How to Propose to a Prince Read Free Page A

Miss Royle. You have made my decision for me,” Lord Whitevale said. “I have no doubt this will suit her perfectly.”
    Her? It will suit her? Just who is he speaking of?
    Utterly confused, Elizabeth peered up at him, waiting for an explanation, but he did not condescend to supply one. Instead he bid her and Anne good afternoon, then abruptly quit the shop and followed his footmen into the dense rain.
    “Bertrum,” Hamilton, the elder, whispered rather loudly. “Why did you insist on referring to Lord Whitevale as His Royal Highness?”
    Bertrum did not bother lowering his voice. His tone told Elizabeth he meant for them to hear his words. “Because that is who he is. I saw his procession arrive two days ago. I was in the front of the crowd that had gathered for the spectacle and I saw him clearly. And here, look at the signet in the wax sealing his letter.”
    Abruptly, Bertrum pressed the letter flat to the glass case and held a small lamp to it before his father could snatch the missive away. “I knew it. Look at it closely. His signature is visible through the foolscap.”
    “I do apologize, ladies,” Hamilton the elder stammered. “I assure you, this is not the way I conduct business. Every purchase is entirely confidential.”
    Elizabeth didn’t care a fig about that. She pinned her new friend Bertrum with the gravest of gazes. “Who is he…really? Please tell me. I must know.”
    Appearing most proud of his deductive abilities, Bertrum lifted his chin. “That gentleman, Miss Royle, was none other than Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield.
    Elizabeth’s legs wobbled as if to give out frombeneath her, forcing her to grapple for a nearby chair. “You do not mean… Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield?”
    Bertrum grinned. “Indeed, I do.”
    Anne paled and she redirected her gaze to Elizabeth. “Didn’t we hear chatter, at the Kirk musicale I believe, that Princess Charlotte has recently set her cap for Prince Leopold?”
    “Oh, ’tis not just chatter, Lady MacLaren,” Bertrum interjected. “The Times reported that there have been secret discussions in Parliament about just such a union between the families. Though, not all members agree. I, for one, would choose Prince Leopold for Princess Charlotte. Did you notice the size of him—why, he is a born leader if I ever saw one.”
    “Bertrum!” Hamilton the elder snapped.
    A throbbing began in Elizabeth’s head as she realized what this revelation truly meant to her. She brought her fingertips to her temples, hoping to rub away the ache. But she knew it was useless.
    Her rival for her intended’s affection was none other than the Princess of Wales.
    Lord, help her now.

Chapter 2
    The Clarendon Hotel
London
    “D amned wretched of you to send me out in this bloody awful weather.” Sumner Lansdowne, Marquess of Whitevale, added a final splash of brandy to each of the two heavy crystal glasses before him. He turned and handed one to his cousin beside him, then raised the other glass to his own lips and drank.
    “’Twas all in the name of love.” Leopold, Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield, silently chuckled into his glass before looking sidelong at Sumner. “Someone had to go out. Besides which, it was you who insisted that I remain in this gilded gaol of a hotel…where it is safe.”
    “You’d be a fool to venture into public after yesterday’s event.” Sumner leveled a grave gaze at Leopold as he brought the crystal to his mouth and slowly sipped the brandy.
    “The bullet might have been meant for you, Sumner, have you considered that?” Leopold’s left eyebrow arched as he posed the ridiculous notion. “Or, simply a reveler in the crowd firing his pistol into the air. Must you take this so seriously?”
    “Yes, I must. And so must you, Leopold. Your life may well depend upon it. We have no choice but to exercise utmost caution during this mission…that is…during our stay in London.”
    “A mission, eh, cousin?” Leopold’s lips