“Why don’t you let Vladimir borrow it?” Samantha asked.
“My brother has already stolen several of my possessions,” Rudolf told her. “The medallion cannot be shared.”
“If your father bequeathed it to you, then I don’t understand how—”
“My father is living,” Rudolf interrupted. “I took Venus with me when I left Russia.”
“You stole from your father?”
“Certainly not.” The prince sounded affronted. “I took what was mine.”
“Why does Vladimir believe the medallion should be his?” Samantha asked.
“I cannot know what dwells in my brother’s mind, but I do know that malice for me fills his heart.” Rudolf put his arm around her and drew her close against the side of his body.
The prince was much too close for Samantha’s peace of mind. The warmth of his body and his appealing sandalwood scent conspired against her and she felt herself falling under his spell, and wishing he would kiss her.
Samantha gave herself a mental shake. Only a blinking idiot would be thinking of kissing at a time like this.
“Since we are going to die in a day or two,” the prince said, breaking the silence between them, “would you care to pass tonight making love?”
Samantha turned her head to stare at him. Only a dead man would have missed her shocked anger.
“That was a bad idea,” Rudolf admitted, and smiled unrepentantly. His next words mirrored her thoughts. “I wish circumstances had been different for us.”
“So do I, Your Highness.”
Rudolf and Samantha sat in silence for a long time. She rested her head against his shoulder and listened to the sounds of footsteps on the floor above their heads. Finally, all was silent.
“I think our abductors have gone to bed,” Samantha whispered, pulling a key out of her pocket and holding it in front of the prince’s face. “Shall we leave now?”
The prince dropped his mouth open in surprise. “Where did you get that?”
“When I fell against Igor, I lifted it out of his pocket,” she told him, her pride evident.
“Your tripping was fortuitous,” Rudolf said, standing to offer her his hand.
“Fortuitous, my arse,” Samantha said, accepting his hand. “I tripped on purpose. That foul-smelling assistant of his had empty pockets. Thankfully, he pushed me in the direction I wanted to go.”
Rudolf lifted the key out of her hand, asking, “Shall we leave?”
Samantha nodded but paused a moment to flick the bottom edge of her gown up. She reached into her boot and pulled out a small dagger. “I’m ready now.”
“You carry a dagger in your boot?”
Samantha thought he was asking why she hadn’t drawn it before. “The dagger would have been no match for their pistol.”
“You seem different from the proper lady with whom I danced at the Emerson ball,” Rudolf remarked.
“I am as I always was,” Samantha told him. “Do you want to escape or discuss your misconceptions about me?”
Rudolf lifted the dagger out of her hand. “Take the lantern, so I can see what I am doing at the top of the stairs.”
“We’ll make less noise if we remove our boots,” she suggested, reaching for the lantern.
“That is unnecessary.” Rudolf moved to start up the stairs, which creaked in protest. He stopped short and whispered as if he’d just had an idea, “Remove your boots.”
At the top of the stairs, Samantha held the lantern while he unlocked the door. Rudolf opened it slowly and peered into the empty hallway. He led her down the short hall, away from the kitchen, and outside into the night. She set the lantern down, lest it become a beacon for their captors, and together, they hurried down the alley as quickly as her limp would allow. After putting two blocks between them and their abductors, they paused to put their boots on again.
“The Londoners are celebrating the coming New Year,” Samantha said, hearing loud voices only a short distance away.
“Crowds offer safety,” Rudolf said. “Let us join them.”
Samantha placed her hand in his, and they walked down the cross street to the main thoroughfare. Here crowds of people milled around as if the hour was high noon.
“Where are we?” Rudolf asked.
Samantha looked up and turned in a circle. The torch-lit towers of Whitehall were very close. “We’re in East London.”
“Which way is Montague House?”
“We must walk west.”
Samantha started to pull her fur-lined cloak around herself but glanced at the cloakless prince. She opened her cloak in a silent invitation.
The prince looked stunned by her offer. Hadn’t anyone ever shown him a simple kindness?