The Accidental Princess (7 page)

The baron crumpled to the floor.

‘That was well done,’ Lieutenant Thorpe complimented her, emerging from the shadows. He wore only part of his slate-blue military uniform, while his jacket, shako and sabre were missing.

Dear God, where had he come from? Not that she wasn’t grateful, but he’d scared the life out of her.

Hannah choked back her shock and stared down at the fallen body of Belgrave. Her heart was still pounding with horror at what she’d done. ‘Did we kill him?’

That was all she needed now. To be hanged for murder.

‘I doubt it.’

She slumped into a leather chair, resting her forehead on her palm. Relief poured through her. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you’d wait a few days at least.’

Michael pulled a chair across from her and sat. ‘A soldier’s instincts. You asked me to prevent a marriage between you and Belgrave. I saw his carriage when I passed by the house.’

It was a mild way to state that he’d been spying on her. And yet, she was grateful. Knowing that he’d kept his promise to watch over her made her feel safe. ‘How did you get in here without anyone seeing you?’

The Lieutenant pointed towards the window. ‘It’s not difficult. I thought I’d sneak in, see that you were all right and leave.’

Her breath caught for just a moment. He’d planned to rescue her with a dictionary. A choked laugh bubbled in her throat, but Hannah tamped it down as she studied Belgrave’s unconscious form. ‘I should probably get some smelling salts.’

‘Leave him. He looks good on the floor, after what he did to you the other night.’

She agreed with the Lieutenant, but didn’t say so. ‘No, it’s really not a polite thing to do. I shouldn’t have struck him with the candlestick. My mother would faint if she learned of it.’

He turned serious, resting his forearms on his knees as he regarded her. ‘If you hadn’t done so, he would have forced his attentions on you.’ The Lieutenant’s words were brutally blunt. ‘And your parents could not have stopped him.’

Hannah’s hands started to shake. It was cold in the study, and she gripped her arms to try to warm them.

A squeaking noise caught her attention—the Lieutenant was occupied with pushing the curtains aside and raising the window. ‘Come on. We’ll leave him here while you make your escape.’

‘Not out there.’ Anyone might see her, and it was impossible in her skirts. ‘I’ll just go back through the study door.’

‘Do you plan to rummage through his pockets for the key?’ he enquired. ‘Or will you shout for one of the servants to break down the door?’

Hannah winced at the thought of touching Belgrave. ‘There’s no other way, Lieutenant Thorpe. Even if I wanted to go out the window, my skirts wouldn’t fit.’

‘You could remove some of your petticoats.’

‘Never.’ The thought made her ill. He might catch a glimpse of her ankle. Or worse, part of her stocking-clad leg. ‘It’s a terrible, ridiculous idea.’

He sat on the window sill, one leg in, one leg out. ‘I never
said it was a good idea. It’s simply one of your options.’ He shrugged. ‘Either way, I am leaving through this window.’ He disappeared from the sill, and Hannah stared at the study door.

Outside, she heard the voices of servants and her mother. She was about to approach the locked door, when Belgrave suddenly stirred.

His eyes snapped open, and he groaned, rubbing his head. When he staggered to his knees, Hannah didn’t wait any longer. There wasn’t time to get the key.

She raced towards the window and saw that it was about a six-foot drop. Not as bad as she’d expected. Below, the Lieutenant was waiting.

‘Did you change your mind?’

‘Don’t let me fall,’ Hannah ordered. She had a fleeting image of flying into the shrubbery, with her skirts over her head. The vision made her stomach lurch. Ladies did not jump from the window into an unmarried man’s arms.

But her alternative was to face Belgrave again.

Why in the name of heaven did this have to happen to her? Hannah bemoaned the indignity of it all as she sat upon the window sill. Her tiered skirts fluffed around the window, the petticoats amassing in a large pile before her.

‘I’ll catch you,’ came his voice. Glancing down, she saw the Lieutenant standing with his arms outstretched. His face was confident, his arms strong. He looked as though he would never let anything happen to her. ‘Trust me.’

With a backwards glance, she saw Belgrave stumbling towards her. Squeezing her eyes shut, Hannah let herself tip backwards. Though she longed to release a scream as she fell, only a muffled ‘oomph’ left her lips as she landed in his embrace.

Sure enough, every petticoat remained in place. The Lieutenant lowered her down, and as they stood outside the servants’ entrance, she marvelled that she’d done such a thing.

‘To the garden,’ she ordered. ‘Quickly, before anyone sees us.’

He didn’t argue, but led her towards the tall hedge, ducking around the corner. A crooked grin creased his mouth. ‘I suppose that’s the first time you’ve ever thrown yourself out a window.’

She flushed. ‘I had no choice. Belgrave woke up.’

His smile faded into a tight line. ‘You’re safe from him now. You can go back through the front door and tell your mother what happened. I doubt if they’ll force you to marry him now.’

‘I should think not.’ Hannah brushed at her gown, to give herself a way of avoiding his gaze. He was looking at her as though he wanted to kiss her again, and her nerves tightened. The boxwood hedge dug into her neck as she pressed herself against it. ‘Thank you, Lieutenant.’

He acknowledged her thanks with a nod, but didn’t leave immediately. She noticed the way his attention shifted towards the kitchen. His features grew tight, and she understood suddenly that he was hungry.

Though she wanted to send the Lieutenant to the kitchen for a hot meal as a reward, she didn’t dare, for fear her father would discover his presence.

‘Go to the gardener’s shed, and wait for me. I’ll be right back.’

The Lieutenant shook his head. ‘Lady Hannah, I have to leave.’

‘You’re hungry,’ she said quietly. When he was about to protest, she held up her hand. ‘I can see it. I’ll get a basket of food for you from the kitchen. You’ll have a meal as repayment for rescuing me.’

He took another step away from her. ‘It’s not a good idea for you to be seen with me again.’

‘It sounds as though you’re afraid of my father.’

He grimaced at her implication, and Hannah moved in for the kill. ‘Don’t worry, Lieutenant.’

She stepped towards the kitchen, her mood improving. ‘If Papa dares to try to kill you, I promise to defend your honour, just as you did mine. I’m quite good with a candlestick.’

W
hen Hannah opened the back door to the kitchen, she saw the servants busy chopping vegetables at the long table on the far side of the room. Their backs were to her, and they were busy talking amongst themselves. Near the wall beside her, she saw a tea tray with the picnic basket her mother had ordered earlier. Perfect.

Holding fast to her skirts, Hannah slipped inside and snatched the basket. She didn’t wait to find out if anyone had seen her, but hastened back outside, ducking behind the arborvitae hedge. Within a few minutes more, she reached the gardener’s shed.

The Lieutenant sat on the floor of the shed, but he’d spread out a few burlap sacks for her to sit upon. She handed him the basket. ‘It’s not much, but it’s the only reward I could think of on such short notice. Thank you for rescuing me.’

He didn’t take the basket immediately. ‘No reward was necessary. I wasn’t about to let Belgrave raise a hand against you.’

The words were spoken with a casual air, as though it were nothing. But even as he rested with one knee up, she saw his wrist hanging down, she saw a caged alertness. This was a
man who would defend someone to the death. A ruthless soldier, one who showed no mercy to his enemies.

‘A dictionary,’ she remarked. ‘Not a weapon I’d have expected. It seems you are a man of more words than I’d thought.’

A hint of a smile twitched at his lips, and she avoided further discussion by opening the basket. She found a china plate and began loading it with slices of ham, bread and creamed spinach.

Concentrating on the food made it easier to forget that she was alone in a gardener’s shed with a man who was far too handsome. Her nape prickled with awareness of him, and she tried to ignore his scrutiny.

Her hand reached up to straighten a strand of hair, and she felt completely improper without a bonnet or gloves.

‘Aren’t you going to eat?’ he asked, after he’d made a sandwich out of the bread and ham. He ate slowly, but from the flash of relief on his face, Hannah knew she’d made the right decision to offer food.

‘I’m not hungry.’ She’d lost her appetite after the ordeal with Belgrave. Her emotions were bottled up so tightly with the knowledge that her family’s reputation was about to be destroyed.

The awful pressure was building in her chest, and she clenched her skirts, staring down at them. A tear dripped down on her palm, and she struggled to keep herself together.

‘Lady Hannah,’ came the Lieutenant’s deep voice. ‘What is it?’

‘Shh.’ She raised a hand, unable to look at him. ‘I just need a moment to…fall apart before I collect myself. It’s been a most difficult morning.’

‘Go ahead and cry,’ he said. ‘You deserve it, after the way he threatened you.’

Hannah couldn’t stop the sobs from breaking forth, her
shoulders huddled forward as she released the anger and disappointment.

‘He’s going to ruin me, after this,’ she cried. ‘All because I refused to marry him.’

Strong arms enveloped her in an embrace, but there was no judgement, only comfort. He said nothing, but she sensed his anger toward Belgrave.

‘What am I supposed to do now?’ Hannah whispered, feeling ashamed that her tears were dampening his shirt.

He held her against his chest, gently patting her back. ‘I think you should leave London.’

‘I agree.’ A change in her surroundings was the only thing that would allow the gossip to die down.

She dried her tears, extricating herself from his arms. Though she’d expected to feel abashed at being in his embrace, strangely, she didn’t.

Afterwards, she sat down upon one of the sacks, keeping a respectful, proper distance. Across from him, she felt small, almost fragile. He remained alert, as though he expected to leave at any moment.

‘I am grateful for your help today. Tell me, did anyone else see you?’

‘I don’t think so.’ His eyes held a glint of mischief. ‘It’s a good thing your father opened the window earlier.’

Smoothing her skirts, she straightened her posture. ‘I do appreciate your help.’

‘I suspect, after you struck Belgrave with the candlestick, Lord Rothburne will be less likely to force you into marriage.’

Hannah nodded, hoping that was true. ‘When do you have to leave for the Crimean Peninsula?’

The Lieutenant tensed, and he busied himself with finishing the ham sandwich. After a moment, he replied, ‘My orders were changed. I’ve been asked to go to Lohenberg instead.’

Lohenberg? Hannah frowned, wondering what the Army
would possibly want with the tiny country, nestled between Germany and Denmark. In school, she’d learned Lohenisch, among her studies of European languages, but it was hardly an important principality.

Hannah stared at him, unable to comprehend what he’d just informed her. ‘Do you mean you’re not going to fight any more?’ Before he could answer, she plunged on. ‘This is my fault, isn’t it? My father—’

‘—had nothing to do with it,’ he finished. ‘Another man is involved.’

‘Who?’

‘The Graf von Reischor.’ He shook his head, stabbing at a bite of creamed spinach. ‘It’s a long story.’

‘He was at Papa’s ball the other night, wasn’t he?’ Hannah mused. Her father was good friends with the Lohenberg ambassador, but she’d hardly spoken with the man beyond an introduction, over a year ago. ‘What would the Graf want with you?’

She bit her tongue as soon as she spoke, for it sounded as though she’d denigrated the Lieutenant’s rank. ‘I mean, why would he interfere with your orders?’

‘I presume he will tell me that tomorrow morning.’ His stiff posture made it clear he had no desire to discuss it further.

He was about to leave, but Hannah stopped him with a hand. ‘Wait. You haven’t finished everything.’

She removed a covered container and offered it to him, along with a spoon. ‘It’s Cook’s newest dessert. She copied it after the Sacher Torte, which my parents tasted in Vienna. You’ll want to try it.’

She’d never been allowed to partake of the rich dessert, but there was no reason why the Lieutenant should not enjoy the rare delicacy. Setting the container into his hands, she made him accept it.

Hannah lifted the lid, and against her will, her mouth watered. Rich chocolate covered the cake, while the inner
layers were filled with apricot jam. What would it be like to taste such decadence?

The Lieutenant dipped his fork into the cake, and Hannah stared at the forbidden dessert.

Was it as good as it appeared to be? The soft icing looked so tempting, she forced herself to look away.

‘You look as though you’re ready to snatch my cake away,’ he observed. ‘Did you want some?’

‘No, that’s all right.’ Lies. All lies. She breathed in the scent, wishing for just the tiniest taste. ‘I’m not allowed to have sweets very often,’ she admitted. ‘Mother has my waist measured every day.’

The Lieutenant set his fork down, studying her as though she were a foreign creature. ‘What do you do when you attend the dinner parties and balls? Surely you would offend the hostess if you refused to eat the dessert.’

She gave a reluctant smile. ‘There are ways to play with your food, so it appears that you’ve eaten it. Don’t tell me you never tried it, when you were a boy.’

‘I ate everything my parents gave me. I was glad if it wasn’t rancid.’

Hannah rested her hands in her lap. She’d never worried about where her food came from. It was always there, in endless variety. Only the best cuisine would meet her mother’s impossible standards.

It was sobering to remember that most people worried about whether or not they had enough to eat. She should be grateful for her circumstances, despite the lack of freedom.

‘Close your eyes,’ the Lieutenant said suddenly.

‘Why?’

‘Do it.’

She obeyed, wondering what he intended. A moment later, she felt the light brush of metal tines against her lips. His thumb urged her mouth to open, and the fork slid inside.

The sweetness hit her tongue first, then the bittersweet chocolate icing of the cake. Hannah breathed in as she held the unbelievable flavours against the roof of her mouth. She almost didn’t want to swallow, it tasted so good.

When at last she did, she opened her eyes. The Lieutenant was staring at her, his gaze filled with heat. ‘Don’t ever look at a man like that,’ he murmured. ‘Else you’ll find yourself in his bed.’ There was wickedness in his tone, as if he wanted to be that man.

She returned the fork to him, suddenly conscious of the intimacy of sharing it. Michael set the plate aside, rising to his feet. ‘I’m going to go now. Thank you for the food.’

‘You’re welcome.’ She held the taste of the torte against the roof of her mouth, savouring the last remnants. And despite the terrible temptation, she would
not
lick the plate after he’d gone away.

‘Wait here for a few moments, then go and sit in the garden,’ he suggested. ‘They’ll find Belgrave and come looking for you.’

‘Heaven help me when I’m found.’

He took her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye. ‘You were brave enough to defeat Belgrave once before. You’ll manage it again.’

She wished she felt the same confidence. Even so, it wasn’t as if she had any choice. Lifting her gaze to his, she saw the faith in his eyes. And suddenly, she grew aware that he hadn’t pulled his hands back.

His palms dominated her narrow shoulders, while hazel eyes bore into hers. He seemed to struggle with an invisible decision, but his hands remained where they were. She was caught by the memory of his fingers caressing her skin, and the unexpected brush of his mouth on her nape. The stolen kiss in the carriage…all of it made Hannah’s sensibilities drift away.

If it had been the Lieutenant whom her parents wanted her
to marry, she might have had a very different response. There was something forbidden about him. Something tempting.

‘I’m not brave at all,’ she whispered. ‘I’m nothing but a foolish girl.’ She lifted her hands to his shoulders, knowing that she was provoking him. Knowing that he wasn’t safe at all, nor was he a gentleman.

The effect of her hands upon him was instantaneous. His hands stilled, and he leaned in, his cheek resting against hers. ‘Tell me to stop.’

But she didn’t. She had broken so many rules today, shaming her family and behaving like the worst sort of daughter.

‘Push me away, Hannah. Take a damned spade and strike me over the head.’ His gaze was heated, his eyes burning with a warning she couldn’t possibly heed.

She couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to. Something about this man drew her in, tantalising her with the promise of physical pleasure.

‘Don’t stop. I need this…for a moment.’ She didn’t even understand what she was asking for.

‘So innocent.’ His mouth moved over her skin, caressing her with his warm breath. Like before, her body came alive, needing him to touch. To taste.

No matter how many books she’d read or how many languages she spoke, in physical matters she was completely ignorant. A secret part of her thirsted for the knowledge.

Michael pulled her against the shed, though he didn’t hold her tight. ‘This is your last chance to run away. I’m not above taking what’s offered.’

‘Show me what it’s supposed to be like,’ she murmured.

The words were all the encouragement he needed. He trapped her against the wood, covering her breathless mouth with his own. Instinct took over, and Hannah kissed him back, ignoring every warning that flew into her mind. She didn’t care. Soon enough, she’d never see him again.

And, by heaven, if she was going to be ruined after today, she might as well have a memory to show for it.

His tongue slid inside her mouth, evoking a shocking sensation. Her breasts ached against the fabric of her gown, her nipples rising. Michael slipped his hands around her waist, his wide palms resting upon her ribs. His kiss grew more fierce, his mouth conquering hers. She opened to him, and raw desire pummelled her senses, making it impossible to stop, even if she’d wanted him to.

And God help her, she didn’t. He pulled her close and she felt the hard length of his body nestled against her. Something unexpected blossomed inside, and she shifted her thighs, not understanding what was happening.

His mouth moved over her throat in a forbidden caress. ‘You shouldn’t have started this. I was going to let you go untouched.’

‘I know.’ She shuddered as his tongue flicked over her pulse. The secret longings made it impossible to think clearly, and she couldn’t bring herself to pull away. ‘But there’s no harm in a kiss, is there?’ When he didn’t answer, she prompted, ‘Lieutenant?’

‘Michael,’ he corrected. ‘And you’re wrong, if you think that’s all I want from you.’ His hands moved over her bodice, resting just beneath her breasts. Hannah grew feverish, her skin blazing with wanton needs.

‘I don’t know what you want.’
Or what I want
, she thought.

With his thumbs, he stroked her nipples, tantalising her. His breathing had grown harsh, and she cradled his head, kissing him deeply.

‘Are you trying to punish yourself?’ he asked, his lips resting upon her skin. ‘By kissing a man like me?’

‘You’re not a punishment,’ she whispered. ‘It’s just that—I wanted to know what it was like. To be desired.’ She lowered her head. ‘Not for my fortune, not for my hand in marriage. But for me.’

He took her lips again, this time softly. A lover’s kiss, one
that made her tremble. Michael broke away, resting his face against hers. ‘I should never have come here. You’re a complication I don’t need right now.’

Her throat was burning, but she managed an apology. ‘I’m sorry.’

He cupped her cheek then pulled away. ‘Be well, Lady Hannah.’ The door clattered shut behind him.

Hannah stayed inside the shed, the privacy cooling her unexpected desire. Regardless of what he said about himself, Michael was no ordinary soldier. He didn’t let any man intimidate or threaten him. Instead, he carried himself with self-assurance, a man accustomed to guarding others.

And yet, there was no one protecting him. Her spirits dimmed at the thought of the Lieutenant enduring hardships he’d never admit. Like hunger.