The Secret Prince (12 page)

Hushed voices rose from the crowd as guests looked at one another in surprise. But Jacob didn't pause.

“Although Daniel has a right to claim the throne of Elbia as his own, being the older of my father's only two children, he has elected to pass that right to me. For that I am grateful, I wish to continue serving my people as their king. Daniel has in no way been forced to this decision, and has asked nothing for himself. But it is only fair that his mother be compensated for the years she spent raising my father's son, my brother, on her own. And I believe my brother himself should receive some benefit as well.”

Elly glanced at Dan. He seemed to be concentrating very hard on Jacob's words. She caught a worried look in his eyes.

“What's wrong?” she whispered.

“He's changed the speech we agreed on. I'm not sure what he's up to.”

Elly felt a warning chill climb her spine. Would Jacob dare to double-cross Dan in some way? If so, before all of these people there would be little Dan could do about it.

Jacob continued. “My brother is a man of pride and many talents, not the least of which is the talent to share with the less fortunate. He would have left Elbia
with nothing for himself, with only a small grant for his favorite charity. But I have decided that that is not enough.”

Dan's face flushed, and Elly was sure he was about to protest, but a quick devilish smile from Jacob seemed to confuse him long enough to make him hesitate and say nothing for the moment.

“The crown has decided to give a sum of three million dollars to City Kids beach program in the form of an annuity in Daniel Eastwood's name. The interest earned by this annuity will enable the program to thrive independently of future donations. In effect, it will be self-perpetuating beyond the life of its founder.”

Elly swallowed. She had never expected such a generous settlement, and when she turned to see Dan's reaction she could see how moved he was. The redness of his face had faded, but now he seemed in shock.

After the applause of the crowd died down, Jacob continued in a strong and calm voice. “There is, however, one more wrong that must be righted. An endowment of honor that cannot be ignored. I'm sure my father would have wanted to do this himself, if he were alive today…so it remains to me.” Jacob's and Dan's eyes met. The first giving nothing away to the second. “My brother, though we did not share the same mother, might have been a king but for his fairness and generosity. If he is not to be king, he can be no less than a prince. Certainly not in my family's eyes. Therefore, I hereby endow Daniel Robert Eastwood with the honorary title of Prince of the Realm.”

The room stood in stunned silence for two entire seconds, then broke into applause and shouts of “Long live Prince Daniel!” Champagne circulated on trays around the room, music played and guests laughed and
shouted in approval. In the mayhem, Dan turned to Jacob.

“You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?” he grumbled.

“It wouldn't have been right,
mein Bruder,
” Jacob said.

Dan nodded. “You know, I'll never live this prince thing down back on the streets of Baltimore.”

“I expect not.” Jacob smiled. “All the more pleasure for me to have given you the title.”

“Some brother you are.”

“And you!” Jacob responded, slapping him soundly on the back.

 

The night was a dazzling success after that. An hour later, most of the press suddenly departed, rushing to file their stories with their papers and magazines, hoping to get a jump on their rivals. Although they might rearrange facts to spice up their stories, Jacob and his advisors seemed satisfied that the final outcome would be relatively tame. Besides, there had been bigger game afoot in the form of the celebrities they'd photographed and interviewed. With only so much space in each publication, it seemed a sure thing that Maria Stanza's rumored affair with her chauffeur would attract far more attention than Jacob's peaceful welcome of his brother.

The evening flew past in a whirl of color, music and laughter once the paparazzi had departed. The guests began to relax and enjoy one another's company. Old friendships were renewed; new ones begun. Although English was spoken by nearly everyone and Elly was comfortable speaking with people from all over Europe, there were snatches of a dozen other languages to be heard among the guests. Laughter and dance were
the universal languages, though, and she found herself to be a popular partner. For nearly two hours she danced every dance with some of the most charming men of all ages she could ever hope to meet.

But not one of them made her heart sing as it did when Dan's eyes met hers across the vast, crystal chandeliered room and his hand rose toward her at the first strains of the Blue Danube waltz, inviting her to join him. They met in the middle of ballroom, and he lifted her right hand delicately in his left, placed his right palm at the small of her back, and smiled down at her.

Her heart melted as they circled the room. Suddenly, it seemed the hundreds of guests around them simply evaporated into the air, and she was floating, the soles of her satin slippers barely whisking across floor. The pale green silk of her gown swooshed around her ankles. His wide tuxedoed shoulders leaned into each turn as they spun. Ceiling-high mirrors flashed past them. Marble walls seemed to dissolve into sugary-white clouds. It was a night for fantasies, a night when nothing could go wrong.

“You're not a bad dancer, Mr. Eastwood,” she teased. “For a swimmer, that is.”

“You're no stumbling Jane yourself.” His dark eyes studied her approvingly, then he gave her a sexy smile. “For a nosy little bookworm, that is.”

She pouted at him. “Does that mean I'm forgiven for intruding on your peaceful beach-town existence?”

“Forgiven totally,” he murmured. “And then some.”

She felt herself blushing at the intensity of his gaze as they whirled to the romantic strains of the violins. “What does that mean?”

“I'll be eternally grateful to you for bringing me and
Jacob together. He's a great man, and I expect we will become close friends over the years.”

“I'm glad everything has worked out between the two of you.” And she meant it wholeheartedly.

“There's more,” he said, his voice lowering solemnly. “I'm thankful I've had the chance to know you, Elly. We're very different people, and learning about each other hasn't been easy at times. But I'll never forget the special moments we've shared.”

“Like this one?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“Like this one. Yes.” Then he held her closer, and they spun faster and faster until she was laughing from the sheer joy of being held in his arms and being part of these precious seconds in both of their lives.

 

It was after two a.m. when Elly walked to her room by herself, thinking about the night. She had left while Dan was still busy talking to Jacob because she wanted time to herself.

This is it,
she thought. The end of a romance that had been fated to last no longer than a brief affair. There remained no reason for her to linger in Elbia. She didn't need her father's reminders during the evening that they had other jobs waiting for them at home. Jobs that had been hastily put aside until the missing von Austerand heir could be found. Well, now he had been found, and there was nothing more for her to do here…or in Ocean City to which Dan would be returning.

“Elly.”

She turned at the sound of her name echoing through the long passageway, and her heart swelled. She
couldn't look at Dan, though. Her eyes fell to the stone floor, filling with tears.
Oh, damn,
she thought.

“What's wrong?” he asked, striding quickly along the corridor to join her. “The evening went very well, I thought.”

“I'm happy that you and Jacob have reconciled your differences. Now it should be safe for you and your mother to return home.”

“Then why the tears? It's us, isn't it?”

She nodded. “I should…
we
should never have gotten involved, knowing how different we are. Now it will be a hundred times harder to say good bye.”

“Do we really have to say good bye?” he asked, tenderly touching a wide finger to her damp cheek. His eyes were too gentle, too full of emotion for her to meet them for more than a second.

“Yes,” she said bravely. “We do. And you know why, so please don't ask for another round of explanations.”

“You're everything I've ever wanted in a woman,” he said forcefully.

“Everything except one.”

“You might change your mind. With time.”

She shook her head. “No. I've always known I would never have babies. It's part of who I am—this too-big heart. Just like my mother's.” She gazed tearfully up at him. “I love kids, though, and if you ever consider adopting…well, maybe—”

The look on his face stopped the words that clogged up in her throat.

“I realize there are kids without parents and homes.” He was angry now. She could hear it in his tone, which chilled her. “I try to help a lot of those
kids, in my own way. But I want my own children too. Adoption isn't for me.”

She searched frantically for an area of compromise. “Maybe a surrogate mother. Your genes would still—”

“Are you crazy, Elly?” He seized her by the shoulders and shook her hard. “Why would I want to impregnate another woman when I have you?”

She shrunk from his grasp. “You don't
have
me. That's just it,” she whispered hoarsely. “Not if you intend to use me to produce your progeny like a living test tube.” She ducked away from him when he tried to reach for her again.

“Elly, we can't just throw away these last few weeks. We've shared too much.”

“I'm not throwing them away!” she shouted through her tears. “I just want you to leave me alone. I can't do it! Don't you understand? I just can't do it, Dan!”

Sobbing, she broke for her door, shouldered it open then ran into her room. She didn't remember hearing the door close but it did, with the dull thud of finality a moment after she hit the bed at a run. Burying her face in a pillow, she wept bitterly. Mourning the loss of the only man she'd ever truly loved, mourning the loss of the children she might have had, if she'd had a normal heart and been strong enough, brave enough.

For a long time, she thought she was alone in the room, then she felt the bed ease down under the weight of someone sitting beside her.

“Don't say it,” she choked out over the tears. “It won't make any difference.”

“Say what?”

Had she guessed wrong? If so she was about to make a worse fool of herself. “Don't say that you love me.”

“All right. I won't say it. And you needn't say it either.”

“Yes,” she said. “It's better that way.”

He took a deep breath. “Will you at least take some time to think about your decision?”

“I've had plenty of time—years. Nothing has changed or ever will.”

“Come with me to Maryland,” Dan begged. “We can talk more.”

She shook her head, fraught with pain. “There's no use prolonging the inevitable. It will be easier if I put you…put
us
behind me.”

Dan wrapped his arms around her. “I promise, Elly. I won't let anything bad happen to you.”

She pushed him away and glared into his eyes. “And you think my father wanted something
bad
to happen to my mother? He couldn't protect her when her heart gave out. How do you propose to protect me?”

He looked down at his hands in desperation. They both knew the answer. The only way he could shield her from her worst fear was by swearing they would never have a child together, and that was something he was unwilling to do. He'd never give up. He'd argue them both to exhaustion.

Her heart felt heavy in her chest, and hot, and her breaths came in shallow tugs as she took in the look of disappointment on his face. Even so, it couldn't outweigh her own regrets.

“So, this is the way we say our farewells?” he asked.

She reached out and touched his cheek, then laid her palm along the strong line of his jaw. “I'd rather say
goodbye in a different way, if you still have—” Her eyes strayed to the bedside table drawer. “That is, if you still want to.”

He nodded soberly. “I couldn't let you go any other way, Elly.”

And she let him take her in his arms, believing beyond doubt that he would keep his word and hold her safe this one last time before they parted forever.

His gentleness moved her. Wherever Dan touched her, he touched with reverence and, although he never said the words, love was written in every caress, in every kiss, in every movement of his body over hers.

As Elly kissed him, she told herself over and over again, This is the last time I will ever feel this man's body next to mine, his weight on me, his power within me.

She cherished every second, branded her mind with each passionate touch of his hands, his lips. He slid his chest down over her breasts, and she closed her eyes and concentrated on the lovely rough texture of the curled hairs over the sensitive flesh of her nipples.

The heaviness and firm promise of his masculinity pressed against her thighs, and she gently lifted one leg to nudge him. Dan moaned softly, gripped her hand and guided it downward then wrapped her fingers around himself. She stroked him, memorizing the contours that mimicked velvet-over-fist hardness, and she ached to feel him inside her.

Still lower he moved until his lips grazed her breast, then teased first one then the other dark saucer of nipple to a tight, hard peak between the sharp edges of his teeth. She pressed herself upward against his mouth, wanting to remember even the muted twinges of pain along with the seething pleasure.