Fear quickly overshadowed any curiosity she had felt toward the man who had appeared from nowhere. She swallowed hard against the panic that constricted her throat. “That isn’t necessary.”
“I insist,” he said mildly, though the set of his jaw told her it was more a command than a courtesy.
She could not make a scene. Could not draw unwanted attention. She drew in a shaky breath.
“Or would you prefer to wait and see what the two men coming this way have in mind for you?”
Anger, hot and jagged, ripped through her. No, this was no ordinary passerby. But how much did he know? And did he intend her harm? “How do I know you aren’t with them?” she bit out in an attempt to stall him until her muddled brain could form a plan of action.
She compared the stranger in front of her to the two men who stood at a distance, watching her intently. He was taller and more muscular than both the men in question, but he was only one. And one was always better than two. Even if she managed to make him leave without her, she would still have the other thugs to contend with.
The man in front of her ignored her question and, to her surprise, took her arm and guided her away from the ominous looking characters.
She stiffened, fully intending to rip her arm from his grasp but thought better of it when the two men to her right started forward. Firming her resolve, she forced herself to relax and allowed the man to escort her away.
If he suspected her to be a pathetically weak female in dire need of assistance, he was wrong. Dead wrong. But she would act the part if it suited her purpose. Then she would strike when he least expected it.
She had escaped far more serious situations than this, and she hadn’t come this far and survived the impossible only to fail now.
Simon’s heart beat thunderously as he led the princess toward the street. He held up a hand to hail an oncoming hack and waited as it pulled off.
Luck had been with him this day. A tip from a street informant had led him to a run-down tenement deep in the rookery. As he had arrived, the princess had been leaving the building on foot.
He had shadowed her the entire day, curious to see if she was meeting anyone and waited for the right opportunity to approach her. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one to have an interest in her judging by the other two men following her, and he had moved quickly to ensure her safety.
He glanced down at her, noting the tightness of her face. Her wrist felt thin in his grasp, and he took care not to apply too much pressure. She had to be freezing, but something about the set of her chin made him refrain from offering his coat to her. Perhaps it was the defiant pride even in the shadow of thinning clothes and undeniable discomfort. If her appearance was any clue, she hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks.
He assisted her into the carriage, and she perched gingerly on the edge of her seat. As they bounced and swayed down the busy streets of London, he watched her intently.
She alternated between staring out the window and down at her hands. Everywhere but into his eyes. He could feel the tension emanating from her in waves, and he felt the insane urge to comfort her in some way. He frowned and continued his assessment of her.
She was beautiful. Hauntingly so. Her soulful eyes reflected the weight of an entire lifetime. Soldiers returning from the war on the continent didn’t have such torment in their faces.
Her dark hair provided a dramatic backdrop for eyes that looked like the blue-green waters of a tropical bay. Long, black eyelashes fluttered and rested against her cheeks as she briefly closed her eyes. He had the distinct impression she was fighting tears, yet when she opened them again stared straight at him, all signs of distress were gone.
He quickly looked away, irritated that she had managed to discomfit him. The feelings she elicited within him were not a luxury he could afford. He had a duty to perform, and no one, not even a fragile, sad-eyed beauty would interfere.
The driver circled Simon’s house as instructed, and Simon kept a close eye out the window to make sure they weren’t followed. After the third pass, the carriage ground to a halt outside his modest brick townhouse. He climbed out then helped her down the steps. She shrank from his grasp as soon as her feet hit the cobblestone street. She glanced furtively around, her lips compressed into a grim line.
“This way,” he said, directing her up the path to the door. She appeared as though she would take flight at any time, and he had little desire to chase anyone down in this wretched cold.
Once inside, Simon ushered her into the sitting room where a fire burned brightly in the hearth. “I apologize that I have no suitable maid to offer you assistance,” he said. “I don’t employ a full staff. I am sure my housekeeper will assist you in any way, however.”
The princess ignored his statement as she warmed herself by the hearth. Her slender hands stretched out toward the fire, and her eyes didn’t waver from the dancing flames.
“Would you prefer to take a meal here in front of the fire, or would you like to adjourn to the dining room?”
She turned, pausing a moment before she spoke. “It isn’t necessary that you provide me with a meal. You’ve been far too kind already. I really must take my leave.”
It was the most she had said at any one time, and he absorbed the lilt in her voice. Though she appeared to be attempting an English accent, the sing-song Leaudorian accent, almost Irish-sounding, was very evident in her speech. Maybe it was why she said very little.
“I won’t hear of you going before you’ve had a proper meal.”
Something indiscernible flashed in her eyes. Was it anger? She quickly tempered her reaction and adopted the bland expression he was already growing accustomed to. She showed remarkable discipline over her emotions.
“Very well, I’d like to take it in here.”
He nodded then rang for the only other servant he employed, Timmons, his butler for the last nine years. “Bring the small table from my office to the fire so that we may dine in front of it,” he directed the portly man. Then in a lower voice so the princess would not overhear, he instructed Timmons to have the guestroom prepared.
