To Love a Thief (Steel Hawk) (11 page)

“I think it is about time, young lady, that you told me why you have sneaked in here. You mentioned your father is missing. What has happened?”

Rose noted the hitch of concern in the royal’s voice and knew then that she and Nathan had made the correct decision.

“Two men came and took him. They want him to create a paste copy of the Pasha Star.”

A gasp burst from the princess’s lips. “My diamond! That is impossible. It is in your Prince Albert’s grand exhibition. I saw it there myself earlier today when I attended the opening with your queen.”

Rose tried to ignore the fact that this woman had barely returned from hobnobbing with the Queen of England, but before she could speak, Nathan did it for her.

“That’s the problem. The diamond on show is not the Pasha Star.”

“What!” Princess Mary’s eyes widened, horror etched across every inch of her face. “That cannot be.”

Nathan leaned forward. “Sadly, it is.”

Any weakness Princess Mary had shown only moments ago completely evaporated, and she sprang to her feet. “I saw it myself.”

“It is a paste copy, Your Highness.”

The princess began to pace across the library floor, then spun around, her cheeks still bleached but the fire of desperation glittering in her clear blue eyes. “Why was I not told?”

“We thought it best.”

“Best!” Her voice rose, and Rose swallowed back her reignited fear.

“Your Highness, somebody tried to force my father to recreate the diamond. He refused. I…I went to steal it.”

“And you said I did not need to call my guards, Miss Valetta. Now I am wondering if you think me a fool.”

“No. No.” Rose stood, fisting her hands at her sides. “Never that. When the men threatened my father and he refused, I thought if I could replace the Pasha Star…” She shook her head, tears cresting and threatening to fall. “I did not have a plan. I only wanted to protect my father.”

“A grand idea, Miss Valetta, but at great cost to my country.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen. When I went to swap the diamond for a paste stone, I found the diamond in the case was already a fake, and not a very good one,” she said with a degree of satisfaction she could not suppress.

“And the Pasha Star?”

“We don’t know where it is.”

The princess clapped a hand to her chest. “Dear God, we must find it.” She paced across to the window, staring out into the late afternoon. “Who knows that the diamond on show is fake?”

“The two of us, my business partner and Mr. Cole.”

“Mr. Cole. He has the ear of your Prince Albert. We cannot afford for word of this to get out.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Cole was with Ben and myself when we, ah…” Nathan cast a quick glance at Rose, then back to the royal. “Mr. Cole is aware of what happened when we found Rose at the exhibition.”

“And no one saw who took the real diamond?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“You told me, Mr. Hawk, that your lock is unbreakable.”

Nathan stiffened. “It is.”

“Apparently not.” Her tone was severe.

Rose saw Nathan swallow hard.

“No one knows the locking sequence,” he insisted.

Rose stepped forward. “That’s not quite true, Nathan.”

The princess looked from Rose and then to Nathan. “It seems, Mr. Hawk, that not everyone believes you.”

“There is only one man who could know the details of my design, Your Highness, and that’s Alex Valetta.”

The flare of Rose’s shock lasted but an instant, overridden by fury. “How dare you. My father did not steal the diamond. He wouldn’t do that.”

“I didn’t say he did.”

“You did…well, virtually.”

“What I’m saying is, I don’t know who’s got it, but facts are facts.”

“Well, when we find him, you’ll see you’re wrong.”

“I hope so,” the princess intervened. “Do you think Alex stole the diamond and gave it to whomever you say threatened him?”

“No. He wouldn’t do that. Besides,” Rose argued, determined to protect her father’s good name, “if he did, why would they have then kidnapped him? Why would they have kidnapped us?”

“They kidnapped you too? Good Lord, they are desperate indeed.”

“Several men who we are sure were from Zarrenburg were kidnapping Rosie when I stumbled across them,” Nathan said.

“And I told you if you hadn’t intervened, it would have been all right.”

Nathan ignored her declaration. “We both ended up getting manhandled and hauled off to some place outside of London.”

“But you’re here. Free.”

Nathan smiled. “All because of Rosie’s quick thinking, Your Highness.”

“And why have you come here?”

“At first we thought the men were simply opportunists wanting to steal the diamond for its value, but when we returned to my home, we found this paper with the Zarrenburg crest addressed to my father. Not only that, as we escaped, we spied the Zarrenburg flag flying high above our place of captivity.”

The princess’s gaze dropped to the scrap of paper. “Has anyone else seen this? The thieves?”

“I’m presuming not.”

“Thank God.” The princess turned from them and paced across the richly patterned rug, fingers linked in front of her, one thumb tapping the other. She turned abruptly to face them, her regal manner back in place. “I should say I am surprised to see you, but given the events that have occurred these last few hours, I am not.”

Nathan’s brows beetled. “Your Highness?”

“I owe you an explanation.” She pointed to the sofa in front of the fireplace. “Please, take a seat. There are things you need to know.”

The princess took her seat, and Rose and Nathan followed suit. She offered them a tremulous smile. “You are so like your father, Miss Valetta.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes, it is a compliment. Alex was…is,” she corrected, “a wonderful man. Not only is he a superb craftsman, but he is honorable and loyal too.”

Rose nodded, grateful for the princess’s words. “High praise.”

“And well deserved.” The princess sat back in her seat, her gaze momentarily lost. “I’ve known Alex for a long time. We were good friends.”

Friends?
Her father was friends with a royal.

“He’s never mentioned you.”

The princess shifted her sad gaze to Rose. “No. I don’t suppose he would. That would be because of his innate sense of loyalty, not just to me, but to your mother.”

“My mother is dead.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I know she made your father very happy.”

“They were.” Rose didn’t want to think of that happiness. They had been wonderful years being a family, filled with love and laughter, and then it was gone, just as her mother was gone too. Dead overnight. An embolism, the doctor said. Something going on inside that they could not detect or fix.

“I knew your father many years ago, before he left Zarrenburg. He was the state jeweler for our country.”

“I did not know that. He doesn’t talk much about those days.”

“There is a reason, which, I am sad to say is my fault.”

“Yours?”

“Yes, you see, many years ago, your father was my lover.”

Chapter Nine

Nathan let out a long, thin whistle. “Hell’s teeth.”

“I’m sorry if you are shocked, because believe me, it is not easy to talk of such matters.”

Rose’s eyes bulged. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

The princess replied with a gentle shrug. “You don’t, but I would hope that you believe me because of the high esteem in which I hold your father. I too want to make sure he is safe. That is why I’m telling you this secret. It has been many years since your father and I were…well, since we were together, but Alex still holds a very special place in my heart.”

“What has this…past got to do with my father’s kidnapping now?”

“I believe it is linked to the safety of my country.”

“But he is honorable. He would not do anything to hurt anyone.”

“No, not him, but others who have much to gain.”

“Like who?” Nathan pushed up from the sofa. “Your Highness, with all due respect, we don’t have much time.”

“I know, I’m sorry. This has caught me rather off guard. Sit down, Mr. Hawk, and I will tell you all I know.”

Nathan sat again, his thigh brushing against Rose’s. Rose felt the heat of him but did not shift away. Just that tiny touch gave her some semblance of sanity in a world that had been tipped upside down and shockingly shaken.

Then he did something rather lovely. He took her hand and linked his fingers with hers. She didn’t pull away.

“As I have told you, your father carried great favor in royal circles in Zarrenburg, not only for his craftsmanship, but because he was genuinely a nice man, honest and forthright. Though my family was only distantly related to the royal family of Zarrenburg, I had been cloistered within the confines of my country all my life. Your father had traveled, his workmanship courted by royalty and the wealthy alike. We met when my father requested he craft a necklace. Little did I realize it was to be a wedding gift. My wedding. Your father and I, we talked and laughed. We spent many hours together…and, well, talk led to…” Her gaze dropped as her words stalled, cheeks no longer alabaster but a delicate shade of pink. “Then my father found out. He was furious. He had been arranging what he considered a marriage coup. I protested, but it was no use. I was royal, and your father was not.”

For Rose, it was as if the princess spoke of someone else, not her father. “Was that why my father came to England?”

The princess nodded. “Yes. We tried together to convince my father, but he wouldn’t listen. He threw Alex out, and your father was forced to flee the country for safety. Shortly after, I was obligated to marry a distant cousin. Prince Johan was heir to the throne of Zarrenburg, and our marriage would be a political and family coup for my father. I had no way out.” The princess offered a sad smile. “We were happy, mostly. And I have my son, the heir to the throne.”

“Prince Stefan,” Nathan interjected.

“Yes. He will be a good ruler for Zarrenburg.” The princess suddenly shot to her feet. “You must find the diamond. It is imperative. My country’s legacy is at risk without it.”

“But it is only a diamond.”

“No. It has had a hold on Zarrenburg from the moment my ancestor traveled to far-off lands and brought the Pasha Star to our tiny principality.”

“But I don’t understand.” Rose stood, Nathan too.

“The princess is right. This is the first time the Pasha Star has been allowed out of Zarrenburg.”

“That’s true,” the princess said. “So you do know some history of my country, Mr. Hawk.”

“I like to know with whom I’m dealing.”

“Just as I do. I trusted you.”

“And you still can, Your Highness.”

“Make certain of it.” She turned to Rose. “What your friend says is true. The diamond has never been out of Zarrenburg. In order for the prince to rule our country, the diamond must be in his hands.”

Rose gasped as the reality hit.

The princess’s lips thinned. “I see you understand. Times in Europe are changing, Miss Valetta. There is great unrest both politically and educationally. It has been a long time coming and, in fact, long overdue. Zarrenburg has been lucky, as we have led the way with these changes. We do not want our people to remain peasants or stay under our thumbs as is the case in other nations. But even with these powerful changes, our country is still steeped in tradition, and whoever has the diamond rules Zarrenburg.”

Without thinking, Rose reached for the princess’s hands, taking them in hers. “We will find it, Your Highness.”

“I hope so. However, time is of the essence. I received a letter just yesterday. That is why I was not so very surprised when you stole in here, though I did think it would have been Alex. Wished it, in fact.” She sighed. “It has been a long time since I saw my old friend. The diamond must be found, Rose. He must be found too. There is a scandal threatening. The anonymous writer of the letter hints at my secret with your father. They also suggest that Stefan is not the son of my husband, and the writer has threatened to reveal their lies, implying that my son is not, in fact, Zarrenburg’s legitimate heir.”

Face stricken by panic, the princess pulled her hands free and wrapped her arms around herself as if chilled to the bone. Tears glistened in her eyes, but she blinked them away, the stoic demeanor of royalty firmly back in place. “I tell you this, that it is not true. Stefan is my husband’s son. I need the diamond. Zarrenburg needs it. Stefan is my heir, and next week, I intend to hand over the ruling of Zarrenburg to him, but without the diamond, that is impossible.”

Princess Mary pointed to the scrap of paper with the royal crest. “You were right to come here. That is the envelope which contained a letter that I wrote to Alex.”

Rose asked, “You wrote to him? Why?”

The royal’s concern shifted to a genuine smile that lit up her face. “He is still and will always be my friend, despite the years. Whoever is behind this plot has deliberately struck outside of my country to create a smoke-and-mirrors effect, choosing a time when our small country is undergoing political change. With me here in London, it leaves both my country and my son vulnerable. In effect, these criminals are holding me for ransom, as well as your father, forcing me to step down and declare Randolph the next ruler of Zarrenburg.”

“Randolph?”

“My brother-in-law. He is my husband’s younger twin, born only a few minutes after his brother. It is my suspicion that he is behind this.”

“Is he in London?”

“I’m not sure. He has a house here, a rather grand affair by all accounts, but he keeps his whereabouts a secret. However, I suspect he is in London for the exhibition, and he would have much to gain by stealing the diamond.”

For a moment, the princess was silent, lost in thought. “I am sorry for this trouble, Rose. It is my utmost wish that you find your father. I have told you this secret of ours because it is necessary you know why this is happening. What you do with it is up to you, for I cannot be seen to help you. But please keep safe. Your father would never forgive me if something happened to you.”

Nathan wrapped an arm across Rose’s shoulder. “No chance of that. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Pardon?” Rose glanced at him. “If I’m correct, it was me who saved you from being beaten up.”

“A diversion, that’s all.”

Rose snorted.

A tiny bubble of laughter came from the smiling Princess. “Oh, it does my heart good to hear such lovers’ banter. You are definitely your father’s daughter, Rose.”

“Oh no, we’re not, not…” Rose stumbled across the words, while Nathan pulled abruptly away from her.

“As if!” he said. “It’d be like tangling with a tiger every day.”

“Rather fun, I would think, Mr. Hawk.”

Just then, the echo of voices sounded from outside the door. The princess held a finger to her lips, and Nathan pushed Rose behind him. An uncensored squeal burst from her lips. Horror surged in her gut.

The voices increased. Two men for sure. Guards?

The door handle turned downward.

“Whatever you do, squirt, say nothing.” He leaned toward the princess. “We’ll get the diamond.” He grabbed at the royal, clutching her in an arm lock around the throat. “I’m sorry, but needs must.”