Prince Charming in Disguise Read online

  He stilled and let her body relax around him. But she was anxious to find the completion her body craved. She arched her hips against him as she took him in her arms and brought his mouth down to hers, a moan of satisfaction escaping his lips. They were moving together now, finding a twin rhythm in their mutual need for each other, a need that surged around them, enveloping her in its intensity until she thought she’d shatter from the force of it.

  And shatter she did.

  George gave a final thrust, his own pleasure evident in the pulsing throb of him inside her, and she broke, positively broke, into a kaleidoscope of sensations that wrapped about her as she spiralled slowly back down to earth. For all she knew, she’d not known this, not ever dreamed this was possible.

  ‘You’re mine now,’ George murmured a long while later, his hand idly stroking the length of her hair.

  ‘Yes, I am yours.’ She turned in his arms to face him. She was his in a way that far transcended contracts and diplomats, thrones and titles.

  ‘I think you’re a very brave woman, Caroline.’

  ‘Why is that?’ She smiled up into his face.

  ‘You have given up your home to make a new one in another’s court. Eventually, you’ll give up your country for a land you’ve never seen. I don’t think just any woman can do that. You have my admiration.’

  ‘And you have my devotion. I don’t think about what I’m giving up, George. I am thinking about what I’m gaining in return and that’s you. Not your crown, not that blasted list of titles I saw in the contracts, just you.’

  George kissed her, long and lingering. ‘I hope I can live up to your expectations, then. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a man.’ He laughed.

  ‘Don’t worry.’ Caroline caressed his face. ‘You already have.’

  ‘My family doesn’t have the best track record at marriage.’ George chuckled at her optimism. His father had repudiated his mother years ago and locked her in a tower.

  Caroline shook her head. ‘Mine doesn’t either. My mother didn’t have the luxury of choosing with her heart.’

  ‘It won’t be perfect,’ George whispered.

  ‘No, but we’ll be happy.’ Caroline sighed contentedly.

  ‘Yes, I believe we will.’

  Chapter Nine

  Caroline stood at the entrance to the chapel at Herrenhausen Palace and smiled softly, surveying the quiet beauty of the setting laid out before her. Candles lit the chapel and the interior basked in the warm glow. Summer flowers adorned the aisle, lending a faintly sweet fragrance to the air. One could hardly guess from looking at the chapel that she’d arrived just that afternoon with George riding beside her.

  There were those who might comment on the haste, but it only added to the romance and mystery that surrounded public accounts of their betrothal. If the setting was simple, it was also romantic. Those in attendance seemed to sense it too. Gathered in the pews were her people from Ansbach and George’s family, perhaps a small number of guests compared to what might have been if circumstances had been different. But Caroline didn’t mind. The intimate evening wedding seemed the perfect cap to the whirlwind courtship that had consumed her summer.

  Now, dressed in her best, a gown of deep French blue trimmed in white lace and embroidered with white flowers at the hem, a bouquet of orange blossoms clutched in her hand, she was ready to go forward.

  Her prince waited at the aisle’s end, looking well-groomed and stately in his coat with its wide cuffs turned back to show the lace of his shirt. Smiles of approval met her as she walked forward, although she gave them the barest of notice. Everyone was fond of saying George had gotten the better end of the bargain, claiming she was the finest princess at court. Caroline would nod and laugh lightly at these comments, but in her heart she knew she had done well in this arrangement. She was to have a king and a companion and the latter was worth more than anything court councillors could list in their marriage settlements.

  George smiled fondly at her and took her hand, squeezing it affectionately. ‘Everyone is wondering what I did to win such a lovely bride,’ he whispered.

  ‘You were yourself.’

  ‘Sort of.’ George laughed and earned a sharp look from the priest, who wanted to get on with things.

  Caroline wanted to get on with things too. Their apartments at the palace were waiting for them. Tomorrow there would be a ball and there would be congratulations to receive but tonight would be just for them.

  George lifted her chin for a kiss and it was done. Together they walked down the aisle and took their first steps into their new life, confident in their newly created union.

  Outside the chapel, George halted and drew her to him, kissing her far more soundly than he had at the altar moments ago. His eyes danced as he released her.

  ‘You’re up to something,’ Caroline teased. ‘What are you thinking? I can practically hear the wheels of your mind spinning.’

  ‘I am thinking a king can be a lot of things, even happy.’ And he kissed her again just to prove it.

  Author Note

  I was thrilled to be asked to be part of the Royal Weddings shorts to celebrate the wedding of William and Kate. The hard part came, however, in the selection of a royal wedding. I wanted to do a real wedding that actually resulted in a happy marriage. I settled on George II and Caroline of Ansbach for two reasons. First, she’s a fascinating woman in history about whom little is known, and second, one item kept showing up in the accounts we have of them: they were relatively happy together and their marriage is considered in general to have been a success.

  Here are some facts: Caroline and George had several children together. Most of them lived to adulthood. Except for approving of his marriage to Caroline, George’s father continued to have a strained relationship with George. At one point, George and his father had a public fight at the baptism of one of George’s sons and his father evicted him and Caroline from St James’s Palace in London. Yes, George kept mistresses throughout the marriage. But when Caroline died in 1737 after thirty-two years of marriage, it’s reported that George vowed at her death bed to never marry again.

  As a man and a king, George was considered to be attractive in his youth and likely to take a dare. He liked a challenge. One of the distinguishing factors of his biography is his claim to fame of being the last British monarch to personally lead troops in battle. He was considered daring and impulsive but possessed of a temper. While he was fluent in several languages, intellect was not his forte. It was generally held even during their reign that Caroline was the brains behind the throne. There were many accounts of Caroline serving as the Regent of England while her husband was abroad visiting Hanover. Some say she served as temporary regent up to seven times during their reign. Caroline quickly understood that her husband’s interests were her interests. Their happiness and mutual affection depended on the two of them championing the same causes. Historians credit this insight to the success of their marriage. She never sided against him.

  Not much is written about Caroline’s early life. I did find useful resources in a book entitled Caroline the Illustrious, written back in the early 1900s, and a 1997 release of King George II and Queen Caroline.

  It is true that Caroline was a popular bride choice. The King of Spain was very insistent in his courtship and her refusal of the future Holy Roman Emperor distressed the King of Prussia greatly.

  It is true that George visited her incognito and immensely enjoyed his visit in June at Ansbach. He is reported in dispatches sent to Queen Anne in England to have told his father upon his return, ‘It is love at first sight.’ And that he wished to marry immediately.

  It is true that his grandfather died right before the wedding and dispatches to England from England’s representative at the Hanover Court reported the wedding would probably be moved back several weeks for mourning unless Prince George contested the decision. His father and grandmother left the decision entirely up to him. He did indeed argue to hasten the marri
age and he did ride out to meet Caroline’s party halfway to tell her the news.

  Places where I embellished…

  I do not know what Caroline wore to her wedding. From my research, I came across only one account of the wedding ceremony itself and that was in the English envoy’s dispatch. I based my description on the general tradition of the time which was to wear one’s best clothes to be married in. It was also customary at the time to wear white as a sign of half mourning but I elected to put Caroline in blue since the historical record suggests that everyone left off mourning behaviour for three days to celebrate the marriage. It was also tradition to carry orange blossoms as a sign of purity.

  George did ride out to meet the party halfway on its journey to Hanover. Did he and Caroline consummate their relationship then? I don’t know. Maybe not. However, we do know that George felt the need to ‘restrain his ardour’ (a direct line from research I found) during his visit to Ansbach since he could not reveal his true identity or the true nature of his visit. They’d also just spent the whole summer apart and Caroline made all haste to Hanover, even waiving all ‘unnecessary ceremony’ to hasten the marriage. So, they were in earnest and this particular story is foremost a romance.

  Two final historic points of note:

  There was one unromantic report that George slept through the wedding but, since I could not collaborate it, I chose to overlook it.

  It was not clear which palace George visited in Ansbach when he courts Caroline in disguise. It may have been the hunting lodge or White Castle in Triesdorf, or it may have been the main palace in Ansbach. The book Caroline the Illustrious says he was received at the palace—which would be the main palace at Ansbach. The book King George II and Queen Caroline states he found Caroline in residence in Triesdorf but does not name the residence specifically as the hunting lodge or the White Castle. I chose to put their meeting at the main palace in Ansbach.

  George II did have a love for the arts and opera. To reflect that, I centred their early conversations around the art of the margrave’s palace which was known for its painted ceiling and the porcelain saloon. Since I had a description of the main palace and some of its interiors, setting their courtship there worked well with George’s love of art. It was difficult to find any significant descriptions of the Triesdorf residence that would have been accurate for those years.

  It is clear that George was devoted to her in his own way. There are reports from the first months of their marriage that he hardly left her side and that their friendship was fond to look upon. There are also accounts of Caroline catching smallpox in 1707 and of George staying beside her much of the time, endangering his life and falling ill with the disease himself. There are also other stories about their devotion to each other that equally affirm their mutual regard in a marriage that lasted thirty-two years until Caroline’s death. However, there are reports as well that Caroline learned George’s faults in short order as well. He was not a perfect man.

  There’s so much more I’d love to share here, but I hope you enjoyed this story. Please know that I tried to be as true to history as possible and did so to the best of my abilities.

  For more information and fun facts about Caroline and George’s courtship, check out my blog at www.bronwynswriting.blogspot.com or look for me on Facebook or at the eHarlequin blog.

  Bronwyn Scott

  On April 29th 2011 the world will be waiting with bated breath for Prince William and Kate Middleton to say ‘I do’!

  The bells at Westminster Abbey are chiming, the carriage is waiting and THE dress has finally been unveiled… So join Her Majesty by dusting off your best hat as you prepare for the wedding of the decade!

  To celebrate this historic event, Mills & Boon have created a special ebook collection:

  Royal Weddings

  …through the ages

  Read about the future king’s ancestors and the people who helped bring their special days together.

  7 couples, 7 marriages, 7 stories for you to enjoy!

  What the Duchess Wants by Terri Brisbin

  Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine and Henry of Anjou (future Henry II), 1152

  Lionheart’s Bride by Michelle Willingham

  King Richard and Princess Berengaria, 1191

  Prince Charming in Disguise by Bronwyn Scott

  Prince George and Caroline of Ansbach, 1704

  A Princely Dilemma by Elizabeth Rolls

  George, Prince of Wales (future Prince Regent/George IV) and Princess Caroline of Brunswick, 1795

  The Problem with Josephine by Lucy Ashford

  Napoleon and Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, 1810

  Princess Charlotte’s Choice by Ann Lethbridge

  Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold, 1816

  With Victoria’s Blessing by Mary Nichols

  Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, 1840

  So if you can’t wait until the 29th for your royal wedding fix…download one now!

  Bronwyn Scott is a communications instructor in the Puget Sound area, and is the proud mother of three wonderful children (one boy and two girls). When she’s not teaching or writing she enjoys playing the piano, traveling—especially to Florence, Italy—and studying history and foreign languages. Readers can stay in touch on Bronwyn’s website, www.bronwynnscott.com, or at her blog, www.bronwynswriting.blogspot.com—she loves to hear from readers.

  Look for:

  Arabian Nights with a Rake

  featured in Delectably Undone! anthology

  April 2011

  Secret Life of a Scandalous Debutante

  September 2011

  Also available from Harlequin® Historical and BRONWYN SCOTT

  Pickpocket Countess #889

  Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady #896

  The Viscount Claims His Bride #929

  The Earl’s Forbidden Ward #986

  Untamed Rogue, Scandalous Mistress #1001

  A Thoroughly Compromised Lady #1030

  And in eBook Harlequin Historical Undone!

  Libertine Lord, Pickpocket Miss

  Pleasured by the English Spy

  Wicked Earl, Wanton Widow

  Arabian Nights with a Rake

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-0417-1

  Prince Charming in Disguise

  Copyright © 2011 by Nikki Poppen

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