Her Undercover Prince Read online

  Her Undercover Prince

  CAROL MONCADO

  Copyright © 2018 Carol Moncado

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — for example, electronic, photocopy, recording, for personal or commercial purposes — without written permission of the author(s). The only exception is for brief quotations in printed or electronic reviews.

  This is a work of fiction set in a fictionalized southwest Missouri and a redrawn, fictionalized world map. Any resemblance to real events or to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Any reference to historical figures, places, or events, whether fictional or actual, is a fictional representation.

  Cover photos: Copyright: .shock/DepositPhotos

  Author photo: Captivating by Keli, 2010

  First edition, CANDID Publications, 2018

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Letter to Readers

  Acknowledgments

  The Spare and the Heir Preview

  Good Enough for a Princess Preview

  About the Author

  Other Books by Carol Moncado

  1

  With a sigh borne of more than one kind of frustration, Princess Jacqueline Grace Victoria Eliana of San Majoria stifled the urge to reprimand her foster daughter as strongly as she wanted to, not with cameras following their every move. She’d probably be excoriated in the press for letting Kiara run off like she did. In reality, any other child likely would have done the same within sight of the bouncy castle situated on the beach.

  But Kiara wasn’t other children.

  She was a ward of the state, being cared for indefinitely by the royal family, specifically Jacqueline Grace, and could likely never be adopted. If her family was ever found, Jacqueline Grace would have a hard time handing her back over without a serious investigation into why they’d gone so long without their daughter.

  She’d also be held to account if she didn’t put sunscreen on Kiara. But if she did, there would be some who called her out for using the wrong brand.

  Jacqueline Grace hurried after Kiara, her security team members flanking her as they walked across the soft sand. Maybe there was a benefit to having a dedicated nanny.

  Yeah.

  That’s what she needed.

  A nanny.

  No. She needed more than that. She needed a partner. Someone to come alongside her and share her burdens.

  Love her.

  Kiara had tossed her sandals to the side and had already found a new friend while jumping in the bounce house.

  The security team directed Jacqueline Grace to a cabana set aside for her to use. She dropped her large shoulder bag on one of the chairs.

  “Can I get you anything, miss?”

  Tim, her security guard, looked outward even as he asked the question.

  “No, thank you. I have some water and snacks.” She pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head.

  She’d no sooner settled into her chair than Kiara ran up, a little girl in tow.

  “Jacquie!” Kiara was the only one to shorten Jacqueline Grace’s name. “Mary can’t find her daddy.”

  Jacqueline Grace stood then knelt next to the girls. “Hi, Mary.”

  The girl’s tear-stained cheeks brought out Jacqueline Grace’s compassionate side.

  “You can’t find your daddy? Did he bring you to the party?”

  Mary nodded. “He’s not really my daddy, but he brought me.”

  Step-father maybe? “Do you remember what he was wearing?”

  Mary shook her head.

  Jacqueline Grace looked to her security team. “Will you let the organizers know we have Mary and are going to look for her father?”

  “Yes, miss.”

  They wouldn’t go alone, but Jacqueline Grace wanted to pretend they were. She held out a hand to each girl. “Let’s see if we can find him. Can you tell me his name?”

  Mary shook her head.

  Before they took two steps, a man ran toward them.

  Tim stepped between Jacqueline Grace, the girls, and the frantic man. “You need to back up a few steps, sir.” He didn’t touch the man but moved him back.

  “Mary?” the man called.

  Mary pulled her hand out of Jacqueline Grace’s and ran to him. “Daddy!”

  Relief swept through Jacqueline Grace. That was over quickly enough. She returned to her seat.

  “Thank you,” the man called around the security guard.

  Jacqueline Grace shrugged as she tried to be elegant and sit down on a lounge chair at the same time. Was it even possible to sit down in one of these without looking supremely awkward? “Kiara brought her over a moment ago. I didn’t actually do anything.”

  “Still. Thank you.”

  Jacqueline Grace gave him her public smile. “My pleasure.”

  “Jacquie, can Mary play with me?”

  She wanted to say no, but Kiara needed more children to play with besides her semi-adopted cousins, Sofia and Gracie. “For now,” she conceded. “If it’s all right with her father.”

  Both girls turned on the man. “Please?” The hints of whine in Kiara’s voice would surely be reported on by the members of the press close enough to hear.

  He nodded. “Stay where we can see you.”

  We? He was planning to stay with her?

  The girls ran off, hand in hand, and he turned to her.

  “I won’t disturb you any further, Your Royal Highness, but thank you. Mary doesn’t really have any best mates. It’ll be good for her.”

  His accent surprised her. She hadn’t caught it in his first words, but it was too pronounced to miss in his longer statement.

  “It’ll be good for Kiara, too,” she admitted as she studied the man. He was cute, with dark hair and wearing jeans with a button-down white shirt. “She doesn’t play with many other little girls right now.”

  “Just her cousins, I’d imagine. We’ve all seen the pictures of the three of them together.”

  Jacqueline Grace stifled a sigh at the ache inside. “They’re not really her cousins, though.”

  He looked at her security guard. “Can I have a seat?”

  As he nodded, Tim gave the guy the stern look he gave everyone.

  The guy sat down far too close for Jacqueline Grace’s comfort. “I get it. Believe me. I’m not Mary’s father, but it surprised me how quickly I came to think of her as my own.” He leaned in even closer. “I dated her mum a couple of times. Next thing I know, I was watching her one day while her mum worked, and she never came back. I’m taking legal action, but it takes time. If she comes back, she could take Mary from me and I couldn’t do a thing about it.”

  “How long ago was it?”

  “Just over a year.”

  “And the courts wouldn’t take that into account? That she abandoned her daughter for that long, with no word, presumably. They’d just let her take Mary
back?”

  “You never know what family courts will do.” He hesitated. “If Kiara’s family came back and didn’t have an exceptionally good reason for their abandonment of her, there’s a chance they’d give her back to them, too. At least you have the crown on your side, though. That carries a lot of weight. You’d have a much greater chance of keeping her with you than I would of keeping Mary.”

  Jacqueline Grace hadn’t considered that. “Sometimes I wish we knew where she came from, just to make it official. She’s in permanent limbo right now, and there’s nothing I can do about it, crown or not. Believe me, Papa has tried.”

  The man chuckled.

  “What?”

  “Just odd hearing someone call the king ‘papa’, that’s all.”

  “Well, he is, you know.” She crossed her arms over herself, hating she seemed so defensive around this man. He really was kind of cute.

  “I know, but I’ve never spoken with a member of your family before, at least not in a setting casual enough for you or one of your siblings to refer to your father, the monarch, as papa.” He held out a hand. “I’m Dave.”

  Jacqueline Grace took it, a jolt rippling through her as she did. “Jacqueline Grace, but I suppose you already know that.”

  Dave let loose with a grin that sent her heart fluttering. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

  Dave Smith leaned back in his chair next to the princess's. What was he thinking? He'd practically bared his heart to the woman when he'd known her for all of five minutes. He hadn't told his family that his worst fear was someone coming to take Mary away, and he’d known the little girl less than a year. He didn’t talk to his family very often though. They had no idea Mary existed.

  “You have an interesting accent, Dave. Where are you from?”

  He was hoping to avoid that question. “Down under.” Close enough.

  The princess stared at him for a moment. “Your accent doesn’t sound quite Australian.”

  “I moved around,” he hedged. The truth, but not all of it.

  “What do you do for a living?” The princess was every bit as beautiful as he’d expected her to be. She’d fascinated him since he arrived in San Majoria nearly eighteen months earlier. She was also more perceptive than he would have expected.

  Hopefully, he wouldn’t make a drongo of himself. He stared at the sand a few feet in front of his chair. “I actually start working for the palace next week.”

  “Really? In what capacity?”

  “It’s not very glamorous,” he warned.

  She shrugged. “So? There’s lots of jobs that aren’t glamorous, but they all need doing. You wouldn’t have been hired if they didn’t expect you to be good at whatever it is.”

  The princess had a point. “I’m going to be your father’s new assistant valet.” Not quite the whole truth, but close enough. No one was to know the whole truth, not even the king.

  She seemed to think that over for a minute. “I know it doesn’t seem all that glamorous on the surface. I know it is compared to say a sewer technician...”

  That made Dave smile. “Do you know any sewer technicians? Or what they do?”

  “No.” She shrugged. “But if it involves sewers, it’s definitely necessary but unlikely to be glamorous.”

  He tilted his head in acknowledgment of her point.

  “So, while not the most glamorous job, it’s one that requires quite a bit of trust placed in you. You will regularly be in close proximity to the king of the country. Very few people are ever left alone with my father without security nearby.” Her brows furrowed. “You haven’t met my father yet?”

  “No. I was supposed to last week, but something came up. A trip out of town, I think.”

  “He made a quick trip to Akushla to meet with King Benjamin about some personal matters.”

  “Is that a state secret or something?” He needed to make sure he knew what was classified and what wasn’t.

  She lifted one shoulder. “Not really. My father and the late King Alfred were best friends. He’s often offered to mentor Benjamin in a number of different capacities. As a monarch himself, he can offer insight few others are able to.”

  “Is there something going on in Eyjania that would concern him?” Dave asked out of curiosity, fulling expecting the princess to tell him to buzz off.

  “Not particularly. Benjamin removed his uncle, Isaiah, from his post as Special Adviser to the Monarch earlier this year. I have no direct knowledge of what they discussed when Papa traveled to see Benjamin, though. I’m a little surprised they hired you officially without a meeting.”

  “I’ve got a two-month trial period. If it’s not extended, my contract will come to an end, and I’ll have to find another way to make a quid.”

  “I’m sure you will be fine.” The princess straightened the white shirt she wore over a white tank top as she refused to look at him. “Will you be living on the premises?”

  “Yes.” He tried not to let the concern over his new living arrangements seep through. If this didn’t work out, he didn’t have anywhere on the island of San Majoria to fall back to. He could go to San Mediano where he rented a small house, but he needed to be in Cabo Juan-Eduardo. Besides the house was currently sublet.

  “Have you been a valet before?”

  The innocence behind her question had to be faked, right? “Would they hire me if I hadn’t?”

  “Probably not. My stylist is younger than you I think, but she’s worked with a couple of designers already. She didn’t have any experience as an actual stylist before I hired her, but there were other things to recommend her, including cosmetology school.”

  “I’ve never been an actual valet,” he admitted. “I also have other things to recommend me.” In a move that surprised even himself, Dave leaned on the armrest closest to the princess and whispered. “But I’ve never been to cosmetology school.”

  Her laugh warmed Dave even more than the sun and made him smile. Maybe he could make her laugh again before the day was out. Before he could think of a good joke, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and sighed. “Duty calls. They’ve asked me to start this evening. It seems your father’s head valet wants me to be there because someone is ill.” Likely not the full story but the official one. “They want me to come in and make sure I’m ready for some trip in a couple of weeks.”

  “We’re all going to Islas del Sargasso for a few days. The Eyjanian family will be there, too. I think all of them will, anyway. It’s possible a couple members of other families will be there as well. The Auverignonians are sending someone, I believe. Esme will probably represent her family.”

  Esme? Right. Crown Princess Esmeralda of Islas del Sargasso. And all of the family was going? Did that mean Princess Esther, and possibly even Prince Darius, would be there? No one knew where they’d been for well over a year.

  Dave put his phone back in his pocket. “I better get Mary, so I can take her to the daycare before reporting in ninety minutes.”

  The princess waved him off. “We can see she’s returned to the palace and take care of her for you. That is, if you think she’d rather stay here and play with Kiara for a while longer.”

  He stood and bowed at the waist. “I’m certain she would like that. Thank you, Your Royal Highness.”

  She gave him the same slightly uneasy smile she had when he first arrived, not the genuine one he’d seen later. Her public smile. “My pleasure. Don’t let us keep you. I’ll make sure you’re informed when she’s safely ensconced at the day care.”

  “Thank you.” He pushed his feet through the soft sand until he reached his car. At least his things had been moved into the small apartment in the palace. A quick shower, and he’d be ready to go. Mary had never stayed at the daycare, though they’d toured it together earlier in the week. She understood she’d be there when he started working.

  An hour after he parked in the secure employee lot, he presented himself to the head valet and one of the other assistants, who looked
remarkably well for allegedly being ill.

  Mr. Ferdinand looked him up and down then smiled. “You’ll do quite nicely.” He gave a single nod. “Yes. You’ll definitely do.”

  2

  The rest of the early afternoon went far more smoothly than Jacqueline Grace had feared. Kiara and Mary got along wonderfully and, before she knew it, they were in the back of the car on their way to the palace.

  “Jacquie, can Mary come play?” Kiara kicked her feet against the base of her car seat.

  “When we get home, it’s nap time, love.”

  “I don’t wanna nap.”

  Jacqueline Grace prayed for patience. “If you take a nap, and it’s okay with Mary’s father, she can come play afterward.”

  The heavy sigh signaled Kiara’s acquiescence.

  Fortunately, the drive to the palace only took about twenty minutes. Once there, Jacqueline Grace handed Mary over to a member of security who would check Mary into the daycare found in one of the basements. It wasn’t as dreary as it sounded, given its access to a playground out one side. Making sure their children were taken care of was one way her parents showed their appreciation for palace employees. Besides, it provided an incentive to work the odd hours - one less worry for those who worked overnights.

  With Kiara finally asleep, Jacqueline Grace wandered to her father’s office only to find out he was on the phone with Queen Carlotta of Islas del Sargasso.

  “He should be done in a moment, Your Royal Highness.” Her father’s assistant had been with him nearly as long as Jacqueline Grace had been alive.