Page 111 of Arrows and Gems
“Margit.” Frowning slightly, he brought one hand up to rub his chin. “I know you had a sheltered childhood.”
Helena’s lips pulled down in a frown of her own. What reason did he have to think that?
“But not all men are honest,” he continued slowly. “They will say anything to persuade you to do what they want. And Jean wants to protect his friend.”
“The prince,” she clarified.
“Yes, the prince,” he agreed. He opened his mouth, pausing for a moment as if searching for the right words. “He doesn’t want his friend punished for a moment of lost temper.”
A hint of doubt began to creep into Helena’s mind. She’d decided to trust Jean-haut just as she had Cap, but she only knew what they’d told her. She’d been isolated after meeting them; how did sheknowthat their version of General Valentin was the correct one? Or their tale of a prince she’d never met?
“What are you saying?” she managed.
He looked up, his serious cobalt blue eyes meeting hers. “Jean lied to you. He knew how important your influence could be, so he fed you a story to convince you that Prince Raphael isinnocent.”
“But why would he do that?”
The desperation leaked into her voice despite her best attempts to hide it. And from the look in the General’s eyes, he heard it. “Because he knows who you are, Your Highness. And he wants Ralnor’s support for the prince.”
CHAPTER 38
Helena
Even through the pounding in her head, Helena felt the blood drain from her face. “But I’m—what did you call me?”
He smiled sadly. “You must know that your father has sent messengers throughout the continent in search of you. I have one in Laurier who will be most eager to see you. Lord Luther.”
The room began to spin. “But what—what makes you think—”
“As I said, Your Highness, you bear a strong resemblance to your brother.” General Valentin’s face bore a weight of compassion again. “Word had not yet reached us when I encountered you before. I didn’t make the connection when I first saw you tonight because I wasn’t expecting you. But Le Capuchon must have learned your identity from Lady Marielle, assuming he didn’t recognize you himself.”
“But he—” Helena struggled to make sense of it as the hammer in her temple started up again. It shouldn’t be so hard, should it?
But she wasn’t seeing the holes in the General’s claims. Not if she suspended her assumption that Cap was trustworthy. “He didn’t trust me. He thought I was working for you. And Marielle has nothing to do with this,” she added vaguely.
“Clever of him,” the General mused. “You wouldn’t have trusted him if he came on too strong, especially if you knew thathe was only being kind to you because you’re a princess.”
It couldn’t be true, could it?
The General’s assumptions were wrong. Cap hadn’t sought her out.
But he hadn’t left her at the foot of the cliff, either. Who rescued an enemy like that?
Her breaths became tighter. How many times had Cap called her “Your Highness”? She’d thought it was sarcasm, but what if it was a slip?
Sought out. Rescued. Welcome.
Sought out and rescued because of her title. Welcomed by the others in Cap’s band, but how could she be sure the whole camp didn’t know? Maybe they had all accepted her only as the court did, just with the pretense that they cared for her as a person.
“I’m sure you were hoping that Le Capuchon would rescue you once Jean tells him of your capture.” Pity filled his eyes as they returned to her. “But he isn’t coming, Princess Helena. Your influence isn’t worth his life.”
The corners of Helena’s eyes burned. She remembered the feel of Cap’s arms around her as they rode away from Erwan, the blaze of fury in his hazel eyes when he rescued her. The tiny brushes of his hand, the way he looked at her as he leaned down to kiss her just before the attack.
Had it all been an act? Had he only rescued her because he knew who she was? Had he only wanted to kiss her because he, like Luther, cared about her position and what she could offer?
Unwanted. Abandoned. Alone.
No wonder her comments in Old Ralnoran hadn’t chased him off.
