Page 94 of A Tenuous Betrothal
Rhi’s cheeks flushed, and then she was laughing and answering Elsie and Aribella. He heard something about ribbons and jewels before he turned to address his father.
“We have news,” Father said quietly. The seriousness of his expression told Marc all he needed to know as he followed him out of the room.
Chapter Thirty-One
Rhi stood on her balconyin a morning dress. It was the most comfortable manner in which to wait out the evening for Marc. It was very late indeed. The moon had long since risen and then lowered in the sky, and she struggled to keep her eyes from closing.
She had jerked awake moments ago in her chair and was hoping the cooler night air would keep her awake.
A noise at the far end caught her attention. It was almostnota noise, possibly the soft padding of feet.
Possibly.
She stared into the darkness but saw no one. She stepped back slowly toward her door.
Then Marc dropped down from the balcony above. His grin was unmistakably mischievous, but there were tired lines around his eyes. “I’ve been working in my study, which just happens to be right above your room.”
“You.” Her heart raced, and then she relaxed into a laughing smile. “But—”
Another man ran toward them from the darkness, where she’d barely heard a thing. His hair was light, his eyes crazed, and in his hand, he held a knife.
Marc moved her behind him, and she felt like she was back in England, standing on their picnic blanket, with one of his strong arms guiding her out of the way.
“Guards!” Marc shouted.
The man swung at Marc, but he dodged and hit the intruder in the face. It did little to deter him.
Rhi backed away.
Men in palace uniforms poured into her room behind her and then out onto the balcony.
The intruder turned and leaped off the stone railing, but Marc’s men soon followed.
She rushed to the edge to watch them easily detain and tie up the intruder.
Marc stood beside her, their shoulders touching. “Did you know he was here?”
“I... no. I thought I heard something.”
“That’s when you call the guards.”
“But I couldn’t be sure. It was the quietest sound.”
“Doesn’t matter. Call them, just like I did.”
“All right.” Her voice sounded quiet even to her own ears.
One of the men below saluted Marc, and then, within moments, they all disappeared, and the world seemed quiet.
Marc spent a few moments more staring out into the darkness. But when he turned to her, his face was calm, his eyes full of caring, and his hands steady.
“Who was that?” she asked.
He sighed. “We will know by morning at the latest.”
“And you’re feeling perfectly at ease about this?”
“Not at all.” He glanced around and then indicated the door to one of her sitting rooms. “But I’m happy it’s over. Might we go inside to discuss this?”
