The Rebel Prince. Raye Morgan

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      “I heard she got hit by a water-polo ball,” the new man said, slipping a blood-pressure cuff up her arm and starting to pump. “A water-polo ball that you threw. I’d call that a knock-down.”

      “We’ve already established the guilt in this situation,” Monty responded acerbically. “But the motives were pure.”

      He leaned toward her. “Emma, this irritating man is Dr Will Harris. He’ll get to the bottom of this ‘resting’ business.” He nodded toward the doctor. “Will, this is Emma Valentine. She can’t seem to stop sleeping. Maybe you can find out why.”

      “Emma Valentine, ay? Pretty name.” Will smiled at her. “Pretty name for a pretty lady.” He released the pressure and began to take her pulse. “What do you do here at the castle, Emma?”

      She blinked at him, then closed her eyes and searched her mind. The facts seemed to have slipped away. What was she doing here, anyway?

      “She says she’s a chef.” Monty answered for her. “I didn’t know we were hiring chefs. But then, I don’t know much about what’s going on here these days.”

      “Yes, I was surprised to see you back so soon,” the doctor said as he pulled the cuff back off again and took out his stethoscope. “Raring to go, I imagine.”

      Monty gave a short, humorless laugh. “Hardly that.”

      “Something told me you might not be completely enthusiastic with the changes around here. But I assume you will do what’s expected of you. Right?”

      The silence that followed seemed ripe with an emotion she couldn’t understand, but it did seem to spur her memory.

      “I’ve been hired for a special job,” she said suddenly and in a surprisingly loud voice.

      She smiled. What a relief to have that information back where she could retrieve it. She needed to wake up. She had to wake up. It was her first day on this job and she couldn’t afford to blow it. She had to get herself together, enforce some self-discipline. But her eyelids were so heavy. Struggling, she opened her eyes and turned so that she could see them both.

      “The coronation celebration dinners,” she added. “I’m here to plan for the big event.”

      “Oh. That.”

      She noted the two men give each other a meaningful look but she couldn’t imagine why and she went on.

      “I came, actually, to meet with the prince. You know, the one who’s going to be crowned?” She thought for a moment, then brightened. “Prince Sebastian. That’s his name. And now they tell me he won’t be here until the weekend.”

      “They told me the same thing,” the doctor said with a grin she didn’t think she was awake enough to analyze.

      “Never trust anything ‘they’ tell you,” Monty offered cynically. He wasn’t grinning but he caught her eye and gave her a significant look, too. She had no idea why, and she frowned at him.

      “They told me Agatha was coming as well,” Will said with studied disinterest. “Any truth to that rumor?”

      “Could be,” Monty replied. “I haven’t talked to her.”

      She was half sitting now, while Dr Will checked out her breathing, thumping her chest and listening intently. The entire situation felt so odd and the cavernous space with the gentle lapping of the water in the background only made it more so. She was in a castle, sitting beside an indoor swimming pool and being carefully examined by two of the most attractive men she’d ever seen. It was enough to turn a girl’s head.

      But she had to keep hers right where it was. She had a job to do. She had to keep reminding herself of that.

      “So what’s he like, anyway?” she asked them.

      They both stared at her.

      “Who?” they said at the same time.

      “The prince.”

      “Ah.” Will laughed softly as he put away his stethoscope. “The crown prince, now.”

      “The prince?” Monty chimed in, eyes shining with what she took as amusement. “He’s a fine fellow. One of the best you’ll ever meet. The toast of the nation.”

      Will snorted, but he went on.

      “I’m sure songs will be written about him soon,” he said in a tone she thought might be a bit sarcastic, though she wasn’t certain she was reading him right. “Stories told, legends taken down. After all, he comes from a long line of kings, and he fits the part, if you ask me. Tall as an Alpine cedar, honest as a cloistered nun, strong as a…as a…”

      “A blue ox?” Will put in helpfully.

      Monty gave him a baleful look.

      “Strong as a northern wind, sharp as a…”

      “Serpent’s tooth,” Will interjected. “And just as yellow.”

      He leaned toward her earnestly. “Don’t listen to Monty. Truth be told, the prince is an ugly bloke. His eyes are small and evil and much too close together for comfort. And he’s got bad breath and he’s a bit of a drooler, if you know what I mean.”

      “Really?” Emma was pretty sure he wasn’t being serious. Despite the fact that her mind was still full of cotton, she was alert enough to know when her leg was being pulled. “I’d heard he was quite handsome.”

      “Who told you that?” Monty asked with interest.

      But Will waved it away. “They always say that about royalty. You know the media. Always trying to hype their main product. They give royals attributes they don’t deserve, just to make them more interesting to the public.”

      Emma frowned. “I don’t know if that’s true.” Her face cleared. “Oh, you’re teasing. I know he’s very handsome. I don’t think I’ve ever seen pictures myself—I don’t really follow the society pages. But I’ve heard it from others, people who pay attention to these things. I’m sure he’s quite good-looking.”

      “Well, don’t you believe it,” the doctor said cheerfully as he packed away his instruments. “I know him personally. Lazy layabout, that’s what he is. Never done a day’s worth of work in his life. Always off on some yacht in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.”

      “Isn’t that pretty much the way they all are, those royals?” Emma asked him, looking for confirmation. “At least, from what I hear.”

      Monty scowled but Will nodded wisely. “Over-endowed libido, under-endowed intellect,” he noted. “That’s our boy, the prince. Take my word for it.”

      Monty’s head swung around at that and his mouth opened in protest. “Hey!”

      “Yes, my dear,” Will droned on. “Centuries of inbreeding.” He made a face. “Leaves them a little bewildered, you know. You’ll catch a glimpse of one now and then wandering mournfully about the castle like a lost sheep.”

      “That СКАЧАТЬ