Her Every Pleasure Part 25

Code. Trouble.

Quickly chasing away her fearful look, she rose smoothly and smiled at her lady-in-waiting. "You know how particular I am that my guests should be treated to a proper sampling of Greek pastries, Alexa. They must be flaky, but with not too much b.u.t.ter. It is a point of national pride."

"Right," Alexa said abruptly.

"I must go at once to the kitchens and see my, um, very talented chef about this matter. You know how hard it is to secure the talents of Europe's finest."

"But of course."

She nodded to him. "Your Highness, if you will excuse me."

"Princess." He bowed to her.

"Ah, Alexa, come with me." She paused, turned back, and crooked a finger at her flirtatious friend. She was not about to leave Alexa with all her loose morals behind to throw herself at the Crown Prince and make him doubt her character by a.s.sociation.

The captain gestured to her. "This way, Your Highness, if you will."

Seeing her on the move, her Greek bodyguards accompanied her, holding their loose formation around her and Alexa.

"What's all this about the silly pastries?" her friend whispered. "Were you just trying to get away from him?"

"No, it's just a code Gabriel invented to let me know if there was trouble without alarming the guests."

"Trouble?" Alexa gripped her arm and paled. "What sort of trouble? You don't think-"

"Hush. We're about to find out. Don't worry, just be calm. Colonel Knight will keep us safe."

"You trust him so much?" Alexa retorted.

Sophia paused and glanced at her. "With my life."

Then they hurried on, pa.s.sing into the private service areas of the castle's main floor. The captain led them through the kitchens and down to the wine-cellar level, but they did not go the way that Gabriel had showed her that day, over by the old escape tunnel. Instead, they went down another dank, torch-lit corridor, until they came to a dead end, where a dozen British soldiers were arrayed around a thick, closed door.

Gabriel stood in the middle of all the soldiers, waiting for them.

Sophia rushed toward him. "What has happened, Colonel?"

"Everyone, stay calm," he ordered in an even tone. "Rest a.s.sured; I have everything in hand."

Sophia sent Alexa a pointed smile as if to say, See?

"Has there been an incident?"

"We've captured one of the attackers from the night of the ambush."

She and all her Greeks responded with a collective gasp.

Then Timo stepped forward instantly, fists clenched. "Let me at him!"

"And me!" said Yannis.

"Gentlemen," Gabriel warned, holding up his hand. "You will remain. The prisoner is bound and secured in the room behind me. I am going to question this blackguard at length, and believe me, I will make sure to tell you everything I've found out once I am through with him."

"What if he won't talk?" Demetrius challenged with a dark look, cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, believe me, there are tricks I learned in India that will make this villain sing."

Alexa gulped and took a backward step, her eyes wide.

Sophia ignored her, moving forward with ice in her veins. "I want to see him."

"Your Highness, I don't think that's a good idea-"

"He killed Leon!" she cried angrily, lurching forward. "Out of my way-you!" she ordered the British soldiers guarding the door. "I want a word with him. Now!"

"Very well," Gabriel conceded softly, coming up beside her. "But only for a moment. Men." He nodded to his British soldiers, who parted to admit them into the adjoining room.

They blocked the door again after Gabriel and she had stepped inside. The colonel went ahead of her, but the second Sophia spotted the shadowed silhouette of a man on a chair in the corner, bound and gagged, his hands tied behind him, she reached under her skirts and slid out her knife with lethal intent.

As Gabriel turned to her, she sprang at the prisoner with her knife lifted over his face.

Gabriel swore and grabbed her wrist. "What are you doing?" he shouted.

"I'm going to kill him!" she cried.

"No, you're not! Drop it, Sophia!" he ordered as she fought him. "I said drop it now!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" She looked at him accusingly, tears rus.h.i.+ng into her eyes. "You're not my husband-you're just my bodyguard!"

"Put it...down," he ordered her through gritted teeth, his face inches from hers. "Sophia, listen to me. He's not involved," he whispered fiercely. "This is a ruse."

She blinked through her tears. "What?"

"We caught him outside, but his being here has nothing to do with you. He's a wild-eyed Jacobin with a bag of hand grenades. He wants to kill the prime minister, not you. The man's deranged."

"But-you said-"

"I lied. Sweetheart, give me the knife."

The velvet caress in his voice at the endearment made her quiver, his gentleness overpowered her more than all of his warrior strength could have done. Slowly, she released her grip on the knife and fought him no more, letting him take it.

She glanced at the prisoner and saw him staring at her, whimpering through the gag. She wrapped her arms around herself with a chill and looked away, wondering if she really could have stabbed a defenseless man.

Gabriel put the knife on the other side of the room, well out of the bound prisoner's reach, and then came over to her with a light touch on her elbow. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, avoiding his searching gaze. "What did you mean," she uttered in a shaky tone, "by a ruse?"

"When we intercepted him, I knew he was the perfect tool to use against anyone in your entourage who might want to do you harm."

She pulled away. "Oh, do not speak of that again!"

Gabriel just gave her a stoic look as he rested his hands on his waist. "Right now, all of your Greek guards think we've caught one of the attackers. If any of them are involved, this lie should force them to tip their hand. I've talked to the captain. He's got his men in place, and we're going to see what your Greeks do about this development, how they react to this information. With all eyes on you for the ball, this would be the safest time to try it."

"My men have nothing to hide," she whispered with a little less conviction than she had previously felt.

"Then they have nothing to fear," he answered. "Just let me test them."

"Very well, if that's the only way you'll be convinced."

"All that matters to me is keeping you safe."

His quiet words made her heart clench. She dropped her gaze once more. "Do what you must. I will uphold this lie."

"Sophia," he said softly as she started toward the door. "You make a wonderful Aphrodite."

She paused, glancing over her shoulder with a guarded half smile. "Thanks. But I'm actually supposed to be Artemis."

His eyebrow lifted. "The huntress virgin?" he murmured with a dubious grin.

She blushed slightly. She supposed he had cause to regard her as less than virginal, but it was only this man who had that effect on her. With a tentative smile, she turned once more to go.

"Did you enjoy your dance with the prince?" he asked from behind her.

His soft-toned question stopped her in her tracks, but she did not turn around.

"At least he asked me."

"I hear he's looking for another wife."

"I heard that, too." Her heart was pounding so loud she thought that all the guests upstairs would surely hear it through the castle's stone.

"But are you looking for a husband?"

She stared hopelessly at the formidable wall before her. "I don't know," she breathed, acutely aware of him behind her. "He dances well-though he seems a little paranoid."

"Surely you don't want him, then."

"Since when has what I want ever entered into the equation?" she uttered under her breath.

But Gabriel must have heard, for in the next instant, he was behind her, his body radiating heat as he grasped her waist and turned her around. "Sophia-"

"Don't." She tried to push him away, but it was no use.

He pulled her into his arms behind the prisoner's line of sight and claimed her mouth in ravis.h.i.+ng hunger. He captured her nape as he kissed her in a firestorm of what she quite believed was jealous pa.s.sion, clenching her to him. His mouth slanted over hers in possessive demand, taking what she so longed to give. She parted her lips eagerly to devour his kiss, molding her hands over his broad shoulders. He tightened his arm around her waist.

Gathering her closer still while his tongue caressed hers, he drew her body against his, so warm and strong, but when she felt the tautening length of his arousal hardening against her stomach, Sophia reluctantly pulled away.

This was too scandalous, feasting on each other like this in what was nearly a dungeon. "That's enough." She backed him off; he let her go, breathing hard.

Light-headed with the pleasure that had flooded her body, she took a few dizzied paces away from him. She deemed it prudent to put a safe distance between them, for she could barely resist the still magnetic pull of his heaving pa.s.sion. She could feel him burning from across the cold, dank cell. She closed her eyes.

I want you, too.

A m.u.f.fled protest from the prisoner jerked them both back to reality. Seated several feet away, his hands manacled behind the chair, the Jacobin was trying to turn around to see what they were doing.

"I, ah, I'd better tell the others what's afoot," Sophia murmured. "Your version of it, anyway."

Head down, hands on his waist, Gabriel was still panting, his glance like that of a hungry wolf as he sent her a quick nod of agreement.

She swallowed hard, her heart still racing, then she turned away, and let herself back out of the room.

Gabriel followed a moment later, after getting himself a bit better under control.

Outside the door, the members of her entourage stood waiting anxiously for her. Sophia hated lying to them, but she knew she had to let Gabriel have his way on this. Glancing around at their dear, familiar faces, she still could not bring herself to believe that any of them could be false.

At least this experiment would clear them of any taint of guilt for once and for all. And then things could go back to normal.

"It's true," she told her waiting friends with a firm nod. "We've got one of these monsters in custody. We'll know who's really after me soon."

Without daring to glance back at her head of security, she headed back to the ball. Four hundred guests were waiting, and it was nearly time to make her toast.

Alexa watched Sophia pa.s.s, her heart in her throat.

The men were murmuring amongst themselves in Greek, but she was barely paying attention, her mind reeling in pure dread.

How could this happen? How could one of the Tunisian's men have allowed himself to be captured?

Dear G.o.d, she thought in panic, what was she to do if he exposed her? To be sure, it was only a matter of time. Colonel Knight would torture it out of him. She'd be arrested. Put on trial. She would have to face Sophia, and then she'd be hanged for a traitor.

Fear spiraled out of control.

The Greek bodyguards paid her no mind, frowning at the half-dozen British soldiers who stepped in to accompany the princess now, packed in densely around her in formation. Colonel Knight gave them some instructions, but Alexa paid no heed. She had to figure out what to do or she was dead.

She nearly leapt out of her skin when Sophia turned back and called to her. "Lex, are you coming with me?"

"Oh, yes, I-do you wish me to, Your Highness?"

Sophia shrugged. "It's your choice."

"I will come." She leapt to get near her royal guardian. Close to Sophia, no one would suspect her.

Alexa fell into step beside her mistress, taking protection from the person she meant to betray.

Oh, how she hated herself.

Alexa wanted to fall down screaming, but somehow she kept herself together and hurried along beside the princess.

"Try not to be too upset," Sophia sought to comfort her, her determined stare fixed straight ahead. "Colonel Knight has everything in order. We don't wish to upset our guests."