Back at the hotel, Darrel and I head to the bar for a drink. I’m having a whiskey tonight. He orders a beer, as usual. I appreciate these occasions because Darrel relaxes enough to be less formal around me. As a result, he talks more like my younger siblings. In such moments, he’s great fun, and my perception of him shifts from attendant to friend. That being said, Darrel would never dare to tease me like Max or Gigi do, no matter what.
“I had a certain image of Elise when I read the MESS file on her,” he says.
“A helpless victim? A lamb to the slaughter?”
He grins. “Something like that. I didn’t expect her to be so strong-willed.”
“Nor did I.”
Truth be told, I didn’t expect her to be so alluring, either. The photos in her file were pleasant to look at, but not enough to lose sleep over. That still holds now that I’ve spent two days around her. What’s changed is my reaction. I find myself tempted to look at her and to move closer to her whenever the situation warrants it. I find myself eager to learn more about her.
Not good.
To counteract my inexplicable attraction, I’ve been taking care to never be in the same space with her unchaperoned. It’s ridiculous, I know. Or not so ridiculous, considering my hard-on the first time I met her.
Elise Pontet is not my destiny, I remind myself. She is the Key to the Third Key, but that’s it. Nothing else binds us together.
Both Max and Arnaud ended up forming an attachment with their Keys to the Key. Max is now engaged to be married to Lucie, and Arnaud lives the perfect idyll in Cannes with his darling Sasha. But that new proclivity of the royal key seekers to ride into the sunset with their Key to the Key will end with me.
First, Elise wouldn’t want me. If she was forced to choose between Doc and me, she just might choose Doc. Most women would, I suppose, and I’m not going to judge her for picking a handsome villain over an ugly hero. Second, Elise and I will never hook up because I’m already taken.
Heidi, Count von Gottfried’s daughter, and I have an understanding. We never dated each other but we saw each other at various functions over the last year. At Gigi’s ball in November, Heidi made it clear she wanted to be the principality’s reigning princess more than anything and that she’s fully committed to that goal. She strongly hinted that, should I propose, she would not reject me.
In turn, I hinted that I viewed her candidacy favorably.
“I’d like to send some flowers to Heidi tomorrow,” I say to Darrel.
“From the same florist as last time?”
“She liked that bouquet, didn’t she?” For the life of me, I can’t remember if she did.
“I recall you telling me she did.”
“Good. Then use that shop again.”
“Have you proposed yet?” he asks.
“No, but I will after this mission.”
He sets his beer down and stares at me. “Are you in love with her, Your Highness?”
“This isn’t about love,” I say dryly. “It’s about marrying someone aware of all the implications and constraints. Someone fit to rule by my side and give Mount Evor heirs. Someone respectable who isn’t prone to unrealistic expectations or romantic silliness.”
Darrel raises his glass. “If that’s what you want from your marriage, then Heidi von Gottfried is your girl!”
* * *
In the helicopter,I suggest to Elise that we read more of her great-grandparents’ letters, but she’s too jittery.
“That’s all right,” I say. “We’ll do it in the quiet of the archives.”
I don’t blame her for being nervous. This ride isn’t as smooth as I’d hoped. It’s windy and snowy, even though none of it was on the forecast. But the weather began to deteriorate about the time we lifted off the ground. At present, we’re only forty-five minutes out from Chambéry because of the storm. I suspect we'd have gotten about just as far if we drove.
On the other hand, Doc and his men won’t be chasing us in a helicopter.
MESS reported this morning that the gangster Farid Aifa and his henchmen survived the crash. Three of them are being treated for minor injuries, including Doc who suffered a whiplash injury. Once he’s discharged, we’ll teach him a lesson about respecting the terms of a deal.
“Boss!” Jordan yells from the cockpit.
