“Tell him he’s wrong, son,” Edward said softly.
“There has to be a mistake here.” He looked beseechingly at Adam, then at his brother, Isabel’s father. “Michael, there has to be a mistake.”
King Michael eyed his brother with compassion. “The mistake was in the words he uttered the moment he saw me. Only one man had word of my death…the mastermind behind the kidnapping.”
“But why?” Edward’s heartache was palpable.
“Is this so, Luke? Why would you do such a thing?”
“Why?” Luke laughed, a bitter sound that sent chills up Isabel’s spine. His blue eyes glittered cold as ice as he glared at his father. “If you hadn’t been such a stupid fool years ago and moved to the States, then we might have lived as royalty.”
Gone was the affection that had always lit his eyes when he spoke to his father, and in its place was a raging animosity. “The Edenbourg Stanburys had it all…and we had nothing.”
His gaze swept over Isabel’s family. “I came here a year ago to visit. But, your guards wouldn’t even let me in and none of my phone calls were put through. They thought I was lying about being related to the precious royal family.”
Now that he’d begun speaking, it was as if a dam had burst inside him. “I spent a little time in the King’s Men Tavern and met Shane Moore and I made some plans to take back what should have been mine.”
“So, you set up your brother. You made sure Jake would happen upon the crash and become a suspect in King Michael’s disappearance,” Adam said, obviously putting together all the pieces of Luke’s demented puzzle.
“Good old Jake was supposed to be my fall guy,” Luke said, and with each word his father seemed to slump farther and farther down in his chair. “I requested a copy of the Edenbourg Treatise using Jake’s stationery and even forged Jake’s signature to add to the evidence pointing towards Jake.”
“But…I don’t understand.” King Michael frowned. “If you kidnapped me and kidnapped Nicholas, you still wouldn’t sit on the throne. How were you to know your father would become ill?”
The sly grin that curved Luke’s mouth made Isabel’s skin feel as if insects were walking on it. “Father loves his cup of tea in the evenings,” he said. “And I never neglected to fix it for him.”
“You’ve been poisoning him!” Isabel blurted out.
“My God,” Edward gasped. “Was it so important that you rule Edenbourg?”
Luke snorted derisively, his eyes wild with madness. “I don’t care about ruling this stupid little country,” he exclaimed.
“Then why? What has this all been about?” Adam asked.
“The Chamber of Riches. Once I was king and had all the treasure, then I didn’t care what Shane Moore and his band of men did with this country. I just wanted the wealth…all the treasure.”
He looked at King Michael. “You were kidnapped so I could gain the location and password or whatever to get into the Chamber of Riches. It was Willie Tammerick’s job to get you to tell him. Then you had your stroke and couldn’t…or wouldn’t talk. So, we kidnapped Nicholas. But, of course we actually got Ben Lockhart, who couldn’t tell us anything about the Chamber of Riches.”
His gaze slid to Dominique. “When I realized she might carry a new heir, I had to hurry things up a bit to get my father off the throne and me sitting in it.”
“Get him out of here,” Edward cried weakly. “I can’t stand the sight of him. My own flesh and blood would have killed me for money.”
“Take him away,” King Michael told the guards. “And see to it that my brother gets immediate medical attention.”
It was a half hour more before Michael and Josephine stood in front of the crowd in the cathedral, his arms raised as the crowd chanted his name over and over again.
Isabel’s gaze went to Adam, who stood just to the right of her father and her brother. As if he felt her looking at him, he returned the gaze and she knew he shared her joy that the guilty party had been found out and would now spend years behind bars.
She also knew that as her father addressed the people, soldiers were on their way to pick up members of the group that had held King Michael. All the intrigue, all the danger to her family was over. Beneath the joy that danced in her heart was her ever-present love for Adam.
“My people,” King Michael began as the roar of the crowd finally subsided. “It has been far too long since I stood before you.” The crowd once again went wild and King Michael raised his hands for silence. “And in my time of captivity and isolation, I’ve had much time to reflect on what is important in my life. When everything else had been stripped from me, I realized what was left was love…love for this country and love for my family.”
He reached for Queen Josephine’s hand. “I’d like time to spend with my wife…my children and grandchildren.” He smiled at Dominique. “And I understand Edenbourg will welcome a new princess in the future.”
Cheers went up and tears of happiness filled Isabel’s eyes as she realized she would have a new niece to love and cherish.
“You came for a coronation,” King Michael continued, “and we’re going to have a coronation. I’d like nothing better than to see my son seated on the throne. I know he will rule with justice and compassion.”
“Long live King Nicholas.” The crowd roared.
A new wave of tears burned at Isabel’s eyes as she watched the ceremony that would make her brother king. She recognized that a new era was being born right before her eyes. Her father was making a choice of love over duty and again Isabel’s thoughts turned to Adam.
She couldn’t find him in the crowd and didn’t see him again until they left the cathedral and traveled to the grand ballroom in the palace for a celebration party.
The ballroom was crowded as Isabel walked in. The mood was joyous and everyone seemed to be smiling or laughing…everyone except Isabel. It was difficult to laugh with a broken heart.
She wandered the room aimlessly, finally stopping near where King Nicholas sat receiving tributes from well-wishers. She frowned as she saw Sebastian Lansbury approaching her. His blond hair gleamed in the light from the dozens of chandeliers and a smooth, practiced smile curved his lips.
“Isabel, my dear. I’ve been frantic for weeks, ever since your secretary told me you’d gone into seclusion.” His blue eyes seemed to be peering just over her left shoulder and Isabel realized he was looking at his own reflection in the shining marble just behind her.
“Yes, I sneaked away for a couple of weeks with my lover,” she replied flippantly.
That got his attention. His gaze shot to her face. “Excuse me?”
Isabel felt the rise of a blush warm her face. What was she doing? Why had she said that? “Sebastian, I’m sure you are probably a very nice man, but I’d really rather be alone right now.”
At that moment she spied Adam standing alone near a doorway that led out onto a veranda. “Surely you don’t mean that,” Sebastian said with a small laugh. “They are getting ready to start the dancing. Wouldn’t you like to dance with me?”
“Sebastian, go find another woman to dance with. I don’t feel like dancing and I’m never, ever going to marry you.” In fact, she was trying desperately not to cry. Now that all the drama was over, her father and brother were safe and there was absolutely nothing more to occupy her thoughts, the pain in her heart seemed overwhelming.
She breathed a sigh of relief as Sebastian wandered off. She looked over to where Adam stood talking to her brother. Perhaps she would never marry. She couldn’t imagine herself with any other man.
“You’re in love with him.”
Isabel turned to see Nicholas’s wife, Rebecca, standing next to her. “Who, Sebastian?”
Rebecca wrinkled her nose. “No, I know you have better taste than that. I’m talking about Adam.”
Isabel considered telling a fib, but she couldn’t. Her mouth couldn’t form a falsehood where her love for Adam was concerned. “Yes,” she finally
said softly.
“And he loves you,” Rebecca said. “He looks at you just like Nicholas looks at me, as if you are his world.”
Isabel stared at Rebecca, wondering if it were possible. “You really think so…you think he loves me?”
Rebecca smiled. “I know he does.” She took Isabel’s hand in hers. “And if you are smart, you’ll follow your heart, and you won’t let him get away.”
Tears rose to Isabel’s eyes and she squeezed Rebecca’s hand. “You are going to be a wonderful queen for the country.”
Rebecca smiled and released Isabel’s hand as the orchestra began to play. “As long as my main job is loving the king, I’ll be all right.”
“You’d better go. Nobody will dance until you and Nicholas do.”
A moment later Isabel watched as King Nicholas and Queen Rebecca took the center of the ballroom floor. As they danced their eyes were for one another alone.
Was Rebecca right? Did Adam love her? Or, was Rebecca so deeply in love with Nicholas she saw love where there was none?
Isabel once again looked at Adam only to find his gaze locked on hers. In a single split second of their eye contact, she saw his love shining there and she knew there was only one thing to do…follow her heart.
Adam had watched Isabel talking with Sebastian Lansbury and he’d been shocked at the wave of jealousy that tore through him. On some level he recognized that they made an attractive couple…Lansbury with his cool blond looks and Isabel with her smoldering dark sensuality.
He tried not to remember how she’d felt in his arms on the mornings when they’d awakened with their bodies tangled together. He didn’t want to remember the passion…the desire in the kisses they’d shared, the white heat of want that had marked their days and nights together.
And he sure as heck didn’t want to think about how difficult it was going to be to work with her and not remember the intimacy they’d shared in their pretend marriage.
What he needed to do was get out of here, go someplace where he wouldn’t catch sight of her, wouldn’t have to watch her talking to, perhaps dancing with, Sebastian Lansbury.
He’d just about made it to the door of the ballroom when she materialized in front of him. She looked like a burst of spring in the emerald dress that perfectly matched her eyes. And instantly he could smell the sweet fragrance of her, the scent that shot a wave of longing through him.
“Lieutenant Commander Sinclair,” she said in greeting.
“Your Highness.” He bowed, stiffly formal and suddenly on edge. She had that look in her eyes…the excited, agitated look that always spelled trouble.
“It’s been a wonderful day, hasn’t it?” she asked.
He nodded. “It’s always nice when there’s a happy ending.”
Her gaze held his for a long moment. “Would you dance with me, Adam?”
He wanted to say no. He didn’t want to put himself through the ordeal of one last opportunity to hold her close, to feel her warmth against him, to look into those lovely eyes.
He wanted to say no. But he couldn’t.
With resignation, he took her in his arms and together they moved across the dance floor to the slow rhythm of the music.
For Adam it was heaven, to have her in his arms once again. As always, he marveled at how neatly their bodies fit together, how absolutely right she felt next to him.
They had danced for only a few moments when she tilted her head back to look at him. “I’ve missed you, Adam,” she said softly.
“Don’t, Isabel,” he replied painfully.
“Don’t what? Don’t tell you I missed you? Don’t tell you I love you? If I don’t tell you, I might explode.”
“Isabel, you are a princess,” he protested, her words piercing him right to his very soul.
“I am,” she agreed solemnly. “And you are the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“I have nothing to give you.”
She smiled, that beautiful smile that swept warmth across him, through him. “If you give me your love, then it’s enough.”
How easy it would be to fall into her words, to drown in the sweet light of her eyes. How easy it would be to follow his desire, his heart, knowing the path would lead him to her.
“It’s not as simple as that,” he said.
“But it is. If you love me as much as I love you, then it really is that simple. Tell me, Adam. Do you love me?” She caught her lower lip in her teeth, her body vibrating with tension.
He wished he could lie. It would be so much easier on them both if he could simply tell her he didn’t love her. But he couldn’t form the words to deny what was in his heart. His mouth positively refused to negate his love for her.
“I do,” the words slipped out with a sigh. “I do love you, Isabel.” Once begun, his confession continued to seep out of him. “I loved you when you were a raw recruit under my command. I loved you when you left my command and took the position in the Ministry of Defense. There are days I feel as if I have spent a lifetime loving you.”
With each word he spoke the sparkle in her eyes grew brighter until they were impossibly lit. “But, Isabel…that doesn’t change who you are…who I am. You must adhere to your father’s wishes, and now the wishes of your brother.”
Isabel nodded. “You’re right.” She stopped dancing and grabbed his hand. “Come with me,” she said and began to tug him toward the raised platform where King Nicholas and Queen Rebecca and King Michael and Queen Josephine were seated.
“What are you doing?” he asked, vaguely aware that Isabel’s entire family were on or around the platform.
He saw Marcus Kent with his arm around the very pregnant Princess Dominique. Jake Stanbury was talking to his wife, Rowena, their love for one another apparent in their body language. Ben Lockhart and Meagan Moore were also nearby and Adam knew it wouldn’t be long before the two of them were happily married.
The king’s kidnapping had accomplished one thing, it had made the people close to the king find love…just as Adam had found love with Isabel. But Adam was simply an officer in the Royal Edenbourg Navy, not the kind of stuff King Michael would want for his daughter, not the kind of royal blood King Nicholas would want for his sister.
“Just stand right here,” Isabel said as they stopped just in front of the platform. She released his hold on her hand and he watched curiously as she stepped forward, plucked a flower from one of the nearby lavish arrangements, then returned to where Adam stood.
“What are you doing?” he asked under his breath, aware that the music had stopped and she had drawn the attention of the people in the ballroom.
“This is an ancient custom,” she explained. She kissed the flower, then tucked it behind Adam’s ear. Adam looked at her in confusion, only to see her watching her father and brother.
He followed her gaze, and watched as first King Nicholas, then King Michael nodded and smiled. The crowded ballroom erupted in cheers.
“What’s going on?” he asked in bewilderment.
Isabel smiled. “My father and the new King of Edenbourg have just blessed our official betrothal.”
Before Adam could reply, King Nicholas stood. “May this union be blessed with many heirs,” he said. Again the crowd cheered, the orchestra began a joyous tune and Adam stared at Isabel in shocked surprise.
“What have you done?” he asked.
She raised her chin, a stubborn light adorning her gorgeous eyes. “I did what I had to do to get what I want.” Again she took his hand and led him off the dance floor and out the door that led to the veranda.
Once there, she looked at him, her heart in her eyes. “I let you go years ago because of duty. I knew you’d never allow yourself to love me as long as you had no closure where your father was concerned, so I hired those investigators to help you in your search for the truth.”
Her eyes darkened. “I thought when I brought you that news, it would free your heart for me.”
He touched the side o
f her face with his fingertips. “And I shoved you unceremoniously out the door.”
She nodded. “I thought for sure there was no chance for us after that, that you didn’t love me the same way I loved you.”
“I needed some time alone, to say a final goodbye to my father,” he explained. “And I still believed your father would dictate the man you would marry, and he would be of royal blood with titles and riches to match.” He looked at her curiously. “How did you know your brother and your father would approve of me?”
“I wasn’t worried about Nicholas. Nicholas performed the same ceremony with Rebecca and I knew Nicholas knows the value of true love.”
“What about your father?”
“When I realized my father was stepping down from the throne to spend more time with my mother, I knew he wouldn’t be a problem. He, too, has become aware of the treasure of love and family.” She stepped closer to him. “So, are you mad at me? Do you want to be engaged to me?”
“No.”
Her eyes widened and a tiny gasp escaped from her lips.
He smiled and gathered her into his arms. “I don’t want to be engaged to you, Princess Isabel. I want to be married to you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Oh, Adam.” Her eyes grew luminous with tears of happiness and when she raised her lips to his, he didn’t hesitate.
He kissed her with fiery passion, with all the love and desire that burned inside of him for her. She returned the kiss with a fire and heat all her own.
“I hope you’re agreeable to a short engagement,” he said half-breathless when their kiss finally ended.
“A very short engagement,” she replied. She grinned. “I guess this means Bella and Adam’s divorce is off.”
“Bella and Adam are going to be married for years to come,” he replied. “They are going to have a houseful of children, a life filled with dreams and hearts filled with love.”
“I love you, Lieutenant Commander,” she said as her arms curled around his neck.
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