Kirk nodded. “I must go. I don’t want to draw attention to you or the princess.” He turned to walk away but paused. “Be careful, Merrick. I don’t like all I am hearing. If you and the princess are right, the ramifications for our countries could be great.”
The two men clasped hands and Kirk nodded at her. “I wish you the best, Your Highness.”
“Thank you,” she said.
She blinked as Kirk disappeared, swallowed up into the night as if he had never been there. A frown plagued her and she chewed her lip absently. Silently, she hunched back down in the shadows.
“Is something wrong?”
She glanced over at Merrick and shook her head. This certainly wasn’t the time or place to air her disagreement.
“Something’s bothering you, what is it?” he persisted as he scrunched down beside her once more.
Gritting her teeth, she swallowed back the urge to growl at his perception. When he continued to stare at her, she sighed. “Do you really think it’s wise to place so much trust in the people you work for?”
He stiffened beside her. “Are you questioning me?”
She glanced sideways at him. “Yes, I suppose I am.”
He returned her stare, his eyes blazing in the night. “The people I work with are theonlypeople I can trust. Kirk is my family. More so than Edward or my father ever were. My duty, my first obligation is to inform the regent of any suspicion I may have, substantiated or not. I cannot remain quiet about all that I have learned. I cannot.”
Isabella felt a pang at the pain in his voice, but there was underlying anger. Anger at her for questioning the motives of the people he trusted.
There was so much more to his motives than just duty and honor. Every word he spoke resonated with determination. A determination to succeed. Not to fail. Not for the first time, she wondered how his relationship with his family played into his accepting a position with the government.
She blew on her hands to keep them warm and looked warily around before continuing. “Why didn’t you quit the agency after your father died? I can’t imagine your superiors not understanding in light of you inheriting the title.”
He shifted beside her then rubbed his hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. His discomfort was apparent and she felt a moment of guilt for bringing up what was clearly a painful issue.
“It was what my father would have wanted—expected,” he finally replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
It was becoming clearer to her. “You were determined to follow your own course in life, one plotted by you and not a man who had no use for you until your brother, the heir, died.”
He looked impressed by her perception. Then the corner of his mouth crooked up in a rueful half smile. “I suppose that is a perfectly dreadful reason, but the truth is, he never needed me. But England did. My work was—is—important. Thousands of lives have been saved thanks to our hard work. Somehow that seemed more important than retiring to the country to breed an heir to a title I never wanted.”
“Did you ever resent Edward?” she asked softly.
He looked away, guilt flashing in his eyes. “No! Yes…God…” His voice trailed off. “I am ashamed to say that at one time I did resent him. I used to think if he weren’t there that Father would loveme. And then he died and all I could think about were the times I wished him away.”
“I wished my brothers away on more than one occasion,” she said wryly. “I think it’s the nature of having siblings.”
“I just wanted to have a relationship. Any sort of relationship with Father and Edward. Wanted us to be a family. When I joined the agency, it became my family.”
“But—”
“I trust no one,” he interrupted her before she could continue. “But I trust the men who have continually risked their lives alongside me to ensure England is safe from outside threats.”
She pressed her lips together and fell silent. His harsh whispers had risen above the still night air. His tone suggested no further discussion of the matter, and she had no desire to anger him further. Her own agitation had grown until her jaw ached from clamping it shut.
His hand reached for her arm, lifting it up then sliding his palm down until he entwined their fingers. “You can trust me, Isabella. I swear it.”
“It isn’t you I don’t trust,” she said simply.
Before he could respond, a noise sounded down the alley. She tensed and strained her eyes to see the source. Seconds later, the captain appeared out of the mist and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your Highness?” he called softly.
“We’re here,” she said standing up.
