“I heard nothing, Your Highness,” someone said.
“But I was sure of it! Have you any vagrants hiding amongst the buckets and brooms here?”
“No, Your Highness, for the doors are kept locked. Perhaps it was the housekeeper,” another voice suggested.
“I am quite certain…”
The thumping under my leg had not gone still, and I was terrified to look down. “It is a rat,” William whispered. He turned as silently as he could and lowered me behind him. Then, with his toe, he rooted amid the straw until he found the brown creature. “There. You probably stepped on him, poor fellow.”
“Poor fellow! He is about to get us hanged!” I shot back. Quietly, of course.
Calmly, William herded the bouncing rodent toward the front of the crate with his foot. The instant the rat saw a crack large enough, it darted away, sending another box toppling over and scratching the floor with its panicked little toes.
“There!” the prince cried. “Someone is back there.”
I wrapped my arms around William from behind and banged my forehead on his broad shoulders. Could this get any worse? We were dead. The prince had heard everything, and in a moment, we would be discovered.
Footsteps scattered through the room as men searched among the crates. William turned and wrapped his arms around me. I shivered and clung to him—my burglar, the man who had stolen my heart. At least if we were going to hang for treason, I could say that I knew what the safety of a man’s embrace felt like.
I wished I would never have to leave it.
“Look, Your Highness!” someone called. “It was merely a rat trying to escape. Caught by surprise, I shouldn’t wonder. He was probably stowed away in this straw.”
William and I froze together, and I clamped my fat mouth closed by biting his coat sleeve. If I could keep quiet for just a little longer…
The prince grunted. “Perhaps. Have a rat catcher brought in. Shameful!”
“It will be done, Your Highness,” someone promised.
“Now, then, what to do about this Athena statue?”
“Indeed, Your Highness, it is sure to be the jewel of your collection!” one of his men enthused. “Since the issue of the Parthenon Marbles is at stake, Your Highness can do no better than to obtain a decorative sculpture of Athena herself. There can be no doubt of this sculpture’s authenticity. It lends credibility to your wish to preserve the collection from Athens.”
“How fine this will look on display at Carlton house!” someone else said.
“I think, Your Highness, that the original sender made a mistake. You know, the average country squire probably cannot tell the difference between Athena and Cupid! But the favor is all on your side.” This was Chantrey again. “Do you wish to have it examined?”
“Yes, yes. Carry out your study and have it brought to Carlton House,” replied the bored voice of the prince. “I will send for Lord Matlock and have the purse sent to Bennet. Where is my Maria? I am famished. Take me to my carriage.”
Within a few moments, everyone disappeared. Some men collected the statue in the crate and carried it out. The heraldry and swarm of attendants that had accompanied the prince were all gone, and the room was dark and silent once more.
“Do you think we dare move?” I asked after a few more moments.
“Why would we do that? I was planning to wait and see if another rat was going to surprise you. You are astonishingly athletic, Miss Elizabeth.”
“What? Fitzwilliam Darcy, you are—”
“Still euphoric about the recollection of your legs wrapped around my waist? Indeed, I am.”
I smacked his shoulder lightly. “If you dare tell anyone about that…”
“Why bother? I have much better things to do with my mouth.” He pulled me closer and showed me.
Some while later, breathless and dizzy, he set me back on the floor. I staggered and grabbed his coat. Then I giggled like I’d had too much wine.
“Uhm… shall we… shall we go now?”
He frowned, cast his eyes upward, and shook his head. “I am sure the Prince is still waddling to his carriage. We should…”kiss“stay…”kiss“hidden…”deeper kiss“a little…”and more kissing“longer.”
