The Princess and the Peer(13)

Fear of being married off to a man I don’t know, she thought. Frustration at being locked away like a prisoner. A chance to enjoy one last carefree hurrah before I must put my youthful dreams away forever.

But she couldn’t very well tell him all that. Lowering her gaze, she took another long sip of her tea. “My friend; you know that. I am here for a visit.”

He raised an eyebrow heavy with skepticism. “Perhaps I should rephrase my question. What really brings you to London? Clearly your friend was not expecting you, seeing that she and her husband are away at present.”

Emma’s forehead drew tight. He really is most annoyingly logical and observant. “I misjudged the timing; that is all. A simple confusion of dates.”

Both dark eyebrows shot skyward this time. “Please credit me with the intelligence to know when I am being fed a tale. I saw your face when you heard your friend was out of town. You were surprised and distressed. You are still uneasy about your situation. So, what has happened to make you seek refuge with your friend?”

When she did not answer, he set his cup and plate aside and leaned toward her. “You may tell me, you know. I am rather good at keeping confidences,” he said, his voice deep and soothing.

She suspected he was indeed good at keeping confidences, but she still could not risk telling him the truth. Only imagine how he would stare if she admitted she was a royal princess who had escaped the overly protective watch of her chaperones so she might enjoy a brief lark in the city. After he recovered from his shock, she suspected he would put her directly into a carriage and have her driven straight back to the estate.

Her lips tightened like a clam.

“Have you been turned out of a position perhaps?” he suggested gently. “Or maybe you had a disagreement at home and have run away? You’re from Scotland, you said.”

A jolt surged through her, tingling down to her toes. How could he have guessed so easily that she had indeed run away? As for home, Rosewald was a small autonomous kingdom lying near the northwestern border of the Austrian Empire and to the east of Switzerland.

“Yes.” She racked her mind for some glimmer of truth she could tell him. “I did journey from Scotland not long ago.”

“And why did you leave?”

She hesitated again, knowing she had to come up with something plausible. What was it he had said before? Something about her being turned away from a position?

“I was… teaching.”

“Teaching?”

“Yes. But as you suspected, I was”—she lowered her eyelashes with a dramatic sweep—“dismissed,” she finished with what she hoped was a pitiable whisper.

“You were a governess, then? Forgive me, but you seem rather young to be instructing children.”

Her gaze flashed up again. Young! she thought. I am a fully grown woman of eighteen. How could he think she was too young? Everyone was always telling her she looked mature for her age. One-and-twenty at least.

To a man of Nick’s years, however, she supposed anyone under five-and-twenty must look youthful. Studying him covertly, she wondered just how old he was. Thirty, she decided. A man in his prime. But his looks and age were not the issue here.

“I am more than old enough,” she declared, thinking quickly in order to spin her make-believe tale. “Apparently, after additional consideration, my employers were of the same mind as you.” She took another dramatic pause. “It seems they wanted their daughters taught by a woman of more advanced years, and so—”

“You were let go,” he finished. “Well, that seems most unfair, but unfortunately many things in life are unfair.” He paused, clearly thinking over what she’d told him. “And so you traveled to London to seek shelter with your friend?”

She nodded. “Yes. She was a teacher as well—prior to her marriage, that is.”

“I see.” Leaning back, he steepled his fingers together, settling them beneath his chin. “And then those two thieves stole your money and you found out your friend is out of town. That is a run of bad luck.”

Fresh anger coursed through her at the reminder. She really did not want to go to the embassy or be compelled to return to the estate. She’d barely had any fun at all yet. He’d said her situation wasn’t fair and that was the least fair part of all.

“You are in a difficult fix indeed,” he mused aloud. “Well, there seems nothing else for it. You must stay here with me.”





Chapter 3





Nick watched as Emma’s lips parted, her velvety blue eyes widening with surprise.

He supposed his decision to have her take up residence with him—temporarily, of course—was insane by the usual standards, but then he’d never done the usual thing in his life. She said herself she had no money, no family and nowhere to go. Under the circumstances, someone had to step forward and help her.