The terrain would be rough on the other side, but it would get them into France undetected.
Evelyne was uncharacteristically silent as he drove through the opening in the wall, stopping the car, then getting out to push the button that would close it. Even when he started driving again after waiting for the door to close—this time with no road or path—she didn’t say a word.
But he could all buthearthe wheels turning in her head.
“Does Alexandre know about that?” she asked once he’d finally maneuvered the car back onto a road—this time on French soil.
“In a way.”
“What doesthatmean?”
“He knows I designed some…escape routes into the wall, should they ever be needed. But to protect himself, and no doubt me, he doesn’t know exactly where they are. I would of course give him the information should he request it. Instead, he tasked me with getting you out undetected, so here we are.”
She said nothing else, all the way to the airport. He supposed she was working through the implications of what escape really meant. Not just a vacation or a lark, but something a little bit dangerous, and a lot life-changing.
Her father was a vindictive man, and she’d never lived anywhere but the palace. Though Alexandre had been sent to boarding school and royal training throughout Europe, Evelyne had been educated in the palace under her father’s patriarchal views that a woman did not need worldly experience.
Gabriel arrived at the airport and parked the car where his associate had instructed—an associate who was not supposed to own or operate said plane, so certainly wouldn’t go telling anyone that Gabriel had borrowed it.
In the hangar, Gabriel parked out of the way of the plane, turned off the car engine, then got out. Evelyne did not wait for him to come open her door. She got out of the car and eyed the plane.
“I suppose we will need to wait for daylight to fly.”
“Not necessarily. What wewillneed to wait for is me to return to the castle.”
She whirled to face him. “What?”
“Only briefly. To make an appearance so no one suspectsIam the one who absconded with you as I was the last one seen with you. I’ll drop a word to the guards that you voluntarily left with a shadowy figure. And I was distracted by another young lady. Something along those lines.” He flashed her a grin. “Easy enough to be believed.”
Evelyne’s eyebrows drew together as she thought this over. Then her eyes narrowed.
“Tell them it was Jordi Ferriz. Not a shadowy figure. An aide.”
He found her fervor suspicious. “That would put a target on this Jordi’s back.”
She lifted a regal chin. “Good.”
Ah, some sort of…lovers’ tiff, he thought. He did not know this aide named Jordi, but he did know something about revenge. And what it did to you. “Vengeance is a dangerous game,principessa.”
She lifted a bare shoulder, and Gabriel might have been frustrated with her, except he was too distracted byher.
The dress was a torture device, Gabriel was quite certain. It skimmed every curve, something about the green color seemed to gild her skin with gold. A gold that reflected in little flecks in her dark eyes.
And he did not have any clothes for her to change into on the plane. He couldn’t risk grabbing something of hers at the palace to bring back. He wouldn’t be there long, with any luck. Just a quick appearance, a word to the guards, then off again.
“Get on the plane. Wait for me there. I will be back in under an hour.” Hopefully.
She met his gaze. There was trepidation there, but she nodded and allowed herself to be helped up into the plane.
She hesitated at the top of the stairs. “Gabriel… Are you sure…” But she didn’t finish that sentence.
“Would you rather return to the palace, Evelyne?”
She immediately shook her head. “No, I cannot stay. I cannot marry the general.”
“No, you can’t. Your brother agrees. So we will find a new life for you.”
“What about Alexandre?”
