Thomas shifted where he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “And I assume the source of information is reliable?”
The king raised an eyebrow. “Incredibly reliable.”
Prince Felix rolled his eyes. “You can just say it’s the Rogue, Leo.” He turned his attention to Thomas. “He’s never been wrong yet.”
A thrill ran through Thomas at being trusted with the knowledge that the notorious spy existed—and was a man. He wondered for a moment if he’d met the Rogue without knowing it before he pushed the thought aside. He had more important matters to deal with. “I’ll let the men know to be on the alert for suspicious behaviour, sire,” he said. “Will the crown prince need a special guard?”
Felix shook his head. “We’ve already sent Davin to Evergreen to visit Matty and Sophia until we get to the bottom of this.”
Thomas nodded. It was a smart move, and it was common enough for the crown prince to visit Evergreen that it wouldn’t arouse suspicion. “I’ll assign extra guards for Your Majesties immediately and increase the patrols.”
King Leopold let out a long sigh. “Thank you.”
Thomas gave a short bow and took his leave, but he hadn’t gone more than ten paces before there was the rapid clatter of boots on the stone floor and Prince Felix fell into step beside him, expression grim. “Listen, Thomas,” he said, voice low and urgent, “I know the protocol is to capture whoever it is and try and get information out of them, but if someone is coming for Leo, you do whatever you need to keep my husband safe. And if that involves a knife to the throat, so be it, you hear me?”
Thomas gave a sharp nod. If it came to it, he wouldn’t hesitate to protect the crown.
“I couldn’t take it if something happened to him. He’s—” Felix broke off and let out a shaky breath. Then he blinked rapidly before squaring his shoulders. “Leo is theking,and he must be protected at all costs. God knows I can’t run this bloody kingdom on my own. There’s far too much paperwork.” He offered Thomas a wobbly smile.
“I understand, Your Highness,” Thomas said quietly. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Felix nodded, then turned on his heel and walked briskly back to the office he shared with his husband.
Thomas straightened his spine and took a deep breath as he prepared to go and sort out the extra shifts. Luckily there were enough members of the Royal Guard that providing extra protection wouldn’t be overwhelming, and he began to mentally pair them up as he walked down the hallway. He’d almost made it to the staircase when once again there was the sound of footsteps. He spun around to see King Leopold hurrying toward him, one hand raised as a sign to stop.
Thomas waited until the king had reached him before asking, “Yes, Your Majesty?”
The king took a deep breath, his hands on his hips. “I don’t know what Felix told you, but I can guess. Take no prisoners, am I right?”
Thomas stood quietly, unsure what he was expected to say.
King Leopold took his silence as confirmation. “Thought so.” His voice dropped to a low growl. “Well, the same goes both ways. If he’s inanydanger, don’t hesitate.”
Thomas gave a grim smile.
“Understood, sire. Knives out at the first sign of trouble.”
“Good. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but I won’t risk Felix’s life for anything. I almost lost him once, and I don’t care to repeat the experience.”
And with that he walked back to his office, his spine stiff.
Watching him go, Thomas felt a pang of sympathy, but it was tinged with envy. Leo and Felix’s affection for each other was obvious, and Thomas had to wonder.
What must it be like to be so in love with someone that you’d do anything to keep them safe?
When Thomas doubled the guard with an order to watch for anything suspicious, his men were smart enough not to ask any questions, and their increased vigilance as they moved about the palace filled Thomas with professional pride. But more than that, it reassured him that the king and his husband would be kept secure.
Thomas liked King Leopold and Prince Felix. But then, most people did. They were often found hanging about in the kitchens or the stables, and they rarely stood on ceremony. And it was more than a little endearing, the way they were stupidly devoted to each other.
From a more selfish—or pragmatic—viewpoint, though, Thomas wanted them safe simply because if anything happened to either of them, the result would be out and out war, and nobody wanted that.
But as the visiting dignitaries began to leave in dribs and drabs over the following week, he began to think that just thisonce, the Rogue might have been mistaken. Either that or the increased number of guards around the castle was acting as a deterrent.
He kept the instructions he’d received to take no prisoners to himself. It wasn’t fair to burden his men with that kind of responsibility. Instead, he’d instructed them that if theydidsee anything out of the ordinary, day or night, they were to report to him immediately. So far he’d been alerted to two midnight trysts and an early morning attempted custard theft, but nothing that threatened the security of the king.
So when there was a hammering on the door of his cottage late one evening, he was prepared for more of the same. But instead he was greeted by a frantic, red-faced Darcy. “Captain, come quick! There’s a stranger in the castle!” he panted. “They’re all dressed in black, and they were hiding in the shadows!”
“Are you sure? Did you get a good look at them?”
