“All right, sweetheart, your point is made. I don’t necessarily agree with it ... I mean, we don’t know what might have happened today if the extra security hadn’t been in place. We don’t know whether or not there was a near-miss. Maybe you were just lucky.”
“It’s possible.” I shrugged. “But regardless of maybes or possibles, the day was just about perfect. The Lacketts were troopers—no one even knew about the vandalism at the nursery, except for the board of directors at the garden.”
“They’re lovely people,” Nicky agreed. “And one good thing came out of this—I was able to be there with you, too, and that was a definite treat. Sometimes I forget how much fun it is when we work together—since we’ve been married, we’ve been splitting up to cover more ground, which is a good idea, but not so much fun.”
This was an opening I’d been waiting to find for the past few weeks, since Daisy and I had talked about Nicky at my office. Biting my lower lip, I gazed at Nicky through my eyelashes.
“Maybe we should try to make that happen—more engagements together, I mean. Let’s look at our calendars and see if maybe I could be added to a few of yours coming up, or you could be added to mine.”
He frowned. “I don’t know—I can look at everything, but I have quite a few events out of town in the next month or so, and it’s too complicated to have the Palace add you and to arrange security.”
I slid my hand around his arm. “But Daisy said it really isn’t. She says it happens all the time, especially when someone marries into the family—that person can be added to appearances or engagements that have been planned for months.”
Nicky cocked his head, his brows drawing together. “Daisy? And just how did this topic come up between you and my little sister?”
Damn. I’d spoken without thinking. “We were talking at lunch a few weeks ago, and I might have mentioned that you’ve been away a lot lately. She asked why I wasn’t going with you, and I told her what you’d said.” I coughed. “She seemed to think maybe that reason wasn’t exactly accurate.”
“My sister doesn’t know everything, Kyra.” Nicky’s voice was tight. “And in this instance, she truly doesn’t have any idea about—what’s going on.”
“Apparently, neither do I,” I shot back. “Care to clarify all of this for me?”
“There’s nothing toclarify.” Nicky moved away from me, almost shaking my hand off his arm. “I told you what you needed to know.”
My husband’s choice of words made my stomach drop. “What Ineed to know? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Nicky glanced toward the front seat where our driver and Simon both sat, both of them behaving as though they hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary. It was a special talent that all of the staff seemed to possess. Even so, we usually tried to be discreet, to be aware of what we said in front of others. It was never a good idea to lay too much temptation in someone’s lap, and spilling intimate details to the press could mean a hefty payday for a Palace insider willing to talk.
Both of us fell silent, but the air between us was thick with what we didn’t say. I managed to take a few measured breaths before I opened my mouth again.
“Tomorrow night, I’m presenting an award on behalf of Her Majesty at the London Artisans Association Banquet. I would very much like it if you came with me.”
His jaw tensed. “I ... can’t. I already have a commitment.”
Disappointment filled me. “You do? Where will you be?”
“Hector Carreon’s stag night. I’m in the wedding, and I promised I’d go.” Nicky sounded vaguely regretful. “Sorry, Ky. He’s an old friend. We’ve known each other since we were in school together.”
“I know.” I tried to keep the irritation out of my tone. I didn’t particularly care for Hector. He’d been one of Nicky’s most frequent wingmen back in the days when my husband had been the Royal Family’s most notorious party animal, and although I had faith that Nicky had outgrown that behavior, I didn’t trust Hector. Whenever we’d had occasion to meet, he’d watched me with an expression of amused contempt, as though he knew something I didn’t. I hated the way he made me feel.
“Might be late, too,” Nicky added. “Matter of fact, I almost definitely will be. There’s a chance that I’ll stay at the hotel where we’re having the party.”
“It’s here in town, isn’t it?” My voice rose an octave. “Why wouldn’t you just come home?”
“For a number of reasons, not the least that it will make things easier on my security officer and my driver. Staying will also make sure that all the events of the evening will remain private—no pictures of me leaving in the small hours of the morning. The next day, I have to be in Brighton for that symposium, so I’ll simply leave from the hotel.”
I couldn’t argue with any of his rationale. It made sense. That didn’t mean that I had to like that or admit to Nicky that I understood. I stayed quiet until after we’d arrived back at the cottage.
Actually, I didn’t say anything at all for the rest of the afternoon ... even after Nicky and I were alone. I didn’t trust what might spill out of my mouth if I opened it.
Sometimes, silence was safer.
Nicky
I hated leaving her again.
It felt as though this year had been a series of doing just that: saying good-bye to my beautiful, amazing wife and leaving her behind. Since we’d returned to England after our honeymoon, my life had been by turns absolute joy, when Kyra and I were together and happy, laughing and loving, and abject terror when I thought about her being the target of these damned terrorists.
I’d had long and bitter arguments with my grandfather and with my dad, who wanted me to tell Kyra the truth about the threats, about the specialized training Scotland Yard had insisted I undertake. None of them could understand that for my own sanity, I had to let her remain blissfully ignorant.
