Always a Princess (22 page)

“Not all along,” Lady Farnham said. “But we couldn’t help suspecting something wasn’t as it seemed when the two of you disappeared on the very night Chumley almost caught the Orchid Thief.”

Philip rubbed the back of his neck and turned a bright shade of pink. “It appears I’m not as clever as I thought.”

“We’re your parents, dear, but we’re not stupid,” Lady Farnham said.

“After that, we sent word to Valdastok to inquire after the princess,” Lord Farnham added.

“So, you knew,” Eve said. For a moment, her voice failed her. “You knew I’d been deceiving you?”

“Yes, dear. We knew,” Lady Farnham said.

“You knew,” Eve repeated mindlessly. “You knew I wasn’t a princess, and still you showed me such kindness.”

“You’re always a princess to us, Eve,” Philip said.

Neither of the elder Rosemonts said anything. They just smiled at her the way they’d been smiling at her ever since she moved into their house. They truly did care for her. Another impossibility come true.

“We decided to play along with whatever game you and Philip had dreamed up,” Lady Farnham said. “It seemed the only way to settle things so that the two of you could be together.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Philip said. “You two have been almost as duplicitous as I have.”

“This whole affair has taken a few years off my life,” Lord Farnham added. “I hope you meant it when you told Chumley you were done with stealing.”

“You have my word as a gentleman,” Philip said.

Lord Farnham gave his son a very stern look.

“You have my word, in any case,” Philip said.

“Now, that’s settled,” Lady Farnham said. “Philip, you’ll marry the princess and take her abroad for a cure.”

“Splendid,” Philip said. “China. She can stare at the Great Wall and eat spicy food. That ought to fix her nerves.”

“You’ll do no such thing. You have obligations now.” Lady Farnham looked at her son as if he were the lunatic.

“You’re right, of course,” Philip said. “We’ll go to Geneva. Lots of doctors there.”

“Then she can return here, go into seclusion for a time and emerge a proper English lady,” Lady Farnham said. “Yes, that should work.”

“By then everyone will have forgotten about Valdastok,” his father added. “Even if Chumley should investigate in Europe, the whole affair will be over and done with.”

“Mother, Father, you’re perfectly devious,” Philip said.

“Yes, we know, dear,” Lady Farnham said.

“Lady Farnham,” Eve said. “You truly want me to marry your son?”

Lady Farnham touched Eve’s cheek and smiled at her. “Yes, I do.”

“But why?”

“You make him happy, my dear. All his life, he’s been such a restless soul. Forever gone here and there. We always understood. But then, Andrew died, and we were so lonely for our children.” Lady Farnham’s eyes misted over, even as she continued smiling. “You’ll keep him here with us.”

Lord Farnham wiped at his nose and cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad we have all that settled finally.”

“A very small ceremony under the circumstances,” Lady Farnham said. “The vicar here and just a few friends. Reginald, you can give the bride away, and we can pick some flowers from the garden.”

“You’re only forgetting one thing, Mother,” Philip said. “Eve hasn’t agreed to marry me.”

“Have you asked her?” Lord Farnham said.

“Of course I have,” Philip said.

“Well, ask her again, you fool,” Lord Farnham said.

Philip got a very sheepish look on his face, the very mischievous smile she’d come to love. He walked to her and dropped to one knee, finally taking her hand in his.

“Miss Stanhope,” he began and then cleared his throat. “I’ve admired you greatly since first we met. In the past months, that admiration has grown into very tender feelings. Feelings I hardly dare hope you can return.”

“I can, Lord Wesley,” Eve said.

“I find that life without you by my side would be intolerable, and it’s my greatest wish that you think me worthy to spend the rest of your days with me.”

“I do.”

“Then, dear lady, I ask that you do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

She looked into his handsome face—the face that had deviled her and cherished her and stolen her heart—and she could scarcely find her voice.

“I will,” she said. “I will marry you.”

The bracing wind and tang of salt in the air almost convinced Philip that he’d headed for the Orient again. But this was only a channel crossing and their destination merely Switzerland. Still, it felt good to be moving.

More than anything else, it felt good to stare at his wife where she stood gazing over the rail of the ship as France grew larger and larger in the distance. A small bundle of fire and beauty—a jewel in her own right—Eve would provide all the adventure he’d need for years and years to come. He could have her in his bed whenever he wanted now. And in the garden. And in the wine cellar, although keeping warm there had proved a bit of a challenge. He could have her on a rooftop, if he wanted, and he might just want that one of these days. Whenever he wanted excitement now, he only needed to seek out his wife.

Right this moment, he only wanted her in his embrace. So he walked to where she stood and slid his arms around her from behind.

“Careful how you do that,” she said, still looking out over the channel. “My husband may catch us.”

“Minx,” he said and bit her earlobe.

She laughed and wiggled her pretty, little rear against him. After the night before—all the nights before—he really ought to be too spent to entertain any lustful ideas. But for this woman and her pretty little rear, Priapus could perform superhuman feats. In fact, he might perform one right now.

Philip nibbled on Eve’s earlobe a moment more and then placed a kiss under her jaw.

Her breath caught and then came out on a sigh. “Why, Lord Wesley, what will the rest of the passengers think if you continue behaving so lewdly?”

“They’ll think that I’m hopelessly, perversely, eternally besotted with my wife, Lady Wesley.”

“Then please continue.”

He laughed at that. All the joy inside him wouldn’t quite fit, it seemed, and it kept bubbling out in laughter. He was beginning to look rather odd to the rest of the passengers. But he wouldn’t change a thing. Except perhaps just one.

“I say, what would you think if we slipped our tether and went on to China?” he said.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “It would break your mother’s heart. She’s my mother now, too, so don’t you dare do anything to hurt her.”

“You’re right, of course.”

“Are you terribly sorry that we can’t go on?” she asked.

“No,” he said, and amazingly, that was true. “We’ll go later, when our children are grown.”

“Children?” she repeated.

“My mother—our mother—will insist on grandchildren and an heir for me. You wouldn’t want to hurt her.”

She sighed happily. “It all seems like a fantasy, as if I went to sleep a peasant girl and woke up a princess.”

He turned her in his arms. “I’m afraid I can only make you a countess.”

“That’s far better, I think, as long as you can make it last for a long, long time.”

“For the rest of our lives.” He bent and kissed her, savoring the sweetness of her mouth and enjoying the pressure of her body against him much more than was wise.

After a blissful moment, she pulled back and studied his face. “So, tell me…where did you hide all those jewels? I searched the house thoroughly.”

“I don’t think I’ll tell you. I may need to hide something from you again. Say, an enormous diamond for our fiftieth wedding anniversary.”

She gave him a peevish look that wasn’t the least bit convincing as her eyes twinkled with amusement.

“However,” he said. “If you ever really want to find where I’ve hidden something, you might try looking in the pots with my orchids.”

“Flower pots,” she said. “You put fabulous jewels in with the roots and the compost?”

“They were perfectly safe and secure. Even a master thief like you couldn’t find them.”

“Devious man.”

He kissed her again, sweetly.

“Delicious man,” she whispered. She kissed him back, not quite as sweetly. “Devilish, irresistible man.”

“Now, about those children,” he said, pulling her firmly against him. “Do you suppose we might find a private place on this ship and start in on getting me an heir?”

“I suppose we might. Let’s try.”

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