“That’s it,” he murmured in her ear, and his breath on her skin sent goosebumps racing down her neck.
She swallowed, and he drew back slightly, letting her go. With an effort of will—and a reminder that it was only Luca beside her, not someone worthy of shivers or goosebumps despite his distracting looks—she steadied herself. The arrow flew from her bow and bumped against one side of the target, falling to the grass.
“I did it!” She turned her head to look at him and froze.
He had only moved half a step away and was looking down at her, their faces now only inches apart. She took in the golden flecks in the brown of his eyes and wondered where all the air had gone.
“A very interesting mystery,” he breathed, the words so quiet she wasn’t sure if he realized he’d spoken aloud.
She immediately stepped back, and he mirrored her movement, clearing his throat as he did so.
“Keep practicing like that, and you’ll soon have it,” he said. “And while you do, I’ll go and fetch you a plate of food. Shooting is hungry work.” He strode quickly away.
Natalie watched him put distance between them with a furrow in her brow, her thoughts far from archery. Luca was definitely suspicious of her. She needed to be more careful.
And she needed to find a way to track down Rose’s blackmailer and expose him. Then she and Rose could tell everyone the truth, and Luca would have all his answers. He would switch his dutiful—if impudent—attentions to theirproper target, and Natalie would never have to be bothered by him again.
The thought brought surprisingly little comfort, but she turned back to the target, determined to stay focused. It didn’t matter what happened after they revealed the truth. She just needed to make sure Luca didn’t find it out for himself before she was ready to relinquish Rose’s place.
She shot at the target again and again, on edge as she waited for him to return. But when she’d emptied the quiver, she turned to find a plate of food perched on a nearby stone balustrade with no sign of Luca.
Her eyes sought him out, and she located him some distance away, talking to two young men of court. Their eyes instantly met, but he didn’t leave his conversation or return to her.
He kept his distance for the rest of the afternoon. But even if he didn’t speak to her, she felt his eyes burning into her and felt the pressure of his watchful gaze.
CHAPTER 10
Natalie arrived at the evening’s reception with nerves stretched thin. All around her, others laughed and called to each other, spirits high after the afternoon’s archery, but Natalie couldn’t enter into their good humor.
When she spotted Rose coming toward her, she ducked into the closest clump of people and started for the opposite side of the room. She couldn’t risk Rose asking her to swap back places. She wasn’t ready yet.
She hid behind a potted plant, too on edge even for the refreshment table. But beyond her hiding place, laughter continued to swirl through the room, growing louder until someone called for a dance.
“Yes! Yes!” several voices echoed. “We must dance!”
Either Prince Leo or the staff must have anticipated the request because musicians appeared on cue. Couples began to form, but Natalie didn’t move from her hiding place. She knew she was missing her chance to dance with Leo—even with informal dancing, the crown prince was sure to ask the Arcadian princess to open the dancing with him. But she couldn’t bring herself to have any interest in a duty dance with Prince Leo.
The dance began, and she soon caught sight of Leo dancing with the highest-ranked Lanoverian girl present. Rose was among the throng as well, on the arm of one of the court men. The only face Natalie didn’t see was Luca.
Where was he? Off searching her room for clues?
He wouldn’t find anything there. She kept the note tucked on her person at all times so the maids wouldn’t find it, and she and Rose had already swapped any items that might be incriminating.
“Lila!” Luca’s voice made her start. “Why are you hiding back here?”
“I’m not hiding,” she said, but her words lacked any heat.
“If you’re not hiding, then you’ll have no objection to dancing.” He held out his hand in a movement that was half invitation, half silent command.
The lively notes of the current song wound down, and the instruments paused briefly as they prepared to start another melody. Natalie responded by instinct, placing her hand in his. She had always liked to dance, and hiding had never been her style.
Luca pulled her onto the dance floor just as the second song started. It was the strains of a waltz. His hand encircled her waist, and she sucked in an involuntary breath. But she let him pull her close as the dance demanded, clasping her hand in his.
He spun them into the swirl of dancers, and heat raced up her spine. Her heart beat an irregular rhythm, making it hard to think.
She had to be careful of Luca. He was suspicious of her.
When she worked up the courage to look up into his eyes, his intense gaze trapped hers. He seemed to be trying to search out all her secrets with his eyes alone. She shivered, and he pulled her even closer, the two of them alone in a sea of dancers.
