Page 37 of The Secret of Flirting
“Nothing but social events. And it hardly seems wise tometo risk your great-niece’s life so she can dance at some ball where anyone could fire upon her!” When the Frenchman blanched, Gregory fought to govern his temper. “My estate, Canterbury Court, is in nearby Kent. You and your retinue are welcome to visit while the conference is in recess. I can think of no better way to protect Her Highness than to remove her from the reach of the ‘lower classes’ you denigrate.”
Beaumonde drew himself up stiffly. “I can take care of my great-niece.”
“Of course you can,” Gregory said. “But under these circumstances—”
“Under these circumstances,” the count said, “it is better that Aurore stay here than in some isolated part of the countryside.”
Patience, man. Do not let him rattle you.“At my estate, I can control who comes in or out,” Gregory said evenly. “She won’t be surrounded by hundreds of people—any one of whom could pick her off with a rifle and escape undetected in the crowds. It will be much easier to make sure she remains safe.”
“His lordship is right.” Monique surprised him by chiming in. “What if this villain truly was trying to shoot me?”
“He wasn’t,” the count said firmly. “I can’t believe it.”
“You can’t take the chance,” Gregory countered. “Because if shewasthe target—”
“I tell you, there was no target!” The count began to pace the drawing room. “This is a... what do you English call it?... ‘tempest in a teapot.’ ”
“Hardly that,” Gregory said, frustrated by the man’s refusal to see the truth. He turned to Monique. “What do you think?”
She looked nervously from him to Beaumonde. “I—I’m not sure.”
Damn it, the man clearly had some hold over her that made her reluctant to gainsay him. But the thought that she could lose her life because of the count’s stubborn refusal to admit the truth—or because he had some plot afoot that might actuallyinvolveher being assassinated—chilled Gregory’s blood.
He ignored the count to say to her, “Your Serene Highness, I should like to speak to you alone, if I may.”
When she looked startled, the count narrowed his gaze on Gregory. “Why?”
“Before she makes a decision that could lead to her death,” Gregory said bluntly, “I should like to be sure she knows what she’s getting into.”
Beaumonde scowled. “I hardly see why that is necessary. She trusts me to make such decisions for her.”
“Perhaps she shouldn’t,” Gregory said without measuring his words.
The count drew himself up in clear outrage, but before he could retort, she laid a hand on his arm. “Of course I trust you, Uncle.” She cast him a look of wide-eyed worry that would bend any man to her will, even the rigid count. “But you were not there when it happened. It was terrifying. So I should like to discuss the matter with his lordship alone to determine for myself ifheis overreacting.”
The count fixed her with a quelling look. “Why not do it in my presence?”
She matched his gaze with a determined one of her own. “Are you forbidding it?”
That brought the man up short. He had to realize that “forbidding it” would put her even further on her guard. “Of course not, but—”
“Iamstill the ruler of Chanay, am I not?” she said in the unforgiving tones of royalty.
The count’s eyes glittered, but he offered her a jerky nod.
She cast him a thin smile. “So I have the right to make these decisions for myself, to speak to whomever I must in order to ascertain what should be done. A few moments alone with his lordship is all I require. You may wait outside while we discuss it.”
If the situation hadn’t been so dire, Gregory might have laughed at how Beaumonde bridled at that, clearly disturbed that his creation was turning into the very thing she was pretending to be.
Apparently noticing how intently Gregory was watching the exchange, the count smoothed his features into calm. “If that is what you wish, Your Highness.”
“It is.”
Bowing his head to her, Beaumonde left the room.
Thank God. Perhaps Gregory could finally talk some sense into her.
Now that Monique had Gregory to herself, she wasn’t sure what to say. He was watching her expectantly. But how to talk to him without admitting to the masquerade? Because if there was still a chance that she could pull this off, she must ignore his attempts to elicit a confession.
