Royally Matched Read online

  Once Lily saw Max at the other end of the hall, she stopped in her tracks. The blood drained from her face as her eyes grew wide with surprise.

  They stared at each other for several seconds without either of them speaking a word. The tension was thick, neither of them breaking the silence, which became more uncomfortable with every passing moment.

  “What are you doing here?” Max asked, the question laced with an accusing tone.

  Lily blinked several times, taking a moment to regain her composure. She hadn’t expected to see Max at the royal palace. Last she had read in a magazine, he was off gallivanting around with some model.

  Eight years hadn’t diminished his effect on her though. She was doing her best to keep him from knowing that. He looked even more handsome than he did on the magazine covers and social media posts she happened to see occasionally.

  Realizing he had asked her a question, she finally answered him, “My mother asked me to come home because my father had a heart attack.”

  Max tilted his head to the side and inquired, “Is he all right?”

  “He should have been taking it easy, but you know how the Earl of Northrop is. He would have to be strapped down to his bed to keep him from making appearances at court.”

  “Yes, but you’ve always had a way with him—more so than anyone else,” Max pointed out. “If anyone could make him refrain from overexerting himself, it would be you.”

  “I’m sure that’s why my mother asked me to come back. She needed my help to convince him to do just that.”

  “There you are, Master Beaumont.”

  Lily recognized Max’s personal valet, Patrick, coming up behind him.

  “I have been looking for you everywhere. The king sent me to find you. He told me he has no patience for your games today, and you are to report to him at once.”

  Patrick glanced down the hall and a look of shock crossed his face as he recognized Lily. “Pardon my interruption, your Royal Highness. I didn’t know you were busy with someone.”

  “I wasn’t,” Max stated firmly. “We merely were coming down the same hallway.” Giving a nod of his head, he said to Lily, “If you will excuse me, Lady Liliana, it seems duty calls.”

  Lily watched as Max and Patrick walked away, with Max mumbling something about only being home less than an hour and not being able to have five minutes to himself.

  Certain they were gone, Lily let herself sag against the wall and let out the breath she had been holding since the moment she laid eyes on Max again. The surge of feelings that came flooding back startled Lily. She had thought she had found a way to get over him, but it seemed time and distance only muffled what she felt.

  “Liliana, I have been looking for you everywhere,” her mother, the Countess of Northrop, stated with irritation. “Your father has important matters to discuss with you.” Arching an eyebrow, she asked with concern, “What’s the matter?”

  Lily pushed off the wall and shook her head. “Nothing. What were you saying?”

  “Your father needs to speak with you right away.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He asked me to bring you to the royal library.”

  Lily nodded, allowing her mother to escort her through the winding areas, various hallways, and staircases that led to the other wing of the palace where the library was located. As they made their way to meet her father, Lily sent up a silent prayer for God to help her with the situation.

  As they entered the room that was the size of most people’s homes, Lily stiffened as she realized not only was her father present, but also the King and Queen of Triola, and next to them, Max.

  What on earth was going on? As she scanned the people in the room, she noticed all of them had serious looks on their faces, and Max looked as confused as she did. If she didn’t know any better, she would think they had both walked into an ambush.

  “Good, finally everyone is here,” the king stated with a huff. “We have a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it in.”

  “What’s going on, Father? You’ve been closed-mouthed and refused to say anything until we were all here,” Max said with an annoyed tone.

  “Don’t forget who you are talking to, Maxwell Gerard Beaumont. I will not tolerate your insubordination. It’s time you finally accept your responsibilities as the Crown Prince of Triola.”

  “If you will subject me to a dressing-down, can we at least not do it in the presence of non-family members,” Max said, glancing at Lily with a frown.

  “Non-family members for now,” the queen corrected, “but soon that will change.”

  “What are you talking about, Mother?” Max asked with confusion. “Am I unaware that someone from the Lockhart family is engaged to a Beaumont?”

  “As a matter of fact, that is precisely what is going on,” Max’s father confirmed to the group. “I have discussed your situation with the Earl. As one of my trusted advisors, we are in agreement that something must be done. The royal family—and frankly the entire country—is tired of your bad boy image being flaunted all over the world.”

  “I will not apologize for living my life the way I want,” Max defended. “I should have fun while I can, because someday it will all be over.”

  “That day is today,” the king stated adamantly. “We have arranged for you to be married to a Triola noblewoman who will make an excellent counterpart for you. The people already love her, and she has the type of reputation and image that will help yours tremendously.”

  The king’s and her father’s attention both swiftly turned to Lily. Suddenly, it became clear why she was summoned to be present for a meeting about Max’s reputation. They wanted to use her to clean it up.

  “You can’t possibly mean me,” Lily objected, gesturing to herself.

  “We most certainly can,” her father stated, coming forward and pulling her closer to Max. “The two of you will be married by the end of the year. We will give you the next two months to reacquaint yourself; after which we will announce your engagement.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Max yelled with dismay. “I’m perfectly capable of picking out my own wife, when and if I’m ever ready to do so.”

  “You’ve made it perfectly clear, you are incapable of managing your own life, which is why as your king and father, I am stepping in to rectify the situation.”

  “Father, you can’t realistically be supporting the idea of an arranged marriage for us. They’re a relic of an outdated past,” Lily stated with indignation.

  “In most cases, I would agree,” the earl stated with a nod, “but in extreme cases, extreme solutions are required. We must all do what is best for Triola.”

  Lily wanted to argue that she knew her father’s true motivation had nothing to do with what was best for Triola, but more for what was best for the Lockhart family. If Lily married Max, she would one day be the queen, which would make them the second most powerful family in all of Triola. He had been angling his entire life to get as close to the king as he could, even sending Lily to Grantmire when she was young hoping to get Max to marry her out of school. Of course, all of that had gone tragically wrong when Max had betrayed her and kissed Georgina, which made all of this so much worse. She hadn’t told her parents the truth and let them believe he had ended things rather than tell them the embarrassing truth he had cheated on her. If she had, they would have been furious with her inability to keep Max happy.

  She secretly wondered what it would be like to be married to the man she shared her first kiss with eight years ago. There was no way, however, she would be with a man who made it clear he was a playboy and had no qualms about keeping lots of women around him at all times. Marriage wasn’t a high priority for Lily, but if she ever made those type of vows, it would be once, and to a man she could trust. She knew from experience, Max couldn’t be that guy.

  Taking a deep breath, Lily declared, “I won’t agree to this. This is the 21st century, and women have the right to choose their own husband.”


  “Agreed,” Max stated with a nod. “I don’t agree with this course of action either.”

  “Of course you don’t,” the queen stated with frustration. “You would much rather keep wasting the crown’s money while living your bachelor lifestyle.”

  “But one way or the other, that ends today,” the king declared. “You will marry a woman of my choosing, or you will no longer be a part of this family. If you want to keep receiving the benefits of being a royal, you will do as I command.”

  Max’s face turned white as he whispered, “You wouldn’t. I mean, you’ve threatened to do so before, but you actually wouldn’t do it.”

  “Try me,” the king said through clenched teeth. “I have reached the end of my rope with you, Maxwell. I see no other way.”

  Lily stepped back and moved towards the door. “You might have leverage on the Crown Prince, but there is nothing you can do to make me compliant in this situation.”

  “But isn’t there?” the king asked with smugness. “I know the way to your heart, Lady Liliana, and if you agree to this arrangement, I will make you the head of the Triola Philanthropic Foundation.”

  The offer stopped Lily dead in her tracks. “There is no such thing,” Lily pointed out. “I know that the crown takes care of the people here, but there’s never been a formal foundation to do it.”

  “Oh, it would go much further than that, my dear,” the king said, as if dangling a carrot in front of a horse to motivate it to comply. “Yes, you could use the extensive funds of the foundation to help the people of Triola, but it will also allow you to use portions of the funds abroad. Meaning, you could use it to overhaul that orphanage in China you have been working to save.”

  Tempting ideas for several projects she had encountered abroad, including the orphanage, came to the forefront of her mind. All she had ever wanted to do was help the less fortunate people of the world, and she was being presented a clear way to do it. It would mean sacrificing her own freedom and marrying a man who had hurt her in the past, but, if she made it clear to Max that it was simply a business arrangement between two people, maybe she could make it work.

  “Since you haven’t finished leaving, I can assume that means you will move forward with this plan?” the king asked in a way that made it more of a statement than a question.

  Lily nodded her head, realizing that she felt like she was making a deal with Rumpelstiltskin. But if it meant she could help countless people all around the world, she would have to find a way to make peace with that.

  As her father took her hand and placed it in Max’s, a bolt of electricity shot up her arm. The instant connection restarted a part of her heart that had been dormant since she ended things with Max eight years ago.

  Her eyes quickly darted to his. As she looked into them, she realized rather than being concerned with the king, she should be worried about the fact she was agreeing to marry a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A wolf that was very, very good at getting under her skin.

  Chapter Three

  Irritation flooded every pore of Max’s body as he let the tailor finish the final touches on the custom suit. Max had tried to explain that he wasn’t in need of any new clothing, but his father insisted he look pristine for the formal royal dinner to celebrate Max’s return home.

  That was the official reason for the dinner. The ulterior motives were so that Max would have time to get to know Lily again, and to allow the royal court an opportunity to begin seeing them together. Once that happened, his father had plans to start having them make appearances together in public. Not one moment of their lives, it seemed, was to be left to chance. All of it was being meticulously calculated and laid out for them.

  “Here is your pocket square, your Royal Highness,” Patrick said, inserting the white piece of fabric that complimented the black tuxedo he was wearing.

  The royal tailor excused himself, leaving Patrick and Max alone as Patrick finished adding the final pieces to Max’s attire—a pair of platinum encrusted diamond cufflinks and a black bow tie.

  “Thank you, Patrick,” Max said, stepping out of the dressing room and heading into his sitting area. “How long before I’m required to be downstairs for this wretched event?”

  Patrick glanced at his pocket watch, an outdated mode of telling time but one he refused to give up. “You have fifteen minutes, Master Beaumont, before they make the formal announcement of your arrival.”

  “I suppose that leaves me little time for anything else. I would be tempted to avoid going at all, but I know that would result in more restrictions.” Remembering it was a party, Max was grateful for one thing. “At least there will be alcohol finally.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you were unaware, Master Beaumont. The king has declared the season a dry one. There will be no alcohol throughout the first two months of the New Year.”

  “I’m guessing that’s in an effort to dry me out permanently,” Max stated snidely. “It’s going to be an even longer night than I first anticipated.”

  “You’ll manage to survive somehow, Master Beaumont; you always do.”

  “I would much rather be back on the yacht or at a casino in Monaco.”

  “Focus on tonight, Master Beaumont. The rest will work itself out over time.”

  Though Max hoped Patrick was right, he highly doubted there would be any chance of him getting away for an excursion any time soon. His father had him under lock and key for the foreseeable future.

  Pulling on the bottom of his dinner jacket to adjust it one final time, Max said, “I suppose it’s time to go brave the vultures downstairs. I’m sure they’re just waiting to pick apart my bones.”

  “Good luck, Master Beaumont.”

  Max nodded before heading out of his suite and making his way to the doors by the entry to the royal dining hall. One of the royal valets was waiting by the door. As soon as the auburn-haired man saw Max, he quickly bowed and said, “Good evening, your Royal Highness. Are you ready for me to make your announcement?”

  With a nod of his head, Max consented.

  The valet opened the door, stepped forward, and raised his voice loud enough to interrupt the quiet talking that was happening around the room. “His Royal Highness, Maxwell Gerard Beaumont, the Crown Prince of Triola.”

  All eyes turned to Max as he entered the giant room filled with over five hundred members of the royal court, Triola dignitaries, and celebrities. As he passed by different groups, he greeted them cordially, each of them reciprocating, until he reached his parents.

  “We see you are on time,” his father noted with surprise. “A welcome change from past events.”

  “It isn’t like I have anywhere else I can go,” Max stated with resentment. “You’ve made it clear that I must conform, or the consequences will be severe.”

  “Don’t think of it as a punishment, but rather an opportunity to become familiar with the country you will run one day,” his father encouraged. “A country you’ve neglected for far too long.”

  “That’s enough, Gerard, Max has barely been home two days and you’re already making it unbearable for him,” the queen whispered. “Let’s try to make it a pleasant evening.”

  “You should make your way over to your fiancée’s side,” the king suggested, his eyes focusing behind Max. “It seems she already has a group of admirers. You shouldn’t let any of them get their hopes up.”

  Max turned around to see what his father was talking about. Sure enough, there were three men standing around Lily. From their unwavering attention, it was clear they were smitten with her. The fact made Max’s blood boil. He didn’t like those men doting on her, and it took a hefty amount of resolve not to march over and stop it.

  He wasn’t sure what bothered him more, his reaction to the other men, or his reaction to Lily. Why did it matter so much? He wanted nothing real with Lily.

  Even as he tried to convince himself it was true, he couldn’t help but admit to himself how beautiful she looked tonight in her formal
blue gown. It made her golden eyes sparkle. Flashes of how her perfect lips felt beneath his own came flooding back, making him uncomfortable with the desires that flared to the surface.

  In an effort to squash any nostalgia, Max reminded himself that she had nearly destroyed him when they were young. He had been completely devoted to her, when out of the blue, she ended things. It had devastated him, leaving him with the inability to trust women afterward.

  “Aren’t you going to go over there,” Max’s mother suggested from behind him.

  “Do I have a choice?” Max asked with frustration, hating being forced into a situation he didn’t like.

  “You don’t. So, go now,” his father commanded.

  Begrudgingly, Max moved towards Lily, but before he could arrive at his destination, Lady Matilda and Lady Alexa appeared in front of him, stopping him.

  “Good evening, your Royal Highness,” Alexa stated with a flirtatious smile. “It’s so good to see you again.”

  “It’s a pleasure to see you as well,” Max returned, grateful for the interruption and welcomed distraction. He would rather focus on any other woman present then spend any more time with Lily than needed.

  “We’ve noticed the seating arrangements,” Matilda said with a pout, “and you’re seated all the way on the other side of the room from us.”

  “I’m sorry, ladies, for the inconvenience. It’s beyond my control, but it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves for the time being.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Alexa said, letting out a small laugh that drew the attention from other guests around them, including Lily, who seemed put off by it.

  Good, that was exactly what he wanted. If he could keep her cold towards him, it would make it much easier to keep affection out of the situation. She had already broken his heart once; he didn’t need a repeat performance.