“You can change in the cabin. It’s not very big but will suffice. By the way, my name’s Jack.”
The girl examined the cases and then picking one and lifting it, threw him an almost embarrassed look. “Mine’s Lara,” she replied, before picking her way in her bare feet down the few stairs into the boat’s cabin.
Jack shrugged and turning away, prepared the boat to sail. He lovingly patted the safety rail. “Well, Jezebel, are you ready for an adventure?” he asked. “I know you haven’t been the best lately so I’ll understand if you don’t want to go too far.”
He half expected the old boat to reply, after all, they’d been together since he was a teenager and he knew all her moods and how to handle them. She could be as temperamental as any woman, and he enjoyed the many challenges Jezebel flung at him as her age forced her to rebel at various times. And this could be one trip they would both enjoy.
~ * ~
With a sigh of relief, Lara sat on the hard wooden bench in the tiny cabin, pulling off her sun hat and placing it on the rickety table in front of her.
She had made it. She was free. Exhilaration swept over her as she listened to the man, Jack, moving around on the deck above her. Soon she would be on her island paradise left to ponder her future, if only for a few days. But it was enough time. It had to be. Enough time to give her the breathing space she so desperately craved. The space she needed to consider the demands about to be thrust upon her because of her royal birthright.
Of course, she would need to let her parents know where she was and that she was safe so Mark, the detective assigned to guard her, wouldn’t be blamed because she had given him the slip.
She jumped as the engine spluttered into life and settled into a comfortable drone. As the vessel slowly pulled away from the wharf, she relaxed. Placing her case on to the table, she opened it and rummaged through the clothes pulling out a pair of dark brown slacks, a lacy beige top and her favorite sneakers. While keeping a wary eye on the stairs leading to the deck, she hurriedly changed, grimacing as she placed the stained skirt into a plastic bag and packed it on top of the other clothes.
Glancing around, she wrinkled her nose in distaste at the sight of the tiny sink full of dirty dishes. A half eaten can of baked beans sat on the counter top along with a carton of milk and jar of coffee. A small stove was piled high with used saucepans and a heavy iron fry pan.
What a mess.
In one corner of the cabin was a long, narrow bunk covered with a shabby tartan blanket. Still, it wasn’t her business how this man lived and she had been unbelievably rude demanding he take her to the island. She would apologize profusely but she had been so desperate in case Mark had found her and tried to put a stop to her plans. Still, it didn’t excuse the way she had spoken to the tall, lanky sailor covered in grime.
Her lips twitched with amusement as she thought of Jack’s handprints on her skirt, a perfect outline of her bottom, and his hesitation in telling her what had happened. She giggled. Time to say sorry and explain that I’m not usually so nasty, she decided.
When she climbed onto the deck, the evening sun was still hot and she frowned as she realized she had left her protective hat in the cabin. Jack was at the wheel of the vessel maneuvering it through the various craft already moored for the night to come. Looking back, she could see the wharf and the outline of Port Margaret rapidly disappearing into the distance. The water was a little choppier now they had cleared the shelter of the harbor but she didn’t mind. The sun and the wind added to her euphoria of being free.
She made her way along the narrow deck toward Jack, intent on an apology for her behavior. Before she could speak, he thrust a package at her with one hand, while continuing to guide the boat with the other.
“Put that on.” His tone was commanding.
“What is it?”
“A life jacket.”
“I don’t need a life jacket. I can swim.”
“Put it on. That’s an order. While I’m in charge of this boat, I’m in charge of your safety.”
He turned to face her and she was exposed to extraordinary blue eyes as she fully studied his face for the first time. She blinked at the impact. They were intense
—
the same deep, beautiful color of the sea. She focused on his high forehead, straight nose and angular cheekbones. His hair was dark and long, touching the nape of his neck and as for his bristly, black beard
—
well, he looked like a pirate of the high seas. He had washed his face and hands and changed into a sleeveless blue shirt, which the wind molded against his chest. His tanned arms and hands were muscular and strong as they lightly guided the wheel.
A blush like hot fire ran under her skin as he returned her stare. Confused at this unknown emotion, she looked at the bag she was holding.
“Do you know how to put it on?”
“No. But, why should I wear one? You’re not.”
“I’m used to Jezebel. You haven’t got your sea legs and could easily fall over board and become a tasty shark dinner.”
She shuddered and decided she couldn’t let that gem of information go unchallenged. “If a shark wants to eat me, it won’t care if I’m wearing a life jacket or not.”
He sighed. “Are you usually this argumentative?” he asked, turning to her again. Without waiting for a reply he said, “Look, I’ll put my jacket on if you do the same. Satisfied?”
Nodding, she unpacked the bag and pulled out the bright yellow jacket, placing it over her head. Puzzled, she studied the number of ties hanging from the jacket and tried to fasten them together.
“You’ve got it on back to front.” Jack laughed at her bewilderment. “Here, hold the wheel steady and I’ll sort it out for you.”
Lara stepped closer and tentatively grasped the steering wheel with one hand. He moved in front of her, turning the jacket around and lacing the ties through mysterious loops, all the time explaining what he was doing.
“There, now you’re okay,” he said, bending to tie a bow at her hips.
She looked down at his bent head. His hair was thick and wavy as it blew in the breeze, and she had a sudden longing to touch it
—
to savor the texture beneath her fingers. To caress it. Shocked at her wayward thoughts, she turned, placing both hands on the wheel.
“You better put on your jacket,” she said, annoyed at the slight quiver in her voice. “I’ll drive the boat.”
“You
steer
a boat and her name is Jezebel,” Jack responded as he reached for his life jacket on the deck behind him and put it on.
She stepped to one side as he took over the wheel.
“It seems a big fuss about nothing,” she said, more to hide the strange emotion this fisherman had evoked than anything else. “How long before we reach the island?”
“About thirty minutes. That’s still long enough for accidents to occur. It’s also long enough to get burnt by the sun and wind,” he added, his blue gaze focused on her face.
“I’ve got sun block cream with me.”
“Then go and put some on
—
and your hat.”
She hesitated. “You’re
so
bossy.” She gasped as she blurted out the words.
To her surprise, he threw back his head and laughed, a rich, glorious sound. “So are you, lady. So are you.” He was still laughing as she made her way to the cabin.
Managing to retrieve her tube of sun block and her mobile phone, she tied on her sun hat and made her way to the back of the boat, well away from Jack. Rude man. She had been about to apologize but, perhaps, would rethink that now. Besides, they would be at the island shortly and she would never see him again.
She soothed the protective cream on her exposed skin knowing from her years spent in Australia that her fair skin would easily burn. Lifting a hand, she removed her hat and pulled the clasp from her flaxen blonde hair releasing it from its smart chignon so it cascaded onto her shoulders. That was better. She was in more of a holiday mood, but first she had to let her parents know where she was.
Pressing a button on her cell phone, she waited for the international connection which put her directly through to the palace.
“May I speak with Queen Francesca, please?” she asked, automatically speaking in her own language. “This is Princess Lara.”
The next moment, she spoke to her mother thousands of miles away in the tiny principality of Challoner in Northern Europe.
“Lara, darling, how are you? What’s that strange noise I can hear? Are you phoning from the university?”
“Hello, Mummy. The noise is from this ship I’m on. I’ve decided to spend a few days at a holiday resort off the South Australian coast.”
There was silence for several seconds then her mother continued, “That sounds lovely. Are Jade and Kate with you?”
She swallowed. Here comes the awkward part. It was natural for her mother to think her best friends would be with her. They had spent so many holidays together. “No. Jade has gone to work in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, and Kate has a job with a big winery here.”
“Well, at least Mark is with you.”
She rushed the next few words. “Mummy, actually I’m on my own. I just want a few days in the sun relaxing and reading without anyone around. No detectives, no maids—in fact, no babysitters.”
“Do you think that’s wise, dear? Where exactly are you staying? Will you be safe?”
“I have rented a lovely, secure holiday home on the beach. There are lots of people on the island, plus some good shops. I’ll be fine.” She paused before plowing on. “I need a few days before I fly home next week, Mummy. It’s been a tiring year at college, and this is my little treat for me. I hope you and father don’t mind.”
Her mother’s tone softened and Lara had to strain to hear her against the wind. “I understand better than you think. I know only too well what it’s like to be constantly in the public eye. Your father and I have granted your wish to attend boarding school and University in Australia
—
”
“I know.” She broke in having heard her mother’s lecture many times before.
“But, it has always been on the proviso you will come home and take up your royal duties along side of your brother,” her mother continued hardly missing a beat.
“I appreciate everything, Mummy.”
“So, have your days of freedom if you must, with your father and my blessing and love. I will arrange for your detective to be informed, and I will expect to hear from you in a few days.”
“Thank you. I love you both.”
The phone call ended, and Lara’s spirits soared. Her mother understood. Her eyes welled with tears as she thought of her parents and her brother Carl, the Crown Prince. She was fortunate in so many ways to be part of a monarchy with centuries of history, which could still allow her the freedom of this modern world. Sure, she’d worked hard to persuade her parents that she should be educated in Australia and enjoy the comparative privacy in the cosmopolitan nation. But always there was a detective lurking in the background on constant alert for any dangers, any sign of kidnapping, or worse.
Even her best friends, Jade and Kate, had been startled at what they considered her strange need for isolation. She smiled as she thought of them. Friends since boarding school and then at University, they called themselves the three princesses with Jade and Kate teasing Lara, who was the only one of them with royal blood. But they had all felt like princesses and had given each other their love and loyalty through good and bad times as they had often struggled with studies and personal dilemmas. Now, sadly, they had parted, each to face the world in their own way but with promises to keep in contact no matter what.
Only it was Lara who wasn’t prepared for the future. She was the one who hesitated knowing a life lay before her as Princess Lara Antoinette Rosalina of Challoner. A life of royal protocols and the expectation to marry a man of acceptable standing and breeding. Her mother had already suggested that on her return she consider marriage to Prince Michael, a distant relative and long-time suitor.