Defending the Duchess

by Rachelle Mccalla

  “We were going to save this news and announce it over dinner on Friday night, but if you leave in the morning you might not be back by Friday,” the queen began, love for her little sister shimmering in her eyes.

  Julia looked apprehensive.

  “Since you are my sister,” Monica continued, “and since the Lydian royal family feels you should retain the rights and privileges of an extended member of the royal family, we have decided to grant you a royal title.”

  “Oh, Monica.” Julia’s face turned a deep shade of red. “I don’t need any rights or privileges—”

  The queen cut her off, beaming happily at her sister’s red-faced response. “As my sister, the most fitting title you can hold is that of duchess.”

  “Duchess!” Julia gasped. “I was thinking more along the lines of Her Royal Bookworm.”

  The rest of the royal family laughed, clearly pleased with Julia’s shocked reaction and relieved to have something happy to share after all Julia had been through.

  Linus lingered in the doorway. Even though he’d known ahead of time about the intended title, he still felt a warm glow as the honor was announced. Julia would make a fine duchess.

  “I don’t deserve—” Julia began.

  “Nonsense,” her sister cut her off, and the other royals joined in with supportive words.

  “I really am honored,” Julia assured them when she could get a word in. “But I don’t need any privileges.”

  Princess Isabelle, King Thaddeus’s sister, cut her off that time. “You need a bodyguard. That’s your right as a titled member of the royal family, and we’re going to insist that you have one everywhere you go until the man who attacked you is apprehended.”

  At the reminder, the room went silent. Julia didn’t protest, but looked around the room meekly until she met Linus’s eyes. He could see the fear she wanted so much to leave behind. But what frightened him even more was the reluctant gratitude that beamed from her.

  He knew how much she hadn’t wanted a bodyguard when she’d arrived in Lydia. She’d even gone so far as to sneak out for a jog on the beach to avoid him. If she was glad to have him now, it could only be for one reason.

  She knew she was in real danger.

  And she trusted him to keep her safe.

  Linus swallowed. He’d do everything he could to deserve that trust. But would it be enough?

  * * *

  Julia felt a surge of gratitude as she watched Linus heft her bag along with his. Still unsteady on her injured leg, she’d cringed at the thought of carrying anything. She’d brought only a single carry-on bag for ease of travel, and left her larger suitcase, along with her laptop and anything else she didn’t absolutely need, back in her suite at the palace. Still, she knew her carry-on was heavy enough, but Linus insisted on doing anything and everything he could to help her, as long as it didn’t require him to leave her sight.

  Maybe it was selfish, but she was so grateful for his attitude and conscientious helpfulness. She was glad, too, that her parents had offered to let them stay at their larger home. That way she wouldn’t have to be in her own house after dark, and Linus could be nearby, in Monica’s childhood bedroom.

  While Linus stowed their carry-on bags in the compartment above, Julia settled herself into her seat for the long flight. She’d dismissed her sister’s offer to send them via private jet or even first class. Her sister might have plans to make her royalty, but Julia didn’t see the need for special treatment.

  It wasn’t until Linus squeezed his wide shoulders into the narrow seat next to hers that Julia doubted her choice. Maybe she fit just fine in coach, but the burly bodyguard could have used a little more legroom for the overnight flight.

  “What?”

  Julia realized as Linus looked at her in confusion that she had her mouth open in a round O. She snapped her mouth closed, then opened it again. “I think we should try to get you a seat in first class.”

  “I think they’re full.”

  “Maybe we can make a switch with somebody.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re squished.” Julia had the seat by the window. There were just two seats on that side of the aisle, and Linus still had one foot and most of his arm sticking out into the walkway. “You’re going to get hit when the beverage cart comes by.”

  “I’ll pull my arm in then.”

  “What if you’re asleep?”

  “I’ll sleep with my arm pulled in.”

  But Julia had already made up her mind. “No, here.” She shifted in her seat until her back was to the window. Then she raised the armrest that had divided the space between them. “You can overflow onto my seat.”

  “I’m not going to take up any of your seat.” As if to prove it, Linus backed farther away, but another passenger passed by and bumped him, so he had to scoot toward her again, but he still didn’t seep past the division between their seats.

  “You have to avoid being injured so you can protect me.”

  It wasn’t until he gave her a long, slow grin that Julia realized she was fluttering her eyelashes at him. Embarrassed, she put the arm rest back up between them. “Fine, have it your way.” She turned to watch out the window and hide the blush that had flown to her cheeks.

  There were plenty of reasons why she should not be flirting with her bodyguard. Although technically she wasn’t flirting with him, just trying to protect him from bodily injury by beverage cart, but those two were quite nearly the same thing. Anyway, it would be all too easy to flirt with him. He was so good-looking and attentive and polite.

  She reminded herself that he was only being attentive because he was paid to watch out for her well-being. And from what she’d seen he was polite to everyone, including a few very grumpy tourists who’d been miffed at him for buying her the last bottle of her favorite flavor of bottled water in one of the airport shops. He’d charmed them both, and she’d gotten to keep her water.

  The man was practically perfect, from his white-toothed smile to his deep olive tan, to his broad muscles and kind words. She had yet to find a single fault with him, other than perhaps that she felt like a bit of a helpless weakling every time he rushed to her aid. Linus was a sweet guy. She couldn’t risk spoiling their easy camaraderie.

  She needed to keep her emotions in check. After all she’d been through, it was no wonder she felt an extra smidgen of attraction toward the handsome guard. But the last thing she wanted to do was make things uncomfortable between them by overstepping the boundaries of their professional relationship.

  She’d have to remember to act like she wasn’t attracted to him.

  Even if she really was.

  * * *

  Linus waited for the duchess to fall asleep before he pulled out his Bible. He needed to read God’s word. He needed reassurance and perspective, without the lawyer’s sweet smile distracting him.

  With a tug on his bookmark, he opened the Bible to the Book of Psalms. He’d been memorizing the Psalms, verse by verse. It was a spiritual discipline that grounded him. With God’s word committed to memory, he was never really without a Bible, even when he was in a dangerous situation such as those he’d faced following the ambush two months before.

  Those had been frightening days, but God had been with him. Even when he wasn’t sure who he could trust—when they’d begun to suspect the head of the royal guard was working against the royal family—Linus had focused on God’s promises in the Psalms, and God had seen them through those trials. Jason had replaced the treasonous head guard, and Linus had been promised a promotion.

  The only catch was, it had been two months, and other than a jump in his paycheck and a shift in duties as Jason had rearranged the royal guard, Linus didn’t have anything to show for his efforts. Though he’d never mentioned it to anyone, he’d have appreciated a ne
w title or even a sentence in the newspaper that he could show to his grandfather—something to let the elderly man know all his prayers over the years hadn’t been wasted.

  Of course, the whole royal family had been ridiculously busy since then, and the guards were swamped. There wasn’t time for titles or petty news releases. Linus understood. He wasn’t complaining.

  Still, he felt a tiny emptiness inside whenever he thought of the risks he’d taken, which seemed to have been forgotten already. Reading and memorizing the Psalms would put his problems in perspective. He was up to the twenty-fifth Psalm. As he worked out the words and committed them to memory, repeating them line by line, he heard God’s reassuring promises echoing down through the ages.

  My God, I trust You. Don’t let me be disgraced. Don’t allow my enemies to defeat me... Lord, tell me Your ways. Show me how to live. Linus made his way slowly through the Psalm, pinching his eyes shut and repeating the words under his breath until he was certain he had them exactly right. He whispered the words like a heartfelt prayer. Protect me and save me. I trust You. Don’t let me be disgraced.

  Disgraced. The last word made him cringe, and he spoke the plea with sincere pleading, forming his own prayer from the words. Lord, don’t let me be disgraced. Don’t let me fail the duchess. He could imagine the many forms disgrace might take. It was one thing to not have his efforts noticed. It would be another thing entirely if his record of faithful service in the royal guard was marred by a failure to keep Julia safe.

  He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He’d never forgive himself if he did.

  That was part of his role as a royal guard that outsiders didn’t seem to fully comprehend. It was more than a job. He felt a mixture of civic pride and honor and devotion that was difficult to explain to someone who didn’t feel the same way.

  He loved the royal family, every last one of them. Not that he expected them to love him back or anything—it wasn’t that kind of love. He and a few of the other guards had discussed it while the royal family was under attack. It was more than the vow they’d taken when they’d become royal guards. They’d risked their lives to restore the crown to the Royal House of Lydia.

  And they’d risk their lives again to protect every member of that household.

  That included the duchess.

  Linus looked over at the sleeping woman who’d pressed herself against the side of the plane to make room for him, and he felt that familiar protective instinct swirling inside him. As he recalled the fear he’d felt when her attacker had struck, Linus strengthened his resolve to keep her safe, and repeated the line from the Psalm on her behalf. Lord, protect her and save her. Don’t let her enemy win.

  * * *

  Julia had spoken by phone with the Seattle police, who’d already been through her house and identified the intruder’s point of entry. Her perpetrator had pried apart the window casings on her three-season porch, which was at the back of the house, out of sight from the street or the neighbors. The intruder had punched through a screen, then knocked out the window between the porch and the main part of the house.

  The investigators had also established a time frame for the break-in based on the thawed food that had been tossed from her freezer. The break-in had most likely taken place within the first twenty-four hours after Julia left for Lydia.

  Which left plenty of time for the perpetrator to finish tearing apart Julia’s house before hopping a plane to Lydia and attacking her on the beach two days after her arrival. If the incidents were related—and she was nearly certain they were—it was entirely possible a single person working alone had been behind everything. It even made sense that the intruder might have spotted the notes she’d left herself as she prepared for her trip and known exactly where to find her.

  The police warned her over the phone that, though they’d completed their analysis of the crime scene, the mess remained. Her job was to note whether anything was missing and let them know.

  Julia’s hand trembled as she put the key in the front door lock.

  When she hesitated to turn the knob, Linus murmured something from behind her.

  “What’s that?” She turned and met his eyes—anything to put off the dreaded visit, if only for a few more seconds.

  “Lord, protect her and save her,” he repeated, his tanned cheeks going a bit red. “It’s from Psalm 25. I was just praying.”

  Julia felt a sudden swell of emotion that surged through her throat, carrying tears to her eyes. She turned away before he could see. “Thank you.” Her words felt insufficient given his thoughtfulness, praying for her precisely when she needed his prayers the most, but she didn’t trust her voice to say any more. Not when she was half a tremble away from reaching for him and burying her head against his shoulder. She knew that such a move would bring her comfort, but it would also vastly complicate their already delicate relationship. It would be all too easy to act on her growing feelings for Linus.

  But then what?

  Mostly likely, she’d embarrass them both. No, too much of her life was in turmoil to add to the upheaval now.

  Instead she turned the doorknob and stepped inside.

  Mary’s description hadn’t done justice to the mess. The pieces of pottery she and her sister had made together years before, which she’d lovingly displayed on the bookshelves on either side of her fireplace, were smashed against the antique tile mantel. Even the tiles had cracks.

  And her books! The intruder had ripped out fistfuls of pages, gutting the cherished volumes. Julia’s hand flew over her mouth.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Linus asked softly.

  Julia nodded, but it took her another few moments to compose herself enough to step farther into the house.

  Her furniture was ruined. The upholstery was slashed, the stuffing spilled out. The rugs that covered her oak floors had been tugged aside, but she smoothed one out and found it otherwise unharmed. At least they hadn’t stabbed through that.

  The kitchen was a disappointment, as well. Every breakable dish lay in shards. The contents of her refrigerator and freezer were strewn about, rotting in rancid puddles. At least her pots and pans had proven durable against the onslaught, though the glass globes of her light fixture were cracked and dangling by the wires.

  “Why?” She started to shake as she turned to face Linus. “Why would someone cause so much damage? If they were looking for something, why did they have to break everything?”

  “They’re just trying to scare you.”

  “Why? It’s like they hate me. Why would someone hate me so much?” She looked at him for a long time, not really expecting an answer. Instead, she found the warmth in his brown eyes comforting, and almost without realizing it, her gaze fell to his strong shoulders. She knew how comforting it would feel to lean on those shoulders again.

  And she felt so helpless.

  “Do you need to step out?” Linus asked after a moment.

  She shook her head, buttressing her resolve to keep her emotional distance from Linus. “I need to look at everything. I’m supposed to determine if anything is missing.” She couldn’t imagine how she’d do that, not when there was so much destruction to sort through first, and the shock to recover from before she would likely recall any small objects that weren’t accounted for.

  Probably the perpetrator had planned it that way—to overwhelm her with the destruction and necessary cleanup, so that she wouldn’t know what he’d come for until it was too late.

  Rather than let that fear paralyze her, Julia took a determined step down the short hallway to the pair of small bedrooms at the rear of the house. The guest bedroom, which doubled as her home office, was relatively stark in its furnishings. The mattress had been turned on its side and punctured, and the bedding was trampled, but otherwise looked undamaged.

  Julia took a steadying breath. Ma
ybe the intruder had grown tired by the time he reached the bedrooms. Maybe her bedroom wouldn’t be so bad.

  She stepped across the hall and flicked on the light, then gasped.

  The destruction was worse here than anywhere else. The bedding had been shredded and tossed aside. Her bed was starkly bare, as if to purposely draw attention to the damage. Julia whimpered when she saw it, and stumbled backward to take hold of the doorway so she wouldn’t pass out.

  Her pillows were riddled with bullet holes.

  SIX

  Linus stepped toward Julia as her knees wavered beneath her. He’d thought for some time that she looked like she needed a hug, but he didn’t feel it was his place to give it, not with the attraction he already felt toward her.

  But he couldn’t let her fall to the floor. There were too many sharp pieces of her broken belongings littered about. She’d be injured.

  He put one arm around her shoulders to support her, and was surprised when she turned to meet him and pressed her face against his shirt.

  For an instant he thought he should back away. Maybe she hadn’t realized he was moving toward her as she moved toward him.

  But she gripped his shirtsleeves and shivered as she fought her reaction to all they’d discovered.

  “You’ve seen it all now,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her, propping her upright, wishing there was something he could do to make her feel better. She’d already made it clear that she didn’t want to lean on him, and yet, her grip on his arms now seemed to be the only thing keeping her on her feet. “Let’s step out for a bit, process what we’ve seen and then come back and look for what might be missing.”

  Julia trembled against him. At first he wasn’t even sure she’d heard what he’d said, but after a few sniffles, she squeaked, “Good plan.”

  But she didn’t move right away. Linus didn’t want to rush her, though he felt she’d recover more quickly if he could get her out of the house. “Is there a place nearby we can go?”