“I was just wondering what the man looked like, the one my cousins had dinner with.”
Expecting to hear something about a good-looking man with green eyes, she was shocked at Val’s description.
“He was a big guy, though not real tall, with big, meaty hands and dark hair.”
Though she knew the answer, she had to ask anyway. “What color were his eyes?”
“They were dark, hon, nearly black.”
“Thank you.” Her throat dry with fear, she rushed from the café, hoping to flee the knowledge that Miriam and Gabriel had eaten dinner with the man who had tried to kill her.
She was a block away from the café when she realized she was being tailed by a vehicle.
She ducked into a small five-and-dime that had just opened for the day, and walked around hoping they’d leave. The shopkeeper watched her closely, as if he were afraid she might stuff something in her pocket at any moment, while her eyes darted to the window every few minutes.
“Can I help you, miss?” he called from behind the counter.
“No, thank you. I’m just looking.”
He narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing more as she grabbed a basket and began placing things inside.
Finally, the car pulled away, and she went to the counter.
“May I use your telephone?”
“Don’t you got a cell?” the old man grumbled.
“No, sir.”
“Fine, but it better be local.”
She smiled and dialed Levi’s phone, speaking quickly when he picked up, his voice furious.
“Where the hell are you?”
“Levi, listen to me. I’m at the five-and-dime store in town, and I need you to come get me. The waitress said Gabriel and Miriam had dinner with a big dark-haired man. Do you think it was the man who tried to kidnap me? Now there’s someone following me, and I’m scared to death to go outside. But why would he still be after me? Vincente’s dead.”
“Damn it, Sidra, you are going to get yourself killed!”
“Are you coming or not?”
“I’ll be there in five minutes. Do not leave that store until I get there.”
He had nothing to worry about. She wouldn’t leave the relative safety of the store for all the money in the world.
****
Levi had never been so angry in his life. Sidra should know better than to leave without telling anyone where she was going. Hadn’t she learned anything from the last few days? The man who’d tried to abduct her from the bus station was still out there, still trying to finish the job he’d most likely been hired to do. She should have known she wouldn’t be safe until that man was found or until they at least knew who had paid him. Although if he had eaten dinner with Miriam and Gabriel, there wasn’t much question about who was footing his bill. How could Sidra have been so foolish as to traipse to town on her own?
He tried to tell himself she was used to living alone and even to working alone, for the most part. She was independent and had taken care of herself for years now, but nothing he said to himself calmed him. It only made him more furious.
If he were to be honest with himself, he knew he would realize his fury had more to do with the fact that she was already pulling away from him than with her disregard for her safety. After all, they had thought perhaps the danger was gone now that Vincente, Miriam, and Gabriel were all dead.
He had been disappointed when he woke up to an empty bed, but he had expected her to be downstairs. When he found the note instead of her, it had been like a caution light, warning him the end of the road was near.
Maybe Teddy was right when he said he was overreacting, but he couldn’t make himself believe it. To him, it felt like the first step on his way back to being alone. He hadn’t noticed it happening the first time around, when he had just turned around one day and everyone was gone—Teddy, his parents, even the damn office staff had left him. Only Sidra remained, and now, she was on her way out the door, too.
He pulled into a parking spot in front of the store, and Sidra dashed to the car, shopping bags in hand. She kept her head down as if afraid someone would start shooting at any moment. That’s how safe he’d kept her, he thought bitterly. So safe she’d been caught in a hail of gunfire twice in as many days.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Are you?” She was looking at him closely, worry lines forming between her brows. “You look kind of pale.”
“I’m fine, too.” He tried to sound casual. “Everybody’s fine.”
“Okay,” she said with a shrug. “Whatever you say. Thank you for coming to get me.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Sidra. Did you really think I might leave you to fend for yourself?”
“No.” She sounded genuinely confused by his simmering anger. “Why are you mad?”
“I’m not mad. I was just worried. You know, you were just kidnapped out of our yard a few days ago. I think I’m entitled to be a little concerned when I wake up and you’re nowhere to be found.”
“I’m sorry.”
He looked around, spotting only one car that seemed out of place. “Is that them?”
She followed his eyes to the silver luxury car with dark, tinted windows. “Yes.”
He backed out and drove away slowly. When they reached the next street, he waited to see if the other car followed. He didn’t have to wait long, and as soon as he saw them, he turned onto the street that led to his parents’ home.
“Where are you going?” she cried. “You can’t show them where you live!”
He paid no attention to her but continued to drive toward his childhood home. It was time to end this now, and there was where he would have the most backup, the most people willing to keep Sidra safe.
He turned his head so he could look into her eyes.
“When we get home, I’m pulling as close to the steps as I can get. I want you to run inside. Do you understand? Don’t stop, and don’t waste time looking around. You just get in the house. Please,” he added when she would have argued. “I just need to know you’re safe.”
“Fine.” She grabbed his face and kissed him on the mouth. “Do what you’ve got to do.”
He raced his car toward the house, barely stopping for her to leap out. Before she could get through the front door, Teddy was there with gun drawn, pushed her inside, and took her place outside.
Shaking like a leaf, she staggered to the stairs, where she sat on the bottom step waiting for the shooting to begin.
“What in the world is going on?” Betty shouted from upstairs before footsteps sounded on the stairs.
While Betty dropped down beside Sidra, Frank rushed to the porch with a rifle in his hand.
“Do you always have this much excitement following you around?” Betty asked her casually.
“No! And I hope it ends really soon. I don’t think I can take much more of it.”
The sound of car doors closing nearly stopped Sidra’s heart. Where was Levi? And what would happen if whoever was following her came into the house? What if they killed Teddy and his father? Betty? Was Levi already dead?
Steps on the porch, followed by the low murmur of voices, and she was up, rushing forward, heart pounding, as her eyes searched for Levi. She grabbed the door post to keep steady as her knees went weak with relief.
Levi walked slowly beside an elderly woman leaning heavily on a cane. She wore an immaculate forest green skirt and sweater set, with a matching wide-brimmed hat over her white curls. Gloves, hose, sensible green shoes, and the string of pearls around her neck completed her outfit and gave her the look of the distinguished aging monarch she was.
A young dark-haired woman followed behind Queen Marie, her hand in the crook of a handsome blond man’s arm. She knew at once who they were, recognizing Philippe’s striking blue eyes as he lifted his gaze to meet hers.
Feeling overwhelmingly underdressed and ill-prepared, Sidra remained where she was as the small group mounted the porch steps.
“Your Highness, this is my father, Frank Tanner, and my brother, Teddy. Dad, this is Sidra’s grandmother, Queen Marie of Medelia, her cousin, Lady Estella De Leone, and her fiancé, Philippe Beauchene.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Frank said. “And forgive us the welcome. We were only trying to protect Sidra from danger. We had no idea you were coming.”
The queen smiled warmly at him, melting Sidra’s heart as she said, “There is no need to apologize. We are eternally grateful to your family for keeping Sidra safe. Everyone wanted me to stay in Medelia and wait for her, but I found it impossible to do so. I insisted we come to America straightaway.”
She lifted her eyes to the door, and her gaze locked with Sidra’s. Whatever Sidra had expected, it wasn’t the love that shone from her grandmother’s eyes or the joy that lit her face.
For a moment it was as if no time had passed at all, as she gazed into the familiar blue depths. Then, suddenly, all the years they had lost were there again, and she was overcome with emotions she hadn’t really expected to feel. How could feelings lie dormant for so long, only to spring to the surface at the first opportunity?
“Sidra! My love! After all these years! You look so much like them, Jeanne and Rupert. A more perfect mixture I have never seen.”
Sidra pushed open the screen, and her grandmother stepped into her embrace. Tears streamed down their faces as Sidra savored the distantly familiar scent of her grandmother’s perfume and the way it felt to be wrapped in her arms. Love poured from her in waves and filled the empty spots in Sidra’s heart and soul as they spoke quietly in the language Sidra had never forgotten.
“You still remember our language,” Queen Marie marveled.
“Yes. I forgot many things since being abducted, but I remembered the language quickly upon hearing it.”
“It seems there are many, many things we need to discuss, but first, let us all sit down and get to know one another.”
Looking impressively unperturbed to have royalty visiting, Betty showed them into the living room and rushed to the kitchen to brew coffee and tea.
“Your cousin, Estella De Leone, and your fiancé, Philippe,” the queen said with a motion in the couple’s direction.
“Philippe. I remember your eyes now—much more blue than green.”
“Is it true Vincente Mateo posed as me?” he asked. “That he intended to force you to marry him?”
“Yes.”
“Did you remember our betrothal?”
“No. I remembered only that you were my friend in childhood.” She didn’t miss the way his hand wrapped around Estella’s or the worry that marred her pretty face. The feelings they had for each other were strong and thick around them, and she breathed a hefty sigh of relief.
Should she back out of the betrothal, she was certain Philippe would not argue. As a matter of fact, he would probably be grateful.
“Estella, I am so sorry about your parents. Especially since if not for me they would never have been in America at all.”
“I have had little contact with my parents in recent years, Princess. For me, the loss of them happened long ago.” She looked toward the queen, as if seeking permission to continue speaking. At the slight incline of the snow-white head, she continued. “I have been raised in the castle by the Queen since your abduction. It was imperative that someone be brought up to take over, should the need arise.”
“Miriam and Gabriel were banned from the castle following the death of your mother,” Queen Marie explained. “I had long suspected their hand in your abduction and, in turn, the death of your poor, brokenhearted father, but when my beautiful Jeanne’s car was forced over the side of a mountain, I knew exactly who was responsible. Though I lacked the proof required to try them, I deemed them guilty in my own mind and forbade them ever to step foot onto the palace grounds again. Unfortunately, your mother trusted Miriam enough to show her the picture of you she received four years ago. From that moment on, they have wanted nothing more than your death.”
“What did they hope to gain?” Sidra asked.
“The crown, I suppose. Miriam believed I could not change the order that the queen be the next linear female. However, I was well able to change it, and I did after Jeanne’s death. Even had she killed us all, Miriam would never have been the queen of Medelia.”
“Do you believe it was Miriam who tried to have me killed?”
“I have no doubt it was, although I suspect she was urged to do so by Gabriel,” she said. “I have given the orders required to keep you safe, and Medelia is ready to welcome her Crown Princess.”
Sidra’s face paled at the Queen’s implications.
“How can we be sure she’s free from danger?” Levi asked, his dark eyes watching Sidra closely.
“There is no one else to gain anything from her death.”
“You had Miriam and Gabriel killed?” Sidra croaked.
Her grandmother placed a gentle hand on Sidra’s knee. “Gabriel was an evil man, darling. I’m quite certain he killed Miriam. Killing him was the only way to make certain you were safe.”
Sidra glanced toward Estella who sat quietly studying her hands, no sign of distress on her pretty face.
“What about the man who tried to abduct me? The one who sent me the picture of my nanny?”
“He has returned to Medelia,” the queen told her. “He was Mateo’s lackey, and he returned the night that evil man died.”
“If he worked for Mateo, then he wasn’t trying to kill her, was he?”
“No. If there were attempts made on her life, they were orchestrated by Miriam and Gabriel. Mateo wanted to marry her to gain control of the kingdom. He may have killed her later, but Miriam and Gabriel needed her to die before anyone knew she lived.”
“Miriam and Gabriel led us to believe she was sent to America by her father and was to be hidden away until she was old enough to marry. Is this true?”
Queen Marie gasped and shook her head. “No! Rupert had made some plans for her to travel with the nanny to America, to visit the nanny’s sister after Christmas. They were to stay here only long enough for the Mateos’ outrage to calm following Jerald’s death. Rupert was heartbroken at the prospect, but there was no other way to keep her safe from them. She was kidnapped before Christmas.”
“Why didn’t Miriam and Gabriel kill me as soon as they realized I was still alive?”
“Miriam truly did come here at your mother’s behest four years ago, to ascertain your safety until you were old enough to marry Philippe. I try to believe there was some good in Miriam, that perhaps she balked at Gabriel’s murderous plan, but I can’t be sure. From the day she married him, his wickedness began to stain her heart.”
“Will you return home now that the danger has passed, Princess?” It was the first time Philippe had spoken, and she turned to face him. Both he and Estella waited for her answer with bated breath. Were they aware their desire and devotion to each other was so plain for everyone to see?
“If by ‘home’ you mean Medelia, I’m not sure.” She looked at her grandmother. “I’m sorry, but I truly don’t know.”
“Of course you cannot make such a decision in a single afternoon, my child. We will be here for another day. There is a lovely bed and breakfast in town I would like to stay in. You can find me there, if necessary.”
“What will happen if I don’t return to Medelia?”
“We have been planning for that contingency for many years,” her grandmother said with a soft, sad smile. “Estella is well able to take my place on the throne. If you should choose not to return, your bonds with Philippe will be broken, and he will be free to marry someone else.”
None of them missed Estella’s quick indrawn breath.
“And you, Grandmother? What will happen to you if I don’t return to Medelia?”
“I will continue to grow old and will eventually die. But the remainder of my years will be happier knowing that you are alive and well.”
&n
bsp; “I will see you tomorrow, then,” Sidra said, helping the old woman to her feet. “I will have my decision made then.”
At the door, they embraced once more, and Queen Marie spoke softly against her ear.
“Listen to your heart, my Sidra, it will guide you home.”
The memory came so swiftly she was taken off guard as she heard her father’s voice once more.
“I love you, my Sidra,” he said as they walked hand in hand toward the carousel. “You must always remember that Mama and I love you.” He stopped and crouched down beside her. Tears pooled in his eyes, and he kissed her on the forehead. “You and Nanny are going on a trip to a faraway country.”
“How many days will we be gone, Papa? Will you and Mama and Andres come, too?”
“No, not now. We will be here when it is time for you to come home. It may be a long time.” His voice broke. “But you will have so much fun you will not even notice.”
“How will we know it’s time?” Answering tears spilled over from her own eyes. “What if I get lost and can’t find my way home? I don’t want to go, Papa. Please don’t make me.”
“You must go. It is the only way your Papa knows to keep you safe.” He took her hand and placed it on his heart, and then placed his hand on her small chest. “I will know here, in my heart, when it is time for you to come home. No matter how lost you might become, your heart will guide you home. Learn to listen to it, my Sidra. It will never steer you wrong.”
Sidra walked her grandmother outside, watching from the porch as she and Philippe and Estella were driven away. The afternoon was crisp and clear, and the air was tinted by smoke from a nearby chimney. She surveyed the yard, smiling when she saw Merilee and Coda crossing the pasture side by side and the horses grazing there under the trees.
Broken Ties Page 18