Prince of Scandal by Annie West Read Free Book Online

planted her hands on her hips. ‘After you’ve spent your life getting up before dawn forearly milking,
then
talk to me about managing my time!’
    ‘It’s hardly the same thing.’
    ‘No, it’s not.’ She kept her voice calm with an effort. ‘My life might not have been exciting but it was about honest hard work. A real job, doing something useful. Not—’ she gestured to the exquisitely decorated salon and the man who stood so haughtily before her ‘—not empty gloss and privilege.’
    A dull flush of colour streaked across Raul’s razor-sharp cheekbones. Deep grooves bracketed the firm line of his mouth and his long fingers flexed and curled. Energy radiated from him, a latent power so tangible she had to force herself to stand her ground.
    ‘You’ll find royal life isn’t a sinecure.’ His words were glacial shards, grazing her overheated cheeks. ‘Running a country is a demanding full-time job.’
    Luisa refused to be cowed. Nothing excused his treatment of her. That had to change. Now.
    ‘Under extreme duress I agreed to go to your country and accept my inheritance. That doesn’t give you carte blanche to run my life.’
    ‘Where were you going?’ His question surprised her.
    She glanced at the full length windows with their view of a wide, elegant boulevard and a distant park.
    ‘I’ve never been to Paris.’ She’d never travelled. Except to her grandfather’s home and to Sydney when her mum visited specialists. Neither had been pleasant experiences. ‘I want to explore.’
    ‘You haven’t time. Your new clothes are here and you need to be fitted. It’s important you look like a princess when you step off the plane in Maritz.’
    ‘In case I don’t photograph well for the press?’ She almost laughed at the idea of being media-worthy, but the way his face shuttered instantly at her mention of the press distracted her.
    ‘It’s for your sake as well, Luisa. Imagine arriving in the full blare of public interest, dressed as you are.’
    Was that a hint of sympathy in his expression, or did she imagine it?
    ‘There’s nothing wrong with my clothes! They’re …’
    Cheap and comfortable and a little shabby. It wasn’t that she didn’t want beautiful clothes. It was the idea of pretending to be someone she wasn’t, as if the real Luisa wasn’t worth knowing. Yet a tiny voice inside admitted she didn’t want to face a nation’s press as she was.
    She didn’t want to face the press at all!
    ‘Clothes are like armour.’ His voice held a note of understanding that surprised her. ‘You’ll feel more comfortable in clothes that make you look good.’
    Did he speak from personal experience? Seeing the proud tilt of his head, Luisa guessed Raul could walk naked before a crowd and not lose one ounce of his regal attitude.
    Her breath hitched on the idea of Raul naked. With those long, powerful thighs and that rangy powerful torso.
    With an effort she dragged her mind back on track.
    ‘I don’t need permission to go out.’ She kept her voice low and even but her chin crept up. ‘I don’t answer to you and I
do
intend to see some of the city.’
    She wouldn’t let him dictate to her any more.
    ‘Then what if I take you out myself, tonight?’ Luisa blinked in astonishment. ‘I have appointments for the rest of the day but after dinner, if you like, I’ll show you some of the sights of Paris.’ He paused for a long moment, his mouth easing into what could almost pass for a smile. ‘Would that suit?’
    Blankly Luisa stared. A compromise? That must have cost him!
    Instantly suspicion grew that he was up to something. Yet the idea of escaping this gorgeous, claustrophobic house was irresistible.
    ‘Agreed.’
    Six hours later Luisa stood against the railing of a river cruiser, straining forward as each new sight came into view. From the Ile de la Cité with Notre Dame’s flying buttresses illuminated like spread wings against the darkness, to the Pont Neuf and the glittering