The Serenade: The Prince and the Siren [Daughters of the Empire 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) by Suzette Hollingsworth

first palace with a harem , no less.
    It was like something out of a glorious fairy tale! She tightened her lips determinedly. She refused to let anyone, not even the dearest person in the world, steal her joy from her.
    “Ah, yes. ‘The Red Sultan,’ he is called,” Lord Ravensdale considered gravely. “‘ The Great Assassin .’ I would have wished my family to remain out of his notice.” Lord Ravensdale shook his head, his countenance sincerely upset.
    “Darling, please do not frighten her. It does not serve.”
    “Yes, by all means, enjoy yourself, Nicolette, because I shall personally put you in chains after this. I begin to feel that we exist for your pleasure and are all merely your playthings.”
    Her large, ominous father suddenly grew thoughtful and seemed to reconsider his words. His expression was even graver than usual, which was saying something. “Nicolette, possibly I have done you an injustice.”
    Well, that certainly went without saying.
    “You may very well be innocent in this, unusual as that is.”
    She stared at the earl, astonished, unable to make a sound for the first time since she left the womb.
    “And speaking of innocence,” he continued, “did you see anything other than what you described? Was there anything that… disturbed you?”
    “Why, yes, Papa, there was.” How could he have known?
    “What did you see, Nicolette?” Her father’s voice was shaky, though she could tell he was attempting to control it. Both of her parents beheld her with alarm.
    “There was a boy,” she answered with hesitation.
    “Go on.” Lord Ravensdale closed his eyes momentarily then reopened them, taking her hand. “What disturbed you, precisely, Nicolette?”
    “He was ill. I saw him through a cracked door. I wasn’t snooping, really I wasn’t, Papa. I was following these embroidered rugs on the marble floors—trying to decipher the story, which I never did—when I heard moaning, as if someone were in great pain. I came to the opening in the door. There was something so sad about him.”
    “Sad?” asked Lord Ravensdale. “What do you mean, Nicolette?”
    “He looked so alone, as if he had no one in the world. He tossed and turned fitfully.”
    “He was very sick.” Lady Ravensdale nodded. “Of course he would look sad, Nicolette.”
    “No, Mama, it was more than that,” she replied, shaking her head resolutely. “There was a room full of people waiting on him, and I don’t believe I ever saw anyone look so alone.”
    “This was all? A sick boy?” Lord Ravensdale asked gravely.
    She nodded. It sounded like such a minor incident when she said it out loud. And when she had looked in the room and seen that beautiful boy so close to manhood with a tender, pained expression, it seemed as if there was something of great relevance to her there.
    But she couldn’t explain what it was. He was an important dignitary, there was no doubt of that. He wouldn’t be in the palace otherwise. And she rarely came into contact with anyone who wasn’t important. But there was something far more significant about him than his rank or social standing.
    “Who is he, Mama?” she asked.
    Her mother was silent for a moment. “He is of royal blood.” She turned to Lord Ravensdale, who nodded. Suddenly a sadness overtook her expression. “And you are right, Nicolette. He is not at all well.”
    “Can we help him, Mama?” she asked anxiously.
    Lady Ravensdale appeared deep in thought before a slow smile came to her lips. “You can, Nicolette. We cannot.”
    “How, Mama?”
    “I don’t know, my sweet.” Lady Ravensdale shook her head, hugging her. “You may know when the time comes. But whether or not you will is up to you.”

Chapter Six

    Love is offered.
    It was the night she had worked to create every day of her life. She looked into the audience to see thousands of people watching her. Was she nervous? No! Anxious? Impatient? Yes! She had waited all her life to live this moment.
    She