Chapter 14 #2
“Yes, that was very timely of you!” Natalie said, distracted by his words. “How did you manage to be on hand so quickly?”
“Timely.” He let out a breath, running a hand through his hair.
“Do you have any idea how long I was searching? One of the servants told me she’d seen you dashing outside like you had wolves on your heels, and I went straight after you.
I was searching for you all evening.” He fixed her with a direct look.
“Did you think I was going to let you run away after that kiss?”
“Oh.” Natalie hung her head, her cheeks flushing.
“Yes,” he said. “Oh.”
He took one of her hands in both of his, holding it in a grip that was both warm and reassuring. His voice gentled as he spoke, drawing her eyes back to his.
“It was foolish of you to keep the notes secret and try to handle it yourself, but it was also brave. You were trying to protect Rose, and that at least, can be commended.”
Her flush deepened, but then he kept talking. “If you’d only told me when I repeatedly asked you what was going on. We could have had this place teeming with guards.”
She pulled her hand free and threw it in the air.
“And you wonder that I didn’t want to tell you!
That would have been a terrible idea! The blackmailer was canny enough to notice one girl hiding in the bushes.
You would have scared him off before he ever got close.
” She shook her head. “At least this time wasn’t a total disaster like last time.
I managed to get a look at his face before he ran off. ”
“Not a total disaster? Are you serious?” He stared at her. “He came within a breath of stabbing you!”
“But he didn’t,” she said, indisputably.
“Only because I arrived just in time!”
“I wouldn’t have been here at all if you hadn’t come blundering along and scared him off the first time!”
He groaned in frustration. “I wouldn’t have blundered anywhere if you’d just included me from the beginning.”
Natalie gave a laugh that ended on a sigh. “Honestly, I’m surprised I managed to fool everyone this long. I’m sure Rose is much too well bred to argue with a prince.” She stood.
Luca stood as well. “Maybe this prince prefers honest arguments to polite manners.”
Natalie laughed. “Very prettily said, Your Highness. But it’s been a long night, and I’m too tired for either arguments or manners. I’m going to bed.”
“I’ll escort you back to the palace,” he said in a voice that brooked no argument.
She had no desire to argue. After escaping her attacker by such a narrow margin, she was grateful for Luca’s armed presence at her side as she walked back through the dark gardens. She would have been jumping at every rustle and shadow otherwise.
“Are you really going to start calling me Your Highness?” he asked as they walked. “We’ve already agreed to use our first names.”
“That was an agreement you made with Princess Rose,” Natalie said.
Luca shook his head. “No. Everything I said was to you, not to your supposed title. Believe me, I didn’t plan for any of what happened between us.”
Natalie said nothing, unsure how to take his words.
“I still intend to call you Lila,” he said quietly, glancing at her sideways as if he hoped his words might goad her into speech.
But she still didn’t say anything. She was too tired to sort through all her conflicting thoughts and emotions.
He sighed and turned the topic of conversation in a different direction. “Princess Rose isn’t going to thank us if she loses her chance to recover the Arcadian seal over this.”
“Arcadian seal?” Natalie asked. “What seal?”
“Didn’t you know?” He looked at her in surprise. “That’s what the blackmailer was referring to in his notes. Leo told me about it weeks ago. A thief managed to steal a number of important documents from Arcadia, along with an official seal. It all happened before you got here.”
“Those were the same items he wanted from Lanover!” Natalie exclaimed.
Luca nodded, giving her an odd look. “Didn’t you notice the seal he used on the letters he sent you? It was the Arcadian royal seal. He used it to authenticate his identity as the thief. I suppose his theft had worked so well the first time, he decided to try it again with Lanover.”
Natalie felt foolish. “I’ve never seen the Arcadian seal before. I didn’t give the one on the notes much thought.”
“You’ve at least heard of the spymaster Aurora, I assume?” Luca asked.
Natalie nodded. Everyone had heard of Aurora.
“Her spy network tracked the thief as far as Lanover, and they’ve been working to identify him ever since. So while I agree that a squad of guards would have given the game away, Leo could have posted spies to watch for the blackmailer.”
Natalie bit her lip. That definitely would have been a better strategy than her trying to watch on her own.
“The thief is obviously unaware that your family already knows about his past theft,” she mused. “He was obviously expecting Rose to keep the loss a secret rather than going to Leo for help.”
“The Arcadians have kept it quiet,” Luca said. “Aurora told Father about it directly.”
“Aurora?” Natalie raised her brows. “I thought she worked for all the Four Kingdoms. Is she in the habit of telling Arcadia’s secrets to Lanover? And does Arcadia know about that?”
“She only tells us the secrets she thinks we really need to know.” Luca sounded amused.
“I’ve overheard some heated conversations about it.
Given she’s their sister, Father and Uncle Frederic think she should tell them more.
But she insists that she works for the good of all the kingdoms now.
She just sometimes thinks the good of the kingdoms requires fewer secrets. ”
“That’s rich coming from a spymaster,” Natalie said, and Luca laughed.
“That’s exactly what Father said. He’s just sore that she’s the queen of Northhelm now, so Northhelm knows all the secrets.
” Luca looked sideways at her. “You know we have to tell Rose and Leo everything, right? And you two need to swap back. Our parents will be back from their tour soon. You can’t keep up the charade. ”
“I’ve been wanting to swap back since our first night,” she said. “Only the blackmailing situation made me continue the ruse.” She hesitated. “But can you let me talk to Rose first? I can’t start making grand announcements without giving her any warning. I’ll find her first thing in the morning.”
Luca sighed. “I suppose that’s reasonable. And while you’re talking to her, I’ll talk to the guards—see if anyone has seen anything suspicious. If nothing else, I want to find out how he managed to leave secret notes on your pillow!”
“I’d be interested to know that myself,” Natalie said absently, her thoughts on her upcoming conversation with Rose. Would the princess be angry that she’d told Luca everything?
She was more likely to be angry at Natalie’s mishandling of the blackmailer. Natalie winced. One way or another, it wasn’t going to be an enjoyable conversation.
But she would do everything in her power to help Rose find the man and recover Arcadia’s seal. Natalie had seen his face, at least, so she might be able to give some actual assistance. And it sounded as if the Lanoverian princes were willing to help as well. Between them all, there had to be a way.