“You need it more than I,” Rudolf refused.
“Get in here, Your Highness,” Samantha ordered. “We have a long walk.”
“You will be cold,” he argued.
“Your body heat will keep me warm,” she told him.
Rudolf grinned, stepped into the cloak, and pulled one side over his right shoulder. Samantha wrapped the other side tightly around herself. She felt his left arm encircle her waist and realized how close they needed to be to share the cloak.
“I will carry your violin,” he said.
“That is unnecessary,” she told him.
“I insist.” Rudolf lifted it out of her hand and looked up at the moonlit sky adorned with thousands of stars. “It is a good night for an adventure.”
It was a good night for anything as long as she was with him. That thought surprised her.
Rudolf and Samantha started walking west on Cheapside and passed St. Paul’s Cathedral. From there, they headed north to Great Russell Street. Montague House lay between Bedford House and Bedford Square.
Near ten o’clock, Rudolf and Samantha reached Montague House. “This is it,” he said.
“Perhaps your coachman could drive me to His Grace’s on Park Lane?” Samantha asked.
“You cannot leave me,” Rudolf said. “Igor and his men will be looking for us.”
“I will be perfectly safe at His Grace’s.”
“Your ability to identify our assailants places your life in grave danger,” the prince said, guiding her up the front stairs.
Though that frightened her, Samantha wouldn’t let go of her dream so easily. “I might still be able to—”
“Your well being is more important than your betrothal to Alexander Emerson,” Rudolf interrupted.
Surrendering to the inevitable, Samantha sighed heavily and inclined her head. She let him lead her into the foyer and felt relieved when the door closed behind them.
“Karl!” the prince shouted.
A moment later, a dark-haired man appeared. “You have returned, Your Highness,” the man said by way of a greeting. “I expected you to—”
“Bring us something to eat in the dining room,” the prince ordered. “Send Boris and Elke to me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Rudolf escorted Samantha down a corridor to the dining room. The room’s understated opulence reminded her of His Grace’s dining room. A dark mahogany, rectangular table and chairs sat in the middle of the room. A matching sideboard perched on one side of the room, and crystal chandeliers hung over the table. An elaborate, gold-framed mirror hung over the fireplace mantel.
Rudolf seated Samantha beside the chair at the head of the table. No sooner had the prince sat down when his three retainers appeared. They carried slices of cold roast, cheese, bread, and a bottle of spirits.
Samantha judged Karl to be in the vicinity of the prince’s age. Boris and Elke appeared to be approaching midlife.
“We have just escaped Igor,” Rudolf announced, drawing surprised looks from all three retainers. “Vladimir arrives in London tomorrow or the next day.” He looked at Boris and Elke, instructing them, “Pack my mother and daughter. Karl will drive the four of you to my ship. Inform the captain that I have ordered you to return to Sark. He and the ship must also remain there.” He turned to Karl as the couple left the room. “Pack supplies for us, and bring the coach around.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Karl left the chamber.
Rudolf turned to Samantha, asking, “Do you know someplace where we can hide?”
“I cannot go into hiding with you,” Samantha cried. “My reputation will be ruined.”
“Your reputation is worth less than your life,” the prince said. “I would prefer somewhere in the opposite direction from where I am sending my mother and daughter.”
The prince had a good point. What good was an untarnished reputation if one was dead?
“Won’t they be safer with us?” Samantha asked.
“Vladimir will look for me first. In case he finds us, I want my mother and daughter in a different location. I have sent for my three younger brothers, but they won’t be here until spring.”
Recalling her sister’s words about Sweetheart Manor, Samantha suggested, “We can pass the night at my old cottage and leave for Scotland in the morning.”
“Scotland?”
Samantha nodded. “My family owns Sweetheart Manor near Dumfries. As a wedding gift for my sister, my brother-in-law had it renovated and refurbished.”
“We shall go there.” Rudolf poured the colorless liquid into two small glasses and passed one to her, saying, “Gulp this down in one swig.”