Emma’s heart gave a leap into her throat and she spun around. Nick turned slowly and reached again to take her hand.
Sigrid stepped out from the shadows. “I thought you two would come this way rather than use the front door. You really shouldn’t be so predictable, you know.”
Chapter 27
Emma stared at her sister in horror. Her throat tightened and she couldn’t speak.
We’re caught, she thought on a silent, disbelieving groan.
Impossible as it seemed, Sigrid was here and apparently aware of her and Nick’s plan to elope. It didn’t make sense, not when she and Nick had been so careful. They had confided in no one except Ariadne and Mercedes and she didn’t for an instant believe they would have given her away.
“How—?” she blurted, her gaze accusing.
“How?” Sigrid repeated matter-of-factly. “How did I find out, you mean? I saw the two of you the other night, sneaking around the house when you imagined no one was aware of your midnight tryst. From that it was a simple matter to put two and two together. Plus, I’m rather good at opening mail and listening at doors.”
Emma gave a low moan, a sick ache sliding through her.
Nick squeezed her hand again, then addressed her sister. “Your Highness, this is not what it appears. My intentions toward your sister are entirely honorable, and I fully intend to marry her. You may not know, but I—”
“Approached Rupert and asked for Emma’s hand? Oh yes, I know. Dashingly bold of you, considering your unsuitability as a suitor. I understand you were a military man.”
Nick stiffened. “A naval officer, yes.”
“It suits you. I admire daring even when it is hopelessly misplaced. As for your claim that your actions are honorable, I cannot agree. The scandal of your elopement will be felt across the entirety of the civilized world. Rosewald may be small, but we are not without a certain amount of influence. We are a proud family, a strong people, as you should already have realized from your dealings with Emmaline.”
“You have no need to explain Emma to me. She is the finest person I know.”
A faint smile curved Sigrid’s mouth.
“Please, Sigrid,” Emma pleaded. “If you care about me at all, forget what you have seen this morning and let us go on our way. I love Lord Lyndhurst and he loves me. We only want to be together.”
Her sister’s gaze softened, the edges of her mouth curving sympathetically. “It is because of my love for you, Emmaline, that I am stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life. It won’t do for you to run away and condemn yourself to a life of estrangement and disgrace. You are a blooded princess and I will not have you living like a social outcast.”
Emma raised her chin. “I do not care what Society may think, either here in England or at home in Rosewald. Nick will be my home.”
She met his gaze, his eyes warm with love.
“You may not be so sanguine after a few years of snubs and rejections,” Sigrid countered. “After years spent in my late husband’s household, I know what it is to endure cruel whispers and spiteful cuts. But that is a discussion best left for another time.” Sigrid turned back toward the center of the house. “Come along now,” she urged. “We needs must awaken Rupert.”
Emma’s spirits sank lower still, if that was possible. Her brother was the last person she wanted to see, the one who had the power to crush her hopes and dreams utterly and forever.
But then Nick’s hand tightened around hers again, his grip steady and unwavering. Looking up again, she met his gaze and saw the resilience in his eyes. Be strong, his expression said. Fight with me. All is not yet lost.
And his confidence gave her strength, his hope lifting her own. I shall fight, she thought. Nick had said once that this was a battle, and suddenly she was determined to win it and the war.
“Very well,” Emma said. “Lead on.”
Together the three of them walked from the room.
Emma wasn’t quite as confident ten minutes later, as she waited with Nick and Sigrid inside Rupert’s sitting room, his valet having been roused to go wake his master.
Rupert strode in shortly afterward, wearing a black cashmere dressing gown, his royal crest embroidered in green on the lapel, a pair of soft, black leather slippers on his feet. A heavy scowl was gathered like a storm cloud across his brow, his golden hair tousled and partially flattened on one side.
“What is this all about?” he demanded gruffly in a Germanic dialect native to Rosewald. “And it had better be good, since I went to sleep only two hours ago.”
He drew to a halt and surveyed them, his gaze locking on Nick. His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Lyndhurst, what are you doing back here?” he demanded, switching effortlessly to perfectly accented English. “What’s more, why are you with my sister when I expressly told you to keep your distance?”