And now Tasha was looking hard at him, as if she were really seeing him for the first time since he’d come into the room. “Are you okay? I know this is supremely weird.”
Thomas didn’t get to answer—although he wasn’t sure what he could even say, considering their conversational restrictions—before the sudden sound of voices from the hallway made Tasha look over at the open door.
She rose from her perch on the bed. Thomas turned, too, to see a petite, gray-haired woman in a black pantsuit entering the room.
“Hallo!” she said cheerfully. “You must be Lieutenant King.” She pronounced it the British way—Lefftenant King. “I’m Andrea.”
Thomas forced a smile. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Goodness,” she said as she looked from him to Tasha. “Shall I run back to Lord & Taylor’s to get him trousers and a jumper? Perhaps an overcoat?” She checked an expensive-looking wrist watch. “The shop closes at eleven—but I’ll call and asked them to stay open.”
“That’s really not necessary, ma’am,” Thomas said. He held up his clean clothes. “I’m all set.”
From the look that Andrea gave his rolled up jeans and T-shirt, it was clear she didn’t agree. “Well, you look like you’re on your way out, so bon appétit.” She handed him the bag from the steakhouse.
“Oh,” Thomas said. “Thank you. I’m... Thanks.”
Andrea immediately got to work cleaning off the bedside tray.
“Oh,” Tasha said. “No, Andrea, I’ll get that.”
“I didn’t want to wake you before, dearie.” Andrea didn’t stop. “It’s already done.”
“Thank you,” Tasha said. “Um... Would you mind checking on the prince? I know the queen’s going to want an update.”
“As long as you’ve got everything you need,” Andrea said, but she was already halfway out the door with the trash.
“I’m good,” Tasha said, and the woman was gone—leaving that door still wide open.
Tash gently took the bag with the food from Thomas’s clutches. “Why don’t you sit down and eat?”
He looked at her. If she honestly thought thatthat—whatever that was fromMrs. Potts—had made this anylessbizarre...
“I’m so sorry,” she started but then cut herself off. “Shit! I’m not sorry. I shouldn’t be sorry!” She took a deep breath. “Thomas. I know this is weird. Let’s get out of here.”
Words he’d been dying to hear.
She led the way out of the hospital room, past the stern-faced guards at the door and was beelining it toward a bank of elevators when Mrs. Potts—Andrea—called after her.
“Don’t go too far, dearie! The prince will be back in his room in a flash. He’s awake and asking for you.” The woman was standing further down the hallway at a nurse’s station and she waved cheerily at Thomas. “Thank you again for keeping our Natasha safe,Lefftenant.”
And okay. So now they were gonna have to stand here, in front of the elevators, out of earshot, but in sight of the guards and Andrea.
Nope, not Andrea. She’d disappeared down the hall, no doubt to relay to the queen whatever information the nurses had given her about the prince. Who would be back in his room in a flash.
Tasha, being Tasha, jumped right in. “You’re freaked out,” she said with her usual point-blank approach, her voice lowered even though the guards couldn’t possibly hear them from here. “Because I haven’t talked to Ted. You still think... What?”
He cleared his throat, glancing back at those watching guards. “I don’t just think it anymore,” he said. “You seem to believe that Ted’s playing a game but—”
She cut him off. “IknowTed’s playing a game—”
“He’s not.”
Tasha sighed. Heavily. “Thomas.”
He waited.
It was her turn to glance at those stony-faced guards. She sighed again. “Okay. Look. Remember when I was in the hide and we both saw that it was Ted who was being chased, and you said... Do you remember what you said?”
