Page 55 of The Secret of Flirting
“I don’t know what has happened to her. But something clearly has, or you wouldn’t be here in her stead.”
A heavy sigh escaped her. “The last time I saw her, she was very much alive. But ill.”
That gave him pause. “In what way?”
Her expression was conflicted. “I—I’m not sure. They told me she had cholera. That’s why they needed me. They didn’t want to risk her losing her chance at being queen simply because she was sick.” Her voice grew choked. “But after you said it wasmesomeone was trying to kill...”
His blood ran cold. “You wondered if she’d been poisoned.”
Wide-eyed, she nodded. “My uncle says that is ludicrous. I just don’t know whether to believe him. This world of politics and shady doings is not my purview.” She began to roam the knot garden design again. “I’m an actress, not a diplomat. I wouldn’t even know how to tell if shewaspoisoned.” Her voice lowered. “Though she did seem very ill. When I saw her, she was insensible and apparently had been so for a few days.”
That didn’t sound good. “Where is she now?”
“In Calais. She fell ill as they were preparing to make the crossing to England.”
Interesting. “So it was only then that the count came to you?”
“Yes. He took a steam packet to Dieppe to meet with me and Grand-maman.”
That confirmed what Hart had learned. And it meant that it was possible the count hadn’t initially intended to put Monique forward as a substitute. That he might have been trying to fix a bad situation in the only way he knew how.
On the other hand, if Beaumonde had been aware of Monique’s resemblance to Aurore all along, he might very well have chosen to assassinate his great-niece and put Monique in her stead rather than risk Aurore’s bumbling through the conference.
“What about preparing you for the role?” Gregory asked. “How could he have known you would understand enough about what was required of a princess to step into Aurore’s shoes?”
“I asked the same thing!” she cried. “I mean, Grand-maman has tried through the years to teach me the proper behavior just in case they ever...” Her voice hardened. “But of course that didn’t happen until they found themselves in difficulty. And he said we had enough time on the crossing to prepare me. He did seem... rather out of sorts about the whole matter.”
“I can well imagine,” Gregory said dryly.
The count struck him as a man who wouldn’t set up such a havey-cavey plan unless he was forced into it. If Beaumonde had intended all along for Monique to take Aurore’s place, he would have eliminated Aurore in enough time to prepare Monique to replace her. This smacked of the actions of a desperate man, not a scheming one.
Besides, if the count had wanted to replace Aurore, why would he then have hired someone to shoot at Monique? If she was supposed to be the future of Chanay and Belgium, it made no sense. So Gregory could probably rule out Beaumonde as the one trying to kill Monique.
Unless, of course, the count had somehow learned about her former association with Gregory.
A chill swept him. “Are you certain your great-uncle doesn’t know that we met before?”
“How could he?Inever told him.”
“And you never told Lady Ursula. Or your maid or—”
“Are you mad?” She faced him down. “I want Grand-maman taken care of, and he’s made quite clear that if this masquerade isn’t successful, his promise to bring her home is for naught. So I haven’t told a soul. I was hoping to brazen it out until the whole thing was over.”
Her expression turned pleading as she drew nearer him. “Which is why youmustkeep silent. If you reveal to my uncle that I’ve failed to convince you I’m Aurore, then I will be packed off to Dieppe without so much as a farewell. He will only honor his promise if Aurore becomes queen. Otherwise...”
The desperation in her eyes sliced through him. Damn her. Damn the count. He couldn’t let this nonsense stand. And yet... “What is supposed to happen to Aurore if youdosucceed in being chosen as ruler of Belgium?”
She sighed. “Aurore will take my place. By then, he hopes, she’ll be well, and she can go to Belgium and assume her throne. Then Grand-maman and I will go to Chanay as ourselves. Relations to the crown. But after Grand-maman dies, I intend to return to Dieppe and my position at the theater.”
How did she still manage to surprise him? “You would choose being an actress over living as a relation to royalty?”
“Apoorrelation, forced to submit to their will in everything? Absolutely. I love my work at the theater. And I crave...” She trailed off with a sigh. “You wouldn’t understand.”
He stepped nearer. “Try me. What do you crave, Princess?”
Her eyebrow lifted. “You realize I’m not truly a princess.”
“To me, you are.” He caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing each finger and reveling in the way she blushed. For a woman who’d probably gone through quite a few lovers, she had a surprising air of innocence about her. “Tell me, my sweet, what you crave.”
