Kirk looked at her suspiciously.
“Does it appear that I have something such as an impossibly large emerald and a jeweled scepter?” she asked in disgust.
He glanced at both her and Simon as if trying to decide if she spoke the truth. “It matters not. The new king will soon be crowned with or without the relics.”
He waved the gun at them. “Start walking. I know someone who will be very glad to see the princess.”
Simon wrapped an arm around Isabella and urged her forward. His mind reeled from Kirk’s betrayal. It didn’t seem possible, and yet the signs had been there. He’d refused to see the truth.
She looked up at him with troubled eyes and he squeezed her shoulder. They would get out of this. He just had to formulate a plan. But not before he found out the extent of Kirk’s treachery.
“How far does this go up, Kirk? Are you acting on orders from the crown?” A sick feeling crawled into his belly. “His Grace? Does the duke have anything to do with this?”
Kirk snorted. “Rest easy, Merrick. Your beloved country had nothing to do with this. The regent never even knew Isabella was in England. Neither did His Grace. I made sure of that.”
Thank God. If everything he knew to be true was naught but a lie, his last shred of hope would be destroyed.
“So you were responsible for all the attempts on Isabella’s life?” he demanded, anger flooding him all over again.
“I merely provided information as to her whereabouts,” Kirk replied. “The rest was out of my hands.”
“Why are you doing this, Kirk? What did they offer you?”
“Shut up and keep walking,” he snarled. “I have a meeting to make.”
As they walked, Simon’s mind whirled to make sense of everything he had been handed. Kirk evidently worked for Montagne. Or did he? A horrific thought blasted over him. What if Isabella had been right about Bonaparte escaping?
Kirk didn’t work for Montagne. He worked for the French. But how did it tie in with Leaudor? Now more than ever it was obvious there was a connection between Bonaparte and Leaudor, but he still couldn’t put the pieces together.
And how would he get them out of their current situation? He glanced over at Isabella who stared ahead, her eyes clouded with fury. Kirk didn’t know of her exceptional fighting skills and that could work in their favor. If he could get Isabella to understand what he wanted, they only needed an opening to disarm Kirk.
“Stop,” Kirk ordered, and they both halted.
He walked in front of them and motioned downward with the gun. “Sit against that tree. We wait here.”
Simon cautiously surveyed the area with a slow sweep as he squatted down beside the tree. Isabella sank down beside him, and their gazes connected for the briefest of seconds. He dipped his head over to Kirk in a quick sideward motion then looked back at her, willing her to get his message.
Her eyes widened briefly and she gave a slight, nearly imperceptible nod.
Kirk stood in front of them, his eyes continually darting back and forth as if expecting Montagne to materialize from nowhere. He turned back to them, the gun in his hand still trained on them.
“I must be the most foolish person who ever lived,” Simon began, hoping to loosen Kirk’s tongue. “Because I never saw this coming.”
Kirk laughed derisively. “That’s because you were too busy saving king and country from the rest of the world.”
His voice rang with such bitterness that Simon began to wonder if this was a personal score Kirk was settling.
“Humor me since you’re handing us over to Montagne and I have no illusions he will keep us alive—”
“Montagne?” Kirk asked with a lift to his brow. “He is but a pawn.”
“Then who…?” His voice trailed off. It wasn’t important who. The important thing was for him to buy enough time for him and Isabella to escape. “What cause do you serve and how did you get mixed up in Leaudorian politics?”
“It’s so like you to assume everyone has a cause,” Kirk said mockingly. “I have no cause save for what benefits me directly. Not everyone is born to wealth and nobility. Some of us have to scrape along the best we can and take opportunities when they are presented.”
“You mean this is aboutmoney?” Simon asked incredulously.
“Spoken just like someone who has never done without it,” he retorted bitterly. “And if it weren’t for you, I would have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams years ago.”
