The Princess's New Year Wedding (The Princess Brides Book 1) Read online

  Can a convenient marriage...

  Lead to a happy-ever-after?

  In this The Princess Brides story, Princess Lanza is determined to do her duty even if it means marrying a virtual stranger! She knows dashing Prince Stefano is honoring his late brother’s promise to unite their countries, and that she must steel her heart, but it’s not long before the captivating royal gets under her skin... Can their hastily arranged New Year wedding lead to a lifetime of wedded bliss?

  The Princess Brides

  A royal kingdom, three beautiful princesses and three handsome suitors...

  For Lanza, Donetta and Fausta Rossiano, princesses of Domodossola, duty comes first and love comes second. So when their father, King Victor Alonso, decides to step down from the throne, it’s time for these royal sisters to get wedded!

  But whether they run away, make a marriage of convenience or have a fake engagement, it’s not long before these gorgeous royals find that love and marriage really do go together!

  Discover Lanza’s story in

  The Princess’s New Year Wedding

  Available now!

  And look out for Donetta’s and Fausta’s stories

  Coming soon!

  Dear Reader,

  I was a typical little girl who loved fairy tales. My mother would take me and my four sisters to the library and we would check out as many books as we could. I adored anything to do with princesses, princes, magic spells, castles, crowns and jewels. But I read them too fast and had to wait until she took us to the library a week later to get more. I never had enough reading material and so I would sit on the radiator cover by the window in the living room for hours drawing pictures of a princess in a beautiful gown, or I would use tracing paper to copy some of my favorite pictures out of the books.

  One of my favorite stories was The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I’d dream about the different kinds of princes who danced with them after midnight. That story stayed with me all my life and was the inspiration for my The Princess Brides series. But instead of twelve, I chose three of the king’s daughters and fractured their traditional tale by turning everything around. I won’t tell you how, but I hope you like my flight of fancy in this first book, The Princess’s New Year Wedding.

  Enjoy!

  Rebecca Winters

  The Princess’s New Year Wedding

  Rebecca Winters

  Rebecca Winters lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. With canyons and high alpine meadows full of wildflowers, she never runs out of places to explore. They, plus her favorite vacation spots in Europe, often end up as backgrounds for her romance novels—because writing is her passion, along with her family and church.

  Books by Rebecca Winters

  Harlequin Romance

  Holiday with a Billionaire

  Captivated by the Brooding Billionaire

  Falling for the Venetian Billionaire

  Wedding the Greek Billionaire

  The Billionaire’s Club

  Return of Her Italian Duke

  Bound to Her Greek Billionaire

  Whisked Away by Her Sicilian Boss

  The Montanari Marriages

  The Billionaire’s Baby Swap

  The Billionaire Who Saw Her Beauty

  The Billionaire’s Prize

  The Magnate’s Holiday Proposal

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!

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  How lucky was I to be born to my darling, talented mother, who was beautiful inside and out. She filled my life with joy and made me so happy to be alive! I love you, Mom.

  Praise for

  Rebecca Winters

  “Readers will be swept away.... Winters’ fine romance unfolds at the perfect pace, so one can digest the relationship and still enjoy the antics of being a billionaire.”

  —RT Book Reviews on The Billionaire Who Saw Her Beauty

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  EXCERPT FROM HIRED BY THE MYSTERIOUS MILLIONAIRE BY ALLY BLAKE

  CHAPTER ONE

  “MIO FIGLIO? I know it’s early, but there are things I must talk to you about. Come to the apartment.”

  Thirty-year-old Stefano sat up in bed. It was a shock to get a phone call from his father at 5:30 a.m., but his father’s entreaty shocked him even more.

  “You mean now?”

  “Please.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Stefano realized his father’s broken heart wouldn’t allow him to sleep, but then Stefano doubted anyone in the palace had known a moment’s rest for the past week. Alberto, his adored younger brother—his parents’ beloved son and heir to the throne—had just been buried yesterday at the young age of twenty-eight. There was no antidote for sorrow.

  Stefano’s twenty-seven-year-old sister, Carla, and her husband, Dino, and two children, were just as grief-stricken over the loss of a wonderful brother and uncle. She was now first in line to the throne and would be queen when their father died or could no longer rule. The rules of succession fell to the firstborn, then the second or the third, regardless of gender.

  Stefano would never rule.

  Since his eighteenth birthday when he’d prevailed on his parents to be exempt from royal duty for the rest of his life, Stefano had been granted that exemption by parliament. From that time forward, he was no longer a royal, but he loved his family and they loved him. They’d all come together for this unexpected tragedy.

  With Alberto gone, his mother looked like she’d aged twenty years and had gone to bed after the interment of her second-born son. The funeral had been too much for her.

  Stefano had struggled with his pain and was forced to face the fact that he was now the only son of King Basilio. Though his father would rely more and more on Carla, he needed Stefano, too, and would lean on him for comfort. Stefano guessed that was why his father had summoned him this early in the morning. Forcing himself to move, Stefano dragged himself out of bed to shower and dress.

  Before long he entered his parents’ private lounge off their bedroom in the north wing of the palace. His bereaved father turned away from the fireplace to look at him. “Thank you for coming, Stefano. Your mother is still in bed, overcome with grief.”

  “As you are, Papà.” Stefano gave him a soulful hug. It would be impossible to get over the reality that Alberto had been killed in a car crash a week ago.

  Stefano, who’d graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in the US, had been in Canada at the time, inspecting one of the Casale gold mines. Casale being an old family name dating back to the founding of Italy. Nothing had seemed real until he’d returned home to the Kingdom of Umbriano, located in the Alps. His father had met him after the royal jet touched down and they went to identify Alberto’s body.

  Yesterday’s state funeral in the basilica of Umbriano, presided over by the cardinal who had also delivered the eulogy, h
ad been a great tribute to Alberto, a favorite son revered by the people. Dignitaries of many countries had attended, including of course the royal family of the Kingdom of Domodossola bordering France, Switzerland and Italy.

  Stefano would never forget the vacant look on the face of Alberto’s betrothed, Princess Lanza Rossiano of Domodossola, beneath her black, gauzy veil. He’d met war victims after serving a required year in the military in the Middle East who’d had that same lost, bewildered expression, their whole world wiped out.

  The twenty-two-year-old daughter of King Victor Emmanuel of Domodossola had been betrothed to Alberto twelve months ago. Their marriage was supposed to take place a year from now on New Year’s Day, and her family had clearly been devastated.

  Stefano, who was rarely in the country because of business, hadn’t met with King Victor’s family since his childhood when both families got together on occasion. Meeting them again at the funeral, he was shocked to see all three of the king’s daughters grown up. Not until he witnessed their bereavement did Stefano realize how terrible the news must have been for them. Stefano still couldn’t believe Alberto was gone.

  “Sit down. We have something vital to discuss.”

  By vital, his father must mean he wanted Stefano to stay around for a while, but that would be impossible because of Stefano’s latest gold mining project in Kenya. He needed to fly there the day after tomorrow to oversee a whole new gold processing invention that could bring in a great deal more money. Hopefully, it would serve as a prototype for all his other gold mines throughout the world. He imagined he’d be gone six weeks at least.

  With his hands clasped between his legs, Stefano closed his eyes, knowing his father was in so much pain at the moment that he needed all their support, but he was curious as to what his father wanted to talk about.

  “The wedding to Princess Lanza must go on as planned. Since losing Alberto, your mother and I have talked of nothing else. It’s imperative that you take your brother’s place.”

  Stefano’s head jerked up. “Surely, I didn’t hear you correctly.”

  “I know this comes as a shock to you.”

  Stefano shot to his feet, incredulous. “Shock doesn’t describe it, Papà.”

  “Hear me out.”

  Stefano groaned and walked over to the mullioned windows looking out on the palatial estate with the snow-covered peaks of the Alps in the distance. An icy shiver passed through his taut body.

  “Our two countries need to solidify in order to build the resources of both our kingdoms. This necessary merger can only happen by your marrying Princess Lanza.”

  Stefano wheeled around, gritting his teeth. “Years ago you gave me my freedom by parliamentary decree. I’m no longer a royal.”

  “That decree can be reversed by an emergency parliamentary edict.”

  “What?”

  His father nodded. “I’ve already been investigating behind the scenes. Because of the enormity of this tragedy and their eagerness to see a marriage between our two countries happen, my advisors have informed me the parliament will reinstate you immediately.”

  Stefano couldn’t believe it. “Even if it were possible, you’re not seriously asking me to marry Princess Lanza, are you? I haven’t been around her since she was a young girl. And I’m seven years older than she is.”

  “That’s not a great age difference.”

  Stefano tried to calm down. “Alberto was the one who was attracted to her. I can’t do this, Papà. Right now I’m doing everything in my power to develop more lucrative gold mines and invest the revenues to help our country grow richer. We don’t need the timber from Domodossola!”

  His father shook his head. “What I’m asking goes a great deal deeper than cementing fortunes. Victor and I have had this dream of uniting our two families in marriage since the moment we both became parents of future kings and queens.”

  “But it’s not my dream, Papà, and never could be,” Stefano said, attempting to control his anger. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do what you ask.”

  “Not even to honor your brother?”

  He hadn’t realized his mother had come into the lounge wearing her dressing gown. The edge in her tone caught him off guard. “What do you mean, Mamà?”

  “This has to do with keeping faith with a sacred pledge your brother made to Princess Lanza a year ago. She’s been groomed to become Alberto’s bride. For the past year her life has been put on hold because she wears our family betrothal ring. All this time she’s been faithful to their pledge, preparing for their wedding day.”

  Stefano shook his head. “No one could have imagined this crisis. It changes all the rules.”

  “Except for one thing your father and I have never told you about because we didn’t think we would have to.”

  Fearing what he’d hear, Stefano’s heart jolted in his chest. “What do you mean?”

  “On the morning you turned eighteen, your brother came to us in secret. He wanted to give you a gift he knew you wanted more than anything on earth.”

  His brows furrowed. “What was that?”

  “What else? Your freedom.”

  “I don’t understand, Mamà.”

  “Then let me explain. You never wanted to be a royal. You made it clear from the time you were old enough to express your feelings. Alberto adored and worshipped you. By the time you turned eighteen, he was afraid you’d never be happy. He literally begged us to let you live a life free of royal duty.

  “He loved you so much, he promised that he would fulfill all the things we would have asked of you as a royal prince who would rule one day so you could have the freedom to live life without the royal trappings. That was the bargain he made with us.”

  “A bargain? That’s why you suddenly gave in to me?”

  His father nodded solemnly. “The only reason, figlio mio. You two were so close, he put you before his own wants or desires. He convinced us you had to be able to go out in the world free to be your own person. Otherwise you’d die like an animal kept in a cage.”

  Alberto had actually told them that?

  “All he asked was that we agree. Then he would do everything and more than we expected of him as a crown prince, and...he consented to become betrothed to Princess Lanza on whatever date we chose. He knew how much we loved her growing up. She was always a delight. In truth, he wanted his elder brother’s happiness above all else, and made that request of us out of pure love.”

  Stefano stood there rigid as a piece of petrified wood. His parents had never lied to him. He had to believe them now. Because of his brother’s love and intervention—and not because of his parents’ understanding—Stefano had been able to escape the world he’d been born into all this time.

  His mother walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. It pained him to see the lines of grief carved in her features.

  “His only desire was that you never know how he pled for you. He worried that if you ever found out the truth, you would always feel beholden to him. That request was his unselfish gift to you.”

  Unselfish didn’t begin to describe what Alberto had done to ensure his happiness.

  In Stefano’s mind and heart, it was an unheard-of gift. He’d always loved his younger brother, his buddy in childhood. Alberto’s noble character made him beloved and elevated him above the ranks of ordinary people. Many times he’d heard people say that the good ones died young. His brother was the best of the best, and death had snatched him away prematurely.

  Overcome with emotions assailing him, Stefano wrapped his arms around his mother until he could get a grip on them, then he let her go. He was amazed his parents had so much love for their sons that they’d gone along with both his and Alberto’s wishes at the time. It was humbling and gave him new perspective.

  Her eyes clung to his. “Would you be willing to do what Alberto can’t do now
? Take on the royal duty you were born to and marry Princess Lanza?”

  He inhaled sharply. “Do you think she would consent when she’d planned to marry Alberto?”

  “King Victor says his daughter will agree. You and Lanza knew each other in your youth and you have a whole year to get reacquainted.”

  “But that will be close to impossible, Papà. My schedule has been laid out with back-to-back visits of all the mines through the next eighteen months. There’s no time when so many managers are depending on me, especially with the new mining process I’ve developed.”

  His father cocked his head. “After we inform her and her parents of your official proposal of marriage, surely you could find a way to visit her once and stay in touch with her the rest of the time? Both King Victor and I have already talked to the cardinal, who has given this marriage his blessing.”

  Stefano could see the die had been cast.

  His mother eyed him through drenched eyes. “Our two countries have been looking forward to this day since you were all children. The citizens know that your business interests throughout the world have contributed to our country’s economy. Umbriano will cheer your reinstatement and honor your name for stepping into your brother’s shoes, believe me.”

  Stefano found all this difficult to fathom. There wasn’t time for him to get reacquainted with Princess Lanza. Even if parliament voted to reinstate him as a royal, he had crucial business issues around the globe.

  His father walked over to them. “I’ve never asked anything of you before, Stefano. I’ve allowed you to be your own person, free of all royal responsibilities, but fate stepped in and took Alberto away too early. Now is the time when your parents and Lanza’s are asking this for the good of both our countries.”

  “Alberto told us he hoped to have a family.” His mother stared at him with longing. “I’m sure Princess Lanza was planning on children, too. That dream is gone, but you could make a whole new dream begin. I’ve had that dream for you, too, Stefano.