Page 73 of Royally Romanov
Too far.
Then again, Finley probably deserved it. Madame Dubois had drawn a line in the sand. And Finley had responded by leaping right over it and landing in Maxim’s bed.
Quelmess.
She forced her lips into a smile. “I don’t have to do any such thing. The church has Prince Philip’s DNA profile. Monsieur Laurent is getting tested this morning and should have the results in less than forty-eight hours.”
“Just in time to ruin our gala in spectacular fashion.” Finley’s boss sighed. “I thought you wanted to be considered for a promotion. But you’ve been helping this man, haven’t you?”
Finley didn’t bother answering. They both knew the truth. She wasn’t going to apologize for it either. Some things were more important than a promotion. Maxim had every right to know who he was.
The truth. A name. A history. Those were the things that mattered to Maxim, not the fortune. Even if he was Tsar Nicholas II’s heir, he wouldn’t invoke the Century Rule.
“Madame, there’s nothing to worry about. Monsieur Laurent has no intention of making a claim. He simply wants to find out who he is.” Finley took a deep breath and reminded herself to relax. Everything was going to be fine. There truly wasn’t a thing to worry about. “Trust me on this.”
“Trust you? After you’ve so clearly disobeyed my instructions and refused to cease contact with a man who could take down the entire museum?”
“But he won’t make a claim...”
Madame Dubois cut her off before she could finish. “He won’t have to. There are scores of people who could make a claim on his behalf.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Honestly, Finley. You need to read the law itself. I find it highly irresponsible that you haven’t done so already.”
She hadn’t read the law governing the Century Rule because Maxim assured her he had no interest in it whatsoever, plus she’d been a little busy trying to help him uncover the mystery of his identity. But that wasn’t the sort of reasoning her boss would approve of.
After a massive sigh, Madame Dubois continued. “Under the rule, if the heir himself doesn’t make a claim, their children and other relatives may do so.”
Finley breathed a tentative sigh of relief. “Maxim doesn’t have any children. Also, he’s an orphan. I don’t think he had any surviving family members at all.”
He was completely alone, which suddenly struck Finley as profoundly sad.
“Wait until the newspapers announce he’s the long-lost heir to the Romanov fortune. He’ll have relatives crawling out of the woodwork. The French government will probably issue a protective order preventing the artwork from leaving the country until the confusion can be sorted out. Even if all the pieces end up being returned to the other museums as planned, it won’t be until after a significant delay.” Madame Dubois leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Congratulations. Thanks to your help, the Louvre’s relationship with every other museum in the world will be ruined.”
Finley remembered waking up to find Maxim completely dressed. She remembered the seriousness in his gaze. He’d wanted to tell her something, but stopped when Scott arrived. What could it have been?
She took a deep breath and told herself she was worrying about nothing. Madame Dubois was blowing everything out of proportion. Maxim was the real deal, but that didn’t mean he had his eyes on a collection of Fabergé Easter eggs. “But if he’s actually Anastasia’s grandson, he deserves to know the truth. Don’t you think?”
“You want to know what I think?” Madame Dubois lifted a brow. “I think your Maxim Romanov is a fraud. Don’t be stupid. This isn’t a Russian fairy tale.”
A Russian fairy tale?
Hardly. It was beginning to feel more like a nightmare.
THE DNA TESTING ATthe hospital took far longer than Maxim anticipated. He’d expected to spit into a cup or provide a simple cheek swab. But after he’d turned his birth certificate over to Father Kozlov, a lab technician took four vials of blood from his arm. Hair samples, saliva tests, and fingernail clippings followed.
The elder priest assured him there was nothing to be concerned about. Due to the sensitive nature of Maxim’s case, the test needed to be as accurate as possible.
But what would the results really mean?
Even if he was proven to be a Romanov, he still wouldn’t know what he’d done before he lost his memory. And he needed to know, once and for all. The memories weren’t encouraging. Far from it.
Maxim pinned his last hopes on his meeting with Gregory Joubert.
When he arrived at Point Zero fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, his cell phone showed two missed calls from Finley. But he was hesitant to return them. If he talked to her now, she’d no doubt hear the worry in his voice. The dread. The regret.
He wouldn’t be able to hide it, not from her.
