Page 4 of Second Chance Prince
Roberta was deciding what she should wear to the picnic with Estelle when she was informed by a maid that Mr. Freddie Hart was awaiting her in the yellow sitting room.
Alarmed—this must be something to do with last night—she quickly changed and went down to see what he wanted. She wasn’t surprised to find Gabriel there too. He and Freddie were fast friends. They looked up as she entered the room, and theirexpressions did not suggest they had been reminiscing about happier times. In fact, Gabriel was frowning, and Freddie’s hazel eyes had a watchfulness about them that only increased her unease.
“There you are, Roberta!” Gabriel said. He opened his mouth as if to ask her where she had been this early in the morning and then seemed to think better of it. She and Gabriel had come to an understanding. In public, she kept any reckless behavior carefully confined beneath an outer shell of “elegant young lady,” and Gabriel did not ask any questions about what she’d been up to in private.
For a man with six sisters, it was probably the only way his nerves could survive.
“What is it?” she asked, looking from one to the other. The two mendidlook very serious. “Has the prince taken a turn for the worse, Gabriel?”
“No, no, it is nothing like that,” Gabriel hastily reassured her. “Although Freddie is here to discuss a matter with you regarding the prince—”
“His Royal Highness, Prince Nikolai Lichtenberg, Duke of Holtswig,” Freddie broke in, giving the man his full title.
Roberta sat down abruptly on the sofa and stared at them as they also returned to their seats, facing her. The house was quiet, it was still early, and this moment suddenly struck Roberta as very strange. She rarely heard Niki’s name spoken like that. To her and her family, he had been simply Niki or Prince Nikolai, but she was reminded now that he had a life outside his encounters with the Ashtons. A life she knew very little about.
“How is the prince?” she said. “His injury—”
“Hale and hearty, so he says.” Freddie’s smile held a hint of mockery. “The truth is, no matter how hard he tries to put ona brave face, he’s worried. And so is the British government. Which means I’m worried too because it will be my job to sort out the mess if something happens to him.”
“‘If something happens to him’?” she repeated, her voice higher than usual. She remembered the look in Niki’s eyes, the trickle of blood at his temple. “Do you mean they might try again?”
Freddie leaned forward with his hands linked between his knees. “Let me explain. The Lichtenberg family have ruled Holtswig for generations, but since the prince’s grandfather died a year ago, there has been growing unrest. Under Nikolai’s grandfather and father, the country was rapidly modernized—for the good of the people, I might add—but there are those who wish to return to the old ways. These dissenters believe Nikolai should not be the next one to rule his country, that his family’s dynasty should come to an end, and their voices are growing louder.”
“But he is the heir!” Roberta cried. “Is that what happened last night? Did these dissenters who disagree with his right to rule try to—to hurt him?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“But…What are you going to do about it?”
Gabriel gave a huff of laughter. “For goodness’ sake, Roberta, let Freddie speak.”
Freddie’s hair was particularly bright in the dull light that came through the windows. When she first knew him, he had been in the army, but since then he had been seconded to a secret government department, and no one seemed to know exactly what his job entailed. He had given up his uniform and now dressed in formal wear, plain but elegant, and Roberta thought that he looked like someone you could depend upon in a crisis. Three years ago,he had helped extract Olivia’s husband, Ivo, from a tricky situation, and they were all grateful to him for that, so she should not be surprised he was the one looking into Niki’s troubles.
“The prince and I have spoken,” Freddie began, when he had her attention. “At first, he refused help from our government because he felt as if it would weaken his position with his people even further—relying on a foreign power, you see. But we came to an agreement. The reason why I am here is that our agreement concernsyou, Roberta.”
“Me?” She stared. “Why me?”
“The prince expects to be in England for three months. While he is here, he needs protection, but he is reluctant to agree. He has brought his own bodyguards with him from Holtswig, but they are unfamiliar with this country. It was suggested to him that if he was engaged to an English girl, then protection could come from our government, disguised as assigned to her.”
“Engaged?” Roberta knew she must look as shocked as she felt. Nikiengaged? She wasn’t sure exactly what she was feeling—jealousy, perhaps, and certainly disappointment, although those emotions seemed out of place for a woman who claimed she did not wish to marry and had long ago moved beyond her infatuation with the prince.
“It was not easy to get his agreement,” Freddie went on, watching her closely. “At first, he was dead against the engagement idea, and it was only when your name was put to him that he stopped arguing. You are friends, I gather?”
“Friends?” She floundered. “I don’t…We are acquaintances, I suppose. What do you mean, when my name was put to him?”
Freddie and Gabriel exchanged a glance. Gabriel gave a sigh asif the weight of the world had descended on him. “Roberta, I don’t entirely agree with this plan of Freddie’s,” he said. “If you feel the same way, then I promise you will hear no more of it. It may be a clever way of getting the prince to agree to accept the British government’s protection, but in my opinion, there are too many things that could go wrong. When I think of you being placed in a position where you could be hurt, or worse…” He waved a hand as if it was too painful for him to speak of it. He took a breath and went on. “But I know you have a mind of your own, and I have learned to trust you. Most of the time, anyway,” he added with a faint smile. “So I will abide by your decision in the matter.”
Roberta was touched by his care of her, but at the same time, the thought of being part of a dangerous adventure appealed far more than she knew it should. But then Roberta had always been an adventurous sort.
“If you’d let me finish,” Freddie spoke loudly with a frown at his friend as he retook the floor. “The plan I put to the government is that you undertake a sham engagement with Prince Nikolai. All we’ll need is three months—that is, the time he intends to remain in London—and then he’ll return to Holtswig.”
By now, Roberta was speechless but Freddie certainly wasn’t.
“I am aware the announcement of such an engagement would seem quite sudden, but you and he met some years ago, and the Dowager Duchess of Grantham was a friend of the prince’s grandfather. Perhaps we can say that when you met again this Season, you both suddenly realized you had feelings for each other? It will not seem too far-fetched. We can make it work, Roberta. Then, when the three months are up, an announcement will be made that the engagement is over. No details need be given; it isa private matter, after all, and the two of you will part amicably. I can ensure there will be very little hint of scandal, and what there is…Well, I am sure the Ashtons can take it in their stride.”
“Because we are such a scandalous family after all,” Gabriel muttered, showing his displeasure.
Roberta shook her head and then gave a ghost of a chuckle. “Are you sure you haven’t been reading Annette’s books, Freddie? This sounds more like a romantic novel than something from real life.” Vivienne and her cousin Annette wrote a novel some years ago, which caused another scandal in the family.
