American Royals IV: Reign - Softcover

Buch 4 von 4: American Royals

McGee, Katharine

 
9780593710210: American Royals IV: Reign
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0593710215 ISBN 13: 9780593710210
Verlag: Random House Children's Books, 2023

Inhaltsangabe

A queen's life hangs in the balance, and her siblings’ decisions—about what to do, and most of all, who to love—could change the course of history. Romance. Duty. Power...only one can triumph in this stunning conclusion to the New York Times bestselling American Royals series.

America's royal family is in shambles. Queen Beatrice is in a coma and Princess Samantha has gone missing—from the look of things, she ran away with her boyfriend, Lord Marshall Davis. Which means that Prince Jefferson is currently on the throne. For some in America, it's exactly what they wanted: a King ruling the country. And for Daphne Deighton, who has tricked Jefferson into dating her again, it's the ultimate dream come true. 

Surely this is all just temporary. Won’t Beatrice will wake up and reclaim her rightful place? Samantha can't really be gone… can she? And Prince Jefferson will never truly be over his childhood crush, Nina Gonzalez. Right?

For the Washington family, the stakes are higher than ever. Love might save the throne….if secrets don’t destroy everything first.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Katharine McGee is the New York Times bestselling author of the American Royals series and the Thousandth Floor trilogy. She studied English and French literature at Princeton University and has an MBA from Stanford. She’s been speculating about American royalty since her undergraduate days, when she wrote a thesis on “castle envy”—the idea that the American psyche is missing out on something because Americans don’t have a royal family of their own. She lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband and son. Visit her online at katharinemcgee.com. Follow her at @katharinemcgee.

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1

Daphne

Hundreds of people craned their necks as the doors to the throne room swung open. The trumpets blared, and then he stepped forward—­the most important man in the country, possibly in the world. Acting King Jefferson.

Daphne Deighton allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction. To think that after everything that had happened, after all the ups and downs of their relationship, she was finally here: higher than she’d ever imagined she might soar. Standing next to Jefferson while the senior peers of the realm swore him homage.

According to protocol, the dais should have been reserved for members of the royal family. But when the Lady Chamberlain had pointed this out, Jefferson had simply stated that Daphne would be up there with him, and that was that.

After all, the only person who outranked him was currently in a coma.

An equerry began to unfurl the ermine-­trimmed robe of state, but Jefferson made an impatient gesture, letting the robe whip out behind him. When Beatrice appeared in public, she always walked slowly, like a bride processing down the aisle. Not so her younger brother. As Jefferson strode forward, light gleamed on the crimson of his ceremonial blazer, the white sash of the Edwardian Order, the burnished gold of the Imperial State Crown. He looked like some conquering hero from a long-­ago era, a figure from a painting sprung to life. He looked every inch a king.

Daphne could practically hear the sighs of the millions of Americans who were watching the live coverage of this event, and imagining themselves in love with her boyfriend.

The room echoed with the sounds of rustling fabrics as everyone bowed or curtsied. Daphne tucked one leg behind the other and sank exquisitely low, letting her skirts ripple around her. She held the gesture for several beats longer than necessary, eyes downcast, so that the photographers could capture the flattering image. She was well aware that she looked resplendent today, her deep green gown emphasizing the vivid green of her eyes.

Jefferson proceeded up the steps, and then—­his jaw set with regret, or perhaps with disbelief—­he sat on the throne, his hands curling over its armrests.

Lord Ambrose Madison rose heavily from his chair and  made his way to the microphone. As hereditary Queen’s Champion, he would serve as today’s master of ceremonies.

Daphne watched him, her face pleasantly neutral, though her body seethed with resentment. She hated the Duke of Virginia, but she hated his daughter, Gabriella, even more.

“Sirs and ladies,” Lord Ambrose intoned, his chest puffed up with arrogance, “I present to you Jefferson, your Acting King, who serves in the place of Her Majesty Queen Beatrice. Long may she reign.”

“Long may she reign” rumbled through the throne room.

The duke nodded approvingly. “May we all now swear him our service and fidelity in the name of Our Sovereign Queen, for as long as he shall hold this office on her behalf. We shall begin with His Highness the Duke of Manchester.”

It was strange to have Jefferson’s uncle Richard taking such an active role; normally these ceremonies didn’t need to stretch so far down the royal family tree. But Washington family members were in short supply right now, with Beatrice on life support and Samantha missing in action. Samantha and her boyfriend, Lord Marshall Davis, had run away together a month ago—­and no one knew if they ever planned on coming back.

Richard ascended the steps of the throne and knelt before his nephew, then recited the Oath of Vassal Homage.

“I, Richard, Duke of Manchester, solemnly swear that I am your liege man. I will honor and serve you in faith and in loyalty, from this day forward, and for all the days of my life, so help me God.”

“I humbly and gratefully accept your service,” Jefferson replied evenly.

One by one, the lords and ladies of the realm all made their way to the throne, knelt before Jefferson, and swore the same vow. First came the Old Guard, the members of the thirteen original dukedoms that had been created in the wake of the Revolutionary War. Lord Ambrose Madison went first, looking as pompous and insufferable as ever. Then came the Duke of Boston; his son Teddy had renounced his rights to the dukedom, so he wasn’t in attendance. And then the rest of the Old Guard: the Dukes of Dover and Plymouth, of New Haven and Roanoke. They all looked stiff with formality in their court dress, some of the older generation even wearing breeches or white gloves.

Next came the rest of the dukes, then the marquesses and earls, until over an hour had passed and they had finally reached the lowly baronets.

Daphne’s father should have been up there, swearing his fealty to Jefferson like the rest of them, except that he’d been stripped of his title a month ago, as punishment for his so-­called “ungentlemanly behavior.” He’d been caught gambling in Vegas—­on the odds of Daphne and Jefferson getting married.

Now everyone in America knew the sordid truth. Wherever she went, people stared at her with judgmental—­or worse, pitying—­looks. Even the media, who had always adored Daphne with an obsession that bordered on worship, had turned on her. Worst of all was their new nickname for her: the Poker Princess.

Everyone assumed that Jefferson would break up with Daphne soon enough. Surely someone from such a tacky, déclassé family could never date a prince. But Jefferson loyally pretended not to hear the gossip.

He would do anything for the woman he thought was the mother of his child.

The strain was wearing on Daphne, but she knew it was worth it. People were wrong when they whispered that she wanted to marry a rich, well-­connected man.

Please. She hadn’t braved years of social warfare and left scorched earth in her wake just to marry a rich, well-­connected man. She had done it for the rich and well-­connected man, the only one in America who really counted.

Now all she had to do was marry into the royal family, even though no commoner had done it before.

Daphne looked down into the throne room, and her eyes locked with those of Gabriella Madison. Gabriella’s mouth curled into a sneer, color flushing her cheeks. Daphne relished the fact that she was standing up on the dais while Gabriella was lost in the crowd. It was always nice looking down on one of your archrivals.

Daphne’s other sworn nemesis, Nina Gonzalez, wasn’t here today.

Earlier this year, Nina had pulled an elaborate and deeply cruel con on Daphne, pretending to be friends so that she could get close and try to break up Daphne and Jefferson. And like a stupid, naïve fool, Daphne had let her.

She wouldn’t make that mistake a second time. She knew better than to believe in friendship anymore.

Friends became eyewitnesses to your weaknesses, your secrets. Friends could weaponize your vulnerabilities against you.

Gabriella looked away from Daphne with evident frustration. For now, the two of them were locked in a stalemate. Gabriella knew that Daphne had sold photos of herself to the tabloids, and Daphne had a video of Gabriella doing cocaine. Neither of them dared to act, for fear of the other sharing what she knew, but Daphne had a feeling that their cease-­fire wouldn’t last forever.

She glanced back to where Jefferson was still accepting homage, reciting those same words over and over. As each person knelt before the throne, he studied them with calm focus, showing no signs of impatience or weariness.

Daphne knew better than to voice...

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Verlag
Random House Children's Books
Erscheinungsdatum
2023
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0593710215
ISBN 13 
9780593710210
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
432
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
BOD - Books On Demand GmbH
info@bod.de

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Deutschland

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