Romancing the Jewel

By Katherine Bone

How far will he go to protect his mother's legacy?

 

As Prince Gian-Paulo Montovanni's thirtieth birthday approaches, the paparazzi are hounding him to marry and put his pleasure-seeking days behind him. But before he can propose to any of the women vying for his attention, he must locate a precious family heirloom—his mother's beloved emerald necklace—stolen in a blackmailing scheme twenty years earlier. No Montovanni bride-to-be has ever gotten engaged without it, forcing Gian-Paulo to collaborate with an American jeweler who's replicated the necklace in elaborate detail, a secretive woman who knows the location of the original. Luring his quarry to Italy to finalize the deal, Gian-Paolo is not above participating in wicked deceptions to get what he wants.

 

Is she Fit for a Princess?

 

Abandoned by her mother as a child, Carolina Beugre sought haven with her uncle, a renowned and respected jeweler. Passionate about gemstones, she attends a prestigious university with plans to open a jewelry shop in downtown Atlanta one day. Lenox Street is high end, the perfect place to sell her creations to wealthy clientele, but the property is expensive. To finance her store, she agrees to sell Grace, the twenty-carat emerald necklace she recreated from one of her uncle's silent auction pieces. The exchange is scheduled to take place on a tiny provincial island during a masque ball. What happens next leads to a fake betrothal, kidnapping, and an emotional roller coaster that nearly strips away everything Carolina has worked so hard to achieve—including what she knows about herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katherine Bone
• Release date: Oct 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9780998207490

Katherine Bone

Bestselling Historical romance author Katherine Bone has been passionate about history since she had the opportunity to travel to various Army bases, castles, battlegrounds, and cathedrals as an Army brat turned officer's wife. Now she lives in the south where she writes about rogues, rebels and rakes, aka pirates, lords, captains, duty, honor, and country and the happily-ever-afters every alpha male and damsel deserve. Katherine would love to hear from you, dear readers! Send her an signal flag at: [e-mail] or join her on deck via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Katherine-Bones-Official-Fan-Page/134578253291785, or Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/katherinelbone. If you'd like to hear about Katherine's adventures and new book offers, join her newsletter here: http://www.katherinebone.com/contact/.

Book preview

License and Copyright Notes

Romancing the Jewel

Copyright © 2019 by Katherine Bone

EPUB Edition

Seas the Day Publishing

Cover Design by Wicked Smart Designs

ISBN: 978-0-9982074-6-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

For more information: [e-mail]

www.katherinebone.com

Also Available

* * *

The Regent’s Revenge Series

* * *

The Pirate’s Duchess, Novella #1

The Pirate’s Debt, Book #2

The Pirate’s Duty, Book #3

* * *

The Nelson’s Tea Series

* * *

My Lord Rogue, Book #1

Duke by Day, Rogue by Night, Book #2

The Rogue’s Prize, Book #3

My Lady Rogue, Book #4

* * *

The Heart of a Hero Series

* * *

The Mercenary Pirate, Book #10

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my Italian Language School teachers at the Defensive Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, CA, Italy, and lifelong DLI friends Claudie Wallen, Margaret and Michael Jonas, Mel and Annalisa Claxton, et al.

Godersi l’avventura!

CHAPTER ONE

Take off the necklace.

Gian-Paolo Montovanni, Prince of Monte Blanco, had waited months for the opportunity to stand before the obstinate woman entering his Italian palace ballroom. It was the final night of Carnivale, a night of celebration and dancing, the night he’d chosen to introduce his bride-to-be to the masses. Once, he selected one.

Carolina Beugre was tall, lean, blonde, and beautiful, but she was not up for consideration. She was a means to an end, an American jeweler, and a viper with defiant green eyes that scrutinized him from behind a Carnivale mask. Her presence here wasn’t the only thing that had drawn his attention in the crowd, even though catching sight of the good-looking woman captivated him. No, it was the emeralds around her throat that gripped him in a vise.

He flexed his fists. The damned aberrant woman had signed a contract, agreeing not to wear a copy of his mother’s necklace in public. Why had she violated their agreement? Her actions caught him off-guard, forcing him to summon every ounce of decency he had. He glanced around the ballroom, noting the attention the jewels received and the heads that turned Carolina Beugre’s way. By royal decree, no Montovanni heir had announced a betrothal without the necklace. And in the past twenty years, no one had seen the gems—until now—until this uncommon female dared to flaunt them for all of Monte Blanco to see.

The sight of the emeralds dangling from Signorina Beugre’s neck rocked Gian-Paolo to his core. Perfectly faceted gemstones dipped low into her bosom as if the necklace had been created for her body alone. Damn-it, her possession of the jewels, and the way she wore them proudly was like a slap in the face.

Only a few trusted confidants knew the necklace had disappeared in a hush-hush blackmailing scheme. His father had exhausted all efforts searching for the original before he died. Sadly, the gems had never been found. Now it was Gian-Paolo’s turn to finish the job or get a replacement. No Montovanni heir married without the jewels. And yet somehow Carolina Beugre had created an exact copy. How was it possible?

Gian-Paolo’s lips twitched, and his fingers flexed with expectancy. The masquerade costume he’d sent to Carolina Beugre’s hotel room fit her figure snugly, flawlessly, helping her blend into the Machiavellian crowd. Just as he’d known it would. All but one thing had gone according to plan—Carolina had put on the necklace.

Mio Dio! She stared up at him now, stubbornly businesslike, and alluringly seductive. Her vibrant green eyes reflected sparkling light from the chandeliers, cutting through him whenever she glanced up as if she suspected him capable of stealing her soul. Good instincts! He had every intention of educating the hungry young woman eager to make the first sale of her career on the hazards of blackmail. If breaking the law was her intention. She’d already disobeyed the mandates of his contract. He had expected secrecy, confidentiality, not a blatant disregard for business modus operandi. Now, as he inspected the rebel before him, desiring to wring her little neck for exposing the gems to the public, the choice was forced upon him.

Wearing the necklace was not part of our agreement.

"Si. I mean, no, it wasn’t, Carolina stammered. Senore Moretti, is that you?"

At your service. He bowed, making sure not to dislodge the large mask hiding his face. When she’d gone public with her fabrication, he’d outbid ten other offers for the gems to keep them from getting into the wrong hands. Before he removed his mask and revealed precisely who he was, he wanted to study her at his leisure. That required time he didn’t have. Damn it, why had she chosen to wear the emeralds?

Carolina stared at the palace in awe, inhaling scents he took for granted; beeswax, lemon verbena, and musk making him wonder what it must be like to experience Carnivale in Monte Blanco for the very first time. As her bosom rose and fell, distractingly, he realized he would never know. Irritated with himself for contemplating anything more than business, he averted his eyes. Damn her tempting curves.

She smiled up at him. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, senore," she purred. Her American accent twirled about Gian-Paolo’s brain, infiltrating his senses, making him yearn to hear her speak again. Her full lips were gloriously tempting, and he wondered what they would feel like brushing against his. What reaction would he unlock by kissing her lovely mouth?

"Piacere." He bowed again, returning the sentiment.

In the months leading up to this meeting, he’d investigated Carolina Beugre, learning all there was to know about her talents and habits. She’d graduated from Savannah Institute of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. She had no criminal record. She voted, ate healthy, and exercised regularly. And with student loans to pay off, she was deeply in debt, which linked her to the many other gold-diggers he’d met—women who could not be trusted. If the truth got out about how his mother had lost the gems, his future, and La Principessa’s legacy was in jeopardy.

I am overwhelmed. Signorina Beugre craned her neck and boldly met his gaze like a cobra waiting to strike. When you left this gown, and the directions for me to meet you here, at my hotel, I did not understand how spectacular this party would be. I had hardly walked through the front door before fearing it would be impossible to find you in this crowd. I don’t speak Italian. But you already know that from our previous conversations online.

He nodded and then silently waited for her to continue. But she didn’t. Her curious eyes raked over him slowly before meeting his expectant gaze.

You should have told me you’d be wearing a golden-horned mask. Gian-Paolo had purposefully omitted that information to determine her character before they met. If you had, I would not have broken our arrangement and put on the jewels. But, she said, drawing out the word, here I am.

Yes, he said. Here you are. He glanced down at the jewelry around her neck and cursed himself for a fool. She looked more like a paramour than an entrepreneur, a complication he hadn’t expected. He’d have to be on his guard. There was no need for alarm. I saw you arrive, and I had no trouble finding you.

Well, that’s a relief. The music soared around them. She leaned closer. What now?

Gian-Paolo shook his head. He’d met his quota of gold-diggers. Several women more intriguing than this blonde marvel had tried to seduce him and failed. What did she really want? Had she created a copy of his deceased mother’s gems to blackmail him into helping her get an exclusive and posh jewelry store in downtown Atlanta?

He was eager to put this entire farce behind him. Perhaps we should get down to business, eh?

He didn’t have time to lose. He was almost thirty, and needed to produce an heir. He clasped his hands behind his back and rolled back on his heels. With Carolina’s copy in hand, at least he could temporarily deceive his advisors. He’d borne the weight of his mother’s deception for far too long—avoiding marriage, adopting a devil-may-care image—while hunting down the original. And Carolina had an exact copy of La Principessa. Did she know who owned it?

Are you ready to barter?

Of course. Carolina tossed her golden mane aside to caress the emerald stones around her neck, stones like the ones he hadn’t seen since his tenth birthday. What do you think? Do the emeralds meet your expectations? I always say pictures don’t do them justice.

At her invitation, his gaze slid appreciatively down her creamy throat to the gentle dip between her breasts. He’d meticulously studied the stones in photographs before Signorina Beugre’s arrival in Monte Blanco and did not doubt their quality and value. The delight he took in gazing upon the necklace, however, faded as he was immediately plunged back in time to the last night he’d seen the emeralds around his mother’s neck. Somewhere in his memories, shouts invaded his ears. His mother’s anguished cry gutted him afresh as he’d rushed headlong into her room and witnessed his father struggling with another man.

Carolina touched his arm, quickly dissolving the memory. "Are you all right, Senore Moretti?"

Madre Dio! He jerked back instantly. Shocked, no, alarmed that her touch, her voice branded him, and he recovered from his horrific past with little effort. He fisted his hands and inhaled a stabilizing breath. "The necklace, if you please, signorina," he said, his voice crosser than he intended.

Carolina scanned the room furtively. Her neatly groomed nails played sensually with the stones, driving him wild with irritation—and need. What would those nimble fingers do to his skin, his—

Her next words shuttered those fanciful thoughts. In the note, you had delivered to my room; you seemed rather insistent that we conduct our business swiftly. She lowered her fingers to her waist and gazed about the ballroom. While I doubted the wisdom of that decision, I passed so many partygoers coming in, I feared I would never find you. I also worried I might lose the necklace in the crowd. One can’t be too careful in this business, I assure you. Putting on the emeralds, she shrugged her gently sloping shoulders as if the decision cost her nothing, seemed to be the only way to ensure I didn’t lose your merchandise. It also guaranteed I’d catch your attention.

You did. Uncharacteristically of him, his voice caught.

Have your plans changed?

No. He glanced around the room then snapped his fingers. If he didn’t put an end to her chattering, it would be his undoing. The necklace, if you please.

Damn the woman! His plan had only been in jeopardy once she put them on. Tonight, in keeping with a centuries-old tradition, everyone in attendance thought the gems would go to either the daughter of a Swedish aristocrat or a Grecian debutante. Ultimately, it made no difference to him. His advisors had chosen his prospects with great care. Both women had impressive lineages, and tonight’s proposal would secure the Montovanni dynasty. As the last living Montovanni, he needed an heir, not a love match. His heart would never be part of the bargain. He didn’t have one.

Signorina Beugre’s eyes darted around the room. I just need a moment. Her enthusiasm for the palace’s grandeur set his nerves on edge. Was she like all the other American girls he’d met, stars in her eyes and pleasure on her mind? Or was he being unfair?

"Forgive my impatience, signorina. I am a very busy man. So if you don’t mind—"

I don’t. She glanced down at herself nervously. Forgive me, the music and dancing have carried off my good sense.

Though she appeared genuine, he had every reason to doubt it. Money and the quest for power had destroyed the pure- and faint-hearted before.

She stood in the priceless Renaissance gown—scarlet wool over a linen underskirt. Her figure displayed to his, and everyone else’s advantage. The gold-trimmed bright red bodice dipped low enough to reveal the tops of her breasts in a brazen show strategically meant to tease. He had planned to ensure she blended in with the European crowd, an impossible hope. Even without the necklace, Carolina Beugre ruined his plans by standing out like a shining piece of gold.

He’d carefully planned every detail of this moment. How foolish he’d been. The signorina made it nearly impossible to conclude their business dressed the way she was. And now that she wore the emeralds in public, anonymity was no longer an option.

She raised her gaze. Gian-Paolo’s breath caught. She had a way of stealing the oxygen from the room, of making him question himself rather than dig beneath her insecurities to learn her secrets as he had planned.

Would you like me to assist you? he asked when she did not unclasp the necklace.

No, that isn’t necessary. Green iridescent pools shimmered behind the gold-flecked, half-faced mask Carolina wore. To protect himself from the spell she’d woven over him, a longing for retribution filled him. Was she related to the man who’d blackmailed his mother? Doubtful. What was more likely was that his mother’s former lover had sold the gems on the black market, and this woman had encountered them years later. I’d rather remove them myself—in private if you don’t mind. Crowds make me nervous."

Her mention of the word ‘private’ triggered an image of the two of them, limbs intertwined, in Gian-Paolo’s mind. He raised his brow, perplexed that he’d even entertain such a notion. But ever since she’d uploaded a reproduction of his mother’s necklace to an exclusive gemstone site, he’d been pulled to her by some imaginary thread.

"Va bene, he agreed with a wave of his hand. Perhaps you will trust me more if we adjourn to my office."

She nodded then glanced