The Missing Monarch. Rachelle McCalla

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      ROYALTY IN EXILE

      Six years ago Crown Prince Thaddeus abandoned his new bride and went into hiding. His motive was to protect his country and his family from a ruthless tyrant. But when his estranged wife tracks him down, Thaddeus knows it’s time to make a stand. Restore the royal line. And reclaim the crown. Yet just as he learns about the family’s new addition—his and Monica’s son—little Peter becomes a target. In a deadly game of power, Thaddeus must choose between the country and heritage he’s been raised to defend…and the woman he never could forget.

      “You shouldn’t be here.”

      Thaddeus had to yell to be heard over the sound of the idling plane engine and the streaming wind.

      Monica’s dark eyes snapped with anger and a trace of exhaustion. “Neither should you.”

      “Get back on the plane.” He’d have picked her up and deposited her there himself, but that would require touching her—something he was loath to do. The woman had long ago proven irresistible to him. He didn’t need to get any closer to her than he already was.

      “I’ve traveled too far to turn around now.” Her words sounded worn-out, as though she’d repeated them to herself many times.

      His heart gave a sympathetic lurch, which he instinctively resisted. He couldn’t let this woman get under his skin—she’d done it once before, and it had taken him all of the past six years to get over her. “Get back on the plane. The fog is getting worse. If you don’t leave now, you might not be able to leave for days.”

      “I’m not leaving without you.”

      RACHELLE McCALLA

      is a mild-mannered housewife, and the toughest she ever has to get is when she’s trying to keep her four kids quiet in church. Though she often gets in over her head, as her characters do, and has to find a way out, her adventures have more to do with sorting out the carpool and providing food for the potluck. She’s never been arrested, gotten in a fistfight or been shot at. And she’d like to keep it that way! For recipes, fun background notes on the places and characters in this book and more information on forthcoming titles, visit www.rachellemccalla.com.

      The Missing Monarch

      Rachelle McCalla

      MILLS & BOON

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      Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,

      and all these things will be given to you as well.

      —Matthew 6:33

      To Henry, my firstborn,

      valiant protector of the realm. I love you.

      Acknowledgments

      Special thanks to all my readers. If this is your first visit to Lydia, I pray that you will love it enough to seek out the stories that have come before. And if you’ve stayed with these siblings through all the trials of their adventures, I pray you’ll find their journey an encouragement on your own.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Epilogue

       Dear Reader

       Questions for Discussion

       Excerpt

      ONE

      “Regis?”

      The Crown Prince Thaddeus of Lydia didn’t hesitate to respond to his prearranged code name. “Yes?”

      “Have you seen the news?”

      “Always.”

      “Then you know—?”

      “Yes.” Thaddeus didn’t need his friend Kirk, the sole person on earth who knew how to reach him, to elaborate any more over the phone. Yes, he knew that the tiny kingdom of Lydia had been nearly overtaken by insurgent forces ten days before. He also knew who was behind those forces—a man who went by the code name 8, short for Octavian, an egomaniac would-be despot, who’d stop at nothing to achieve the power he desired. What Thad didn’t know, was how to stop him from taking over the tiny kingdom.

      “You know that we need you?” A voice broke in, a female. One of his sisters? Princess Isabelle or Princess Anastasia, he couldn’t be sure which one.

      “You need me to stay right where I am.” Thad hoped his sister could hear the authority in his voice. He was, after all, her big brother, besides being the crown prince of the Christian nation. He knew what he was talking about.

      “No—” Isabelle’s voice for sure. “We need you on the thr—”

      “Don’t say it.” Thad interrupted her before she could drop any words that might give away his identity. They had no way of being certain their line was secure, though he knew Kirk would have taken every possible precaution. The risk was simply too great. If Octavian ever found where he was hiding, all the sacrifices he’d made would have been in vain.

      “We need you here.” That was Alexander’s