“I have nothing to hide from anyone here, Lord Petit! Speak!”
Sighing heavily, the man glanced at Estelle with a regretful look and then back to Valentin. “Our law states that the bride of our sovereign must be of impeccable virtue—”
“Good God, man, what are you saying?”
Valentin didn’t sound as angry now as incredulous, while Estelle began to tremble from the sudden intuition gripping her. Oh, Lord, no…please, no.
“It’s been brought to our attention that four nights past, Miss Easton allowed you entrance into her room with no chaperone.”
“Yes, I asked her if she would marry me! I was there for only a few moments and then I left—but by God, how did you come by this knowledge?”
“A footman the next morning observed the exchange of an article from your clothing between Miss Easton and her lady’s maid. Clothing you’d worn the night before.”
At that revelation, the terrible hush that had descended upon the ballroom became shocked gasps and furtive conversation as Valentin swore vehemently under his breath.
“Might this article be a brass button, Lord Petit? I admit one came loose from my dress uniform but surely that is no grounds to bar my marriage to Miss Easton—”
“Oh, but it is grounds, Valentin,” Princess Hortense interrupted him, lifting her chin imperiously. “Lord Petit already stated your bride must be of impeccable virtue, but that is clearly not the case here. Most certainly not! That she allowed you into her room with no chaperone is proof enough that her morals are as loose as her pedigree is nonexistent!”
Estelle sucked in her breath as Valentin’s half-sister looked at her with such disdain that she wished she could simply sink through the floor. Trembling uncontrollably now, she truly feared she would be sick.
“Enough of this madness!” shouted Adam, who strode forward to Estelle’s side. “Forgive me, Valentin, but I’ll not stand by any longer while my sister-in-law is so unjustly and falsely maligned. Discuss this matter further with your privy council as you must, but not with us present!”
Linette rushed to Estelle’s side, too, and only then did Valentin reluctantly release her hand as he nodded at Adam. Her legs wooden, she was certain she would have collapsed if her sister and brother-in-law hadn’t looped their arms through hers to assist her from the ballroom.
Only at the last moment did she glance behind her at Valentin, his face so stricken that an anguished cry burst from her throat.
Yet no tears came, she was so stunned, so horrified.
She heard him roar out a command for everyone to leave the ballroom save for his privy council and his half-sister, and then the world seemed to spin around her and her legs finally gave way.
She felt herself lifted by Adam as Linette hastened alongside him, weeping, then blessedly nothing more.
***
“Find me that footman.”
“My lord, the search has continued since last night, but the man is nowhere to be found,” Robert replied, looking at Valentin with concern. “As you said, he must have been paid to watch for any perceived indiscretion that Princess Hortense could use against you. Finding him won’t change matters, I fear. The damage has been done.”
Damage? Losing the woman of his dreams to a suspected plot that sickened him still at its maliciousness?
Hortense had insisted so innocently last night in the ballroom that she’d only been interested in protecting him and ensuring that their father’s wish for Valentin to marry a suitable bride be fulfilled. She’d admitted to no knowledge of this footman other than that he had come to her of his own accord with information that had deeply troubled him, never having been one to trust the English since the time when he’d fought for Napoleon.
Hortense had admitted, too, that she’d felt duty bound to share with Valentin’s privy council what she’d learned, but had asked them not to say anything unless he made an ill-advised move that she feared, he might.
No argument had swayed them, all seven members of his privy council—though to a man they expressed regret—had held fast to their insistence that the law was clear about the potential bride of a crowned prince of Bratavia being above reproach. Her reputation spotless, unsullied. It hadn’t seemed to matter that Valentin had been the one at fault to have gone to Estelle’s room, however innocently and impulsively, to ask for her hand in marriage.
A foolhardy move that had cost him a lifetime with the woman he loved—God help him, how was he ever to bear it?
“Please, my lord, you must get some rest.”
“Leave me, Robert. I thank you, but leave me.” He heard his loyal friend heave a sigh, but Robert nodded and left the drawing room.
Valentin stared at the flames burned down to glowing ashes in the fireplace…just as there was nothing left to him but ashes.
Ashes of a dream that was no more, Adam telling him when Valentin had gone a few hours ago to confirm that the privy council had not altered their decision, that Adam, his wife, and Estelle would be leaving in the morning for Calais. There they would find a ship bound for England so they might return home.
There was nothing else to be done, Adam had said as he clasped Valentin’s hand, his voice heavy with regret. Nor did he think it was a good idea for him to see Estelle, who had lain abed since last night, not sleeping, not speaking, and not eating.
Walking by her closed door when Valentin had left Adam and Linette’s room had nearly crushed him. Yet he’d kept going, out of respect for the wishes of a man he considered a friend and because he couldn’t bear to cause Estelle further pain by repeating news that would only break her heart.
As for his heart…
Cursing, Valentin thrust himself out of the chair and began to pace in front of the fireplace, just as he’d been pacing and thinking all night long and now well into the afternoon.
He’d given the footman’s description to his soldiers—yes, Valentin had realized with a jolt that the man must have been the same one he’d nearly run into the other night in the hallway. They had fanned out all over the castle and through the town, searching as long as he’d been pacing…and still there was no sign of the bastard as if he’d never existed at all!
Yet Valentin refused to accept that nothing could be done.
He refused to believe that by tomorrow morning, Estelle would be on her way back to Cornwall and he would never see her again.
And he had refused to listen to Hortense’s incredible insistence last night—even with anguish written all over his face—that he must quickly choose a bride from among the three women who no doubt had watched what unfolded with delight.
Her mounting frustration had been plain to see as he’d turned a deaf ear to her argument that strong alliances must be made.
That he must think of the future of Bratavia and not his own romantic whims, and that the women’s families eagerly awaited news of whom he would pick for his wife.
None of which mattered to Valentin, though everything his father had engrained in him over the years rang in his mind, too.
He was a prince and a prince must rule. A prince must marry, have children, a son to follow in his footsteps and daughters with auburn hair just like their mother…
“Estelle…” His voice ragged, Valentin leaned against the mantel in despair.
Even if his soldiers found the footman, what would that change? Even if the man confirmed Valentin’s theory that Hortense had paid him to spy upon him and Estelle, the damage was done.
God help him, the damage was done!
***
“Miss Easton, please, you must try to eat something.”
Estelle turned her face away from Mattie, despair overwhelming her.
Even as the young woman had moved around the room packing her belongings until a supper tray had arrived from the kitchen, Estelle had lain upon the bed and kept her eyes closed as if she could blot out everything and what it meant.
The swish of silk and satin being carefully folded.
&nbs
p; Trunk lids opening and closing.
Mattie’s every action a death knell to Estelle of the wondrous future she’d hoped to share with Valentin—oh, no, Valentin!
She sighed brokenly. The shock of last night at the ball still enveloped her like a nightmare from which she could not awaken.
Tomorrow morning she, Adam, and Linette were leaving Bratavia and she would never see the man of her dreams again!
Dear God, how would she continue to live and breathe without him?
“They brought you a tasty-smelling stew, Miss Easton, and fresh-baked bread, butter, blackberry jam. Sit up now, will you? You must keep up your strength—”
“You eat, Mattie. I can’t…”
“Well, miss, at least that’s a small miracle, you finally spoke to me. I’ve already eaten so I’ll just take the tray back to the kitchen.”
Estelle gave a small nod, wondering if Valentin had turned away food as well. She could not forget the look in his eyes just before she’d left the ballroom…as if the world had suddenly spun to a stop for both of them.
She wished so desperately that she could spend even a few last moments with him! Adam had revealed earlier that Valentin had come by to speak with him and why, but her brother-in-law had told him it was best he not try to see her.
Hearing that Valentin had been so close and that Adam, however well-meaning, had kept them apart was almost too much to bear. She was certain Valentin knew how much she loved him, but she’d never told him, no, not once!
If only there was a way she could see him, but with Adam and Linette checking on her every so often no matter it had grown late—
“Are you sure you won’t try even one bite of the stew before I take it away?” Mattie said from the door, still trying to coax her to eat. “If you’d like, I could bring you something else from the kitchen—”
“Yes, Mattie, bring me that tray!” A desperate idea seizing her, Estelle sat up so suddenly that the young woman gasped and nearly dropped the whole thing. “Set it there upon the table.”
“Of course, miss.” Mattie’s eyes only grew wider as Estelle climbed out of bed and began to pull her linen nightgown over her head.
“Mattie, please, don’t ask me any questions. I need you to exchange clothes with me, hurry!”
Instead of hurrying, Mattie still gaped at her, blushing furiously as understanding dawned and she took a step backward. “Oh, no, miss, you can’t be thinking—”
“Please, it’s my only chance to see Valentin again. I love him, Mattie! I need to tell him—oh, please!”
She didn’t know if it was the desperation in her voice or the tears smarting her eyes that made the young woman nod and quickly begin to undress.
“God bless you, Mattie, thank you!” Estelle donned the attire of a lady’s maid while Mattie, down to a thin shift, tugged the nightgown over her head. Thankfully they were almost a match in size even though Mattie stood a bit shorter.
“Now climb into my bed and pull the covers up over your ears. Your hair is darker than mine but I’ll turn down the lamps so hopefully no one will notice. If my sister or brother-in-law come by, you must lie very still like you’re sound asleep. I’m sure they won’t disturb you.”
“And if they do, miss?” Mattie said doubtfully, climbing into the bed as Estelle wound her hair into a knot and pinned it underneath the prim cap. “What shall I tell them?”
Estelle paused, actually not knowing how to answer Mattie. All she could do was hope that Adam and Linette would understand—please, may they understand!
“I’ll be back soon, don’t worry.” Estelle knew she needed to leave quickly before Mattie had a chance to change her mind. She hastened around the room turning down the three lamps, slipped on a pair of her own shoes since Mattie’s didn’t fit her, and then rushed back to the bedside table to pick up the tray.
“Keep your eyes lowered, miss, and say little until you reach where you’re going. Godspeed to you.”
Her throat tightened with gratitude, Estelle nodded and hurried to the door, the dishes on the tray clattering. She forced herself to slow down a bit, though her heartbeat raced.
Fortunately the hallway was dark and quiet, but she heard low voices coming from Adam and Linette’s room. Oh, dear, she had hoped they might already be sleeping. Yet she couldn’t worry about that now.
It didn’t take more than a few moments and she’d reached the entrance hall, keeping her eyes lowered just as Mattie had told her to do as she passed several servants. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to pay her any mind. She hoped that would be the case, too, once she reached the top of the grand staircase where a pair of armed guards stood stiffly at the entrance to Valentin’s private apartment.
No matter how she tried to keep the tray steady, the dishes still rattled, which only made her heart race all the faster. She took a deep breath and approached the carved double doors, both uniformed young men surveying her with interest.
“I’ve not seen you before,” said one, while the other stepped close to inspect the contents of the tray.
She shrugged lightly, thinking it was better to say nothing than give herself away somehow, and inclined her head toward the doors. To her relief, they opened them and waved her inside. Estelle took no more than a few steps into the most opulent surroundings that she’d ever seen when she spied Robert, Valentin’s valet, coming straight toward her.
“Excuse me, young lady, but I ordered no tray.”
She gasped, ducking her head, but it was too late as Robert came up short, staring at her as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Chapter 12
The two guards stared, too, clearly wondering if anything was amiss as Robert quickly recovered himself enough to take the rattling tray from Estelle before she could drop it.
“Ah, yes, a light supper for His Highness, I’d almost forgotten.” He had only to nod and the guards at once closed the doors with a resounding thud, leaving him to stare anew at Estelle as if he didn’t know quite what to do next. “Miss Easton, forgive me, but I thought you were a maidservant—”
“Please, Robert, I have no time to explain. I must see Valentin! Is he here?”
The valet gave her a look of such kind understanding that Estelle felt tears sting her eyes, but she forced them back as Robert set down the tray and indicated that she follow him. She no longer paid any heed to the sumptuous surroundings, her sole focus upon seeing Valentin again—her beloved!
“He’s in the drawing room,” Robert said quietly, indicating a closed door. “He hasn’t slept, hasn’t eaten…but I imagine neither have you.”
Estelle shook her head, her heart in her throat as she reached for the gilded door handle. Then she stopped, glancing behind her to thank Robert, but he had already walked away. Her hand trembled as she opened the door.
“Valentin?”
She’d scarcely whispered, her voice catching as he spun around from a huge fireplace and stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. She had no more than taken another step into the room before he crossed the floor in three strides and swept her into his arms.
“Estelle!”
Her arms flew around his neck as he crushed her against him, lifting her from her feet to twirl her around. His mouth found hers and he kissed her until she was breathless, Estelle tasting the saltiness of her tears on his lips.
She couldn’t say how long they held each other, she was oblivious to all else but him, until she felt her feet touch the floor again as he gently set her down. He glanced at her clothing, and then searched her eyes.
“With you dressed like that, my love, Adam cannot know you’re here.”
My love! His endearment like a balm to the despair that still lingered in her heart, she sighed in acknowledgement. “I can only hope he and my sister are sleeping. Mattie took my place in my bed.”
“A generous act, truly. I wanted to stop by your room earlier, but Adam thought it best we remain apart—”
“Oh, Valentin, wh
at are we to do?” Estelle cried, panic overwhelming her. “Are we never to see each other again after tomorrow? No, no, I cannot bear it!”
An anguished groan tearing from his throat, Valentin pulled her close again and hugged her fiercely. She clung to him, her cheek pressed against his chest, his heartbeat hammering in her ear.
“I’m so sorry for what you suffered last night,” he murmured, kissing her forehead. “Hortense and my privy council—damn them all!”
Estelle clutched at his shirt, feeling such utter hopelessness as she looked up to meet his eyes. “Forgive me, Valentin, for not telling you until this moment that I love you. That’s why I had to see you tonight. I love you!”
He stared at her so intently, his eyes grown wet, and then lowered his head to kiss her so desperately, so passionately, as if to affirm how much he loved her, too. Yet she pulled away a moment later, reaching up with trembling fingers to cradle his face, her voice choked with emotion.
“If we can’t remain together, give me a child, Valentin, please! Our child! At least then I’d still have a part of you—”
“Estelle, do you know what you’re asking of me?” His expression tormented, he drew her closer as he searched her face. “I cannot risk your future…your chance to have a husband and a life you deserve—”
“No, I’ll never love another, Valentin! You shall be the only husband I ever know…” She raised herself on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his with such fervent tenderness that he groaned again, Estelle gasping when he suddenly swept her from her feet.
She began to tremble as he carried her from the drawing room, his gaze never leaving hers, and down a dimly lit hallway where an open door at the far end revealed what she realized was his bedchamber.
She heard the door slam shut, realizing, too, that he must have kicked it closed, Valentin not stopping until he’d set her down beside the massive canopied bed.
“You’ll always be my wife…my only love,” he murmured, pulling her close to kiss first her parted lips, and then her closed eyelids as Estelle shivered against him.
My Fugitive Prince Page 9
