For All Time

by Jude Deveraux

  “Yeah,” Roger said, and shook his head. “She’s a handful. Right now she can’t stand me, but I’m working on her. Give me another couple of months and I’ll soften her up.” He gave a humorless laugh. “But I said that a year ago and I haven’t made any progress. A man can dream, can’t he?” He narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t thinking of going after her, are you?”

  Rory knew he’d never get used to the American way of telling everyone everything. “No, not at all.”

  “I get it,” Roger said. “You’re asking me about Lex because your brother is interested in her roommate. I saw the way he was staring at her all through the wedding. At first I thought he was you, but I know you’re not going to hang it all out for everybody to see. Your brother stared at her like he was the snake at the end of a flute.”

  “I think that’s a little strong,” Rory said stiffly, wanting to protect his brother.

  “Yeah, right,” Roger said. “I know he’s the one who’ll be king. I like that country of yours. Best skiing in the world and the food’s not bad either. But I think I better warn you that, from what I’ve heard, he’ll have an easier time being king than he will conquering pretty little Toby.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “That half the male population of this island has tried with her. The scuttlebutt is that she’s ‘saving herself for marriage.’ ”

  “You’re saying that she’s …?”

  “A virgin is what everybody says,” Roger said. “Whatever is true, I can tell you that a lot of people like that girl. If your brother decides to go after her just so he can put another notch on his bedpost, many people are going to be angry at him, including Jared Kingsley.”

  Yesterday Rory would have said that his brother wasn’t like that, but today everything seemed to have turned upside down. “My brother wants to stay here on Nantucket for a week and he would like the young lady to spend some time with him, but I fear that her roommate will interfere. She—”

  “You don’t have to tell me!” Roger said. “You wouldn’t believe the things I have to do to make Lexie stay with me. I have to hide things then pretend I’ve lost them.” He grimaced. “She thinks I’m a moron, but if I don’t do that, she says ‘Toby needs me’ and runs off.”

  “So there’s no chance that you could occupy the roommate for just a week? A trip somewhere, maybe?”

  “I know she wants to travel and I’ve asked her to go with me, but she just laughs. Hey! Maybe I can get my little sister to help. They like each other. When do you need this?”

  “Now. Immediately,” Rory said.

  “I’ll try to do it,” Roger said, then looked at Rory. “Maybe next time I visit your country I can stay in your house.”

  A business deal, Rory thought. “We’ll put you up in the oldest part of the palace. It’s haunted and girls squeal when you take them there.”

  Roger grimaced. “I wish that would work with Lexie but she’d probably make friends with a ghost. You should hear the Kingsley stories that float around this island!”

  Rory had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t have time to find out. He had other things to do. He said thanks, they exchanged goodbyes, and they parted.

  When Rory went back toward the small tent, he saw that his brother and the young woman were still in there together. The candles inside the tent and the darkness outside made a sort of movie screen in shadow and he could see them clearly. They were leaning toward each other, heads close together, and Graydon was talking with more animation than Rory had ever before seen him use around an outsider. There were very few people Gray relaxed around—and they were all blood relatives. But there he was with the girl he’d just met and moving his hands about as they talked.

  But no matter how much his brother liked this girl, there was one thing that Rory knew he absolutely had to do. He must see if she actually could tell the brothers apart. Forget the family legend about people who could tell the Montgomery-Taggert twins one from the other. Rory needed to know the truth.

  He’d called his assistant and minutes later he was dressed just like his brother. Quietly, he stood on the sidelines of the party, sipping champagne, while he waited for Graydon’s dinner to end—which is where Roger Plymouth found him. With a grin of triumph, Roger said his sister had come up with a way to get Lexie off the island for most of the summer, and as far as he could tell, Lex was going to agree to it. “I had to promise that I wouldn’t be there, but I predict that I might break a bone or two and have to recover around them,” Roger said, laughing. “This is my chance with Lexie, and I plan to make the most of it. Let’s hope that when I stay at your place, she’ll be with me.”

  When Rory went back outside, he was just in time to see Lexie run to the tent where Graydon and Toby were dining, and he heard her excited voice. Rory knew that as soon as his brother heard that Toby’s roommate had been called away by her rich playboy boss—a man Rory was likely to know—Graydon would know who had done it. Graydon didn’t believe in coincidences, especially not when his brother was nearby.

  Sure enough, when Rory’s phone buzzed, it was a single word from his brother. NOW! That meant Graydon wanted to talk now. Rory wrote back. I’M AT KINGSLEY HOUSE. MEET ME THERE. Since his brother had sneaked away, leaving all his staff in Maine, that meant he was without transportation. It was a long walk from the site of the wedding, through town, and up Main Street to Kingsley Lane. Even if Graydon got a ride with someone, it would still give Rory time to find out what he needed to know.

  He straightened his jacket, put his shoulders back, adjusted his face to the I-am-going-to-be-king expression, and started toward the big tent. He was going to do his best to impersonate his brother.

  Rory saw Toby standing by a large round table full of guests and asking them if they needed anything. He stood to one side and waited for her to finish, as that’s what Graydon would do. If he were being himself, Rory would have pulled her onto the dance floor and swept her away. If she protested, he would’ve kissed her into silence. But that wasn’t Graydon’s style.

  When she turned and saw him she looked a bit startled, but then she gave him a warm smile.

  “May I please have the honor of this dance?” he asked with his brother’s exaggerated politeness.

  “Of course,” she answered and took the hand he held out.

  Rory reminded himself to stay rigidly straight and distant. He was glad it was a slow dance, as he didn’t trust himself to hold back in a fast one. It was the first time he’d been so close to her and she was prettier than he’d thought. A sort of Grace Kelly, with her blue eyes and quiet features. Her makeup was subdued, meant to look like she wore none. He thought that if her eyes were emphasized more and she added some red lipstick, she could be a knockout.

  He gently led her in a circle, constantly reminding himself that he was his brother. “I enjoyed our dinner tonight very much.”

  “Oh?” Toby said, smiling. “And with whom did you eat it?”

  “With …” It took him a moment to understand what she was saying, then he laughed and relaxed his shoulders. “Did I fool you at all?”

  “Not for a second,” she said, and the smile left her face. Anger flooded through her blue eyes. “Tell me, did your brother send you in here to test me?”

  Immediately, Rory saw his mistake. “No,” he said seriously. “Graydon knows nothing about this. I sent him away so I could—”

  “Find out if I’m a liar? See whether I’m after something?” Toby’s eyes were very angry. “Would you please tell me why the ability to tell you two apart matters?”

  Rory avoided that question. “How much did Graydon tell you about himself?”

  “That he’s to be king, that he’s to marry some highborn young woman—at least I assume she’s young—and that he wants a bit of peace before then. I promised I’d find him a place to stay while you take over his duties. However, in light of this very unpleasant game of the two of you, I may rethink that offer. I don’t like to be on
the receiving end of anyone’s practical joke.”

  Rory could feel the blood draining from his face. It looked like his brother had set up everything on his own, but now it seemed possible that Rory was going to ruin it all. He did not want to anger Graydon more than he already had.

  “I think I need to tend to the guests,” Toby said and started to pull away from him.

  But Rory held firmly on to her hand. “Miss Wyndam, please, my brother is innocent in this.” He was looking into her eyes and she saw the pleading in them. “Would it help if I explained things to you?”

  “Truth would certainly make for a change,” she said.

  He turned her around in the dance. “I’ll tell you, even though it is at my own expense. You’re a good dancer.”

  Toby glared at him. “If you start flirting with me, I’ll leave.”

  “All right,” he said, “but first you have to understand that Graydon covers for me because I never live up to anyone’s expectations. I seem to have been born with an endless ability to make our parents angry. But then, you see, I don’t care if I do. My brother does. In fact, Gray cares about everything. People without homes, injured animals, whether children can read or not. If there’s a good cause, Graydon cares about it. So when I’m not where I should be or doing what I shouldn’t, he covers for me. My personal opinion is that he should let me take the consequences for my own actions but …”

  Pausing, Rory took a breath. “The real problem is that my brother cares about me too. But this time his taking of my sins on himself is about to rob him of some time off that he deserves, and that’s not fair. Even I have limits.”

  By the time he’d stopped talking, they were standing still on the dance floor, his arm about her waist, and he waited while she thought about what he’d just said.

  “All right,” she said at last. “I’ll help him.”

  Rory turned her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “Thank you,” he said, then began to move again. Only this time he was himself and there was a lot more energy in his movements.

  “You can’t dance like this while you’re pretending to be him,” Toby said, nearly out of breath from following him around and around so fast.

  “I know,” Rory said. “Do we really look so different to you?”

  “Oh, yes.” She put her head back a bit. “You two are quite different. His reticence is natural, but yours is forced. And there’s a feeling about you that you don’t know where you belong. Graydon knows exactly where he fits into the world.”

  As they moved quickly around the dance floor, the others began to stand back to watch them. Both of them had had a lot of dance lessons and they made a beautiful, graceful couple. “I wanted to protect him from you,” he said, “but now I want to protect you.” He gave her a look that seemed to come from deep inside. He was no longer laughing or teasing. “Don’t fall in love with my brother. He takes his responsibilities very seriously, and no matter how much he loves a woman, he will always put his duties to his country first.”

  Toby knew what he was saying but she wasn’t worried. Graydon was too exotic, too much from a completely different world, for her to even think about loving him. “Do his duties include his soon-to-be princess?”

  “Yes, they do.”

  “What’s she like?” Toby asked.

  “Tall, beautiful, dark hair and eyes. Intelligent. Her parents hoped she’d get the position, so they’ve trained her for it since she was a baby.”

  He spun her out to arm’s length, then back.

  “Is he deeply in love with her?”

  “Answering that would be a betrayal of my brother. You’ll have to ask him.” He whirled her so her back was to his chest, his arms around her. “But I warn you that he doesn’t like personal questions, even from me.”

  “I’ve seen that. He tends to freeze up.”

  When the dance ended, the people around them applauded the performance. Rory gave Toby a bow and she couldn’t resist going into a curtsy to him. “Your Royal Highness,” she murmured so only he could hear her, and they laughed as he led her off the floor.

  “What in the world is going on with the girls?” Victoria asked Jilly as she took a chair beside her. The two women were new friends but they’d bonded strongly after Victoria helped Jilly get together with Ken, the man she loved. “First I hear that Lexie is going away for the rest of the summer, then Toby keeps disappearing and no one can find her, and now she’s dancing with that man who I thought she didn’t like.”

  Jilly looked at the beautiful couple on the dance floor. For a while they’d been talking quite seriously, but now they were gliding across the floor as though they were on ice. “I don’t know anything about Lexie, but Graydon—whom Toby is dancing with—is a Montgomery, so he’s probably skirting around whatever it is that he wants.”

  “What does that mean as it concerns Toby?” Victoria asked. As usual, she looked quite dazzling. Her auburn hair and emerald eyes were set off by her green silk suit—and she couldn’t stop looking at Dr. Huntley, who was dancing with her daughter, Alix. Victoria was sure that she’d never been happier in her life.

  Jilly waved her hand. “It’s nothing, just a family joke.” When Victoria stared at her, she continued. “In our family there are Montgomerys and there are Taggerts. I’m a Taggert, and according to my brother Michael, we’re honest, forthright, courageous, and brave, while the Montgomerys are …” She shrugged.

  Victoria frowned. “Slimy as snakes? I don’t like that. Toby is a sweet girl.” She started to get up but Jilly put her hand on her arm.

  “No,” Jilly said, “it’s okay. Graydon won’t do anything bad. He’ll just take forever to get around to whatever he’s after, that’s all.”

  “And you think that what he wants is Toby?” Victoria was still frowning.

  Jilly sighed. “I’m not sure, but he seems to be so curious about her that he’s planning to stay on Nantucket for a while. You see, Toby can tell the twins apart, and in our family that’s important. Too important, if you ask me.”

  Victoria was an internationally bestselling writer and she loved a good story. Her lovely face smoothed out and she leaned back against her chair. “Now you have to tell me everything.”

  “It’s nothing,” Jilly said. “It’s just a family saying. Whoever can tell the twins apart is supposedly a person’s True Love.”

  Victoria didn’t reply but looked across the room at Toby and the very handsome young man she was dancing with. Around them people were beginning to stand aside to watch, but Toby and the man seemed oblivious. “Have I seen him somewhere before? He looks familiar.”

  “You may have seen Graydon’s photo in some magazines.”

  “Is he an actor?” Victoria asked.

  “Sort of. He’s the Crown Prince of Lanconia.”

  Turning, Victoria looked at Jilly with an expression Jilly couldn’t quite read. “Are you saying that the prince has an identical twin brother and Toby can tell them apart? And that she can tell one from the other is supposed to be a sign of True Love?”

  “Yes,” Jilly said cautiously. She didn’t know Victoria very well, but Ken said he thought Victoria had been behind this entire wedding, that it had all come about due to her efforts. Well, actually Ken had said, “Victoria’s underhanded, devious, conniving interference,” but then he used to be married to her so he was allowed some exaggeration.

  “Why are you looking as though you disapprove?” Victoria asked.

  “I know it’s silly but what if that legend is true? What if Graydon and pretty little Toby fall in love? Then what? His mother is a terror and she’d never allow the marriage. And even if she did, how could Toby give up all privacy to go live in a foreign country to be a princess? I’ve been there several times and the isolated way Graydon lives isn’t something I’d want. And his daily work schedule is a killer!”

  Victoria was looking at Jilly in consideration. “Maybe being in love would make his life easier.”

  “I don�
�t think—” Jilly began, but then shook her head. “Who am I to judge? Because I wouldn’t like the job doesn’t mean no one would.”

  “Where is the prince booked to stay tonight?”

  “He’s with the young man who picked him up at the airport.”

  “Wes?” Victoria asked, horror in her voice.

  Jilly didn’t know the man but she followed Victoria’s glance to the back of the tent. In the darkest corner, behind a table, Jared’s cousin was wrapped around a very pretty young woman, and they were kissing more deeply than should be done in public. They were a living illustration of the phrase “get a room.”

  Abruptly, Victoria stood up and looked down at Jilly. “I believe in True Love,” she said, her face quite serious, “and if there’s a possibility of it, I think a person should find out. I feel that it’s my duty to help this along.”

  “You’ll tell me everything?” Jilly asked.

  “Oh, yes,” Victoria said. “You’ve taken that poor-miserable-me look off Ken’s face, a look he believes that I gave him, so I owe you.” She made her way through the crowd.

  “Darling,” Victoria said as she slipped her arm through Toby’s as she left the dance floor. Toby was still a bit breathless. “Whatever is going on with you and those two delicious young men?”

  Toby looked toward the tent door and saw Princes Graydon and Rory standing together, both of them wearing tuxedos and looking quite handsome. Right now Rory looked as though he feared his brother might hit him, and Graydon was looking as though he just might do it. Since she had an idea this was about her, Toby had an urge to start giggling. “It’s just boy stuff,” she said as she turned back to Victoria. “Nothing important.”

  Victoria lowered her voice and put her face near Toby’s. “In this case, it seems to be the battle of the princes. Can you really tell those two apart?”

  “Yes,” Toby said, and she didn’t ask how Victoria knew who the young men were. “But I don’t see what difference that makes.” She changed the subject. “Are you having a good time?”