The Playboy Prince (6 page)

Now, she clipped on her pearls and prepared to join the family in the main drawing room. It would be interesting to see them all together, she thought. In that way she could judge the interactions as well as the individuals. Before too much time had passed, she had to know them all as well as she knew herself. One mistake, one bad judgment call, and all could be lost.

“Come back here, you little demon!”

Hannah heard a loud laugh, a thud, then rushing feet. Before she had a chance to open the door to see for herself, it burst open. Barreling through it was a small boy with a thatch of dark hair that may or may not have been combed in the last week. He gave her an amazing grin, showing more than one gap before he scooted under her bed.

“Cachez-moi, s’il vous plaît!”
His voice was muffled by the skirt of the spread before he disappeared.

Hannah opened her mouth again only to see Bennett filling the doorway.

“Did you see a small, miserably mannered boy?”

“I, ah—no,” she decided on the spot and folded her hands. “I did think I heard someone go running past. What are you—”

“Thanks. If you see him, lock him in a closet or something.” He started off down the hall. “Dorian, you nasty little thief, you can’t hide forever.”

Hannah walked to the door and looked out to see Bennett turning the corner before she closed it. Moving back to the bed, she crouched down and lifted the skirt. “I think it’s safe now,” Hannah told him in French.

The dark hair poked out first, then a sturdy little body dressed in short pants and a white linen shirt that were streaked with dirt. If Hannah hadn’t already seen his picture, she would have taken him for one of the servants’ offspring. But he was royal.

“You are English. I speak excellent English.”

“So you do.”

“Thank you for hiding me from my uncle.” Young Prince Dorian bowed. Though he wasn’t yet five, he executed it perfectly. “He was angry, but he doesn’t stay that way long. I’m Prince Dorian.”

“Your Highness.” Hannah curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lady Hannah Rothchild.” Then unable to resist, she bent down to his level. “What did you steal?”

Dorian glanced at the closed door, back at Hannah, then grinned. Digging into his back pocket he pulled out a yo-yo. It might once have been blue, but now it was the gray of old wood with a few chips of brighter paint still holding. Hannah studied it with appropriate respect.

“This is Bennett’s—His Highness’s?” Hannah corrected.

“
Merveilleux, n’est-ce pas?
He’s had it since he was five.” Dorian turned the toy over in his hand, marveling that it had once been new and shiny when his uncle had been just the age he was now. “He gets angry when I go into his room and play with it, but how else am I going to be able to make it work?”

“Good point.” Hannah barely resisted the urge to ruffle the royal head of hair. “And one would doubt he plays with it himself very often.”

“He keeps it on a shelf. It isn’t that he really minds me looking at it,” Dorian explained, loyal to the core. “It’s just that when I try to make it work, the string gets all tangled and knotted up.”

“It takes a little practice.”

“I know.” He grinned again. “And I can only practice if I steal it.”

“Your logic is flawless, Your Highness. May I see?”

Dorian hesitated only a moment, then graciously handed it over. “Girls usually aren’t interested in such things.” He made a grimace of masculine disgust. “My sisters play with dolls.”

“Everyone has different tastes, I suppose.” Hannah slid her finger into the loop, wondering how long it had been since Bennett’s had fit there. The string wasn’t as old as the toy itself. By her guess, it would have been replaced more than a dozen times over the years. On impulse, she let the yo-yo slide down, dangle, then brought it neatly up.

“Oh, nicely done.” Charmed, Dorian watched her with wide eyes.

“Thank you, sir. I used to have one of my own. It was red,” she remembered with a half smile. “Until my dog chewed it up.”

“Can you do any tricks? I tried Round the World once and broke a lamp. Uncle Bennett scolded me, but then he tossed out the pieces himself so no one would know.”

Because she could picture it so well, Hannah smiled. A loud roar, but little bite, she decided and wished she didn’t like him the better for it. “A trick?” As she considered she took the yo-yo up and down. Then, with a quick flick of her wrist took it Round the World. When it snapped back in her palm, Dorian laughed and climbed on her bed.

“Do another, please.”

Calling on memory, Hannah Walked the Dog and had the young prince bouncing on the bed and calling out for more.

“Well done, Lady Hannah,” Bennett said from the doorway. “Obviously you have hidden talents.”

Hannah had to bite off an oath as she brought the yo-yo back. “Your Highness.” Toy in hand, she curtsied. “I didn’t hear you knock.”

“I didn’t.” Bennett pushed away from the doorjamb he was leaning on to walk to the bed. Unrepentant, his nephew grinned up at him.

“Isn’t she wonderful, Uncle Bennett?”

“We’ll discuss the Lady Hannah’s attributes later.” He gave Dorian’s ear a twist before turning around. “My property, if you will.”

Fighting to keep a straight face, Hannah handed it to him.

“This might seem to be nothing more than a simple child’s toy,” Bennett began as he slipped it into his pocket. “But in fact, it’s an heirloom.”

“I see.” She cleared her throat on the laugh, but it escaped anyway. Hoping she looked contrite, she stared at the floor. “I beg your pardon, sir.”

“The hell you do. And he was in here all along wasn’t he?” Bennett pushed his nephew flat on the bed and sent him into a fit of giggles. “You let me go running off all over the palace looking for this petty thief when all the time he was hiding behind your skirts.”

“The bed skirts to be honest, sir.” She had to clear her throat again, but managed to speak calmly. “When you rushed by with so vague a description, I had no idea you were looking for Prince Dorian.”

“I admire a good liar,” Bennett murmured as he moved closer. For the second time he caught her chin in his hand. But for the first time, she saw all of the arrogance he was capable of and felt all of its attraction. “And I grow only more intrigued.”

“Lady Hannah can do a double Round the World.”

“Fascinating.” Bennett slid his hand away slowly as he turned back to his nephew. If he’d listened for it, he might have heard Hannah’s slow sigh of relief. “I thought we had an agreement, Dorian.”

Dorian’s head drooped, but Hannah didn’t notice that the light in his eyes dimmed in the least. “I only wanted to see it. I’m sorry, Uncle Bennett.”

“Sure you are.” Bennett hauled him up by the armpits, scowled, then kissed him soundly. “Your mother’s downstairs. Don’t slide in the halls on the way to the drawing room.”

“All right.” On his feet again, Dorian bowed to Hannah. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Hannah.”

“And you, sir.”

He sent her a gap-toothed grin before he dashed off.

“Sweet talker,” Bennett muttered. “Oh, you might think he’s all charm, but he has a black heart.”

“Strangely enough I was reminded of you.”

With one brow lifted, Bennett rocked back on his heels. “Indeed, my lady, that is strange.”

“He’s a scoundrel, without question. And you love him.”

“That’s beside the point.” Bennett stuck his hand in his pocket. “As to the matter of the yo-yo.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Try to wait until I’m five feet away before you laugh in my face.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.”

“It was a gift from my mother when I was ill one summer. I’ve bought the little devil a dozen of them, but he keeps stealing mine. He knows if I don’t get a son of my own by the time he’s ten I’ll make him a gift of it.”

“I have a redheaded doll my mother gave me when I broke my wrist in a fall. I kept it when I outgrew all the others.”

It wasn’t until he’d taken her hand that she realized she’d told him something he didn’t need to know, something she’d never told anyone else. Even as she warned herself such lapses were dangerous, his lips brushed her fingers.

“You, Lady Hannah, have a kind heart as well as a clever tongue. Come, walk downstairs with me and meet the rest of my family.”

*   *   *

Reeve MacGee would be a formidable obstacle. Hannah had thought so before, but seeing him with his family, she was sure of it. She knew his background from the time he’d entered the police force as a rookie through his less publicized work for the United States government.

His involvement with Cordina and the Royal Family had the ring of romance, but Reeve was no poet. He’d come out of a self-imposed retirement at Prince Armand’s request when Gabriella had been kidnapped. Though she’d escaped, her time in captivity had left its mark. Amnesia had plagued her and Reeve had been enlisted to protect her, and to investigate.

There had been no doubt that Deboque had been pushing the buttons, but though his lover had been
captured and imprisoned, she’d never implicated him. Like other powerful men, Deboque inspired loyalty. Or fear.

During the time that Gabriella was struggling to regain her memory, she and Reeve had fallen in love. Although Reeve had refused to accept a title when they married, he’d agreed to head security in Cordina. Even with Reeve’s experience and skill, the palace had been infiltrated once again.

Two years ago, Alexander had nearly been assassinated. Since that time, Reeve had managed to block any and all attempts on members of the Royal Family. But Deboque was about to walk out of prison. With freedom would come more power.

Hannah watched Reeve now, seeing a quiet, introspective man who plainly adored his wife and children. He would use everything available to protect them from harm. So much the better.

With her hands folded and her skirts smoothed, Hannah sat and listened.

“We all know your play’s going to be a wonderful success.” Gabriella, with her hand caught loosely in Reeve’s, smiled at Eve. Her rich red hair was styled with casual chic around a face that remained delicate and lovely. “That doesn’t mean we don’t understand you have to worry about it.”

“I’m at the point now where I wish it was over.” Eve drew Marissa into her lap.

“But you’re feeling well?”

“I’m feeling fine.” Eve let Marissa climb down again. “Between Alex’s pampering and Hannah’s eagle eye, I can hardly lift a finger without a doctor’s certificate.”

“It’s so good of you to come.” Gabriella smiled at Hannah before she sipped some sparkling water. “I know firsthand how comforting it is to have a friend nearby. Are we keeping you happy enough so that you’re not homesick?”

“I’m very happy in Cordina.” Hannah kept her back straight against the sofa.

“I hope you’ll come out to the farm while you’re here.”

“I’ve heard a great deal about it.” Gabriella had been kidnapped there while it had still been an overgrown plot of land. “I’d love to see it for myself.”

“Then we’ll arrange it.” Reeve spoke quietly as he lit a cigarette. “You’re enjoying your visit so far?”

“Yes, I am.” Their eyes met and held. “Cordina is a fascinating country. It has a fairy-tale aura perhaps, but it’s very real. I’m particularly interested in visiting the museum.”

“I think you’ll find we have some very unusual exhibits,” Armand put in.

“Yes, sir. I did some research before leaving England. I have no doubt that my time in Cordina will be an education.”

Marissa toddled over, still a bit unsteady on her year-old legs, and held her arms up. Hannah placed the child in her lap.

“Your father is well?” Reeve asked her through a haze of smoke.

Hannah jangled her pearls to entertain the baby. “Yes, thank you. It often seems that the older I get, the younger he gets.”

“Families, no matter how large or how small, are often the focus of our lives,” Reeve said quietly.

“Yes, that’s true,” Hannah murmured as she played with the baby. “It’s a pity that families, and life, aren’t as simple as they seem when we’re children.”

Bennett sat relaxed in his chair and wondered why he thought if he could read between the lines, he’d discover a great deal more than small talk.

“I wasn’t aware you knew Hannah’s father, Reeve.”

“Only casually.” When he leaned back, his smile was easy. “I heard that Dorian stole your yo-yo again.”

“I should have locked it in the safe when I heard he was coming.” Bennett patted the slight bulge in his pocket. “I’d have given the little devil a run for his money, but he had an accomplice.” He turned his head to look at Hannah.

“I’ll have to apologize for my son,” Gabriella’s lips curved as she lifted her glass again. “For drawing you into his crime, Lady Hannah.”

“On the contrary. I enjoyed it. Prince Dorian is charming.”

“We call him other things at home,” Reeve murmured. The woman was a mystery, he thought. The harder
he looked for chinks, the fewer flaws he saw. “With that in mind, I think I’ll go out and look for the bunch of them. Adrienne’s at the age where you can’t be sure she’ll mind them or urge them to wade in the fountain.”

Bennett glanced toward the terrace doors. “God knows what havoc they might have wrought in the last twenty minutes.”

“Wait until you have your own.” Eve rose to take Marissa from Hannah. “You’ll spoil them rotten. If you’ll excuse me, I want to go up and feed Marissa.”

“I’ll go with you.” Gabriella set her glass aside. “I thought we might talk over the plans for the Christmas Ball. You know I want to help as much as I can.”

“Thank God I don’t have to beg. No, Hannah, please, sit and relax,” Eve continued as Hannah started to stand. “We won’t be long.”

“See that you’re not.” Bennett took out the yo-yo to pass it from hand to hand. “Dinner’s in an hour.”

“We all know your priorities, Ben.” Eve bent to kiss his cheek before she left the room.

“I could use a walk myself.” Rising, Alexander nodded to Reeve. “I’ll help you round up the children.” They were barely out the terrace doors when a servant appeared in the doorway.

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness. A call from Paris.”