The Prince’s Bride Read Free

“Not on the mouth?” She spoke as if scandalized, but
     Véronique knew her sister was thrilled at the possibilities. “Care to explain?”
    “No,” Véronique said. “There’s no time for that. I don’t know how long he will sleep.
     Did you bring the rope?”
    Gabrielle pulled it from her cloak—like a rabbit out of a hat. “I’ve got it right
     here. Which one of us gets to do the honors?”
    Véronique immediately snatched the rope from her sister. “I caught him,” she said,
     “so it’s only right that I get to bag him.”

 
    Chapter Two
    Nicholas woke to an excruciating pain in his head—a state that felt worse than death.
    Not that he knew what death felt like, but it was probably better than this. He tried
     to sit up.
    Lord help him.…
    His brain was throbbing in his skull like a hammer on a bass drum, and his stomach
     was churning like the Baltic. He shut his eyes and lay back down, very still, knowing
     that if he tried a second time to sit up, he would likely retch up the contents of
     his stomach, and he needed to get his bearings first.
    Which direction should he roll to hit the chamber pot? Or at least to avoid a bed
     partner, if there was one.
    He remembered enough about the night before to know that he had left the ball with
     Véronique.
    Véronique …
    He opened his eyes and blinked up at the green silk canopy in the bright morning sunlight.
     Was he in her bed? Or had she taken him to a hotel? Why couldn’t he remember?
    Swallowing hard over the intense wave of nausea that rose up in him at the mere idea
     of moving, he pressed the heels of his hands to his forehead and shut his eyes again.
     A dizzying, throbbing sensation engulfed him. The bed was spinning like a top.
    Nicholas carefully glanced in the direction of the pillow beside him, but found it
     to be vacant. Thank God for that.
    Squinting in the blinding sunlight streaming in through the windows, he finally managed
     to lean up on an elbow and look around the unfamiliar bedchamber. The walls were papered
     in a busy floral pattern, and the bed itself was an ostentatious display of extravagant
     French opulence. It was ornately sculpted with images of leaves and cherubs, and covered
     in shiny gilt. Positively sickening.
    The windows were trimmed in heavy silk drapes and valances in a blue floral fabric
     to match the walls. The patterns were more blinding than the sun.
    The furniture was also very French, with a showy parade of silly china knickknacks
     and vases on top of every surface.
    He looked down at himself as well and saw that he was still wearing his clothes from
     the night before. Minus his sword and boots.
    Where the devil was he? And where was Véronique?
    He took another moment to recover from his uncomfortable awakening and managed to
     toss the covers aside and sit up on the edge of the bed.
    The room began to spin faster, and his brain throbbed.
    He glanced around for the bellpull. Ah, there it was, on the opposite side of the
     bed. Slowly, he lay back and managed to roll in that direction, then put his feet
     on the floor and stood, never letting go of the corner bedpost.
    At last he reached the velvet-covered rope and tugged it three times. Then he lay
     back down again and closed his eyes to wait.
    A half hour must have passed, maybe more. He wasn’t sure. No one came.
    Again, he struggled to his feet and tugged harder on the bellpull. God, he felt like
     a decrepit old man. He could barely stand up straight.
    Spotting a pitcher of water on the washstand, he made his way to it and poured a glass,
     which he sipped slowly.
    Still in a terrible state of agony, he walked to the window to look outside.
    Down below, an impressive manicured garden and rectangular pond with an enormous fountain
     in the center provided a spectacular view. Beyond that, in the distance, he could
     see what he guessed to be the English Channel. How far had they driven last night?
    The water sparkled turquoise in the sun. There