In Lieu of a Princess (Book 1)
When Lucinda North agrees to impersonate a missing princess, she finds herself living at Buckingham Palace, evading a killer — and falling in love with Anthony, Earl of Melfield! An exciting Regency romance by USA Today bestselling author Meredith Bond!
💖 Royals & Fake royals
💖 Mistaken identity
💖 Romantic suspense
💖 Sweet romantic comedy
💖 Dashing earl
💖 Fun heroine
"This isn’t her Royal Highness,” the headmistress told the man and the woman who were staring at Lucinda with their mouths hanging open.
“But it could be.”
These words turn the life of Lucinda North upside down. Within hours, she agrees—against her better judgement—to impersonate the missing Princess Louisa of Aachen-Düren. Within a week, she meets the queen and the handsome, charming Lord Melfield. Within the month, she is living at Buckingham Palace, lying about her true identity not only to Queen Charlotte but to all of Regency society, while someone is trying to kill her. Within her lifetime, she will never regret a moment of it.
Anthony, Earl of Melfield would rather not waste his time helping a spoiled princess learn how to conduct herself. He would certainly rather not return to society after a heartbreak. And he most definitely would rather not have feelings for the princess, no matter how sweet, funny, and beautiful she is. Most of all, he would much rather not use all of his skills to save her life and figure out who wants her dead.
In this first book of this sweet, and adventurous Royals & Rebels series by Meredith Bond you'll find hidden identities, a princess on the run, and three lives at stake… despite this, these royals and rebels must learn to trust and open themselves to a lifetime of love.
All three books in the Royals & Rebels series are interconnected and should be read in the correct order for full enjoyment.
“You said you had an opening for a language
teacher? I, er, I brought references as you asked. I’m afraid two of them aren’t
in English, but I do hope that won’t be too much of a problem,” Lou said,
fumbling as she opened her portfolio while still standing in front of the
headmistress. “I also have an essay which I—”
“But you look…” the woman started,
completely ignoring the letters Lou was trying to hand her. “You are the
spitting—”
“She cannot be found anywhere. I have
ridden…” A man’s deep, accented voice made Lou spin around. “Oh! Eure Hoheit! Meine Prinzessin! Wo bist
du gewesen?” He started to scold her gently in German before Lou held up a
hand. He was a large man, probably a full foot taller
than Lou, and looked strong enough to pull a horse rather than the other way
around. His pale blond hair was windblown, and he was wearing riding
clothes. He smelled as if he’d been in the saddle for some time.
“I’m terribly sorry,” she told him in
German, “but you seem to have mistaken me for someone else. I am Lucinda North.
I’m here to apply for a teaching position.”
He stopped and stared at her as if she had
just grown a second head. “Was? Ist das
eine Art Spiel?” He gave her a tentative smile.
Lou shook her head. “No. This is no game.
Truly, I—”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Another woman joined
them, also speaking German. “Where were you, Your Highness? You should know
better than to scare us like that!”
“It’s not her,” the man said, turning to
the middle-aged woman. She had dark blonde hair pulled
into a tight chignon and a fashionable yet sensible gown of deep blue that
made her cheeks look flushed.
“What do you mean? What nonsense are you—”
The woman came forward and stopped just in front of Lou. Her eyes widened. “Your
eyes. They are brown. Why are your eyes brown?”
“This isn’t Her Royal Highness,” Mrs.
Carter told the man and the woman who were now staring at Lou with their mouths
hanging open.
“It could be,” the woman said in strongly
accented English. She stared at Lou as if she were a painting, examining every
detail. “She’s got the same heart-shaped face, the same features, her height,
build… She even has the same shade of blonde hair… But for the eyes.”
“What are you saying, woman?” the man
snapped, turning to look at the lady.
“Who is she?” the woman asked the
headmistress, ignoring him.
“She’s here for a teaching position,” Mrs.
Carter told them.