Raphael wanted to wow Francine. Aside from their accommodations and the designer clothes fittings, he’d arranged for a very luxurious and expensive coach to take them to the ceremony on the day of the wedding. No royal would be caught dead in anything less than the best.
Once the charade for her family was done, they would take a less public form of transport to Alpha-Prime and on to the Ossuary Valerian Space Station before heading back to Earth.
Victor’s situation worried him. He hoped his old friend stayed safe and free until they could meet. Knowing that at any moment he might receive news of Victor’s capture weighed on him.
Raphael wasn’t certain what he could do for Victor, but he owed him the chance to explain. They had a long history, one that included Victor doing him a huge favor when his father kicked him out of the family. It was a kindness Victor had never expected to be reciprocal, but Raphael had.
Given their past, there wasn’t much Raphael wouldn’t do to help Victor escape this situation. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to give up his own life.
He glanced at Francine, squeezing her hand to reassure himself she was safe and sound in his care. Was he a fool to bring her along on this trip? No. He mentally crossed his fingers. He wanted to do this for her. He was grateful she’d agreed to help him with his own mission and planned to protect her with his life against any and all foes, including her parents.
Once they landed on Ichor-Delta, he summoned the fancy pre-arranged transportation to take them directly to the designer’s shop. He looked forward to seeing Francine’s reaction when they reached their destination. She thought they were headed to an out-of-the-way hotel.
The expression on Francine’s face as the liveried driver stowed their bags, then held the door for them, was a sight to behold. He could only guess she’d led a rather pampered life before being kicked out of her family, but he’d noticed she acted with extra gratitude when anyone did the least thing for her.
“Where are we going?” Francine asked as the driver took a turn toward downtown.
“It’s a surprise.”
She grinned. “I hope it’s a good surprise.”
“I hope so, too.” Raphael wanted her to enjoy her trip.
They arrived in an exclusive area beneath one of the finest shopping areas on the planet. The driver eased the vehicle to a stop and got out to open the door. Francine’s eyes widened when she saw the store with the well-known name.
“I haven’t been to a place like this since I lived with my parents. I was here once before, but it was quite a long time ago.” A wistful expression crossed her lovely face.
“As a part of our overall disguise, we need to look like royalty, so I set up fittings for us to get not only wedding clothing, but also casual outfits to wear once we leave the reception and head off to look at honeymoon destinations.”
Her face went through a myriad of expressions—surprise, realization, acceptance—before settling on worried. After a long silence, he was about to reassure her when she nodded and said, “Right. Good call.”
“Also, it’s my treat.”
She looked uncomfortable. “No. I’ll pay my own way.”
Raphael took her hand, kissed her knuckles gently. “This particular designer owes me a debt. That’s why I chose him. I promise we won’t be spending a single credit today.”
Francine mulled that over. “Okay. Thank you so much, Raphael.”
“My pleasure, Francine.”
They stared at each other, moving closer and closer until their lips met. They kissed passionately, only breaking apart when the waiting driver cleared his throat.
They got out and Raphael guided Francine into the shop of one of the most exclusive designers in this part of the galaxy. Raphael had made a private appointment in his name to be sure there would be no interruptions.
As soon as Francine entered, the designer and proprietor exclaimed, “Why, you’re Miss Francine Duvall from Alpha-Prime. I haven’t seen you since—” Abruptly, he stopped speaking, as if just realizing her former status had been stripped away, never to be returned. He stood, mouth open, eyes wide, frozen in apparent horrified distress at having spoken to someone who was supposed to be erased from time.
Raphael followed Francine in. “Hello, Mr. Jacques Pierre.”
The other man’s mouth slammed shut and his face paled further. “Mr. Boudreaux,” he managed after a long silence. His gaze went back to Francine. “If you’ll excuse us, Miss Francine. I’m not sure I have anything you would like today.”
“She’s with me,” Raphael said loudly. He lifted Francine’s hand, showing the smaller man the large engagement ring she wore. For added measure, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a small, affectionate squeeze. “Francine is my fiancée. We both need attire for a wedding we’re attending in a couple of days and several casual outfits each for our further travels.”
Jacques Pierre squinted. “You are engaged to—” He looked at Francine in horror. “Her?”
“Yes. Isn’t she beautiful?”
At long last, the designer seemed to come to his senses and understand what was going on. He nodded his agreement with Raphael. Several deep breaths improved his color, but not by much.
