She and the countess began strolling, and lots of people came to talk with them. They knew Sadie was the reason the prince was coming to the park that day. At least, she hoped he was. As time ticked by, she began to fear a backlash if Prinny decided to skip this afternoon’s stroll.
And then, finally, the royal appeared.
The man never went anywhere without a retinue, so the first hint that Prinny had arrived was a flurry of guards, not to mention the royal carriage and his general circle of friends. A murmur went through the crowd, and everyone seemed to press to the edge of the park.
Damnation! How was she going to be seen over all these people? Everything was for naught if the prince never spoke to her.
Like everyone else, she stretched forward, though she searched for Lord Heath. Then, one by one, everyone dipped into a bow or curtsey. The Prince Regent strode forward. And there—easily keeping pace—was Lord Heath. Just as she’d been searching for him, he was scanning the crowd for her. The moment their gazes locked, Sadie felt a rush of confidence. He was here. No matter what happened, she would be safe.
It wasn’t logical. There were a thousand things he couldn’t protect her from, but she felt reassured nonetheless. Even when the countess nudged her from behind.
“Go on,” the woman said. “Get Prinny to like you.”
Right. Squaring her shoulders she sauntered ahead, without fear that she would be blocked. People magically separated as she wandered by the tree. The prince saw her immediately, but before he could say anything, Lord Liddican stepped forward.
“Prinny! Wonderful to see you now that that ghastly vote is over. I do want to speak with you about a viper in your midst.”
“Hmmm,” the prince said, halting his progress toward the tree. It was a non-committal response, but Lord Liddican took it as encouragement.
“You’ve been talking to Lord Heath, haven’t you? Or he’s been talking to you. He’s the one who told you to come here today, isn’t he? Of course he did! He’s in league with that whore Scotswoman, and he’s pushing you to make her popular. Don’t do it, my liege. Don’t give them the satisfaction! Indeed, I might suggest that Lord Heath has shown himself to be too untrustworthy to manage your affairs correctly.”
“Hmmm,” repeated Prinny.
“Yes, my liege. Please let me suggest—”
“That’s a rather tall tree,” Prinny suddenly said loudly. Then he turned to Lord Heath. “That the one?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I don’t believe it,” the prince said as he pushed Lord Liddican aside. “No child could have climbed that. I simply don’t believe it.”
Lord Liddican stepped up again. “Of course not. It’s just part and parcel of their lies. Stupid really, that they thought they could fool you.”
To the side, she saw the countess gesturing with her hands. She wanted Sadie to speak up, but Sadie had a lot more practice interrupting men than the countess. She knew it was not the time.
She held her tongue, though admittedly that was hard. Fortunately, she wasn’t the only one there to defend her honor. Lord Heath quickly pointed out the truth of the matter.
“Your Highness, the tree has been pruned. You can see where the branches have been cut.” He pointed out the places where the wood had been recently severed. “The groundskeepers likely feared another child might become adventurous. One cannot count on an intrepid Scotswoman to be around the next time a child desires adventure.”
“Hmmm,” Prinny said as he inspected the tree. Then he lifted a foot as if to step onto the lowest branch where it had been cut. “I don’t see how a child could climb that. It’s difficult for me and I’m a full-grown man.”
He was a full grown, very fat man, but no one wanted to point that out.
Lord Heath turned to Sadie. “Miss Allen, could you perhaps show his highness how you climbed the tree? Or how Lacy made it so high?”
Sadie dropped into a low curtsey. “Of course.”
The branches were cut, so there was no way she could repeat what Lacy had done, but she looked at the Prince Regent and let her mischievous smile through. “It’s quite a puzzle, isn’t it?”she said. “But that’s because it’s been so long since you’ve were a little boy. You don’t think of how determined children can be.”
“Determined is one thing. Impossible feats—” he began, but then he let his words die out as she stood beneath the lowest remaining branch.
“You were thinking she stepped up onto the low branch,” she said.
“My word. Did the child jump? Can little girls do that?”
“Just as well as little boys,” she said, then she made the leap. It took a bit of skill for her to jump and grab hold. But once she did, it was a simple matter of swinging her legs back and forth until she could settle them on another branch and pull herself higher. And then more pulling and balance before she sat, pretty as you please, well above the prince’s head.
“Well done,” the prince applauded.
