Alana realized now that she was finally under her father’s protection, she wouldn’t have to deal with Christoph’s high-handed manner ever again. She should complain about him, is what she should do. She owed him a little retribution, didn’t she? But it could wait. This was more important. Her father! And for the moment, she had his undivided attention.
They both said at exactly the same time, “Tell me—,” and they both stopped to laugh at each other, for having the same thought.
At his nod for her to go first, she asked for something she really wanted. “Is there a portrait of my mother somewhere? I know there is none here in the palace, but—”
“There is one, a miniature I keep in my bureau. I will show it to you later. My current wife, Nikola, knows I keep it. She doesn’t mind if I take it out occasionally and look at it. She’s a wonderful woman. I’m not ashamed to say I love them both.”
“But my mother, she’s—”
“Yes, she’s dead. But that doesn’t mean I have stopped loving her.”
Alana felt tears well in her eyes. That was beautifully said. She hoped a man would feel like that about her someday.
“Now tell me about this man who—raised you. I promise to contain my rage.”
She started, though she should have expected her father to feel this way. “Don’t hate him, please. Like you just said about your two wives, I love you both.”
“Then tell me why you do.”
For three hours they talked there in the throne room, alone, without stopping. Alana felt it wasn’t nearly enough time. She had a whole life to talk about. So did he. And she found out it was her grandmother, Avelina’s mother, who’d had the black hair!
Several officials looked in on them, but only to make sure the king was all right. He shooed them away. A woman came, for the same reason. He shooed her away, too, but with a smile and the promise that he would join her soon with a surprise. His wife, he explained to Alana. She’d guessed as much.
But then Christoph showed up again, and there was no shooing him off.
Chapter Forty-Four
WE WILL NOT GET the confession you want today, Highness,” Christoph said as he marched briskly across the room to give his report.
Christoph knew he could have waited to deliver this bad news, at least until father and daughter had left this room where they were getting acquainted. He knew that he was intruding, but he didn’t care. He’d had no idea how difficult it was going to be to lose possession of this woman when he had only just begun entertaining thoughts of a permanent relationship with her.
Yesterday when his mother had looked so hopeful that he’d found someone he could actually bring home to them, who wasn’t merely a mistress, he’d begun to think how he might keep Alana. He’d even had a thought that he’d never had before for any other woman: marriage. His family would be delighted by it, and he’d been surprised to feel no resistance to the idea at all. But she hadn’t been the princess then. Now she was.
Yet he’d tried to wait to deliver this report. He’d been informed of what had happened two hours ago. He’d waited that long to give them this time together alone.
He couldn’t take his eyes off Alana now. Even when she looked down and away from him as soon as she noticed his gaze on her. Even when he continued the report for Frederick, he was looking at her as he spoke.
“A man hiding at the side of the mountain road commandeered the sleigh bringing Helga Engel to the palace. He took my guard by surprise and pushed him out of the sleigh at knifepoint, then raced off in the sleigh with the woman. He might have been on his way to the chalet to see Helga Engel and decided to attack when he saw her in the sleigh coming down the road. My guard described the man as short and thin, his face covered by a hood.”
Alana winced at the brief description he’d given of the thief. Christoph had already guessed it had been Rastibon. Who else would want to keep Helga Engel from reaching the palace? Alana’s reaction, which seemed to indicate she was having the same thought, confirmed it in his mind.
But Frederick said, “You are searching the city for them?”
“Certainly, but he will expect that. I doubt he will take her there.” And to Alana: “Why would your Poppie want to rescue Helga Engel?”
“Why do you assume that was his motive? He wouldn’t do something like that unless he was after answers. But I don’t see why he would be, unless he somehow found out I went to visit her. You haven’t given him any access to me, so he might have thought she could tell him what that visit was about. But there was no way he could have known about it unless he followed us out of the city.”
“He didn’t follow us, but, yes, he knew.”
She frowned. “How?”
“Your young friend came to visit you this morning before we got back. I had hoped he might, so I told the gate guard to tell him where I had taken you before escorting him out of the fortress.”
She gasped. “You were hoping Henry would try to reach me again, weren’t you? You set that up deliberately!”
Christoph shrugged. “It was worth trying if it would draw out your guardian.”
“Who is Henry?” Frederick asked.
