Page 2 of On the Twelfth Day of Christmas
She couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Do you mind if we continue our walk?” she asked. “Even with the snow it is a lovely day, and we can take a hack back to the hotel.”
They were now quite a few streets from the Royal Hotel, but Princes Street was fascinating and Amanda was enjoying herself.
“It is overcast and gray and those clouds are threatening additional snow,” Hiro rebutted.
All of that was true, but she still wanted to continue. “So?”
“So,” he sighed, “we shall continue.”
Amanda snuck a peek at him from under her winter hat as they walked along the sidewalk. Was it really such a burden for him to stroll with her?
Or was it that he didn’t want to beseenwith her?
During their adventures, they had been equals; sleeping in Bedouin tents or adobe huts in the American desert. Exploring their world, holding one another. But whenever they returned to civilization, Hiro slipped back into his role of servant.
As her brother’sbutler.
It was frustrating…and heartbreaking.
She loved him.
It wasn’t something they’d ever spoken about, but somewhere between him vowing to protect her as she went gallivanting around the world, and her inviting him into her bed, she’d fallen in love with him.
And she had absolutely zero idea how he felt about her.
It was galling.
Oh, well,clearlyhe enjoyed her company and their lovemaking…but then they’d return to a city or to Britain, and suddenly he was all proper and stiff—sadly not in the good way—once more.
Lady Amandathis andmy ladythat.
When they had been together on a xebec, sailing past Malta, he’d called her Mandy.
Ahead of them, the fine shops and fancy shoppers were thinning as if they were leaving the best part of Princes Street behind. Amanda wasn’t concerned; she was enjoying having him at her side, the corded muscles of his forearm pressed against her as they walked.
Hiro tilted his head toward her, grabbing her attention once more. When she glanced up at him, his lips curled slyly. “Still, you have to admit, this is no Cairo.”
Such a simple comment, but it relaxed her, made her sigh. Amanda found herself smiling at the memories and the reminder thatheremembered too. “This is true. Do you remember Ali?”
“The lad who claimed he could guide us through the pyramids, only to lead us to his cousins who wanted to relieve us of our wallets?”
Chuckling, Amanda pressed her temple against his shoulder, just briefly. “I remember how you fought them all off with your umbrella.”
“AndIremember how you nagged because you thought the umbrella was unnecessary.”
“InCairo,” she laughed, her heart light. “We had no need for an umbrella inCairo.”
“Clearly we did,” he reminded her drily. “And I’d brought it along for the sun.”
Thiswas the kind of moment she cherished with Hiro; reminiscing about their adventures as equals, as old friends. As if they didn’t have the accident of their births to stand between them.
As if she wasn’t the sister of a duke, and he wasn’t her bodyguard.
“As I recall that German gentlemen helped you chase off Ali’s friends, and the lad ended up helping us hire a real guide.”
Hiro paused as they reached South Charlotte Street, but not seeing any carriages or horses, led her to the opposite side. “Herman Kisch, as I recall. You joked that you couldn’t marry him.”
