“Yes, you have,” she countered. “Last night. And—and—you’ve been entirely too forward.”
With him standing so close, she wished she hadn’t spoken. It sounded like a challenge, instead of a criticism.
“I’ve never hurt you, Princess. And I promise, when I touch you, it will only bring you pleasure.”
She couldn’t breathe when he was looking at her in this way. Her fingers dug into the chaise longue, and he backed away, shielding his thoughts.
“I know a priest who can perform the ceremony, and in the next few days, we should explore the island. Then I can provide a detailed accounting of the conditions here. Once I’ve sent word to the king, we’ll return to Badenstein.”
She said nothing, refusing to belabor the issue, when he wasn’t listening to her. Her head ached, and she was so tired, her vision blurred.
The prince lifted the clock from the wall and took it with him as he crossed into the dining room. Now what did he want that for?
Serena followed him, not understanding his intent when he rang for the footman. When Bernard arrived, the Fürst ordered him to fetch a set of tools. The footman seemed not at all surprised at the request and hurried to obey.
“What do you need the tools for?” Serena asked.
“I’m going to fix the clock.” He took off his coat and rested it on the back of a chair.
She stared at him, shocked to see a man of his rank performing such a menial task. “Why?”
“Because I can.” He pulled a chair out from the dining room and sat. “You’re free to do as you please. Bernard will bring us luncheon, soon enough. I hope he acquired a cook as well as the food, or we might end up eating eggs again.”
Serena took a few steps toward the library, feeling somewhat uncertain of what to do. The prince’s dismissal was unexpected, and she leaned against the door frame, distracted with thoughts of her own plans. For so long, she’d obeyed her father’s orders, never allowed to think for herself. Not anymore.
She walked amid the books, tracing her finger along the spines. Possibly she could find an atlas and make a list of possible locations to live. There were many Greek islands, and she envisioned living somewhere warm, with olive groves lining the hills and soft sand beneath her shoes.
“You’re smiling,” came the voice of the prince. “What are you thinking of?”
Serena blinked and snatched a book from the shelves. “Nothing.” She risked a glance at the prince. From his vantage point at the table, she could see him watching her. Beside him lay the clock face. He turned back to his work and began loosening various parts of the apparatus, working as though he’d manufactured clocks all his life.
Her gaze fell upon his hands and his long fingers that moved with expertise. He was completely focused upon his work, though she sensed that his mind was not at all on the mechanical parts. It was a distraction, nothing more.
Serena couldn’t fathom his reasons for wanting to take it apart, but it intrigued her. He tilted the clock toward the sunlight so he could see better, and she glimpsed a structure of gears. His dark hair was cut short, but across his cheeks, she saw the darkening shadow of stubble. Though it should have made him appear rough and unkempt, instead it made him look dangerous.
“You may as well come closer,” he said, nodding toward her. “You can’t see very well from over there.”
She didn’t move. “Perhaps I don’t want to.”
He set down a small wooden mallet, a slight smile playing upon his mouth. “Or you could pretend to read thatTreatise on Hydraulic Engineeringthat you’re holding. I suppose you’d find it fascinating.”
Serena glanced at the book she was holding. She hadn’t even looked at the title, and it struck her that his vision must be quitegood to have viewed the title from so far away. “It might be interesting.”
“Not likely.” The Fürst beckoned to her. “Come and stand beside me. You can help.”
It sounded more like an order than a request, and she remained where she was. “I’ve never taken a clock apart before.”
“I could use someone with smaller hands.”
Reaching inside a clock didn’t bother her at all—it was the idea of sitting so close to him. “I might break it.”
“The gears are made of metal. You can’t break them.” He gestured toward the chair beside him with a pair of tweezers.
Just being near this man made her unsettled and afraid. She didn’t know what on earth possessed her to obey, but then again, he was fixing a clock, nothing more. And shewascurious.
Serena stood beside him, and the prince ordered, “Take your gloves off.”
“I’ll just watch.”
