Page 71 of His Unforgettable Bride
“I shall go nowhere with you.” Gray folded and stuffed the picture into his pocket, then reached for Juliet’s hand, tucking it into the crook of his arm.
Ruby widened her feet as though to block him, and the fellow at her side regarded him with narrowed, serious eyes.
At the same time, the reverend and another man stepped out of the tearoom. Surely Ruby and her burly companion would not try to abduct him with witnesses present. If they did, it would be a mistake.
“You’re the missing prince.” The music inside had ceased, and Ruby’s declaration rang out in the now-quiet night. “And I aim to get my reward for finding you.”
Reverend Channing and his companion started toward them. “Is everything all right here?”
Before Gray found the right words to explain the bizarre unfolding—something he did not fully understand himself—Ruby and her fellow darted toward the woods.
Juliet watched their departure, then stared at him as if he were a stranger.
“Miss Dash?” The reverend drew nearer, his voice filled with concern as he gazed at the two disappearing into the dark woodland. “Are you fine?”
“Yes.” She kept her eyes on Gray. “Please tell me everything is all right, Gray.”
He wanted to offer reassurance that Ruby had only spouted falsehoods. But he could not. Deep in his soul, something told him she may have spoken the truth.
Twenty-Two
Politeness forbids any display of resentment.
The polished surface throws back the arrow.
Unable to sleep, Gray had spent the last hour staring at Henry Graighton’s image and the word “Missing” until his eyes blurred.
If Ruby had spoken the truth, why had the mention of his birth name not shaken loose the missing parts of his brain? Indeed, he resembled the image on the paper. But a prince? He still could not fathom the prospect.
At first light, he would investigate the notice without Ruby’s help.
His stomach growled, and he rose, dressed, and left the bedroom. Surely, he would find something delicious left over from the party. Halfway down the rear staircase, a soft clatter rose from the dark kitchen below.
Voices. Male voices.
Gray froze as his pulse accelerated. Thieves, or had Ruby returned with reinforcements?
For all he knew, a weapon remained tucked inside the piano stool. Although a strange hiding place, he was grateful for it tonight. Silently, he returned up the staircase and down the hallway. As he reached the top of the front stairway, he peeked down. A rattling emitted from below, and he flattened himself against the wall.
With a movement beside him, he startled, finding Juliet.
She’d copied his action and had flattened herself to the wall beside him. “What’s wrong?”
“Why are you awake?”
“Too much on my mind. Why are we pressed against the wall?”
“Two men in the kitchen. Thieves, or possibly tied to Ruby. Awaken the sisters, then bar all three of you in one bedroom. Don’t come out until I return.”
Juliet reached for his fingers and squeezed. “Let me help you.”
“It is too dangerous, and I refuse to place you in peril.”
“But—”
Of course she would resist staying behind. But he could be as stubborn as Juliet. “Please do not argue with me.”
Amazingly and without complaint, she rose onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Then she crept toward Livy’s room, looking over her shoulder at him one last time before slipping through her door.
