d slept on his shoulder and blabbed at him when she wasn’t quite sensible, and, despite all the smart things she should be thinking right now, the kiss felt right.

‘Hmm?’ He whispered the half-question against her lips.

Mel didn’t know whether she said it, or thought it. She simply knew the words.

Kiss me again.

CHAPTER FIVE

I would kiss you for ever and it would not be enough.

Rik thought the words inside his mind, thought them in his native language. Thought them even though they could not possibly be true and he must simply be swept up in gratitude and relief.

Yet deep within himself he knew that now, in this moment, Melanie would welcome the prolonging of this kiss. His instincts told him this. The way she yielded petal-soft lips to him told him this.

It was that thought of her willingness that finally prompted him to stop something that he should not have started in the first place, and that he hadn’t expected would make his heart pound. He, who rarely lost his cool over anything, had been taken by surprise by kissing a slip of a girl up high on a mountainside.

‘Thank you …‘ Rik released Melanie and drew back, and for a moment couldn’t think what he was thanking her for.

For rescuing him. The prince was being rescued by the same generosity that he’d felt in Melanie’s soft lips.

You are on dangerous ground with this thinking, Rikardo. If she is kind, then she is kind and that is something indeed to be appreciated. But the awareness of each other—that cannot be, and it cannot go on.

He shouldn’t have touched her. Arrogantly, he hadn’t known that doing so would be such a stunning thing.

The kiss had been startling in its loveliness. It wasn’t a manly description. But with Melanie it felt exactly right to describe it in this way.

Melanie was startling in her loveliness, and that came from the generous way she gave of herself.

He’d meant only to touch her lips with his, should perhaps not have considered even that much. Rik would like to say that he’d expected not to feel any attraction to Melanie, that he had expected to feel as indifferent towards her as he had felt towards Nicolette, but he’d known it would be different.

Yet he had kissed her, and had ended up shocked and a little taken aback by just how much he had enjoyed that kiss. Her response to him had felt unrehearsed and open. That, too, had added to her appeal.

Maybe she had simply wanted to kiss a prince.

In many other circumstances, Rik would have accepted the thought and yet Melanie had agreed to help him for no reason other than out of generosity to try to help others. She hadn’t asked him what she would get out of the arrangement. She’d wanted to hear the problems and then she’d made a decision based on what she felt she could do to help.

‘I guess we just sealed the bargain.’ Her words held a tremor. She turned to the picnic basket and started to carefully repack it. ‘We should probably get back. Now that we’ve made this decision, your father will want that official meeting. That’s assuming he can fit me into his schedule. I imagine royal families are very busy and I certainly wouldn’t presume—’

‘It will be all right, Melanie.’ She was fully back into ‘dealing with a prince and a promise and a royal family’ mode and in feeling out of her depth, though she had valiantly jumped into this for his sake.

And for the sake of the people of Braston.

Did that mean she hadn’t thought of Rik in that light as they kissed? That he had simply been a man kissing a woman, and she a woman kissing a man? Had his impact on her come completely from Rikardo the man, not from him being the third prince in line to the throne of Braston?

It wasn’t a question that should even have mattered. Rik had accepted that women were attracted to his title first, sometimes to the man within, second, but always that first was there.