Page 84 of Duty and Desire

All my thoughts of confronting him melted into nothingness. Nick had his back to the wall, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

I scowled. “I can’t let him do this.”

Claudia said nothing for a moment. Then she gave a heavy sigh. “The times we spoke on the phone—before he had to leave here—Nick was the happiest I’ve ever known him.” Her face tightened. “I don’t want him to go back to being the guy I knew at university.”

“What’s your purpose in coming here?”

She took another drink. “I can’t sit by and watch Nick destroy himself. Because thatiswhat will happen if he goes ahead with this marriage. I came here to persuade you to come with me to Eisenland, in the hope that when—if—he sees you, he’ll come to his senses.” She flushed. “He’ll remember how much he loves you. And maybe that will be enough to divert him from this path that can only lead to heartache and misery.”

One word snagged. “Ifhe’ll see me?”

She bit her lip. “Getting to see him might be difficult.”

I gaped at her. “He’s the king. They can’t lock him up—can they?”

“No, but you’ll have to get past Daniela Risch.”

“Who’s she?”

“The Royal Attaché. Polished, highly intelligent—and extremely ambitious. A political player too.” Claudia met my inquiring glance. “Who knows nothing of your existence. No one does.”

I caught my breath. “Franz didn’t tell tales after all.”

That flush was back. “He’s our greatest ally in this. He doesn’t want to see Nick ruin his life any more than we do. And if anyone can help us to get into the palace, it’s Franz.”

Despite my churning stomach and hammering heart, I couldn’t suppress my smile. “So do I take it all is going well between you two?”

“Considering we’re having a long-distance relationship at the moment, surprisingly, yes.”

I shivered. “This princess they want Nick to marry… what’s she like?”

Claudia shrugged. “I’ve only met her once or twice, when I visited Nick during vacations. She’s… beautiful, elegant, well-educated, and a little cold. That last part doesn’t surprise me. Nick’s kept his distance from her for as long as I’ve known him. But she’s young—twenty-four—and they’ve been grooming her all her life to be a queen.Hisqueen.” She frowned. “You said you’ve already booked your flights? When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow.” I glanced at the interior of the bungalow. “Which gives me very little time to pack everything up into boxes, because the likelihood of me returning here is remote.”

“I’ll help you,” she announced.

“Then why don’t you stay here? Unless you’ve already got yourself a hotel room.”

She chuckled. “I didn’t think about accommodation. I was too busy arranging transportation.”

“You can have the bedroom. I’ll sleep on the couch.” She opened her mouth, undoubtedly to protest, but I shook my head. “And on the way there, you and I have an important job to do.”

“What’s that?”

I looked her in the eye. “We have to plan a rescue.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

May 25

The Royal Palace, Eisenland

Nick

When I was a child, I used to play in the palace’s Great Hall. It was a huge space filled with objects to hide behind—suits of armor—place to hide in—the balcony—and a room that when the sun shone, its rays fell in solid shafts of light through long arched windows, casting patterns over the stone floor. Some of these windows had stained glass, and I loved to watch the colors move on the flags, as the sun made its way across the sky. Of course, playing in there was frowned upon, and I think I did it more in later years as an act of rebellion rather than play.

As I grew older, the hall became my refuge. I would go there when I needed to be quiet, to think. It became my sanctuary. Well, one of them.

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