“Thank you so much, Maria.”

  “Francesca?”

  She turned to see her parents over on another love seat. Her brother and Gina sat in chairs next to them. She ran over to hug them. “This really is a celebration.”

  Everyone was smiling. Near them sat Vincenzo’s grandfather in his wheelchair with his wife at his side. She hurried over to kiss them. “You two look wonderful.”

  “So do you!”

  That was the moment when she spotted Valentina and Alessandro who’d recently been married. Her cousin was a knockout and looked so happy. Why not? Her pregnancy was starting to show.

  They hugged each other. “Valentina? Did you ever imagine the two of us meeting, let alone under these circumstances?”

  “Never.” Her blue eyes glistened with tears. “I can’t believe what you and Vincenzo have done for us.” She hugged her hard. “I love your parents so much, Francesca. Uncle Niccolo and Aunt Greta are saints, and my cousin Rolf is fabulous.”

  “I agree. He says the same thing about you. To think we’re cousins, and it has taken this long. How are you feeling by now? I know you had a hard beginning with your pregnancy. I feel bad that you had to hide out here when you didn’t feel well.”

  “Vincenzo’s grandparents are angelic as you know. All of their family is. So are you and your family. Your goodness has turned my life and Alessandro’s around. When I learned how kind you’ve been through all this, I wept because my father has kept us apart all these years. Having you in my life is like having a sibling. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for us.”

  “You went through a horrible time.”

  “So did you. My father was horrible to Vincenzo and ultimately to you.”

  “I’m just thankful that’s all behind us and that you’re happily married now.”

  “We are.”

  Alessandro broke in. “There are no words to express my gratitude for all you and your family have done for us. It’s incredible.”

  Francesca gave a big hug to the handsome man who’d dared to love Valentina despite all odds. “I’m thrilled the two of you are together.”

  “We’ll never be able to thank Prince Vincenzo enough for his wedding gift and all the help he has been.”

  Francesca took Alessandro aside. “Before we knew the truth of everything, I wonder if it was as hard for you to think of Valentina’s engagement to Vincenzo as it was for me?”

  He shook his dark blond head. “I don’t want to even think about it now. Those were dark days.”

  “But neither of us ever lost hope, and now they’re over.”

  “Yes. Valentina’s mother is coming to live with us in Bern.”

  “She told me.”

  “Vincenzo is a miracle worker, Francesca. Maybe your husband hasn’t even told you yet, but his attorney Marko Fetzer is helping my mother with her divorce.”

  “Valentina said as much. Vincenzo says he never loses a case.”

  “That’s wonderful to hear. Thanks to your husband, we now own a fantastic villa and are decorating a baby nursery. You’ll have to come and stay with us.”

  “We’d love it,” Vincenzo interjected.

  While Francesca stood there loving every second of this, he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “It’s fantastic that everyone we love is here,” he exclaimed, looking around. “We came with news, Mamma.”

  His mother got to her feet. “What is it?”

  “In about six and a half months, you’re going to be a grandmother.”

  “That means we’re going to be great-grandparents!” Vincenzo’s nonna proclaimed. “Happy day!”

  Everyone else in the room got up and gathered round to congratulate them. She got hug after hug from her own family and Bella, then she turned to Valentina who smiled at her through tears. “Partners in crime.”

  They both laughed. “I want us to become good friends, Valentina. When our children are born, I want them to get to know each other. It’s taken way too long for you and me to get acquainted.”

  “We’ll never let it happen again.”

  Vincenzo came up just then and put his arm around her waist. “We’re due in the dining room for a celebratory feast.” After such a difficult beginning, Francesca was incredulous this day had come. “Will you be able to eat?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Yes.”

  “Thank heaven.” He turned to Alessandro. “Speaking as the men in the family, morning sickness needs to be eradicated.”

  “You can say that again,” Alessandro came back, “especially when she says she wants at least three children. She doesn’t want ours to grow up alone.”

  “That I can understand.”

  Francesca laughed as they walked through to the dining room. Her brother came over and sat down on her other side. “Hey, sis. You look so happy, I think you’re going to burst.”

  “You know you’re right?” She kissed his cheek. “How are wedding plans going for you and Gina?”

  “We’re set for the twenty-first of December. That will give us the vacation to enjoy our honeymoon.”

  “Where are you going, or is that a secret?”

  “A secret.”

  “So that means you’re going to go to Chamonix. She’ll love it.”

  “Don’t tell Gina,” he whispered. “She’s never been there. Dad’s renting a small chalet for us.”

  “Lucky you. If it weren’t your honeymoon, Vincenzo and I would join you.”

  His brows lifted. “Have you two decided where to take a real honeymoon?”

  “As someone once said—that train has left the station. We’ll wait until our baby is born. Then we’ll leave Artur and our child with the family and fly to somewhere exotic for a week.”

  “Only a week?”

  “Any longer would be too hard on us and our children.”

  He chuckled. “Artur thinks he’s your child.”

  “He is in his own way and has taken up residence in Vincenzo’s heart.”

  “What about my heart?” Vincenzo poked his dark handsome head between them.

  She looked up into his eyes. “It’s as big as the great outdoors. Everyone here adores you and praises you for all you’ve done. It’s disgusting how much I love you.”

  “Wait till I get you home and you can prove it to me.”

  Rolf burst into laughter as her face turned crimson. “Hey, Francesca? Do you want to hear something really funny?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  “I’m not sure.” She was still trying to recover from Vincenzo’s private message.

  “I heard your mother-in-law talking to Bella before you and Vincenzo got here. She had no idea I happened to be passing in the hall and had picked up on their conversation.

  “Vincenzo’s mother said, and I quote, ‘After the engagement was broken, Vincenzo told me no more princesses for him. In his emphatic way, he claimed he was going to find the woman he wanted. Period! I think he’s forgotten Francesca is a princess with a defunct title. I got my way after all!’”

  “He got something much better, Mamma,” Bella murmured. “A woman who will love him to the ends of the earth and beyond.”

  * * *

  Look out for the next story in The Baldasseri Royals trilogy

  Coming soon!

  And if you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Rebecca Winters

  Reclaiming the Prince’s Heart

  Unmasking the Secret Prince

  The Greek’s Secret Heir

  All available now!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A Proposal in Provence by Donna Alward.

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  A Proposal in Provence

  by Donna Alward

  PROLOGUE

  February

  STEPHEN PEMBERTON, EARL OF CHATSWORTH, paced in front of the antique mahogany desk in his office at Chatsworth Manor.

  “What are you telling me, George?” He stopped pacing and squared up to face the accountant he’d hired to audit the estate financials. “Where did it go?”

  The “it” he was referring to was a sum of money that had been withdrawn biannually from the estate funds for twenty-six years. Not a huge amount compared with the equity in the estate; it amounted to about thirty thousand pounds annually. But over twenty-six years it was more than three-quarters of a million pounds.

  “I can try to trace it if you want. Honestly, Lord Pemberton, it’s the only anomaly I’ve found in the audit. That’s good news.”

  Stephen supposed he should be grateful for that. Inheriting the title and the estate at such an early age had been a shock. And the family certainly wasn’t hurting for money; Aurora Inc. was massively successful. But Stephen alone was responsible for the estate and his father’s legacy. It had been a few years now and the ground seemed to have settled within the family. Performing an audit was, in his opinion, the responsible thing to do.

  “Call me Stephen,” he said quietly. “It still feels strange having the title.”

  “You’ll have to get used to it.” George Campbell gave Stephen a nod. “You are the earl now, sir.”

  As if he needed reminding.

  “Yes, George, you have my authority to trace whatever you need to. If you need papers signed for access, let me know.”

  “Will do, sir. And whatever the payments were, they weren’t automatic withdrawals. The last one was a few months before your father died.”

  “So he was making them manually.”

  “It appears that way, for the moment, anyway.”

  Stephen nodded. “Do what you have to do. For over twenty-five years, someone was getting a piece of my father’s money. I want to know who, and why.”

  George gave a nod and said his farewells. After he was gone, Stephen went back to his desk and sat heavily.

  One thing he knew for sure. With his mother’s recent health scare, he wasn’t about to bring this to her attention unless he needed to. And certainly not until he got to the bottom of the...anomaly, as George put it. There was no need to alarm the family. It could be something entirely benign. His gut was telling him otherwise, but he wasn’t so sure he trusted his gut these days.

  He sighed and leaned back in the leather chair, closing his eyes. He’d never expected the earldom to weigh this heavily upon him.

  Had his father felt the same when he’d inherited?

  CHAPTER ONE

  April

  “ANEMONE, DO YOU have the data I was looking for this morning?”

  Anemone looked up over her glasses and stared at her boss, Phillipe Leroux. She’d been seconded to his department a month ago, working as a liaison between Public Relations and his office in preparation for the launch of Aurora Inc.’s new fragrance. The launch was her baby, the first real project entrusted to her at the company, and she wasn’t leaving any detail to chance.

  Working at Aurora Inc. was a dream come true. The multinational company was a top name in fashion, cosmetics and jewelry. It was also run by the Pemberton family, including the new Earl of Chatsworth, Stephen Pemberton. Who also happened to be Anemone’s half-brother.

  Except Stephen didn’t know that. None of the family knew that she was Cedric Pemberton’s illegitimate daughter, and for the time being, she planned to keep it that way.

  She reached for the file folder and handed it over. “All printed out for you, including pie charts and graphs with the latest results. Marketing sent it up straight away. The focus groups went well. I think you’ll be pleased.”

  The launch of Aurora’s new fragrance, Nectar, was scheduled for just over a week from now, and she knew that it was a particularly important moment for Phillipe, who was himself new to his position. His official title was Executive Manager of Fragrance, one step down from Director of Cosmetics and Fashion, who happened to be Will Pemberton. But Phillipe’s education was in chemistry and his background in perfume. He’d been honest and said as much to her during their initial meeting and had expressed how he needed a strong assistant on his team. No pressure, then, she’d thought at the time, but she’d also been pleased that he thought she was that person—and that her former boss had recommended her for the temporary position.

  Phillipe flipped through the file, giving the pages a quick glance. He looked up, his gray-blue eyes meeting hers. Her tummy always seemed to take a jolt when he did that. For the next two weeks, she reported to him directly, but that didn’t stop her from noticing he was insanely attractive, with thick dark hair swept away from his face and a subtle smile that hinted at mischief. He was definitely more the intellectual type, but she’d always had a thing for brainy men. He looked down again and flipped through a few more pages, and she stared at his hands. Nice, big hands with long, graceful fingers.

  She should not be having thoughts like this about her boss, no matter how temporary. Not if she wanted to keep this job and move up within the company. And she did want to keep it, she realized. She was relatively sure that if she showed up on the Pemberton doorstep and announced she was Cedric’s daughter, she’d be thrown out on her ear. And that was the problem. She wanted to know her family, but she also genuinely loved working at Aurora. She was fairly certain she couldn’t have both. So her secret would remain...her secret.

  “Thank you, Anemone.”

  “Please call me Annie,” she said, pushing her thoughts aside and smiling brightly at him. “Everyone calls me Annie.” Over the years, she’d gotten used to having to spell her name immediately after giving it. She’d been working with Phillipe long enough now they could be on slightly more familiar terms, couldn’t they?

  “Annie,” he said, and offered one of his small smiles. “This is great.” He gestured with the file folder. “How am I set for the rest of the day?”

  She brought up his schedule. “A meeting with William in an hour, then your afternoon is free from outside commitments.” She looked up at him again. “I’m meeting with PR and Marketing later to iron out a few details, and then tweaking the catering menu for the launch.”

  “Fantastic.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter in front of her desk. “I really appreciate how you’ve taken this event in hand.”

  She was determined not to blush at the praise.

  He stepped back. “So, are you up for a field trip later today?”

  She looked up, perplexed. “A field trip, Monsieur Leroux?”

  He put the file down on the counter in front of her desk. “If I must call you Annie, then you must call me Phillipe.” He leaned forward a little. “To be honest, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this ‘Monsieur Leroux’ thing.” He held her gaze. “I’m almost as new at my job as you are to yours. I like first names. And I think you and I are past being so formal, don’t you?”

  “All right...Phillipe.”

  Oh, my. It sounded so personal coming from her lips, perhaps because even after weeks on the job, she was still a little struck by him. He might be the brainy type, but he wore his suits incredibly well and she had yet to see him with a tie; he always left his shirt collar open at the throat. There was an understated sexiness beneath the surface that was incredibly attractive. “Where are we going?”

  He grinned then, a much brighter smile than she was used to seeing. It was absolutely dazzling.

  “I thought I’d take you to where we store our product and give you a crash course, seeing as the new fragrance is so close to launch.”

  Annie gave a quick nod. “That would be fine. Shall I book us a taxi for a specific time?”

  “Let’s leave it until I’m sure I can get away.”

  “Whatever you like. Just let me know when you’re ready.” She mentally raced through her tasks and wondered how many she could get through before lunch. She’d probably end up working through her break, but she didn’t mind. Not really.

  With a parting smile, Phillipe headed back toward his office.

  Annie let out a long breath and put her forehead in her hands. This was not good. The best job she’d ever had included proximity to her secret family, and now she had to go and develop a crush on her boss. It wouldn’t do at all. This had never been an issue before, and she’d been working in the clerical field for the past six years. But then, she’d never had a boss like Phillipe.

  She wished she could go home, call her mum, and have a good chat about it, but that wasn’t possible. Not anymore. Losing her mum had broken her heart. And even if it hadn’t, finding out the truth about her father’s identity would have. Two years too late to even meet him...

  Which was why she had this job. Learning she was Cedric Pemberton’s daughter had been a shock, and she knew his wife and children wouldn’t take the news well. She wasn’t even sure she was ever going to tell them. They were all the family she had in the world, but she didn’t want to be that person who came in and dropped a massive bombshell. She knew how much that hurt. Her longing for family constantly warred with compassion for her father’s wife and children—she certainly bore them no resentment. Perhaps she had to deal with never having known her father, but they were dealing with losing him. The situation wasn’t their fault, after all. That was squarely on two people who couldn’t be held accountable anymore: her mother, and Cedric Pemberton. Besides, telling the family wouldn’t change anything, so what was the point?