Prologue
Harwich, England
January 1815
It was a damned miserable day to die.
Simon Rothmore, Earl of Merrick, tugged his heavy overcoat closer around him to ward off the pervasive chill wrought by the drizzling rains. He cast a glance down at the soggy corpse that lay encased in mud and ice.
Prince Davide Chastaine, youngest son of the King of Leaudor, had barely stepped off his ship before he’d met with his demise. The bastards had been waiting for him.
Simon bent down to gain a closer look. From all appearances, the prince had been dead for several hours. His death had been quick and merciful, if you could call it such. A gaping gash in his neck bespoke of a large knife, and dried blood matted the top of his head, no doubt from a felling blow.
He rose and backed away, turning to his partner, Adam Kirkland. “We were too late.” It was a needless statement, but it expressed all the frustration he felt at his failure. He and Kirk had overseen the effort to track down and protect the two remaining members of the Leaudorian royal family after the others had been assassinated. Now there was only one.
Kirk nodded, his breath escaping in a visible puff. “Why was the prince coming here? It makes no sense, unless…” His voice trailed off, and he stared intently at Simon.
“Unless the princess is here,” Simon finished.
“All intelligence pointed to her being in America.”
Simon sucked in the icy air and turned away from the macabre sight of the prince. It began to rain harder, and he gestured for the two men who stood to the side to attend the body. He would ensure it would be returned to Leaudor for a proper burial.
As he and Kirk hurried through the downpour, he mulled over this latest development. The two settled into the warm confines of Simon’s closed carriage to begin the trip back to London. He turned to study Kirk’s pensive expression, sure that his own was a mirror image. “What if she is here? What if she only intended for it to appear she fled to America? Why else would the prince come out of hiding and take a ship to England?”
“I don’t know, but it certainly presents us a dilemma. The agents dispatched to America could well be looking in the wrong place.”
Simon leaned back, the beginnings of a headache plaguing him. “If I am right, we must find her before the others do. The Regent is most concerned that we discover the motive behind the slayings. And if there are implications for England.”
He rubbed his temples, attempting to ease the tightness. “Damn, but seeing all the killing never becomes easier. I had hoped with Napoleon safely imprisoned at Elba that we might enjoy quieter times.”
“Perhaps you should give thought to retiring and taking up the duties of earl,” Kirk said quietly. “We’ve been at this life for so long it seems. No one could blame you for seeing to the continuation of your line.”
Simon grimaced. See to a life he was never intended to lead. It was no more appealing now than it had been on the heels of his brother’s death.
He continued on as if Kirk had not mentioned his responsibility as the Earl of Merrick. “Our treaty with France is too important to allow any disruption to threaten it. We would be foolish to ignore the events in Leaudor given their strong ties to the French.”
“But with only one remaining member of the royal family, how likely are we to find her before whoever wants her dead?” Kirk asked, running an agitated hand through his hair.
Simon glanced at the man who was as much a brother as a partner. Certainly more of a brother than his own flesh and blood had been. Kirk looked as tired as Simon felt. The two had spent many long hours—days—searching for the Prince and Princess of Leaudor.
“We have no guarantee, but we must be diligent in our efforts. The princess may well hold the fate of more than just Leaudor in her hands.”
Kirk nodded his agreement then put a hand down on the seat to brace himself as they passed over a particularly rough spot on the road.
Simon leaned back and gave voice to the issue most troubling to him. “I do not like that the prince was killed on English soil. England could easily be blamed by Leaudor, and France could capitalize on the opportunity to try and sway Leaudor to their side. While small, Leaudor has a powerful and well-maintained army. Alone, they pose no threat to England. But paired with a country like France, they would become a powerful enemy.”
“So you think France could well be behind the whole thing,” Kirk said grimly. “It’s a brilliant strategy with the talk of an agreement between France and England at the Congress of Vienna. No one would suspect them of sabotaging their own alliance.”
“I’m not sure what to think,” Simon mused. “I do know that King Fernando was determined for Leaudor to remain neutral in any conflict between France and England. Though much of their heritage is French, they trade much with England. With Fernando removed from power and his family annihilated, the next ruler might be more accepting of an alliance with France.”
“More reason to find the princess with all haste,” Kirk muttered.
“Indeed. It would be in our best interest to find her and see the throne restored to the Chastaines. At all costs.”
Chapter One
London, England
