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“Checkmate,” a voice echoed from the darkness, chillingly familiar.
Nicole’s blood turned to ice. Theodore drew her back, shielding her with his body as they faced the silhouette that materialized from the shadows.
“Marquis Christopher,” Theodore acknowledged, his tone betraying no fear.
“Who else?” the marquis replied, his face obscured by the dim light. “I’m impressed by your little charade, but you’re playing in a game far beyond your comprehension.”
“Then enlighten us,” Nicole challenged.
“Alas, I’m not one to reveal my strategies prematurely.” Christopher’s voice was smooth as silk. “But rest assured, the next move will be mine.”
With those words, he vanished as swiftly as he had appeared, leaving them in the suffocating silence of the corridor.
Nicole’s heart pounded relentlessly. Theodore’s gaze met hers, a silent vow passing between them.
“Whatever game Christopher thinks he’s playing,” Nicole said, “we’ll be ready for him.”
As they retreated into the safety of the library, neither noticed the faint glimmer of light reflecting off the lens of a camera tucked away in the shadows—a lens that captured their every move, broadcasting it to an unseen observer whose intentions remained shrouded in mystery.
Chapter Ten
Nicole rubbed the back of her neck. “I swear, the only thing we’ve talked about for weeks is Marquis Christopher and his entourage. Do you remember when life was simple, and we were working on your exhibit?”
Theodore smiled, nodding. “We need a break from all this. One night to just be. You and me.”
Nicole smiled and nodded. “A walk perhaps?” They hadn’t been seen together in public since she’d found out he was truly Peter Thompson. She felt like she was being hidden from the world, and she didn’t much like it. It would be nice when she could be acknowledged as Prince Theodore’s... Whatever she was to him! All of the detective work they’d put in seemed to have nothing to do with their relationship in any way.
Their relationship had been put on the back burner, and while she had no desire to live in the limelight, it would be nice if he could acknowledge her. She giggled softly. She couldn’t imagine her mother’s face if she brought home Prince Theodore to a family dinner. Her mother had told her for as long as she could remember that she would marry Prince Theodore someday.
Until she’d started school, she’d almost believed it. But when she’d gone to school, all of the other little girls had told her they were marrying either Prince James or Prince Theodore. After that, Nicole knew her mother’s aspirations for her were rooted in fantasy.
“When all this is over, I need to take you home to meet my family,” she said softly.
“Where do they live?”
“In the countryside not far from town. Mum would love meeting you. She always told me that you were my handsome prince and we’d end up married someday. Just like every other mother in the nation told their daughters.”
He shook his head, laughing softly. “You have no idea how many women I’ve met over the years who have told me it’s always been their dream to marry me. It’s always felt a bit strange to be the center of attention for simply being born. If I could choose a persona to live as, it would certainly be as Peter Thompson, but my face is too known as Prince Theodore of Theron.”
“Perhaps we need a walk tonight. We can forget all about our investigation and just be two people who...think highly of one another.” She’d started to say who were in love with each other but thought better of it. She didn’t want him to think she was trying to pressure him into more from their relationship when she still wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
“This way then,” he said, bowing regally. He waited for her to pass from the room and led her through the castle to the backdoor which led out into the lovely garden. Well, it was lovely most times of the year. Here in the fall, it was rather brown, all of the plants dormant until the spring.
They walked through the quiet garden, hand-in-hand, just being. It was a relief for him to take off the mantle of the prince and just be a man in love with the woman beside him. “I should show you my paintings of you. The ones I did before we ever met. It seemed like the girl in my paintings was telling me to come find her.”
Before she could reply, a figure lunged from the darkness, a blunt object arcing through the air with lethal intent. Theodore had barely enough time to register the threat before pain exploded at the back of his head, bright spots dancing before his eyes as he crumpled to the ground.
“Theodore!” Nicole’s voice pierced the fog of his faltering consciousness, laced with panic and dread.
Then, all was silence.
THEODORE AWOKE TO A world out of focus, his senses dulled by the throbbing in his skull. Gritty dirt pressed against his cheek, and he could taste blood on his tongue. He tried to move, but his muscles protested, memory unfolding in disjointed flashes—Nicole’s alarmed cry, the swift descent into darkness.
“Nicole,” he rasped, pushing himself up with a groan. She was gone; of that, he was certain. The emptiness beside him spoke volumes, and with it came a realization that chilled him to the bone.
His greatest fear had come to pass.
“Kidnapped,” he whispered to the uncaring night, the word slicing through the layers of his duty-bound existence. She had been targeted because of their mission, and because of her closeness to the royal family. And now, Nicole—brilliant, steadfast Nicole—had become a pawn in a game much larger than either of them.
