At His Majesty's Convenience / Her Little Secret, His Hidden Heir: At His Majesty's Convenience. Jennifer Lewis

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СКАЧАТЬ guilt pricked him. He didn’t even like the idea of her knowing he’d entered her room uninvited, let alone taken her possessions hostage. Andi was a stickler for honesty and had kept him aboveboard more times than he cared to remember. Taking her bags just felt wrong.

      She’d said she’d leave as soon as the party was over. A woman of her word, she’d be sure to wait until the last guest was gone. As long as he found her before then, everything would be fine. He switched off the light and left the room as he’d found it.

      He scanned the east hall as he headed for the stairs, a sense of foreboding growing inside him. The packed bags were an ominous sign, but he couldn’t really believe she’d abandon Ruthenia—and him.

      “Jake, darling, we were wondering what happened to you,” Maxi called to him from the bottom of the stairs. “Colonel Von Deiter has volunteered to play piano while we dance.” She stretched out her long arm, as if inviting him to share the first dance with her.

      Since coming to Ruthenia he sometimes felt he’d stepped into a schnitzel-flavored Jane Austen story, where people waltzed around ballrooms and gossiped behind fans. He was happier in a business meeting than on a dance floor, and right now he’d much rather be dictating a letter to Andi than twirling Maxi over the parquet.

      “Have you seen Andi, my assistant?”

      “The little girl who wears her hair in a bun?”

      Jake frowned. He wasn’t sure exactly how old Andi was—mid-twenties, maybe?—but it seemed a bit rude for someone of twenty-two to call her a little girl. “She’s about five foot seven,” he said, with an arched brow. “And yes, she always wears her hair in a bun.”

      Come to think of it, he’d literally never seen her hair down, which was pretty odd after six years. A sudden violent urge to see Andi with her hair unleashed swept through him. “I’ve looked all over the palace for her, but she’s vanished into thin air.”

      Maxi shrugged. “Do come dance, darling.”

      His friend Fritz appeared behind her. “Come on, Jake. Can’t let the ladies down. Just a twirl or two. I’m sure Andi has better things to do than wait on you hand and foot.”

      “She doesn’t wait on me hand and foot. She’s a valued executive.”

      Fritz laughed. “Is that why she’s always hovering around taking care of your every need?”

      Jake stiffened. He never took Andi for granted. He knew just how dependent on her he was. Did she feel that he didn’t care?

      Frowning, he descended the stairs and took Maxi’s offered hand. He was the host, after all. Two waltzes and a polka later he managed to slip out into the hallway.

      “Any idea where Andi is?” he asked the first person he saw, who happened to be the night butler.

      He shrugged in typical Ruthenian style. “Haven’t seen her in hours. Maybe she went to bed?”

      Unlikely. Andi never left a party until the last guest had rolled down the drive. But then she’d never quit before, either. He was halfway up the stairs before he realized he was heading for her bedroom again.

      Jake stared at her closed door. Was she in there? And if not, were her bags still there?

      He knocked, but heard no movement from inside. After checking that the corridor was deserted, he knelt and peered through the keyhole. It was empty—no key on the inside—which suggested she was out. On the other hand, the pitch darkness on the other side meant he couldn’t see a thing.

      He slipped in—didn’t she know better than to leave her door unlocked?—and switched on the light. The suitcases were still there. Closer inspection revealed that one of them had been partially unpacked, as if an item was removed. Still, there were no clues as to Andi’s whereabouts.

      Frustration pricked his muscles. How could she just disappear like this?

      At the foot of the stairs, Fritz accosted him, martini in hand. “When are you going to choose your bride, Jake? We’re all getting impatient.”

      Jake growled. “Why is everyone so mad for me to get married?”

      “Because there are precious few kings left in the world and you’re up for grabs. The rest of us are waiting to see who’s left. None of the girls dare even kiss us anymore, let alone do anything more rakish, in case they’re making themselves ineligible for a coronet. They’re all fighting for the chance to be called Your Majesty.”

      “Then they’re all nuts. If anyone calls me ‘Your Majesty,’ I’ll fire ‘em.”

      Fritz shoved him. “All bluster. And don’t deny you have some of the loveliest women in the world to choose from.”

      “I wish the loveliest women in the world would take off for the night. I’m ready to turn in.” Or rather, ready to find and corner Andi.

      Fritz cocked his head. “Party pooper. All right. I’ll round up the troops and march ‘em out for you.”

      “You’re a pal.”

      Jake watched the last chauffeured Mercedes disappear down the long driveway from the east patio. He needed some air to clear his head before tackling Andi—and watching from here ensured that she couldn’t leave without him seeing her.

      Could he really stand to marry Maxi or Alia or any of these empty-headed, too-rich, spoiled brats? He’d been surrounded by their kind of women all his life, even in New York. Just the circle he’d been born into. You’d think a king would have more choices than the average Joe, but that was apparently not the case.

      Something moving in the darkness caught his eye. He squinted, trying to make out what was crossing the lawn. An animal? Ruthenia had quite large deer that he was supposed to enjoy hunting.

      But this creature was lighter, more upright, and moved with a kind of mystical grace. He stepped forward, peering into the gloom of a typical moonlit but cloudy night. The figure whirled and twirled on the lawn, pale fabric flowing around it.

      A ghost? His back stiffened. The palace was nearly three hundred years old and built over a far more ancient structure. Tales of sieges and beheadings and people imprisoned in the dungeons rattled around the old stone walls.

      Long, pale arms extended sideways as the figure twirled again. A female ghost.

      Curiosity goaded him across the patio and down the stone stairs onto the lawn. He walked silently across the damp grass, eyes fixed on the strange apparition. As he drew closer he heard singing—soft and sweet—almost lost in the low breeze and the rustling of the trees.

      Entranced, he moved nearer, enjoying the figure’s graceful movements and the silver magic of her voice.

      He stopped dead when he realized she was singing in English.

      “Andi?”

      Despite the hair streaming over her shoulders and the long, diaphanous dress, he recognized his assistant of six years, arms raised to the moon, swaying and singing in the night.

      He strode forward faster. “Are you okay?”

      She СКАЧАТЬ