The King's Bride

lock her in a dungeon before it dawned on Lizzie that just maybe she’d gone a little bit too far.

Possibly this occurred to him, because he relaxed and allowed his anger to fade into exasperation. ‘There’s nothing more to be gained tonight,’ he growled. ‘We’ll talk tomorrow afternoon.’

‘Unless I decide to leave before then,’ she said with spirit.

‘Well, if I find you gone I’ll know what to think,’ he said smoothly. ‘Goodnight, Miss Boothe.’

She was facing a closed door.

‘Tomorrow afternoon,’ she breathed. ‘Or tomorrow evening. Or the day after, if it suits you. Oh, no! I don’t think so.’

Moving fast, she dressed, hurled some clothes into a bag and headed for the outer door. Opening it slowly, quietly, she prepared to step outside.

But, instead of the empty corridor she’d seen earlier, she now discovered two beefy guards standing across the doorway, firmly blocking her exit.

CHAPTER THREE

IT WAS hard for Lizzie to maintain her indignation when the sun rose on a scene of glorious summer. The beautifully manicured gardens were spread before her, trees, shrubs, flowers, winding paths, and in the distance a gleam of water. She had seldom known such a beautiful day, or such enchanting surroundings.

But she was annoyed. She must remember that.

She showered and changed into a cream linen trouser suit with a sleeveless green sweater. She finished off with a chain about her neck plus matching earrings. She was pleased with the effect. The chain was gold, but the bulky earrings had been bought cheaply from a market stall.

It occurred to her that she was all dressed up with nowhere to go, effectively a prisoner in this apartment until Daniel chose to let her out. But before her temper had a chance to get started there was a knock on the outer door.

‘Come in,’ she called.

Frederick appeared, leading a footman pushing a trolley on which food was piled.

‘No,’ Lizzie said firmly. ‘I want to see the King, right now.’

‘I’m afraid that won’t be-’ He got no further. Lizzie was out of the door and darting down the corridor.

She ran, expecting every moment to be stopped, but nobody tried. She had a reasonable idea which direction she wanted because Frederick had led her past Daniel’s apartments the day before. After taking a couple of wrong turnings she found herself on the right corridor. At the far end was a large pair of oak doors with two guards standing outside. They moved together when they saw her, making it impossible for her to get between them, but she managed to knock loudly.

The door was answered by a man dressed in a neat grey suit. Everything else about him was grey also, including his demeanour.

‘I would like to see the King,’ Lizzie said as firmly as she could manage.

‘Your name, please?’

‘Elizabeth Boothe.’

The man looked puzzled. ‘But His Majesty is on his way to see you. He left only a moment ago.’

‘But Frederick said-never mind.’

She began to race back the way she’d come.

In her apartment Frederick closed the door of the cupboard he’d been exploring and said anxiously, ‘I’m afraid I have found nothing.’

Daniel also closed a cupboard door. ‘Nor I,’ he said. ‘But there hasn’t been time to look everywhere. Still, I hardly expected an easy success. I doubt she’s brought the letters with her; she’s far too shrewd. Still, it was worth a try. Now more drastic methods will be needed.’

Frederick, a slightly puritanical young man, swallowed. ‘I understand that it will be necessary for Your Majesty to make-amorous overtures to this young woman.’

An unreadable expression crossed Daniel’s face, and he couldn’t meet Frederick’s eye. ‘It would seem so,’ he agreed. ‘But for the sake of our country there are no lengths to which I will not go. Ah, Miss Boothe! How delightful to see you. But why did you hurry away so fast? Not reluctant to meet me, I hope?’

‘On the contrary, I was determined to meet you,’ Lizzie said, slightly breathless from running down the long corridor.

‘But breakfast is for two,’ Daniel said smoothly, indicating the table that had now been set up. ‘Surely you realised I would be here? Frederick, you should have made the matter plain.’

Frederick murmured apologies and bowed himself out. Lizzie confronted Daniel, breathing fire.

‘You actually dared to keep me prisoner!’ she said. ‘I don’t care if you are a king, it was an outrageous thing to do.’

‘You’ll have to allow for the effects of my upbringing,’ he said with a smile. ‘It makes me tyrannical in small details.’

’Small-?’

‘Let me pour you some orange juice. Strictly speaking, of course, you should be pouring for me, but as I don’t want the jug hurled at my head I’ll waive protocol this once.’

Lizzie was about to launch into her tirade again, but she found a glass pressed into her hand. She drank its contents and found them delicious.

‘It was also a wasteful use of my men,’ Daniel continued, seating himself and indicating for her to do the same.

‘How do you mean?’

‘Even without guards, you would never have left.’

‘Oh, wouldn’t I?’

‘Of course not. Because while you may hold Alphonse’s letters, I hold Liz’s side of the correspondence. And you’re too much of a historian to leave without trying to get a look at them.’

The truth of this struck her, making her fall briefly silent, although it was maddening to have to cede him a point.

‘But I don’t have Alphonse’s letters,’ she said at last. ‘I told you that last night.’

‘Ah, yes. A pity. We might have struck a deal.’

Lizzie’s lips twitched. ‘You mean, “I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours,”’ she said.

‘Something like that. But since you say you don’t have them-’

‘I don’t. And the more I think of it the more I’m convinced that it can’t be Auntie. She’d have told me.’

‘Lizzie-’

‘I think Miss Boothe is more proper, don’t you?’

‘Very well, Miss Boothe, the letters were written by your great-aunt. They contain details that leave no doubt.’

‘But have you interpreted them correctly? If I could see what you have I might be able to point you in the right direction.’

His eyes gleamed. ‘Very clever, Miss Boothe. You’re a worthy opponent. Some coffee?’

‘I’d rather have some letters.’

‘So would I.’

‘Then we seem to be at stalemate.’

‘You persist in this pretence of ignorance?’

She was about to confirm this when it occurred to her that

she wasn’t being very wise. If Daniel really believed she didn’t have what he wanted she could be headed for a swift exit, which no longer seemed so appealing. It might be better for her to string him along. ‘Always keep them wondering’ had been another of Dame Elizabeth’s mottoes.