by Day Leclaire
It fit. “Like Prince Frederick.”
“He was a father figure?” He’d surprised her. “Older than Mom?”
“Twenty, twenty-five years older.”
Her brow wrinkled. “I guess my brother must be older, too.”
“Forty-five, at least.”
“I didn’t realize.” She released a gusty breath. “So, the pattern was set, even then.”
“Apparently.” He took a moment to digest everything she’d told him before asking his next question. “Okay, I understand your mother and what motivates her. But how do you fit into all this?”
“I love her,” Alyssa stated simply. “I’ve been the one constant in her life. We’ve been on the run from the minute I was born, with brief layovers along the way. A couple of cockeyed optimists searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. At least, that’s how she always described it to me.”
“So, it’s all about honor and duty with you, too. Not to mention protecting those you love.” Judging by her stunned expression that had never occurred to her before. “And now? Where do you go from here?”
“I’m so tired, Merrick.” Her voice dropped, filled with a yearning that tore at his heart. “I’d like to stop, maybe stay somewhere awhile. Let that rainbow find me for a change.”
He brushed a tumble of curls from her eyes. “Maybe stay longer than a while?” he asked tenderly. “How does forever-after sound?”
“That might have been a possibility, if it weren’t for one small problem.” She smiled, a wobbly effort too painful for words. “The one person I’d have been willing to stay for won’t be here, not if Prince Brandt throws you in jail. Now, how’s that for irony?”
“Then maybe I can give you something to remember me by.”
He left her arms long enough to find his trousers and remove a small velvet pouch from the pocket. He dumped out the contents and returned to the bed, gathering her close once again. Taking her hand in his, he slipped a ring on her finger.
“This is for you,” he told her.
The subdued light flashed off Fairytale, the ring she’d admired at the Marston’s shop. A ring that symbolized soul mates united in an unbreakable bond of eternal love. With a small exclamation of disbelief, she turned in his arms and clung to him. “How? When? Why?”
A slow smile lit his face. “Why? Because it was meant for you and only you. The how and when were a little trickier. But I found a way.” His smile faded. “I’d planned to choose the perfect time to give this to you, but I’m not sure there’s going to be one.”
She gathered his face in her hands and kissed him. “Then we’ll make this the perfect time. Here and now.”
And as one by one their final minutes together ticked away, she made those moments more perfect than any that had come before.
Prince Brandt sent for Alyssa early the next morning. She was escorted once again to his office. She didn’t know quite what to expect, though she could guess what he wanted.
“Please. Sit.” He held her chair with an inborn graciousness. “We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“First, I wish to apologize to you. I pulled you into a situation not of your making or of your concern. It was wrong of me.”
“You tried to force me to marry you,” she replied bluntly. “And you used my mother in order to ensure my agreement. That wasn’t just wrong. It was outrageous.”
“There were reasons. Valid reasons.” He said it without remorse.
Anger swept through her. “Because you want to be king? You consider that a valid reason?”
He started to reply, then hesitated. “I can’t go into it at this point. Perhaps someday in the future.” He regarded her in silence for a moment and then spoke with surprising frankness. “You were a pawn, Alyssa, a pawn I chose to use without taking into account how it would affect your life.”
“You mean without caring.”
He inclined his head. “Without caring.” This time he did show a hint of regret. “If there had been any other way, I would have taken it. But there wasn’t. There still isn’t.”
“You can’t really intend to throw Merrick in prison,” she said, hoping to take advantage of his momentary change in disposition. “You abducted me, remember? If anything, his could be considered a rescue mission.”
Brandt shrugged that off. “My principality, my rules. His prison sentence stands.”
“So, what now?” She struggled to keep her distress from showing. “Is this the point where you threaten me if I don’t tell you who you married?”
“I was thinking more in the nature of a bribe.” He cocked a sooty eyebrow. “Would that work any better? You and your mother on the next plane to New York, Merrick at your side? Any interest?”
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
He sighed. “Don’t tell me Montgomery has brainwashed you with his notion of honor and duty.”
She tilted her head to one side. “You know, a few hours ago you might have scored with that one. But my husband pointed out an interesting fact to me. I do believe in honor and duty, in protecting the ones I love. Otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here right now, intent on saving my mother and my husband.” She smiled coldly. “So, no. He didn’t brainwash me. I was pretty much there already.”
“Honor and duty? Really?” He looked mildly intrigued. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“Let me guess.” Laughter gathered in his eyes. “You plan on saving Verdonia from the evil prince.”
“Hey, if the royal shoe fits.”
“And you plan to swear on your honor that Montgomery didn’t abduct you.”
“Absolutely.”
“You cooperated with him.”
“All the way.”
“In order to avoid marrying me.”
“Can you blame me?”
“So when the opportunity presented itself, you ran off with Montgomery.”
“I did.”
“And let Miri take your place.”
“Yes. No. No!” She stumbled to a halt, staring at him in barely controlled panic. She debated backtracking, saying something—anything—to cover up her mistake. But she could see it was far too late. He’d bluffed; she’d fallen for it. She closed her eyes, guilt overwhelming her, and spoke through numb lips. “How did you know?”
“I was pretty much there already,” he replied, tossing her own words back at her. “But I appreciate the confirmation. Now, one final question. Where is she?”
“I don’t know.” She opened her eyes, blinking against tears. “That’s the truth.”
“Yes. I can see it is. You don’t lie very well, Ms. Sutherland.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“In my position, it can be. You’ll see what I mean in a minute.” He picked up the phone and punched a button. “Bring them.”
She regarded him with undisguised bitterness. “You’ll never know how delighted I am that we never married.”
“You may find this hard to believe, but so am I, despite the agenda that made our alliance so critical.”
He leaned across his desk toward her. She found his features too austere for her taste, though she couldn’t deny they were compelling. And when he smiled with gentle warmth, as he did now, he was downright stunning.
“Don’t take it too badly. Despite your husband’s ridiculously protective nature, there are few women he’d feel the need to defend with quite such passion and ferocity. His mother. His wife.” Something shifted within his gaze, an emotion that he swiftly banked. “His sister. It only required calm logic to reach the appropriate conclusion.” He gave a harsh, self-deprecating laugh. “Though I’m forced to admit it took me most of the night to manage calm, let alone logic.”
“And why is that, Prince Brandt?”
“Because of Miri,” he surprised her by admitting. “And then, once the obvious occurred to me, I needed someone to confirm my guess about her.”
Alyssa flinc
hed. What he meant was someone foolish enough to confirm his guess. Before she could snarl a response, Tolken entered the room, followed by Merrick and her mother, as well as a handful of guards.
Prince Brandt stood. “You’ll all be pleased to know that Alyssa and I have reached an accord.” He gave Alyssa a courtly bow. “Thank you, Princess, for your assistance identifying Miri as my wife. The three of you will be driven immediately to the airport where I’ve arranged for first-class seats from Verdonia to JFK.”
Merrick, whirled to face her, took one look at the guilt she was certain was written all over her face and charged toward her. He was stymied by the timely intervention of the guards. “What the hell did you do?” he demanded, frantically struggling against his captors. “You told him, didn’t you? Why, Alyssa? Why would you do such a thing?”
Ten
Alyssa shook her head, frantic to explain, eaten up with guilt. “It’s not what you think.”
But before she could explain further, Prince Brandt interrupted. “Part of me envies your future, Montgomery. To live in the United Sates, playing house-husband while your beautiful, intelligent, cooperative wife takes over as Assistant Vice President of Human Relations at Bank International. Quite the life of leisure. Far better than a jail sentence, don’t you agree?”
“Take off these handcuffs and I’ll show you how well I agree with you.”
Brandt shook his head. “Perhaps we’ll save that for another time and place.” He picked up a packet and handed it to Tolken. “Here are the tickets. The ladies will be riding in the limousine I have waiting. I’m afraid I don’t quite trust you to behave well enough for such an elegant vehicle, Montgomery. Tolken and a few of his men will escort you in a van better suited to the transportation of felons. Not quite as comfortable, but I’m sure you understand the necessity. Just as I’m sure you understand the necessity of the handcuffs remaining on until you’re safely aboard the plane.”
“I’m not leaving Verdonia.”
“I thought you might say that.” Brandt smiled. “So, I’ve arranged for a jail cell for your wife and mother-in-law should you refuse. Your choice, Montgomery.”
“You can’t do that,” Alyssa protested. Her gaze flickered from Brandt to Merrick, and back again. “You can’t, can you? Everyone keeps telling me I’m a princess. That ought to count for something.”
Brandt shrugged. “Once again…my principality, my rules. I might not be able to lock you up forever, but I can hold you long enough.”
Merrick shot her one brief look. “My wife in jail. Tempting.”
“But you’ll pass, won’t you?” said Brandt.
To Alyssa’s distress, Merrick had to think about it before nodding. “If it means she’ll be out of Verdonia permanently, then yes. I’ll pass.” Before anyone could prevent him, he took one swift step in her direction. “It’s a good thing you run well, Princess. Because when I get free, you better be able to run faster and farther than I can.” His gaze, pure molten gold, pinned her in place. “Trust me on this one, you don’t want me to catch you.”
“Merrick—”
Without sparing her so much as another glance, he crossed to the door and addressed Tolken. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“She betrayed you, old friend.”
“Shut up, Tolk.” The van rumbled onto the highway and gathered speed.
“Don’t feel bad. Women are notorious for being weak.”
“Some women, perhaps,” Merrick conceded. “Not Alyssa.”
“So you’re saying she’s strong enough to resist Prince Brandt’s questioning?” Tolken nodded. “That would indicate she chose to betray you. Outrageous. Definitely not the sort of woman to rule Celestia. Verdonia is better off rid of her.”
Merrick ground his teeth. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Tell me. What did you mean?” When a response wasn’t forthcoming, he suggested, “Perhaps her betrayal is your fault.”
“What the hell are you talking about now?”
“You abducted her for the greater good. Do I have that right? I’m sure you set an excellent example. No doubt she betrayed Miri for a similar reason. Of course in this case it was for her greater good and that of her mother.” Tolken lifted a shoulder. “Well…and yours.”
Merrick deliberately changed the subject. “I won’t get on that plane. You realize that, don’t you?”
“I realize it’ll take force. It’s a good thing I have plenty of that available.”
“Even if you succeed, I’ll return.”
“With your wife?” Tolken tilted his head to one side. “Or without?”
There was no question. “Without.”
“In that case, I’ve been authorized by Prince Brandt to offer you a deal.”
“What deal?” Merrick asked warily.
“Simple. Resign your position as commander of the Royal Security Force and return to Verdon. Stay there. Quietly. Live a long and peaceful life out of the public eye. If you do that, Prince Brandt is willing to pretend this incident never took place.”
Merrick gave a short laugh. “What you mean is, if I don’t tell on him, he won’t tell on me. It wouldn’t be to his advantage for any of this to be made public, would it? Not before the election.” He stared moodily out the window of the van. “What about Alyssa?”
“What about her? She’ll return to New York. Not that there’s anything Prince Brandt could do if she elected to stay in Verdonia, despite his threats. Especially since the airport is on Celestian soil.” He curled his lip. “Just as well she goes, if you ask me. She wasn’t suited to play the part of a princess.”
“You know nothing about her.” The retort burst from Merrick. It felt good to explode, better yet to siphon off some of the anger sloshing around inside him.
Tolken grunted. “I know one thing. She’s capable of betraying her husband. No doubt she hid that trait from you. I’m sure you’d never have married her, otherwise. A very devious woman, your wife.”
“Just shut the hell up, Tolk, she’s not like that. She believes in honor and duty as much as I do. She protects the people she loves. She risked everything to save her mother. Sacrificed everything.”
It took a second for him to hear his own words. The minute he did, he groaned. Oh, man. He was a first-class idiot. His head dropped toward his chest. Dammit, dammit, dammit. He did need to resign his position. No one this stupid should be allowed to live, let alone be in charge of a national security force.
“You could be right,” Tolken was saying. “I’m not familiar with that aspect of her character. There is one thing I know for certain.”
Merrick lifted his head, finally, finally starting to put the pieces together. “And what’s that?”
“Your wife is a rotten poker player, whereas Prince Brandt is a master.”
Merrick stared blankly. It took a full minute before the implication sank in. And then he said, “Get me out of these handcuffs and give me your cell phone, Tolk. Hurry. I have a plane to stop.”
Tolken smiled. “About damn time.”
They arrived at the airport and Prince Brandt’s guards escorted Alyssa and her mother through security. She delayed as long as she could, constantly checking over her shoulder for Merrick. But he never showed. Once through the checkpoint, they were ushered to a private lounge where she paced off the next two hours, minute by endless minute, step by dragging step.
And still he didn’t come.
“I don’t understand it,” she burst out. “They weren’t that far behind us. They should be here by now.”
“Maybe they’re holding him in the van until it’s time to board,” her mother said, trying to soothe her. “They probably don’t want you having the opportunity to scream at each other ahead of time.”
Alyssa spun to face her guards. “You must have cell phones. Can’t you call Tolken and find out where they are?”
“My apologies, Your Highness. I’m not permitted to do that,” was all one
would say.
Another hour passed and a knock sounded at the door. Alyssa flew across the room, waiting breathlessly for Merrick to join them. But instead of her husband, an airport official entered. “You may board now,” he informed them.
Deaf to her protests, the guard escorted Alyssa and her mother from the lounge to the boarding gate and then down the gangway leading to the plane. “Wait. Please.” She had to try one more time. “I need to speak to Merrick.”
“You can do that when he boards, Your Highness.”
“You don’t understand.” She fought to keep from weeping. “He’s not coming. I know he’s not. He thinks I betrayed him. And he needs to protect his sister. He won’t leave Verdonia.”
“I assure you, Your Highness, he won’t have a choice.”
They were shown to their first-class seats in the front of the plane where Angela handed her daughter a third tissue to help mop up her tears. “Listen, baby, as long as you’re already crying, there’s something I need to tell you.” She glanced around, then lowered her voice, whispering, “It’s about your father.”
“I already know,” Alyssa replied, fighting to regain control of herself. “Merrick told me that he was older than you.”
“No. That’s not it. I mean, there’s that. But there’s something else that I should have told you long ago. I did marry Freddy because he was older and because he was safe. We only knew each other a week before we did a Las Vegas.” She twisted her ruined hands together. “But that’s not what I have to explain to you.”
No doubt there was a point to her mother’s confession, but Alyssa wasn’t sure what it might be. Still, it was a relief to focus on her mother, to put her needs first. Anything to take her mind off Merrick. She dried the last of her tears and gave Angela her full attention. “What is it, Mom? What do you have to tell me?”
Her mother bowed her head. “It’s about what happened when Freddy and I came here. By then it was too late to change anything. We were already married and I couldn’t just leave him. I mean, how would that look after just a week?”
