Lover Be Mine A Legendary Lovers Novel - By Nicole Jordan Page 0,53
that we are not a match, Jack.”
“We did nothing of the kind. Our courtship was cut short prematurely, before we could resolve the question. And I, for one, still haven’t made up my mind.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Do you realize how arrogant you sound?”
Jack gave her a quick smile and bit into the flaky roll. Watching him slowly savor it, Sophie recalled that his near starvation when he was young had left him with imagined hunger pains.
“Regardless of what you decide,” she said, “our courtship cannot continue. I have to fulfill my parents’ dreams for me.”
“I know.”
“And you still haven’t explained why you needed me here in Europe.”
“There is method to my madness, darling. In addition to the feud, the chief impediment to our marriage is my lack of rank, agreed? Well, there might be a way to overcome that obstacle.”
Her gaze arrested. “What way?”
“Your father might relent if you could marry royalty. A prince should trump a duke.”
Jack must have recognized her growing frustration with his cryptic replies, for he finally began to elucidate. “My natural father is Prince Raoul de Villars of Navartania—a small but wealthy principality situated between southeastern France and the Swiss Confederation. Prince Raoul has no legitimate issue—no sons, or any other children for that matter—so he has long wanted to recognize me as heir to his throne.”
He waited for his revelation to sink in, and when it did, Sophie’s eyes widened. “I knew you were the son of a nobleman, but not royalty. But how is it even possible for you to inherit?”
“Given my baseborn birth, you mean? Last year Prince Raoul recovered his kingdom from the French, but the status of the succession was uncertain. If he died childless, the crown would go to a distant relative. When he recently took ill, he felt increased pressure to name an heir of his own blood and so forced through a law recognizing me as his son, allowing me to inherit the princedom if I chose.”
She stared at Jack in growing amazement. His tone was matter-of-fact, and yet she caught the flash of bitter anger in his eyes when he commented further about his adversarial relationship with his father.
“The thing is, I never chose to accept his crown and took immense pleasure in throwing his offer back in his face. I’ve always made it unequivocally clear that I don’t want his throne.”
“Few people would turn down the chance to become royalty,” she remarked slowly. “Why would you hesitate?”
Jack’s gaze darkened. “I have never cared much for my father. To be precise, I sincerely detest him. I haven’t seen him since I was seven, when he paid a visit to England.”
Hearing the fierce note in Jack’s voice, Sophie searched his face. She didn’t want to dredge up painful memories for him, but she did want to know much more about his obscure past. “Was that before or after you were adopted by Lord Beaufort?”
“Before. Prince Raoul and I have been estranged all the years since, and I refused to correspond with him. This is the first time I’ve ever tried to contact him. Last week I wrote to advise him I would soon visit him in Navartania, although I didn’t wait for his reply.”
“So you just plan to appear on his doorstep and claim the throne?”
Jack’s half-smile held little humor. “It won’t be nearly so simple as that. In order for me to inherit, I will doubtless be forced to reconcile with him.” Jack gave her a penetrating look. “Until now I’ve never had a strong enough motive to attempt it. You are the only reason I could be induced to make the effort.”
Her brow furrowed. “I am honored, Jack, but you should not be doing this for my sake. I could never let you make such a sacrifice.”
He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I want you to accompany me to Navartania, Sophie. If we were to marry, you would have to live there with me. Before you become my princess, you should know what you are getting yourself into.”
His phrasing shocked her more than a little. “Your princess? You aren’t seriously contemplating marriage to me, are you?”
He held up a hand in denial. “For now I am speaking hypothetically—and taking steps so that we don’t preclude our options. If I don’t act now, there will be no chance of us marrying should we wish to. Your father wouldn’t condone our marriage unless I can claim the title of prince.”