Seducing the Princess by Mary Hart Perry Read Free Book Online Page B

very soon.”
    “How will you do that?” She really was curious. “Mama seems so set against her.”
    “In good time. In good time, you will see.” He smiled. “Now off you go to enjoy the banquet, Beatrice. And later, your mother will be distracted by all of the family happenings. Perhaps this will buy you a little time to spend on your own, in your own way.” He winked at her. “Maybe another ride through the woods?”
    Her eyes widened. He knew? Did they all know she’d been riding with Henry?
    No, not all of them. If her mother were aware she’d been alone with a man she would have burst her corset stays.
    That vivid image brought a sudden smile to her lips.

7
    This is impossible! Henry Battenberg stared the length of the banquet table that stretched from one end to the other of the ornate dining salon. He’d hoped the seating arrangements would put him close to Beatrice, but as luck would have it there must have been fifty chairs between them. She might as well have been on another continent.
    Now he had no hope of conversing with her, or even swapping flirtatious glances, until after the meal. But by then her mother might well whisk her away to their chambers. The little queen was known to dislike lingering at table after a meal.
    He couldn’t say what it was about Beatrice that so fascinated him. When he told Louis he’d gone riding with the princess, his brother laughed and shook his head. “Surely you can do better than that dry old stick. There are plenty of pretty young things in Darmstadt.”
    Henry had shrugged and let it go. Maybe Louis was right on at least one point. Bea was a bit of an odd duck. But he sensed there was more to her than most people realized. He welcomed the challenge of discovering what lay beneath all of that dreadful black bombazine, forced upon Beatrice by the queen’s endless grief.
    Not physically beneath her gown, of course. One didn’t set out to deflower a princess. He’d have to be mad to even consider such a thing. No, he told himself, Beatrice was just interesting and surprisingly fun to be around.
    Added to that, something about her made him break out in a compassionate smile. She was like an orphaned kitten in need of protection. A charming stray he’d treat to a dish of cream, for the sheer pleasure of watching her lap it up. She’d laughed a few times in his presence, and he’d basked in the music of her joy. He wanted to hear more of her laughter. It made him feel good inside, as if he’d given her a precious gift.
    At the end of the meal, after the many toasts to the bride and groom, the queen stood. So did everyone else, producing a colorful wave of formal frock coats and gowns all the way down the long table. Henry stood with them and watched for his chance. As if fate had intervened on his behalf, the queen didn’t wave her daughter to her side. Instead, she accepted the arm of the Grand Duke and let him escort her from the room. Henry imagined himself bolting the length of the room and intercepting Beatrice before anyone else could take her away from him.
    He hastily excused himself from his dinner neighbors and worked his way up the room through the crowd, intent on the young woman in black who followed meekly behind the queen. Still at a distance, he lifted a hand and tried to signal Beatrice to wait for him, but she seemed unaware of anything in the room around her. His breath came quicker, his pulse sped up. He jostled aside two footmen blocking his way, frantic to reach her. He had no idea what to say to keep Beatrice in conversation but he felt compelled to talk with her again.
    At last, Henry pressed between glittering couples immediately following behind the royal party. Some were heading out to their carriages, others upstairs to suites reserved for guests who had traveled great distances. He was nearly on top of the royal family, Beatrice just an arm’s reach away. If she turned her head to the right she would see him. He stretched out his