The Prince’s Bride Read Online Free PDF Page B

would do whatever was required, for he didn’t
     know what the marquis had planned for him.
    It was going to be an interesting day, he realized, because despite all the charm
     he was about to send through that locked door, he still wanted to wring her bloody
     neck, and would take great pleasure in doing so, as soon as he had the chance.
    *   *   *
    “Slow down, you’re going too fast,” Gabrielle complained as she struggled awkwardly
     to help Véronique carry the blue upholstered chair down the corridor toward the prince’s
     chamber.
    “Try to keep up,” Véronique replied, walking backwards. “Is that better?”
    “Yes, but what are you going to do in this chair all day? What will he want to talk
     about? Does he want you to read to him, or sing to him?”
    Véronique glanced over her shoulder to ensure she didn’t bump into anything. “I’m
     not certain. All he said was that he wanted company to help pass the time.”
    Shuffling along in their heavy skirts, fumbling with the chair, they finally reached
     the prince’s chamber and set their cargo down.
    “Be careful,” Gabrielle whispered. “He might have some dastardly plan in mind.”
    They both turned their heads at the sound of Nicholas striding across the floor inside
     the locked room.
    “Is that you, Véronique?” he asked.
    “Yes. I am here with Gabrielle. She helped me carry the chair.”
    “Were there no servants at hand to perform such a task?”
    Gabrielle’s eyes shot to Véronique’s, and she frowned.
    “There are plenty of servants here,” Véronique explained, “but the marquis has instructed
     them to keep out of this wing until he returns.”
    “Ah, so my imprisonment is a secret.”
    “Yes, Your Highness.”
    He paused. “What about the driver who brought me here? Has he been sworn to secrecy
     as well?”
    “Yes.”
    They were all quiet.
    “Is your sister still with you?” he asked.
    Véronique gestured for Gabby to reply.
    “Yes, Your Highness,” she said. “I am here.”
    Silence again.
    “We have not been formally introduced,” he said. “I am Prince Nicholas of Petersbourg.
     It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
    Gabrielle couldn’t help herself. She curtsied. It was all very strange. “It is an
     honor, sir.”
    “Yes … well, I must apologize for nearly crushing you with the desk earlier today.
     It was not my intention. I simply didn’t see you there.”
    “Apology accepted,” she replied. Then she darted a glance at Véronique and grinned
     like a schoolgirl before mouthing the words: He’s lovely.
    Véronique put her hands on Gabby’s shoulders and turned her around to face the other
     direction. “My sister was just leaving,” she said.
    With a teasing smirk, Gabby headed back to their own chamber.
    A moment later, Véronique sat down, while the sound of a chair being dragged across
     the floor inside the room kept her waiting. She heard Nicholas sit down as well.
    “What do you wish to talk about?” she asked. All her senses drummed with awareness
     as she leaned forward. His chair creaked as he settled into it.
    “You,” he replied in a low voice. “Put your hand up against the door,” he added. “Place
     it flat on the middle panel, halfway down.”
    “Why?”
    “It’s lonely in here, Véronique, and I have not been able to think of much else besides
     the other night when you lured me out of the ball. Have you thought about it?”
    She tried to fight it, but was compelled to answer honestly. “Yes, I have.”
    Closing her eyes, she imagined his open palm on the other side, only an inch or so
     away, and ran the pad of a finger over the smooth texture of the wood.
    “What specifically do you think about?” he asked.
    Her heart fluttered like the wings of a bird, and it took some effort to speak in
     a steady voice. “Our conversations, mostly.”
    That was a lie.
    He was quiet. “You don’t think of how we danced? Or how it felt when we were finally
     alone