Page 25 of Her Royal Rebellion

He had plenty of chances at dinner, he merely chose not to take them. “I’m glad.”

“I know there’s a bit of an age difference between us, but I want you to know that I sense a maturity about you that I didn’t expect. I think we have more in common than either of us know.”

I didn’t agree in the slightest, but I didn’t let him know that. “Like what?”

He smiled. “We both love our countries and our people. We want the best for them, and we want them to prosper.”

I nodded. That was true, but it could be said of any royal.

“We’re both driven. Me with my company, and you with your philanthropy.”

Another broad generality.

“And we both enjoy travel.”

Who doesn’t?”

“I think the two of us should spend more time getting to know one another, but I’m afraid it will have to be delayed. I have an important meeting that came up, and I have to be in London in the morning.”

I couldn’t even force a disappointed expression. “Oh no. So soon? You’ve barely just arrived.”

He patted my hand. “I know. It was a brief visit on my part, but I am encouraged by what I saw here.” He gave me a pointed look. “I will return as soon as possible.”

“Wonderful.” I hoped he heard the thinly veiled sarcasm.

He stood, taking my hand to kiss my knuckles. “Please, let me escort you inside.”

I wasn’t ready to retire quite yet, but I didn’t want to risk him prolonging his stay out here with me. I let him help me stand and walked next to him down the stone path to the palace. Once inside, I wished him a good night and hurried down a hall.

He was leaving. I didn’t believe he had a meeting mysteriously arise. Either he planned to only stay a few hours from the beginning, or he got the information he needed and didn’t want to hang around. Either way I was off the hook.

The moment I was alone, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Logan letting him know Jean was leaving and thanking him once again for telling me what he found out. It reinforced my feelings for him. He was such a good man.

Why couldn’t things in my life be simple for once?

10

Logan

“Am I seeing this correctly, Bill?”

He chuckled. “Yes, mate. He’s leaving.”

I shook my head. I was expecting Jean to be a bigger issue, but he was already leaving the palace. Isla’s text shocked me, but the proof was in front of me.

His bags were loaded in his SUV and his team was climbing in. I watched the screen as the parade pulled out and left the gates. Something wasn’t adding up. Either the discussion with the king and queen hadn’t gone as he hoped and there was no point in staying longer, or it had gone exactly as he planned and there was no reason for him to be around. Maybe it was my own hopes clouding my judgement, but I genuinely couldn’t come up with another explanation.

“He can’t be giving up that quickly.”

“Ey, I’ll ask around and see what I can find out. I don’t have a good feeling about that one.”

I agreed, grateful he said it first. I was suspicious of him and how pure his intentions were, as well as Peter. I couldn’t figure him out. Was he just here as a supportive friend? I doubted it. Everyone had something to gain in this, except Isla. She was the one most likely to get hurt. It was my job to keep that from happening. Hopefully letting her and Aiden know about Jean’s company would prevent any scheming from happening behind their backs.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” I called to him as I left the office. We increased the number of guards surveying the grounds now that we had additional guests, but that left Bill alone at night to watch the video feeds. If it was anyone else, I would have insisted I stay with him, but Bill was the best. One of the few I trusted with not only my life, but Isla’s.

I got to my room and found Shane resting against the headboard of his bed.

“Jean’s gone.”