The Duke's Runaway Princess (Love By Accident) Read Free Page B

hear from her friend. “Since I know this can’t be a pregnancy crisis because you don’t date any of the guys around here, I’m guessing it has to do with your position as your big brother’s very protected baby sister. Is this one of those royal things that continue to baffle me and the rest of our group?”
    Zarah smiled slightly at her friend’s reference to her position in the Tasain royal family but she nodded. Very few people knew who she was, but Suzanne and a few others knew. They were a circle of friends who she cared for a great deal and had confided in over the years. As expected, they’d all been interested to learn more about her and her country, but thankfully they hadn’t changed the way they treated her. Her secret had been kept between them the whole time and she was extremely grateful to have friends she could trust so implicitly. “Yes, one of those ‘royal things’,” she teased with a soft laugh as she lifted her tea for another sip.
    Because of her breakfast with her brother, she was much more aware of her surroundings. Zarah wasn’t sure she appreciated that though. Whereas before, she went about New York as she pleased, unconcerned with who she might run into or any possible threats. But her brother had reinforced the issues she could be facing by being so unprotected and unconcerned with where she went and who she spoke with. It was a bit intimidating but she was trying to shake it off so she could get back to that carefree living for her last few days of freedom before she became an engaged woman.
    “Who is the guy?” Suzanne asked and opened the top of her cappuccino so she could sprinkle some chocolate powder on top of the foam, making the coffee slightly more decadent.
    Zarah sighed and glanced down at her tea. “I don’t know yet.” She sighed heavily and turned her cup around nervously. “At least I get several to choose from and my brother isn’t just giving me one option. I met Rashid for breakfast this morning and he told me about some of them, their backgrounds and titles and such. He has set up a series of lunches and dinners with the men who have asked to marry me. It’s sort of a blitz dating session spread out over the next several days.” Zarah looked down at her tea, warming her hands with the heated beverage more than drinking it since her stomach still didn’t feel very good after her breakfast meeting. There was just something disturbing about knowing she’ll be married to a stranger in the very near future that diminished her appetite.
    Suzanne’s eyes widened in surprised. “More than one choice? That’s hopeful, right? How many are there?”
    Zarah felt grim. Just the thought of talking to all those strangers, knowing that she would be assessing them for a role she didn’t want, and they would probably be judging her as well, the whole process was daunting and mortifying. “I think there are ten of them but I’m not positive. I stopped listening after a while because they all sounded so….boring.” There were princes of other royal families, one aristocrat from an Italian family and the rest were wealthy businessmen that simply wanted a connection to Rashid. Okay, probably all of them wanted the connection to Rashid and she couldn’t blame them, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.
    “Yikes,” Suzanne cringed. “That’s a lot of meals to endure with men who might be creepy.” She looked at the foam on top of her coffee and grabbed a wooden stir stick, mixing the foam and chocolate into her beverage. “But that seems like a large group of men. At least it isn’t two or three, right?”
    Zarah shrugged, unconvinced that the size of the potential grooms would help her get through this selection process. “Yes. There’s at least a large selection pool.” She looked over at her friend, her eyes wide with the possible issues facing her. “But what if I don’t like any of them?”
    “Then don’t marry any of them. Come to Willingham