Marcello & Grace
(Royals of Valleria #2)
By
Marianne Knightly
Copyright
Marcello & Grace (Royals of Valleria #2)
Copyright © 2015 by Marianne Knightly.
Cover Design: Marianne Knightly.
ISBN# 978-1942729013
All Rights Reserved.
Thank you for downloading this ebook. This ebook remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed for any commercial or non-commercial use without permission from the author. Quotes used in reviews are the exception. No alteration of content is allowed. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental. The places mentioned are used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
*****
Other Books By Marianne Knightly
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Royals of Valleria Series
Book 1: Alexander & Rebecca
Book 2: Marcello & Grace
Book 3: Arianna & Finn (Pre-Order Now)
Book 4: Coming Fall 2015
Book 5: Coming Winter 2015
The Italian Shipping Millionaires Series
Book 1: Dante
Book 2: Adrian
Book 3: Giovanni
Book 4: Luc
Hike to Forget Series
Book 1: A Smokey Mountain Hike to Forget
Book 2: A Big Bear Hike to Forget
Book 3: A St. Michaels Wedding to Remember
Book 4: A Bahamian Hike to Forget
Dedication
To Meredith, because you deserve more than one book. Thank you for all your support.
Synopsis
When fate made Lady Grace a widow, after years of a disastrous, abusive marriage, she felt a sense of relief and escape. Now, a year after her husband’s death, she’s just beginning to feel like her old self again, though she still carries the scars, both visible and hidden, of her past. Having been separated from friends and family for too long, she’s only too happy to see her old friend, Princess Catharine, on a visit to England. What she didn’t expect was a visit from her brother, Prince Marcello. When she begins to feel the first stirrings of love within her, can she overcome the horrors of her past to make a future with him?
Prince Marcello, head of Valleria’s national security and defense, is still dealing with the fallout from security breaches under his watch. After long days and nights of political maneuvering in London to reclaim Valleria’s and his reputation, he takes a needed break by joining his sister on a visit to her friend, Lady Grace. What he thought would be a relaxing week becomes anything but when he begins to fall in love with her.
In the midst of blooming love, Marcello is asked to lead a secret, dangerous mission to thwart an international threat. Marcello knows he must go, for his country’s honor and for his own. Will he survive? And, if he does, will Grace be waiting for him upon his return?
***
Meet the Royals of Valleria, a country as old as the fall of the Roman Empire. The reigning king and patriarch rules with his beloved queen. Nine children, ranging from the eldest twins to the youngest son, watch over the country they love and care for. Bound by honor, duty, and each other, follow their lives as they fall in love, face tragedies, and triumph against the evils facing them.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Copyright Page
Other Books By Marianne Knightly
Dedication
Synopsis
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
A Note from the Author
Arianna & Finn (Royals of Valleria #3)
About the Author
Chapter 1
The Vallerian royal plane soared through darkening skies with nary a hint of turbulence. Though they had come from sunny, warm Valleria, they were now heading towards a rainy, cooler London.
Prince Marcello, Valleria’s Minister of Security and Defense, sat in a plush seat by a window. His dark blond hair was combed back, effortlessly stylish. His svelte but fit form rested comfortably in the seat, even while his body remained prime for defensive action; years in the military had engrained the trait in him and, at this point in his life, he was unlikely to change.
His dark eyes poured over the table in front of him, which was scattered with several papers, photos, bios, and schedules related to the International Security Conference which he would be attending in London. However, while his eyes raked over the information in front of him, none of it penetrated his sharp mind, which was distracted by two things.
The first was the political maneuvering he would need to complete at the conference itself. It would be a grueling few days while he attempted to restore Valleria’s reputation but more, restore his own. It had been barely a month ago when Rebecca, his future sister-in-law and Valleria’s future queen, had been kidnapped in a scheme to usurp the royal throne. The security breaches that had led to her kidnapping had been embarrassing and unacceptable.
Marcello had accepted full responsibility for the breaches. They weighed heavily on his mind even now, long after corrections had been made. The fact that he was the reigning monarch’s fourth child often led people to discount his background and military service, and never had that been truer than in the last month.
The second distraction he faced was one he had never met: a woman by the name of Lady Grace. He had thought of her often in the last few weeks, though he could not fathom why. He had never heard of her until his older sister, Catharine, mentioned she wanted to pay her friend Grace a visit while in England.
Over the ensuing weeks, Marcello had gently probed for information. He could have easily investigated her, but the idea of doing so had felt wrong. For a man in charge of gathering intelligence on a national and international scale, the idea that he did not want to investigate her was a revelation to him.
The truth was that he had spent all too much time imagining the fair Lady Grace since Cat had first mentioned her a month ago. Seeing an old photo of Cat and Grace at university, smiling and laughing at an inside joke, had only piqued his interest more and haunted his dreams. He found it all too easy to imagine his hands gliding over her demure curves and soft lines.
At the sound of laughter, Marcello turned his head and smiled at the image in front of him. Alexander, heir to the Vallerian throne, sat with his arm around his fiancée, Rebecca. They both carried ridiculous grins on their faces while they gazed at each other, a look that was not lost upon the citizens of Valleria.
When Rebecca’s bruises had finally healed, she was formally introduced to the public as the
future princess and queen. The public had adored her ever since, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Particularly since the royal family, including his parents, approved wholeheartedly of the match.
The pair would not wed for at least a year. An old law required they notify the Royal Council of their intent to marry, after which they would wait during the ‘Royal Marriage Notification Year’. It was only for form; the Royal Council could not disallow the match, even if they wanted to.
Catharine sat beside the pair on a long, lush couch that ran the length of the plane, regaling them with a story about her last visit in London. Catharine, who was also Alex’s twin, was heading to England to see the newest royal baby, a girl, and Alex and Rebecca had come along on their first royal visit together.
“And then,” Catharine said, gesturing with her hands. “The servant nearly spilled the drink all over me, he was leering down the neckline of my dress so much.”
“Was he fired?” Alex asked as his arm absently caressed Rebecca’s shoulder. “Marcello can find out, can’t you?” Alex asked as he turned to face Marcello.
“Easy enough to do,” Marcello said as the group turned to face him across the aisle. “Though I don’t doubt he’s long gone.”
“I hope so. I won’t be held responsible for my actions if he’s serving tea during our royal visit.”
“I’m so nervous,” Rebecca said, and Alex gave her shoulder a squeeze of support. “I hope I don’t do something embarrassing.”
“You’ll be brilliant,” Cat said without a moment’s hesitation.
“I second that,” Alex said. “Both Cat and I will be there to help you, in any case.”
“They weren’t too pleased I was coming along, in the beginning at least,” Rebecca said and bit her lower lip. While Valleria had embraced the royal couple living together before the wedding, not all of European society had agreed even in these modern times.
“Trust me, darling,” Alex said. “As soon as they meet you, the English public will fall in love with you just as our citizens have.”
Rebecca dropped a soft kiss on Alex’s lips. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
A gleam slid across Alex’s eyes, and anyone could guess what was coming next. In the next moment, Alex had lifted Rebecca into his arms and was carrying her towards one of the bedrooms situated in the back of the plane.
“Alex,” Rebecca said laughing. “What are you doing?”
“Distracting you from your nerves. Is it working yet?”
She laughed again. “Almost.”
“Almost? Well, let’s see what I can do about that,” he said as he shut the door behind them.
“Thank God the bedrooms are soundproofed,” Cat said as she slid into a seat facing Marcello’s across the table.
Marcello laughed. “It’s cute. They’re still in new love. It’ll wear off by the time the wedding comes around.”
“Maybe,” she said with a glance at the closed door, then turned back to face him. “I don’t think so, though. I think we’re stuck with them being disgustingly cute to each other for many years to come,” Cat said with a smile.
“I think you’re right. All set for the visit?”
Cat nodded. “We’re not meeting the Queen or her husband this time, just the younger set who are our age. It’ll be so good to see them and the new baby.”
“They’re good people. They’ll be good leaders as well, when the time comes.”
“I think so, though who knows when that may happen. I don’t think Papa will wait that long to give the throne to Alex.”
“I don’t either, though our traditional monarchy is different from their constitutional monarchy. I do think that once Alex is married and settled, Papa will think seriously about retiring.”
“I hope so,” Cat said. “Papa works too hard sometimes, but I guess there’s just too much going on. Even Alex said he and Rebecca are heading back to Valleria right after the visit today.”
Marcello nodded. “They are. Papa needs to head to the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York City, so Alex needs to be back to take the lead while he’s gone. I think Rebecca wishes they could spend some time in London, but they’ll be back soon enough. You’re also leaving after the visit, and heading to visit your friend, Lady Grace,” Marcello reminded her, and wondered again of the woman invading his thoughts.
“I know, but I’ve been to London plenty of times before. Rebecca should enjoy her pre-royal life as much as possible.”
“It may not be official yet, but she’s as much a royal as you or I.”
“I guess that’s true,” Cat said with a sigh.
“What’s wrong, Kitty Cat?” Marcello said, using her nickname as he reached over and took her hand. “You’ve been upset ever since Alex and Rebecca announced their engagement.”
“I’m not upset at them,” Cat said quickly. “Truly, I’m not. I’m upset at Mama.” Cat removed her hand and began to fiddle with the bracelet she was wearing.
“What did Mama do?”
“She’s threatened me.”
“Threatened you?” Marcello asked, alarmed at the declaration that seemed so unlike their mother. “With what?”
“Marriage.”
Marcello shook his head. “I’m not following.”
“Mama told me that by the time Alex and Rebecca’s Royal Marriage Notification Year is up, I’ve got to be engaged or well on my way to it.”
“What? Does Papa know about this?”
Cat nodded. “He was there when Mama told me, but I don’t think he liked that idea all too much.”
“Has Mama mentioned this to any of our other sisters? Sarah? Carolina? Arianna? Or was it just you?”
“I’m the only twin sister to the royal heir, so just me.”
“I can’t believe she said that.”
“That’s why I wanted to come with you on this trip. I needed some time away.”
“I don’t blame you. You’re not going to marry the first guy you see, are you?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m not going to rush into anything.” After double-checking her watch, she said, “I’ve still got eleven months, one day, twelve hours, thirty-six minutes, and fifteen seconds, and I plan to use every moment of it.”
Marcello laughed. “Well, hopefully a visit with your friend will cheer you up.”
“Hopefully, it will cheer us both up. She’s seemed quite down since her husband died.”
“It’s not easy losing a spouse so young, I imagine,” Marcello said.
“I’m glad I have at least a week with her.”
“If I can get out of the conference early,” Marcello said nonchalantly. “I’ll come by Lady Grace’s estate in the Cotswolds, if you think she wouldn’t mind.”
“I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem.” Cat surveyed the papers scattered across the table. “Do you really think you’ll be able to leave early?”
“I don’t know,” Marcello said with a sigh. “If I’m not laughed out of the conference the first day, I might just have a chance to restore faith in Valleria’s security.”
“Are we really that bad off?”
“Just about.”
“Didn’t the Royal Council approve all of those new security measures and funding for you and the Vallerian Armed Forces? That must have helped a little.”
“It helped a lot, but there are still some issues outstanding. I think the whole situation has made other countries see their own security in a different light, which is a good thing. However, until I speak to them face-to-face and allay their fears or misconceptions, we’ll be stuck with this reputation. Valleria deserves better than that.”
“So do you,” Cat said softly. “You don’t deserve to be ill-treated because of what happened to Rebecca, least of all by yourself.”
“I know. I’m working on it.”
“Work harder,” Cat said and Marcello raised an eyebrow. “What? You don’t think I want the world to know I have an unconfident little brother helming our nation
al security, do you?”
Marcello chuckled. Though he was technically the younger brother, he always felt and acted like the older one. “I’ll do my best.”
“Good. I’m going to finish getting ready; I think we’ll be landing soon.”
Marcello glanced at one of the screens in the plane, which was currently charting their course across Europe. “About thirty minutes until we land,” Marcello said as Cat walked back towards an unoccupied bedroom.
Marcello sighed and stared out at the gray. Rain was supposedly a blessing of good things to come; he hoped that was true.
Chapter 2
While the Vallerian royals skirted through the gloomy skies towards London, Lady Grace Raynott-Nithercott directed her staff on last minute tasks before Catharine’s arrival later that evening. Grace’s soft, blond hair sat atop her head in a messy bun, tendrils of curls escaping and framing her small, delicate face. Unlike years past, her full lips spoke without hesitation and her slim, waif-like body stood poised and confident.
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