A quick note about…

The Drunken Poker Game That Got Out of Hand

 

Twenty-five years ago, King Diarmuid and his best friend Alfred Olsen got drunk and played poker.

Very drunk.

At some point, Diarmuid ran out of money and wagered something considerably more valuable: one future grandson. Exactly which grandson was never specified.

Alfred's plans for this future prize were surprisingly straightforward. One day, the chosen O'Grady grandson would marry one of Alfred's granddaughters, uniting the two families and securing their shared future.

The agreement was written on the back of a playbill, stained with whiskey, signed by both men, and witnessed by several equally questionable (and drunk) friends.

Under normal circumstances, this would be laughed out of existence. Unfortunately, Cara is a monarchy. And in Cara, the king’s word is the law.

There is only one problem. No, that’s not true. There are several. But mainly, the issue is that the grandchildren have plans of their own. Including falling in love—real love—with other people.

And according to a detail hidden in the fine print, the marriage wasn’t the only objective. The baby was. No one knew there was supposed to be a baby. No one except the king and his now dead best friend.

And that complicates everything. Because of course it does.