Her Every Pleasure (18 page)

Caught up as Sophia was in answering her letters, her brow furrowed with determined concentration, her blond companion noticed Gabriel’s arrival first.

The girl’s gaze flicked over him from head to foot. At once, she tossed her shiny golden tresses behind her shoulders as he approached, but Gabriel ignored the familiar feminine signal, sparing the curvy young blonde naught but a polite nod, and keeping his cynicism to himself. He’d been getting that look from women all of his life, but had long since bored of idle, ornamental females.

By contrast, there was Sophia, full of fire and youthful intensity, caught up in her hundred projects, and passionate about every one. Her silk lavender gown looked so pretty on her that Gabriel could barely take his eyes off her. Striding toward the ladies, he was captivated by the soft stray curl that had escaped her loose coif and hung down to frame her face.

He longed to brush it back gently for her, but of course he could not touch her. He was not a prince.

Perhaps she felt his stare, for she looked over and a beaming smile burst across her face when she saw him.

She quickly beckoned him over, trying not to disturb the little dog’s nap. “Major, good day! Sorry—I mean
Colonel,
” she corrected herself in a jaunty tone as Gabriel joined her and offered a bow.

“Your Highness.” Warmly glad to see her, he held her gaze a moment longer than he ought before abruptly recalling the purpose of his visit. “Your Highness, we shall need to take a walk-through of the palace in preparation for the ball. Would this be an inconvenient time?”

“Not at all.”

“Shall we?” He offered her his hand to assist her from her seat.

The blonde cleared her throat with a delicate little cough, but again Sophia did not see fit to introduce them. Blithely ignoring the hint, she gave the little dog a cuddle, then handed it off to her friend, who sputtered in surprise. Accepting Gabriel’s offered hand, the princess rose from her seat and joined him.

“What have you been doing today?” she asked with a playful sideward glance as they walked out of the morning room together.

“A thousand things. Er, Sophia,” he said in a low tone as she took his arm, tucking her hand through the angle of his elbow. “Are you quite sure it’s wise for you to do that?”

“Don’t you like escorting me?”

“People will talk,” he murmured.

“Off with their heads!” she answered lightly.

He gave her a sardonic look; she laughed.

But then she surprised him, releasing his arm with an obedient little pat. She gave him a meaningful look.

“As you wish,” she whispered.

This degree of cooperation took him off guard.

Gabriel furrowed his brow. But Sophia merely clasped her hands behind her back and strolled along by his side like the model of demure propriety that he knew she most certainly was not.

She was trying.

Last night, she had lain awake, and tossed and turned in her bed trying to reconcile herself to this new arrangement with Gabriel. She should be happy.

She
was.

She was grateful with every atom of her being for his willingness to join her cause, and so touched by his noble unselfishness. He had forgiven her for her lies and accepted that they had been necessary. There was no doubt in Sophia’s mind that he would keep her safe.

At the same time, having this handsome, charismatic man so close—but completely off limits to her—was a sweet sort of torture. She had wanted him with her, craving his solid strength at her back now that Leon was gone, but she had not foreseen how his nearness would pain her. How it would make her acutely aware that all her wealth and power could not buy her the one thing she craved.

True love.

Gabriel’s gentle gaze and striking smile made her all the more sharply aware of what her duty was costing her, all the more cognizant of the womanly needs in her that would have to go unmet. What could she do? He had explained that emotional entanglements would only make his job harder. If he was putting himself on the line for her, the least she owed her new chief bodyguard was her full cooperation.

And so, friends it was.

She was used to getting her way, but not this time.

Friendship would have to be enough, and by God, she’d be grateful for that, too. Never mind the fact that every time she looked at the man, she wanted to tumble him down onto the nearest piece of furniture and have her wicked way with him. Not for the world would she make his role any more dangerous for him than it already was.

Besides, Sophia understood that these feelings were also dangerous for her. Falling in love, if that’s what this was, was hazardous for any woman ruler. To be sure, it was how Cleopatra had gotten herself into trouble, losing her head over a handsome soldier.

It could lead to losing everything if she was not careful. After all, Gabriel had a commanding presence, an aura of natural leadership. As a seasoned officer, he was used to the mantle of authority and, truthfully, more accustomed to having the responsibility for people’s lives on his broad shoulders than she was.

Too, she was well aware that Lord Griffith and the other Foreign Office magnates already took her less than seriously, much to her chagrin. It would be all too easy for them to start ignoring her and simply deal with Gabriel, a strong and worldly male of aristocratic descent, and one of their own.

Sooner or later, it might occur to her darling head of security that he could become the one in charge if he played his cards right.

Not that she didn’t trust him. He was far more sincere with her than any other male with a romantic interest had ever been before. It was merely a matter of having studied history well as part of her royal education. Men would always be men.

For now, thankfully, there was no threat of a power struggle between them.

Friend-like, they walked through the security procedures for the night of the Grecian Gala.

Preparing for another round of possible violence during her fund-raiser ball ought to have been a grim and somber activity, but she enjoyed his company so much that the mood somehow stayed light.

Jesting and laughing together with idle banter as they went about their duties, they studiously refrained from the slightest physical contact. This was wise, especially considering all the courtiers and ladies they passed dotting the hallways and salons. Those palace parasites loved their gossip, but Gabriel and Sophia walked right past them as they bowed and curtsied.

For her part, Sophia privately rejoiced that at last someone had arrived who treated her like a normal human being. With Gabriel’s strict refusal yesterday to become her lover, she had feared she would be imprisoned once again in her royal role, thrust back into her isolation as always, but this wasn’t so bad. Friendship was better than nothing.

Starting from the ballroom where the party would be held, they walked off three different exit routes she could use if trouble reared its ugly head during the festivities.

“One more,” Gabriel informed her as they headed back to the ballroom so he could show the fourth and final way out that he had planned for her. “I’ve saved the most interesting of your escape routes for last.”

“Really?”

“Come.”

Once more, they were off. This time, he showed her through the vast kitchens and down a shallow flight of stairs into the castle’s ancient cellars.

“Oh, my.” She drew closer to him instinctively as they descended into an eerie subterranean maze dimly lit by glowing lanterns; massive storage racks loaded with barrels and crates seemed to stretch for an acre underground.

“When you come to the bottom of the steps, the first thing you’ll do is grab that lantern off the peg,” he said, pointing to it. “You’re going to need it to be able to see down here. It’s very dark.”

“And nasty,” she muttered. When he gestured again to the lantern, she obediently went and collected it.

“Follow me.” He marched on, straight ahead.

With the lantern in one hand, she lifted the hem of her skirts off the dirty ground with the other, and grimaced as a rat scampered by through the shadows.

“Stop,” Gabriel said. “Now, turn around and look back.”

She did.

“Right, so when you come to the bottom of the steps, you take your lantern, go straight ahead—don’t start wandering around or you’ll get lost, especially if you’re panicked.”

“I won’t panic,” she assured him.

“No, I don’t imagine you would,” he agreed, slanting her a brisk but admiring glance. “Your guards told me how you acquitted yourself in the carriage the night of the attack. Well done. In any case—go straight ahead and count off ten of these racks, then turn right. Come.” He took the lantern from her and led the way into the darkness.

She followed him down the shadowy aisle between the tall, looming storage racks, then Gabriel stopped as they approached the ancient wall. A few feet from it, a row of three barrels stood on end; he pointed at the ground behind the barrels. “Take a look.”

Moving closer, she saw that the upended barrels concealed a little trapdoor with a leather strap for a handle. As he bent down to pull the trapdoor open, Sophia watched him, mystified by the change in his demeanor. All of his weighty new duties seemed to invigorate him.

“Some medieval baron must have dreamed this up six hundred years ago,” he remarked. “You’ll go right down the ladder.” As Sophia crouched down beside him, he opened the door, revealing the entrance to a pitch-black hole that led straight down.

“Oh, dear,” she murmured.

He lowered the lantern, illuminating the ladder that led down into the darkness. “The captain of the gatehouse told me this tunnel is one of the castle’s original secret passageways. Only a handful of people are aware of its existence. Your Highness is asked by the Regent not to reveal it to anyone,” he added.

She nodded. “Of course.”

“This will be your exit of last resort. I’ve already been down there and checked it thoroughly. It’s still structurally sound, so you don’t have to worry about it collapsing on you.”

“Comforting.” She peered down, not liking the look of that dank, spidery hole one bit.

“The tunnel goes for a quarter mile underground and comes up inside the stable complex. If we need to go to the highest alert, this is the route you will take. We’ll have men stationed by the stables with a carriage at the ready to get you out of here with all possible haste.”

“Can we go now?” She brushed the trace of a cobweb off her arm and shivered. “I don’t like it down here.”

“We can, if you’re clear on all this.”

“Of course.” She heaved a sigh as she straightened up again.

He closed the trapdoor and stood, dusting off his hands. He passed an assessing gaze over her face. “Something wrong?”

“Do you really think they’re going to attack me at the ball? They’d have to be insane.”

“I don’t plan on trusting in their sanity.”

“It seems to me they’re more likely to set up another ambush when it’s time for us to travel to the coast to board the ship that will be taking us to Kavros.”

“You may be right. Perhaps I am being overcautious. But better safe than sorry. Let’s get through the ball first, then we’ll deal with what comes next.”

“Yes,” she sighed. “I suppose.”

“Come.” To her surprise, he touched her then, taking her elbow and shepherding her gently out of the gloom.

At the base of the wide cellar stairs, he paused to hang the lantern back on its hook, then he turned back to her with a somber stare. “I’m sorry if all this was too much at once. I didn’t mean to scare you—”

“It’s all right. I’m used to it, believe me.” She shrugged. “I’ve been living this way since I was a wee girl.”

“Still, it would be unpleasant for anyone.”

“Thanks for caring,” she murmured, offering him a fond smile.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” he assured her, stepping closer. “This gala is going to be your big night. You just concentrate on having fun and charming the guests into donating generously to Kavros.” He slid his hands into his pockets as he gazed at her, the lantern’s flickering glow sculpting his chiseled face. “Leave the worrying to me.”

“All right.” She lifted her eyebrows. “But you
are
going to dance with me at the ball, aren’t you?”

He stared at her for a moment, regret flickering behind his eyes. “I’m going to be on duty,” he said softly.

Her hopes fell at his gentle reminder of the gap between them; Gabriel looked away.

The silence that followed was excruciating.

He cleared his throat, then swept a gentlemanly gesture toward the stairs. She lifted the hem of her lavender skirts a bit and climbed the stairs ahead of him. Behind her, she could have sworn she felt his stare on her curves. It made her body tingle with awareness. But perhaps she was only imagining it, for he seemed to possess the self-discipline of eight saints combined.

At the top of the cellar stairs, they walked back through the kitchens. Gabriel kept his gaze fixed straight ahead.

“So, what are you going to do now?” she inquired.

“I’ve asked your guards to ride out with me and show me the place where your party was ambushed. I want to comb the site to see if I can find any clues about who was behind this.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m coming with you!”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” she exclaimed.

“There could still be danger.”

“They’re not going to strike twice in the same place, surely. I’ll change into my riding habit and wear a net veil over my hat, will that satisfy you?”

Tenderness crept into the sapphire depths of his eyes as he held her gaze. “Another disguise?”

“When needed,” she replied with a smile.

Still, he frowned. “Are you really sure you’re up to this? The men told me what you went through that night. In truth, it would probably be helpful to have you there and get your perspective on how it all happened, but I would not ask you to face that place again unless you really felt you could.”

Sophia moved closer to him. “If you’re there, I can.”