by Valerie Parv
Meagan almost betrayed herself by opening her eyes. How could Nicholas make such a promise? She had staged her fainting spell precisely to give him the chance to make whatever move he had planned. Offering himself as a hostage for her defeated her purpose.
She gave a soft moan and allowed her eyes to flutter open. “What happened?”
Shane looked nonplussed. “You keeled over. I didn’t know what to do.”
“I told you what to do.”
She looked up to find Nicholas on his feet, balancing awkwardly with his hands still tied behind him. Why hadn’t he done something? She lifted her head. “I’m all right now.”
“You’re not all right. You should see a doctor.”
Nicholas’s concern was almost her undoing. She felt her vision blur and blinked to clear it. “Really, I’m fine. I just need to rest.”
Clumsily, Shane adjusted the blanket over her legs. “Then rest you shall. I’ll finish my discussion with the prince later.”
He stood up and hustled Nicholas out of the room. She closed her eyes as genuine exhaustion threatened to overtake her. She had bought Nicholas some time. What he did with it now was up to him.
Chapter Five
Trust his luck to have a jailer who read the tabloid, Ben thought. He was fairly sure Meagan suspected that he wasn’t Prince Nicholas, and wished he knew whether or not her fainting spell yesterday had been a misguided attempt to help him.
Seeing her crumpling to the floor before Shane caught her had made Ben crazy. She had looked so helpless that he had wanted to snatch her from her brother and cradle her as tenderly as she deserved. For the first time since this started, he had truly felt like a captive. But not of Shane and his gang. Of a delicate beauty with a core of steel.
She was the last woman he should feel this way about, Ben thought. Living dangerously with no thought for her own safety, Meagan reminded him too much of his late fiancée, Marina. Letting himself care about her was asking for trouble.
If Meagan had tried to create a diversion, it had done more harm than good, landing Ben back in this tiny room, with another beating from Dave when he had resisted being tied up again.
Pain flamed around his wrists where he’d strained at the ropes. His ribs felt as if they’d been used as a trampoline. Standing on his feet, with only his hands tied, he could still have tackled Shane to get the information he needed. Instead Miss Reckless had intervened, and Ben was back where he started.
Of course, her fainting spell could have been genuine. Ignoring the pain, Ben strained at his bonds, tied more tightly today. He would give anything to know she was really all right.
Meagan looked up from the breakfast she was preparing as Shane came in. He frowned. “Should you be doing that?”
Making herself rest yesterday had been torture, but it had hindered Shane from questioning Nicholas. Better still, her brother hadn’t argued when she’d suggested leaving Molly at her friend’s place until Meagan felt better. “I have to do something or I’ll go crazy,” she insisted.
Her brother’s hand closed over hers before she could pick up the plate she had been preparing for the prince. “I’ll take that. Bread and coffee will do for our royal guest.”
“It’s no trouble,” she said, fighting the disappointment that welled inside her at the thought that she might not see Nicholas this morning. She wanted to assure herself that he was unharmed. It had nothing to do with the way thoughts of him made her pulse race and warmth surge through her.
“Dave will take care of him,” he repeated. “He did a good job dressing him in everyday clothes yesterday.” He gave the peak of his old cap a jaunty tug. “Bet it’s the first time his nibs has felt rough cloth against that pampered skin of his. Remind him he’s no better than the rest of us.”
She couldn’t help reading more into Shane’s words than she wanted to hear, and her heart did a painful back-flip. “Dave didn’t hurt Nicholas, did he?”
“Why do you care? Don’t bother, I know the answer. You always had a soft spot for the royal family, even when we were children.”
“They’ve done a lot of good for us.”
His lip twisted. “They’ve done a lot of good for themselves, but it’s our turn now. You, me and Molly. Don’t you want more for her than this?” His sweeping gesture took in their modest surroundings.
“Of course I do. But this isn’t the way.”
“It’s the only way.”
He took the plate she had prepared for Nicholas, and sat down at the kitchen table to eat. At a loss, she looked around then picked up the cast-iron coffeepot and two cups. “Is it all right if I take Dave some coffee?”
Shane nodded. “It’ll help him wash away the taint of royalty.”
She found Dave at the back door, staring out at the forest. He looked pale but when she asked if he was all right, he nodded without saying anything. Wisps of morning mist threaded between the trees. “It’s going to be warm later,” she said, pouring some of the coffee into one of the cups for him. He was so tall and broad-shouldered that she felt childlike beside him. Dave was about her age, but had spent so much time in and out of reform facilities that he had never gained much schooling. He spoke little and it had taken her weeks to discover that he had a speech impediment.
Dave accepted the coffee with an appreciative grunt, but she knew better than to expect much conversation. She tried anyway. “How is Nicholas this morning?”
As she’d hoped, the big man jerked his head toward Molly’s bedroom. “S-See f-for yourself.”
As if in no hurry, she moved down the hallway and pushed the bedroom door open. Nicholas was sitting up. Even she could see that he had been tied to the bedstead much more efficiently this time. His face was shadowed and looked gaunt. But he still looked regal and quite wonderful to her covert inspection.
When she tried to speak her throat felt dry. “Good morning, Your Highness.”
He regarded her from under half-lowered lids. “I see you’re fully recovered this morning.”
She moved closer and drew a sharp breath. A fresh bruise blossomed under his eye, and he moved carefully, as if his ribs pained him. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“I’ll live, no thanks to your little performance yesterday.”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“I’m sure you meant well, but as you can see, I was better off without the help. If I was suspicious of your fainting spell, chances are your brother was, too.”
“At least it stopped Shane beating you to a pulp.”
“How long do they intend keeping me prisoner?”
“As long as it takes to get the information we need,” came a voice from behind Meagan.
Ben didn’t miss the fear that invaded Meagan’s eyes. “If it isn’t the Grand Inquisitor,” he drawled.
Shane ignored him, whirling on Meagan. “I’ll teach you to side with him.” He lifted his arm. She flinched away and Ben braced himself against the ropes, wishing the younger man would move within kicking distance. Shane saw the movement. “Don’t like it when I threaten the lady, do you, Your Highness?” He made the title sound like an insult. “All you have to do is cooperate to protect her and the little girl.”
“Only a coward threatens women and children,” Ben snapped.
Shane looked as if he would like to hurl himself at Ben. “Sticks and stones,” he said easily, but anger glittered in his gaze. “Your opinion doesn’t count.”
“Then why keep me alive?”
“Your dear daddy had a slight stroke,” Shane said. “A doctor says he’ll be okay, but he’s not talking too clearly right now. Seems he can’t manage even one word.”
Ben was careful not to reveal how much the news dismayed him. Meagan looked upset too, he saw. Ben was starting to believe she really was on his side. He was surprised at how much his spirits lifted at the notion. “Even if he could, King Michael wouldn’t tell you anything you can use against the royal family,” he said, masking his concern.
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“There’s only one thing I want to know, the password that will get me into the Chamber of Riches.”
Ben kept his face impassive. Like every member of the royal family he had heard of the chamber’s existence, but the details were known only to the monarch and the heir apparent. According to one legend, a password provided the key to a code contained within an ancient document. It supposedly told where to find a fresco on the outer wall of the chamber. If the fresco was pressed in a certain place and in a certain way, using an ancient ring worn by the king, one could gain access to the chamber.
Ben wasn’t sure he believed the stories, although he’d seen a ring that fitted the legend, worn by King Michael. Shane’s people must have gained possession of the ring, and now wanted to put it to the test. If there was a password, Ben certainly didn’t know it. “I told you yesterday, the chamber is a myth,” he said, hoping this wasn’t the end of the line for his charade.
“His kingship disagrees,” Shane said. “Before he had the stroke, he confirmed that the chamber does exist.”
Ben could only imagine at what cost. “Then you also know that he hasn’t told me the password yet.” Ben could only pray it tallied with what the conspirators already knew.
“Wrong answer. From King Michael and…well from various sources, we’re convinced that Nicholas does know the password. So either you’re playing dumb, or…” he moved to the side of the bed, his expression menacing “…you’re not Nicholas Stanbury.”
Ben heard Meagan’s indrawn breath, hastily stifled. She knew, he thought. Somehow she had worked it out. It came to him that she might have betrayed him, and hadn’t. The thought was surprisingly comforting. With Shane, he decided to try to bluff it out. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it, Your Highness? If you are anybody’s highness.”
“Who else would I be?” Just a few more inches closer, Ben willed as he saw Shane’s anger overwhelm his caution.
“The king’s cousin,” Meagan whispered. She had been right after all.
Shane’s surprised look at Meagan provided the distraction Ben needed. His hands were gripping the ropes and he used them as leverage while he brought his legs up against his chest then shot them forward to impact against Shane’s chest. The other man went down as if poleaxed, striking his head against the dresser as he fell.
“Wh-what’s g-going on?” The giant, Dave, bolted through the door, coming up short at the sight of Shane lying unconscious on the floor. With a cry of anger, he lunged at Ben.
Meagan didn’t stop to think. She hefted the coffeepot and brought it down on the back of Dave’s head. With a moan he also collapsed, coffee streaming down his back. She stared at the fallen man, transfixed.
Ben saw she was verging on shock. “We have to get out of here, now,” he said in the command tone his men would have recognized and obeyed instantly.
She wasn’t under his command, but it worked. Her slightly glazed look was replaced by fear overlaid with determination. “You’re right. I’ll untie you.”
Ben had begun working on the ropes, and had one hand free before she reached him. He could have finished the job more quickly himself, but he let her fumble with the other rope, sensing that she needed the activity while she dealt with what she had just done.
He suspected she hadn’t had to knock anyone unconscious before. He hadn’t made a habit of it either, but it was only because he believed in taking preventive action. His first commanding officer, Mike Stafford, had rammed the lesson home to him one night in a bar on the other side of the world after a bunch of rowdies tried to provoke them into a fight. Ben would have obliged them, but Mike had shown him a better way. By his aggressive stance and unyielding confidence, he had projected that he was the alpha male here.
The display had worked. The rowdies had slunk away, hurling taunts as they went. It was the first time Ben had won a fight without so much as throwing a punch, but it wasn’t the last. He had used Mike’s trick several times, and the aggressors had backed off every time. Until now.
“I’m sorry about your brother,” he said, as she freed his hand at last. He massaged his raw wrists, flexing his fingers to regain full feeling.
“It was his own fault,” she said, sounding hurt. “Why did you pretend to be the prince?”
“So your brother’s people would do exactly what they did, and, we hoped, lead me to where they’re holding King Michael.” Levering himself to his feet, he rested a hand on her shoulder and used the other to tilt her face up to his. “The real Prince Nicholas is in a safe hiding place. I couldn’t risk telling you the truth.”
He felt the tension in her lithe body as she affected a shrug. “I’m used to men misleading me.”
She didn’t add, “You’re no different than the rest,” although he heard it anyway and wondered who had given her such a warped view of the male of the species. Later would do to try to change her preconceptions, he decided, wondering why he should want to. “I meant it, we must get out of here,” he said crisply. “You’re coming with me.”
“To the castle?”
He shook his head. “Since Shane let it slip that they have a contact on the inside, I won’t risk it.” I won’t risk you, came the thought, but he kept it to himself.
She shook her head. “This is my home. I’m staying here.”
“When Shane and Dave wake up, they’ll want revenge.” He played the trump card. “Think of Molly. I know somewhere you’ll both be safe.”
He had said the one thing guaranteed to gain her cooperation. “Very well. We’ll take my car. It isn’t what you’re used to but…”
He turned her to look at him again. “I’m not the prince, remember? My name is Lieutenant Ben Lockhart, Edenbourg Royal Navy. But then you already suspected who I was, didn’t you? That’s why you pulled your fainting stunt.”
She stared at him. “How did you know?”
“Lucky guess. And thanks. But if you ever stick your neck out again on my account, I vow I’ll wring it for you.”
She masked her hurt with annoyance. “I couldn’t let my brother hurt you.”
“I could have handled him. By double-crossing Shane, you put yourself in danger. I want your word there’ll be no more heroics.”
“I’m not answerable to you. Unless you’re pulling royal rank.” Strange how the thought troubled her.
“Rank doesn’t come into this. Your word, Meagan.”
Molly’s safety depended on him, so Meagan nodded, seething. He may not believe in royal rank, but she gathered that gender was another matter. “I’ll be a good little woman, I promise.”
“That attitude won’t get you anywhere but killed.” She winced, and his tone softened. “Do you need to take anything with you?”
“Raggedy-May,” she said, picking up the doll. “Molly was fretting for her last night.”
“My cousin, Princess Isabel, used to like the Raggedy-May stories,” he told her as he hurried her out of the room. “Isabel preferred to play the intrepid scarecrow, Strawbie. She used to rewrite the scenarios so we had two Strawbies, making for some conflict over the chain of command. Some things never change.”
“You’ve made your point,” Meagan snapped. As they passed her bedroom, she ducked in and grabbed her purse then glanced around. “What about clothes?”
A low moan coming from Molly’s room alerted Ben. “There’s no time. We can buy whatever you need on the way. We’re getting out of here now.”
“What about the men in the forest?”
Ben loped back to Molly’s room and returned wearing Shane’s baseball cap. “Do you think I’ll pass for your brother?”
The homespun clothes and cap helped, but didn’t disguise Ben’s military bearing. She was glad that her car was parked in shadow beside the house, but they would need to pray that none of the men took a close look at them as they drove off. “Only if we move quickly,” she said.
He nodded. “Exactly what I had in mind.”
Chapter Six
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In the back of Meagan’s car, Molly bounced up and down in the child safety seat. At first she had been wary of Ben when he and Meagan had arrived at Anna Carmody’s place to collect her, but the child had quickly warmed to his gentle manner.
He was good with children, Meagan thought. He had dropped down to Molly’s level to explain that he was taking her mummy on a special holiday, and would deem it an honor if she came, too. Molly had giggled and asked where they were going. When Ben said “the seaside,” the three-year-old had been totally won over.
Like Anna, Meagan thought. In the face of Ben’s unassuming charm, Anna had practically melted. Meagan hadn’t been able to convince her that she wasn’t witnessing a budding romance. Since telling Anna the truth might put her in danger, Meagan was forced to let her think what she would.
“Look, Mummy, a big pond,” the three-year-old exclaimed, pointing to the sea spread out in front of them.
Ben smiled. “That’s the ocean, little one. It’s the biggest pond there is.”
His tone, warm and faintly nostalgic, caught Meagan’s attention. “You love it, don’t you?”
Steering the car along the narrow road that twisted down toward the coast, he nodded. “At sea you get a sense of what’s really important. There are no borders between countries or people.”
“Did you join the navy because you love the sea?”
He shook his head. “I’ve always loved sailing, but resisted making it a career, probably because it was what my father wanted. At the time, I would do almost anything he disapproved of, as a way of asserting myself, not realizing this made me as pig-headed as he was, and therefore just like him, until it came down to a couple of fairly basic choices, and the navy was the best of them.”
“The other being royal life, I suppose.”
She glanced over at him and saw his mouth twist. “Nothing so noble.”
“Then what?”
“Reform school.”
“Reform school? You?” She knew her tone reflected her disbelief.