by Leslie North
Macee's long dark brown hair was curled then tucked up. At the front, the hair was parted at the side with a light fringe. Macee was adamant that she did not want an uptight hairstyle. Her diamond earrings and matching necklace were a wedding present from the prince. Her wedding dress was beautifully decorated with golden embroidery and fit snugly against her torso enhancing all her natural assets. The bottom half of the dress billowed out in a long train.
“You look gorgeous,” Liane said to her sister with a smile on her face. She could not believe her baby sister had grown up this much.
“Thanks, Annie,” Macee replied.
One of the maids announced the princess' arrival. She had come to make sure things were going smoothly without any mishaps. Liane and Macee bowed to her as she entered the room.
“Wow, Macee, you looked amazing,” Princess Katherine said as soon as she laid eyes on her.
“Thank you,” Macee replied.
“I cannot wait to see my brother's face when he sees you.”
That made Macee feel nervous. It was not like she wanted his approval but since she was going to be his wife; he had to be attracted to her right? He had never mentioned anything about her looks and Macee wasn’t sure what he thought of her. There were times when she caught him looking at her, but he was difficult to read. Macee shook her thoughts away.
The princess left Macee after she made sure everything was moving along accordingly. Liane pinned the veil onto Macee's hair and helped her into her shoes before they headed out to the Bentley limousine to take them to the cathedral. Their father was already waiting, as the car pulled up. Dressed in uniform, he looked dashing as he embraced his youngest before her big moment. He kissed both his daughters before Liane excused herself to be seated with the rest of their family.
As the wedding march began, everyone stood and turned to see Macee and her father standing at the entrance. They gasped as Macee walked in with her father; she looked beautiful. As he presented his daughter to the Crown Prince, he kissed her on the cheek before sitting down.
As Macee looked at the prince, she admired how good he looked. Dressed in a white suit patterned after formal military dress with gold buttons and epaulettes, he cut the dashing figure as he watched Macee walk down the aisle. Both Princess Katherine and Francesca saw how the prince and Macee looked at each other. Katherine was pleased for her brother, as she finally understood why he chose Macee. Francesca had mixed feelings. Her baby sister looked beautiful but she was still plagued with jealousy. It should have been her up there today, but she couldn’t ignore the way the prince was looking at her sister.
Chapter 10
As the Bishop began, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God…” Macee’s mind wandered. She had a thousand things on her mind and while she realized that this was supposed to be her big day, she couldn’t concentrate.
Prince Louis could see that she was far away and whispered, “Are you looking forward to the wedding night that much that you are daydreaming of it?”
Macee blushed deeply as she hissed, “Louis, we are in church!” That was the first time she ever referred to him by his name and he decided that he liked it.
When it was Macee's turn to say “I do”, she felt tempted to say that she did not, as it was her last opportunity to gain her freedom back, but she found herself saying, “I do”.
That dreaded moment came after exchanging their vows and rings; it was time to kiss the bride. Prince Louis smiled at her. He knew that Macee would have something to say about it but she had no choice, since they had an audience.
Macee stood still looking at the prince, well now her husband, with fear in her eyes. Prince Louis walked toward her and held her face with one hand. He wrapped the other arm around her waist. They locked gazes as he leaned in to kiss her. She let out a small squeak. “Relax,” he whispered right before his lips touched hers.
To Macee's surprise, Prince Louis' lips were soft. He only planted a small kiss on her lips. She had half expected him to stick his tongue down her throat. Macee gave him an awkward smile. “Was that your first kiss?” Prince Louis asked.
As Macee blushed again, she found herself nodding yes. Prince Louis laughed softly, as he cupped the side of her face. As the Bishop blessed the new couple and presented them to the attendees, everyone clapped.
Macee was now officially married to the Crown Prince of Monaco and was now the crown princess. While she was pleased that the ceremony was finally over, the reality of what was happening made her nervous.
The two of them linked arms together as they walked down the aisle heading out of the cathedral. A trumpet sounded as they walked outside and the crowd that waited for them outside all cheered and clapped. The paparazzi were busy taking pictures when the new couple walked out. Prince Louis was well in his element. He loved the attention he was receiving and he had a smile on his face as he waved to the public. Macee had never enjoyed being the centre of attention and felt completely overwhelmed. Clutching tightly to the prince’s arm, she followed his lead and hoped that her smile didn’t look too strained. Someone from the crowd was shouting for them to kiss.
“Shall we give the public what they want?” Prince Louis whispered to Macee. Not giving her a chance to respond no, he stopped and pulled Macee into his arms. With one hand at the small of her back, he stepped forward pulling her against him as he bent her back and kissed her. This was not the same chaste kiss that he gave her inside. This one was filled with promise. When he let her back up, Macee was speechless. Blushing profusely, she hid her face against his shoulder as the spectators cheered and the cameras flashed. She rubbed his chest before putting some space between them.
Macee truly felt like Cinderella as they walked to their carriage. More than one hundred years old, their carriage was a truly beautiful piece of history drawn by four resplendent white horses. The footman opened the door and assisted Macee as she stepped up followed closely by the prince. As she sat down, she took a moment to relax. This was her first time riding in a carriage and she was too nervous to enjoy herself. To think that they still had the wedding reception. It was going to be a long day. “You are rather peculiar,” Prince Louis said. Macee turned to face him, as she asked why. It was a random statement.
“What girl does not dream of all this?” he asked.
“You are looking at her,” Macee replied. Prince Louis laughed. Macee was unlike any other woman he had met and a part of him was enjoying her discomfort.
“I saw Liane, is she feeling alright?”
“She is better, thank you for asking. According to her, she would never miss my big day.” Macee was caught off guard when he brought Liane up. She did not really want to discuss her sister with him and she hoped that he would not ask too much.
“Even she seems more beguiled about your wedding day than you are.”
Macee narrowed her gaze at him. “Are you that happy about marrying me that you want me to share your enthusiasm?”
The prince laughed. “I believe you are the lucky one here, not I.”
“Very lucky indeed! could you possibly be any more conceited,” Macee replied sardonically. The road they were traveling on was lined with public spectators eager to get a glimpse at the new couple. Macee smiled and waved to them as they rode past.
They finally reached the venue for the reception. The footman stepped up to assist them both down before the prince linked his arm with Macee’s and they walked inside.
They were allowed some time to freshen up whilst they waited for the guests to arrive. Macee felt better. It was good to relax for a moment without cameras flashing at her, people screaming for her and having to smile and wave continuously. She could not wait for this day to end.
“Are you alright?” Prince Louis asked her. She was sitting on the sofa with her head backwards and her face upwards.
“I can't wait to be done with it all,” she replied lazily.
“I am not that bad.”
“Not ev
erything is about you. I don't like being the centre of attention and being around so many people is overwhelming.”
Prince Louis sat down next to her. He had no idea what he was meant to say next. He had been groomed for this his entire life and he was having trouble grasping Macee’s discomfort. They sat there in silence until it was time for them to rejoin everyone else. Macee frowned as she got to her feet.
“I present to you, the Crown Prince and Princess,” Charles announced as the couple entered the room to much applause. Prince Louis held her hand as they walked out to the dance floor for their first dance.
Macee had been rehearsing the dance with Charles over and over until she was seeing it in her sleep. It had to be perfect. Now would be the first time dancing with Prince Louis and Macee’s face turned red as they stepped out in front of everyone. He wrapped one arm around her waist, as she placed one hand on his shoulder and the other in his. Macee did her best to avoid eye contact, but the prince was looking her directly in the eye, which made her feel uncomfortable but she could not look away. Today was the most the prince had ever touched her and she found herself enjoying it. As they twirled and waltzed across the dance floor, she couldn’t ignore the increasing attraction she felt for Louis.
When the dance was over, Macee wanted to pat herself on the back. She’d managed to complete the dance without any mishaps. Bridgette must be shocked, she thought to herself.
Chapter 11
After what felt like days of endless mingling, smiling and head bowing, the day was finally drawing to a close and Macee couldn’t wait to take her shoes off. As she went to say good night to her family, her mother couldn’t resist reminding her how important it was for her to behave and not embarrass the family. Macee ignored her mother’s comments, as how the family looked would always be more important to her mother than her own daughter. Her father held her in a tight hug as he told her how proud he was of her. Francesca congratulated her and wished her luck despite feeling like the entire day had been wasted on Macee, as she didn’t appreciate any of it. Liane seemed the saddest to leave Macee behind. “You can annul the marriage,” Liane whispered to Macee before she left to return to North Creek.
Prince Louis and Macee returned to the palace. Macee’s belongings had been moved into the prince’s quarters and this was the first time Macee would see them. Set off from the rest of the palace, Macee was surprised at how large they were as her parent’s home could easily fit inside.
“We will have all the privacy we need,” Prince Louis joked as Macee rolled her eyes. The prince laughed. He found that he enjoyed her reactions when he teased her.
“Oh my life!” Macee gasped when they walked into his quarters. She thought her quarters were beautiful but the prince’s was amazing. Macee looked around the living space, which was a mix of antiques and modern pieces. The room was a unifying mix of white, cream and gold tones with splashes of darker colours thrown in. She had learned from her history lessons with Charles that many of the family’s possessions had been stolen during the various wars and they’d been slowly retrieving many of them from museums and private collections over the past sixty years.
As they sat down, his maid provided them with refreshments. Macee turned and caught his gaze. “What are you looking at so intently?” she asked him.
“Just wondering what our wedding night will be like,” he replied. Macee's eyes flew open. The prince could not help but laugh at her reaction.
“You're not funny.” She stood up and explored his quarters. She no longer wanted to sit there with him if he was going to say such things and look at her like that.
When the prince went to his bedroom, he found Macee lying on the bed in her wedding dress. “Are you waiting for me to help you remove your dress?” he asked, as he walked into the room.
“I am not even listening to you,” Macee said. “I will change in the bathroom.” She stood up and left the room. She came back and stood in front her new husband. She cleared her throat. “Could you help me with the zipper?” she asked awkwardly. The prince sat up with a smirk on his face as Macee rolled her eyes. As soon as he unzipped her, she quickly returned to the bathroom to change into a nightgown.
She returned to the bedroom to find Prince Louis undressing in the middle of the room. “You can go and change in the bathroom,” Macee said to him avoiding eye contact. He had just taken his shirt off and Macee was doing her best not to look.
“I would have preferred it if it was my wife undressing me.”
Macee laughed. There was no way she was doing that. She knew it was their wedding night and this was what was expected, but she wasn’t ready. In fact, she was terrified. She stared at him half expecting him to jump into bed and take her like a hungry lion that hasn't eaten for a while.
Prince Louis unzipped his trousers and dropped them to his ankles. Macee gasped and looked away immediately. “Impressive isn't it,” he said.
“What is impressive? I did not see anything significant.”
“Look again.”
“No.”
Prince Louis got into bed while Macee stood in the room unsure what to do next. She finally walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed in, clutching the side as if she were on a life raft. She thought the prince was going to grab her and get on top of her. Instead, he said, “I won't touch you if you do not want me to.”
Macee turned over slowly to face him. Was he serious? “What? I am not attractive enough for you to lie with?” she asked. She didn’t know why she said it as he was offering an out, but part of her was hurt that he didn’t try. He narrowed his gaze at her. In one swoop, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
“I can take you if I want but you have to want me to,” he told her. Macee's breathing suddenly increased as her pulse raced. She was too close to him. She had pressed her hand against his chest for support. It felt as hard as stone.
“Huh,” that was all she could manage to say. He leaned closer to her and planted soft kisses on her face before brushing her lips. Then he let her go.
“Relax,” he said. “I won’t take you against your will. When I do take you, it’s because you want it.” Macee quickly shifted back to her side of the bed as she swallowed nervously. She was having a hard time understanding how she felt about him. While she still felt like she didn’t know him well enough to have sex with him, she couldn’t deny that she found him attractive and when he touched her, he did strange things to her insides.
“Goodnight, Louis.”
“I like you calling me Louis. Goodnight, ma cherie.”
“Try not to snore,” she intentionally ignored what he had just said to her. He laughed and picked up the small remote to turn the lights were off.
The next morning, they both had to wake early as they had duties to attend to before they left on their honeymoon. “Dream of me?” Prince Louis asked Macee.
“I don't really have nightmares,” she replied. The prince just laughed as he tied his tie.
* * *
It was late afternoon when they were finally leaving. The prince's private jet was already fuelled and ready to whisk them off to their honeymoon location. As soon as they boarded, Macee threw herself on a chair before kicking her shoes off. The prince watched her with a raised eyebrow.
“Are your feet in pain?” he asked as he sat down.
“Yes. I’m not used to wearing heels and this is the second day in a row. My feet are killing me,” Macee replied. She was looking forward to the honeymoon. A vacation was very much needed. It was a shame that it was with this man. The flight attendant greeted them and offered refreshments and Macee jumped at the opportunity.
“I see.”
“So, where are we going?”
“Where would you like to go?”
Macee turned lazily to look at him. Was he really asking her where she wanted to go for their honeymoon? “Our honeymoon location wasn’t planned beforehand?” she asked. Normally that was one detail plann
ed well in advance of a wedding.
“It has been decided but if you have a preference, we could go wherever you wish.”
“Surprise me. So long as it doesn’t involve princess lessons, I’m good.”
The flight attendant returned with their drinks. Macee thanked her before downing the contents of her glass. As she relaxed back in her seat, she belched loudly and giggled. The prince shook his head as he pulled out some files and started going through paperwork.
The flight was long. While Macee had travelled by plane before, she was always with her sisters and they kept each other entertained. At a loss for what to do, she eventually fell asleep waking as the plane landed. She caught the prince looking at her as she sat up to look out the window.
