Highness (The Lonely Heart Series)
Page 24
“I love her,” Michael said, feeling an overwhelming anger raging inside of him.
“So, I’ve heard.” Richard folded his hands together and crossed his legs. “And I’m sorry about that. She seems like a truly lovely girl.”
Michael wiped a hand over his face and drifted into the silence of the room for a minute. He would not allow himself to lose control, especially knowing that his brother was ill.
Smacking his lips, Michael looked at Richard. “I could give her up,” he said, finally. “But I won’t. The only reason why you are so resolute about dying is because Madeline has been the love of your life. You’ve had that and been allowed to keep your title. Love is what is keeping you going now. Are you really going to deny me the same thing? I’ll do my job as prince, even as King, but I won’t do it without her.”
“You don’t have a choice. You can’t marry the woman,” Richard said, sitting up. Why was it so hard for Michael to see the complexities of such a thing?
“Can’t I,” Michael said, pulling a box from his pocket. “I intend to, brother. I intend to just that.”
“The country will not allow it,” Richard warned. “They will turn against you.”
“This country doesn’t have a fucking choice,” he said, walking to the door. “You’re my brother and I love you. I’ll see to it that everything that you want is done regarding this country, and I’ll be there for your and my mother until the very end. I won’t deny my responsibility to Britain, but I’ll not deny my responsibility to myself either.”
“Are you willing to live with grave the consequences of your actions? When the world turns on her, how will you feel then? ” Richard asked, sitting at the edge of his chair. “I am thinking of her. Will you? For just one damn minute, will you stop thinking of yourself?”
“I am thinking of her, and every promise that I’ve made to her. If I cannot protect her, if I cannot love her, then I’m not fit to be king. More than that, I’m not fit to call myself a man,” Michael said, opening the door. “We’ll talk about this later. For now, go to your wife and…”
Madeline came barreling down the hall in tears. Her feet echoed down the marble hall as she ran with her hand covering her mouth. “Where is he?” she asked Michael, nearly pushing him aside. She burst into the room and looked at her husband. “I can’t do this. That God-awful woman, Thalia, cannot be a part of this family. You can’t leave me here alone on this earth tied to her! This is wrong, Richard.”
Michael looked down the hall. “Where is Hope?” he asked, jaw clenched.
Madeline turned to him. “She was still in the dining hall when I left.”
Running down the hall as fast as his feet would take him, Michael rushed toward the dining hall after Hope, feeling as though something horrible had just transpired in his absence. When he came nearly sliding into the room, he saw only the counselors there at the table talking. His heart sank.
William stood as soon as he saw Michael. “Your Highness.”
“Cut the bullshit, William. Where is she?” Michael asked, standing at the end of the table.
William looked around the room at the other men. “We were ordered to encourage her to leave,” William answered. “By the Queen,” he added. “She accepted our offer, and she is gone, sir.”
Michael nearly doubled over. “What?” He hit the table with fist, knocking over the glasses of wine. “How long?”
The men jumped. “Only minutes, five at most,” William answered.
“I will deal with all of you later,” Michael said, belting out of the room. He ran as fast as he could, shedding his coat on the floor as he made his way toward the main hall.
Albert saw him coming and opened the door for his master.
“Where did she go, Albert?” Michael pleaded. “Where did they take her?”
“I don’t know, Your Highness,” the old man answered sincerely. “She left this.” He offered the torn up check.
Michael saw Geoff outside sitting on the edge of the garden smoking a cigarette as he came out the front doors. “Which direction?” he asked.
Geoff stood and pointed. “She must be near the gate by now.”
One of the men who had escorted them in still stood beside his bike. As soon as he saw Michael approach, he stood at attention.
“Give me your keys,” Michael ordered.
“Sir?” the man asked, confused.
“Give me your fucking keys,” Michael said, getting on the bike.
The man quickly gave Michael his keys.
“And your helmet,” Geoff said, walking up to them.
“I have to catch her,” Michael said, putting the helmet on. Turning the ignition switch on, he shifted the transmission into the neutral, pulled the clutch and pressed the start button. As soon as the engine fired, he shifted to first gear and applied the throttle. As he sped away, Geoff got on his earpiece to the front gate.
“Ms. Daniels should be approaching shortly. Stop her. I repeat. Stop her. The prince is on his way. She is not to leave out of the gates.”
“Copy that,” the security man answered.
It had been a while since Michael had been on a bike, but he rode it furiously. Hitting the curves and moving as fast as the bike would take him. He sped passed the confused grounds keepers and gardeners, rushed through the wiry lane, down through the thicket as fast as he could. At nearly sixty miles an hour as he approached the last stretch before the gate, he saw the car.
Flashing his lights and blowing the small horn, he tried to get her attention. “Stop the car,” Geoff said into the earpiece of the driver.
“Sir, the queen has given strict orders,” the driver answered.
“Tell that to your prince. He is behind you on a motorbike. If he maims or kills himself chasing you, I promise the Queen will have your head,” Geoff warned gravely. “And I’ll be the one to take it.”
Slowing down the vehicle as they approached the gate, the driver looked back at Hope, who sat crying into her shawl. She had been crying the entire way.
From behind nearly thirty feet back, she could hear in a horn in the distance. She turned to look behind her and saw Michael on the bike.
“Stop the car,” she said, turning back toward the driver. “Stop!”
The car stopped abruptly. Opening the door, she quickly jumped out. Kicking off her heels, she ran barefoot toward him. “Michael!” she called out, tears flowing down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe it. He had come for her.
“Hope,” Michael screamed. He knew that she couldn’t hear him, but he still screamed anyway. Stopping the bike, he jumped off, nearly throwing it to the ground and ran to her. Catching her in his arms, he picked her up and held her close. “What are you doing, you silly girl?”
“I didn’t take the money. I just heard about your brother and I know what is required of you, and I…” Her doubts pushed away as she saw his face, all red and flushed with life.
Michael stopped her mid-sentence with a kiss. Pulling away, he moved the hair from her face. “I know you didn’t take the money. I wouldn’t have cared if you did. I still would have come after you.” He held her shoulders. “We made a promise, remember? We are not going to let anyone tear us apart.”
“Michael, I love you. I love you more than words could ever explain. I just don’t want to hinder you from running this country. It’s such a huge responsibility.” As she tried to find the words, he knelt on one knee.
“We made a promise,” he said looking up at her. His blue eyes flashed with love and promise. Pulling the ring from his pocket, he smiled. “Worried that I lost it in the chase back there.”
Hope’s eyes bucked. Putting her hand over her mouth, she began to cry. “Michael,” she said, shaking. “Baby, what are you doing?”
“Hope Daniels, will you do the honor of being my wife and…” he shrugged, “possibly the queen of England.”
He opened the box to reveal a blue oval sapphire ring. It gleamed in the fading light as he waited for her
answer.
Hope felt herself floating, even before she said the words. She almost had to pinch herself to make sure that it was real. “Yes,” she said, swallowing down more tears of joy. “Yes, Michael, I will marry you.”
Standing up, Michael slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her into him. Kissing her passionately, he held her close. “I’ll never lose you again,” he said with tears in his eyes. He laughed as he looked at her face still frozen in shock. “Come on. Let’s get out of here and go celebrate.”
“Somewhere private?” she asked as they loaded into the car.
“No,” Michael said, putting his arm around her. “Somewhere where the entire world can see us.”
TO BE CONTINUED
Fall of 2015
About the Author
Latrivia Nelson is proud mother of two bubbly kids, the President and CEO of RiverHouse Publishing, LLC and the Director of Communications & Marketing for a local non-profit.
When she’s not working her 9-5, she happily writes interracial romance and romantic suspense novels for readers across the world. With 20 titles published to date and recognized as a national bestselling author, she has something for just about anyone.
In her downtime, she loves to have a strong Jack and Coke with fiancé, Bruce Welch, watch marathon 80’s movies and order take out with her family