Free The Secret Princess by Rachelle McCalla Page B

something to his wife, who nodded.
    Theking cleared his throat. “We’ve made no official announcement yet, so I would like you to keep this news to yourself. Still, as second in line to the Lydian throne, you should be the first to know. All signs indicate our good queen is with child.” John’s voice held a mixture of pride and concern.
    Luke rushed to extend his best wishes to the two, reserving his thoughts on his brother’s apprehension.King John had lost his first wife in childbirth. For years, he’d vowed never to remarry, never to ask another woman to risk her life bearing him an heir. Only his undeniable love for Gisela had changed his mind. That the queen was feeling the ill effects of her pregnancy no doubt distressed King John.
    Rather than increase his worries, Luke decided to end all talk of war and Illyrian intrigues.Such discussions would surely weigh heavily on the politically minded queen, and given her condition, Luke would give her no reason to fret.
    Instead, when his wishes had been graciously accepted and the room fell silent again, he raised the question he’d wanted to ask Gisela ever since his arrival at Castlehead. “There is a Frankish woman in King Garren’s household. She is the pale-hairedwoman who tended my injury at Bern, the one I told you about.”
    “The one you’ve been looking for?” John clarified.
    “Is she as beautiful as you remembered?” Gisela asked in a voice that carried hope, not teasing.
    “She is very beautiful,” Luke admitted, but quickly clarified. “She is a slave.”
    “Oh.” The hopeful expressions on the king’s and queen’s faces fell quickly.
    Lukeunderstood. With the war behind them, John had been urging his brother to think of marriage and settling down. But as second in line to the throne, Luke’s marriage would, by necessity, be to a woman of noble birth, preferably a match that gained their country greater security and allies in their part of the world. Even his sister’s betrothal to Warrick fit that requirement, though she was the youngestof the four royal siblings.
    The rules had never troubled him before. Luke could not consider becoming involved with a common woman. That Evelyn was a slave made her a thousand times less worthy. Even if he bought her freedom, she could not possibly be his wife. Though he understood and accepted their disparate statuses, it rankled him increasingly, even more so as he witnessed the king andqueen’s obvious disappointment. Evelyn could never be a prince’s bride. Luke would never consider suggesting otherwise.
    If only he hadn’t dreamed of her so many times before he’d learned the truth. He couldn’t deny that she intrigued him. Perhaps on a certain level, before he’d finally found her again, he’d allowed himself to hope she might be royal, a worthy bride for a prince. But findingher otherwise, he tried to put romantic thoughts from his head.
    Luke had every intention of making a good match and solidifying the peace of Lydia through his marriage. His feelings for Evelyn, whatever they were, could not infringe on that duty. He knew that and accepted it without protest, but the lowliness of Evelyn’s position still pained him, as did the disappointment on his brother’sface.
    “She was raised as a Christian,” Luke continued, getting to the point of his story. “It cannot be easy for her living in Garren’s pagan household.”
    “We must bring her here.” Gisela’s face brightened in spite of the hand she still held over her stomach. “I would love to have another Frankish maid.”
    “She saved your life, brother,” John agreed. “We owe her a debt of gratitude.If she desires to leave Garren’s household, she would be more than welcome here.”
    “Unfortunately,” Luke admitted, “she did not seem keen on leaving when I raised the possibility to her. She has a younger brother, also Frankish, also a slave—”
    “He could come, as well.” King John’s deep voice boomed with