The Lord's Passionate Lover(3)

“Excuse me, if I could steal this young lady for a moment please?” Lord Jacques interrupted. He took Francesca's arm and led her to the dance floor.

“We were in the middle of a conversation,” Francesca said to him, as he wrapped his arm around her waist and started dancing with her.

“He was in the middle of a conversation,” he replied.

Francesca laughed. “He did seem to enjoy the sound of his own voice, but what does that have to do with you?” she asked.

“I was rescuing you from boredom.”

“I could have handled it,” she lied.

“I doubt that.” He spun her around and pulled her back to him, as they moved around the dance floor. Macee was in the middle of a conversation when she saw her sister dancing with Lord Jacques. She tapped Liane and pointed them out as they stood there watching their sister.

“They look good together,” Liane commented.

“I agree.”





Chapter 2


Francesca felt so safe in the embrace of Lord Jacques. She could feel his green eyes staring at her, as if he were memorizing every inch of her. He was definitely handsome, and she could feel the strong muscles beneath his clothing. But why was he looking at her like that? No man had ever looked at her like that before. She shouldn’t be attracted to him and she certainly shouldn’t be dancing with him. He was older than her and divorced too! Francesca avoided making eye contact with him and as soon as the song ended, she excused herself and walked quickly away.

As Lord Jacques watched her walk away, he had to admit that he was taken with her. While she was quite young for him, he appreciated the way she carried herself and seemed far more suited for palace life than her sister, the Crown Princess was. Tall and stately, he found her lovely in a refreshing way.

As the band began to play another jazz tune, Macee rolled her eyes. She was not fond of jazz and was surprised to learn that Princess Katherine did not like it either. Especially since, it was her birthday. As the girls discussed their taste in music, Francesca approached them.

“How did you and Lord Jacques end up dancing together?” Liane asked Francesca as she narrowed her gaze and took Liane's champagne from her.

“He whisked me away from a boring conversation,” Francesca replied before taking a sip from the glass. Macee looked amused.

“You must have enjoyed the dance,” Macee said as Francesca shrugged her shoulders.

“It was okay,” she replied.

“I know I would have enjoyed it,” Liane said.

“You are a married woman.”

Katherine and Macee laughed. “You cannot deny that he is an attractive man,” Katherine added. They all looked at her in shock as that was the first time they had ever heard her say anything like that before. The princess shrugged her shoulders. “I am a woman too,” she added.

“I like this side of you,” Macee said, as she spontaneously hugged her. She had spoken to the princess on many occasions but she had not gotten a sense of what she was really like. Katherine smiled at Macee, as she hugged her back. The queen approached them and whisked Katherine away to introduce her to some potential suitors.

Finally, the night came to an end. It was the first birthday party Macee and her sisters had attended at the palace and it felt far more like a formal event than a celebration.

* * *

A few days later, Prince Louis surprised Macee by bringing Francesca into the palace. He had arranged for her to stay until the baby was born. “How did you get your mother to agree, or doesn't she know yet?” Macee asked him. Prince Louis laughed.

“She knows and she agreed,” he replied.

Macee was not convinced. “Whatever it was that you did, thank you. I am so happy to have Francesca in the palace,” she said and hugged her sister tightly.

“When we lived together, you did not embrace me this much,” Francesca said.

“That was because I saw you every day.”

“I shall leave the two of you alone,” Prince Louis stated.

“Where are you going?” Macee asked him.

“I have a meeting with Lord Jacques.”

Macee looked at Francesca with a cheeky smile on her face as Francesca rolled her eyes. “See you later then,” Macee said to her husband. He kissed her on the cheek and rubbed her belly before he left.

Francesca and Macee sat down on the balcony. One of Macee's maids brought out a tray of refreshments. Francesca looked at the snacks on the tray. There were some peculiar choices.

“What kind of food are they feeding you?” Francesca asked.

“It's because of the cravings,” Macee replied with a frown. The symptoms were driving her crazy. She picked up a doughnut and dipped it in yoghurt. “So how do you feel about living in the palace?” she asked.