To Love a Thief (Steel Hawk) (21 page)

“The prince is dead. He’ll not bother Zarrenburg again,” Tommy managed.

“But who? How?”

A hint of a smile lit Tommy’s face. “You do not need to know, but just that what was needed to be done, has been done.” He collapsed to the ground and was quickly surrounded by guards.

“Hello, squirt.”

Rose spun around. Nathan stood there, dripping wet, his clothes in tatters.

Her heart thudded.

Her Nathan.

“But you…” She looked over his shoulder at the still-burning fragments of the barge, then back to him.

Just then, more guards stormed the river bank and surrounded them, weapons drawn. “You’re coming with us,” one of them barked.

“But…you can’t, he’s done nothing wrong.”

“He came off the boat, in league with Prince Randolph. Trying to kill our beloved princess.”

“No, no you’ve got it wrong.” Desperate, Rose stepped in front of Nathan, trying to block the guard, but he stepped forward and brushed her away.

“Bind him and take him to the tower.”

Rose clutched at Nathan’s hand. She had to do something. “Stop. No. no you can’t. Ask the princess. She knows us. She will explain.” Rose searched the crowd, but the moonlight now cloaked in clouds offered little illumination.

Voices echoed, a myriad of faces staring at them. After everything they had been through…

Guards bound Nathan’s wrists and hauled him from her grasp. “Nathan. Nathan!”

Then, as suddenly as the guards arrived, the voices went silent, and the crowd hovering around them parted.

“What is going on here?” Princess Mary walked between the guests who fell back in her wake. “Why have you tied up my friend, Mr. Hawk?”

The captain visibly gulped. “But Your Highness, he came off the boat. He is in league with those that plot against you.”

“Rubbish. Mr. Hawk is a great friend to Zarrenburg. Untie him immediately.”

The captain nodded to the guards to obey their ruler, and Nathan’s wrists were loosened from their bindings.

“Are you injured, Mr. Hawk?”

“No, Your Highness. A few scrapes, but I’ve had worse.”

The princess lips quirked into a knowing smile. “I’m sure you have. Randolph’s assistant?”

“I’m afraid he is not so lucky, but I do believe he was not acting for Prince Randolph.”

The princess’s eyes widened.

“He indicated that there were others working against the prince’s plot to overthrow you.”

“Mr. Pratchett?”

“I’m not sure, but he has paid a hefty price. His injury is severe.”

The princess crooked a finger and beckoned her captain. “Ensure that Mr. Pratchett has the best medical attention.”

The guard snapped his heels together and nodded. “Yes, Your Highness, immediately.”

“Now,” the princess said, “I think I will leave you two young people together.” She flicked her fan at the ogling guests. “I do believe we all need some refreshments. Follow me.”

With regal aplomb, the princess swished her skirts, turned from them, and she departed, with her guests in silent acquiescence following.

Left alone, for two heartbeats, Rosie simply stared at the retreating crowd and their monarch.

“Rosie… Squirt.”

The soft whisper of her nickname shocked her back to reality and she rounded on her heel to face Nathan. “Don’t you dare squirt me,
Nathaniel
. What on earth were you doing swimming out to the barge. It…it exploded. You could have been killed.”

“I wasn’t, and I was trying to save the diamond.”

“And getting yourself killed in the process. Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

“Ever? I didn’t know there was an
ever
between us.” He stepped closer. “I want there to be.” He drew a muddy finger down the curve of her cheek. “I love you, Rose, and I very much want you to marry me.”

“But my… You’re going back to America. I can’t leave. You said you didn’t want to stay.”

“You heard wrong.”

“But…”

He stilled her words with the tip of his finger on her lips. “You only heard part of a conversation. The exhibition has gone rather well for us here in England, despite our little hiccup, and it would be amiss of us not to take up the opportunities in England for Steel Hawk. We are opening premises in London.”

“Yes, I already know that.”

“And I’m staying.”

“You are?”

“I am. The past isn’t so bad. It’s made me who I am. I’ve tried for years to keep it secret and prove myself worthy, prove that my locks are the best. You’re right too. Being a locksmith gives me ample opportunity to steal the wealth of the world, but…there’s only one thing I want to steal, Rosie. Something I want to steal and protect at the same time.”

Confusion and fear tangled deep inside Rose’s chest, her heart skipping beats.

“Your heart. Forever. I love you, Rosie, and want to marry you. I want to stay in England. Home is wherever you are, as long as you’re at my side. I’m not running away again. That’s the past. You and I are the future. Here. Together.”

Words stilled on Rose’s tongue, her brain whirling.

He wants to stay in England.

He won’t run away again.

He loves me.

Suddenly, Rose realized the truth of his words. Nathan had had so many opportunities to steal—even the Pasha Star—and yet he had stayed with her to help her retrieve it, to save her father.

If he’d wanted the riches of the world, time and time again he had had chances to steal it, but he hadn’t. To Rose, that proved one thing.

Nathan was the man for her. He was trustworthy, honorable, loyal, and she loved him.

“So silent, squirt.”

A tiny smile played along her lips. “You’ve made a grand statement, rather eloquent.”

“I can be when it’s so important. Do you think your father would come and live with us in Kensington? We could put in separate rooms for him so he can have his privacy but still be with us.” He took her hands in his. “I love you, squirt. I can’t leave you, or England. I left to make a new life, but that life has brought me full circle, back to you, if you’ll have me.”

“On one condition.”

A wash of wariness clouded his eyes, and she watched as he swallowed back his uncertainty. “Which is?”

“That you kiss me again, because, Nathan, the answer is yes, yes, yes.”

She fell into his arms, wrapping hers around him, and held on tight. It felt so right. Just perfect.

Epilogue

The banns were read rather quickly by special order of the princess, who had excitedly planned their wedding.

It had been a wonderful day, where she and Nathan pledged their love forever. Now, the day drew to an end, and they were about to leave.

Rose found her father sitting quietly, his mood thoughtful.

“Papa? What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing, dear child. Absolutely nothing. You make me so proud today. I only wish your mother could be here.”

“I know, but I believe she’s looking down on us. I’ve always believed it.”

“True.” However, her father’s hesitation didn’t abate.

“Papa? What’s troubling you?”

“I need to apologize.”

Rose’s brows beetled. “For what? You are a wonderful father, the best anyone could ask for.”

“Thank you. Those are the best words a father could hear, but I kept a secret from you.”

“About the princess.”

“No, that was no secret, not in truth, because it was the past long gone, eradicated by the love I felt for your mother and she for me. I speak of the diamond. I should have told you I had hidden it.”

Rose clasped her father’s hands in hers. “No. No, you did the right thing. If you had told me, I may have just given it to them. I was desperate. Your decision was the right one. Just as mine and the princess’s were the night of the gala.”

“Yes. For certain.” Her father glanced over to the princess where she conversed with Nathan. Around her neck was the most glittering jewel in all of Europe. The Pasha Star. The real diamond.

“It was good thinking to convince her to wear the fake.”

“Prince Randolph had been desperate enough to kidnap you, and I did not believe he would just give up. He needed the diamond.”

“You’re right. For years, Randolph has tried to undermine Zarrenburg, even when I was living there. He has always been ruthless.”

As if aware of their conversation about the exquisite diamond, the princess fingered the jewel at her throat, and at that same time, Nathan turned to her and smiled.

Her heart skipped several beats and her stomach tightened in expectation.

Nathan excused himself from the royal and strode over to her just as her father left to go to the woman he had once loved and now considered a lifetime friend.

“I know that look in your eyes, Mrs. Hawk.”

“Mrs. Hawk,” she repeated. “That does have a certain ring to it.” She reached up and kissed her husband’s cheek.

“What was that for?”

“Consider it temptation. A precursor, so to speak.”

Nathan shifted closer. “Of what’s to come?”

“Absolutely.”

They said their good-byes, and Rose exhaled a sigh of relief as they were at last free of guests and she and Nathan could make their way up to their chamber. Nathan poured them both a wine while she sat at her dressing table and removed the exquisitely ornate key hanging around her neck.

“The craftsmanship is perfect,” he said with a smile that warmed her right through, “but then I wouldn’t expect anything else.” His fingers caressed the sleek metal, and a frisson of desire rippled the length of Rose’s spine as she imagined those fingers exquisitely trailing across her skin.

“How does it work?”

“It unscrews between the head and shank.” She reached for the second one from the nearby dresser and opened it.

“You’ve made two.”

“They are to be passed down through the generations.”

Nathan peered at the inscription. “What message is this?”

“It’s a warning.”

His brows lifted, a glint of humor sparkling in his eyes. “You warn me on our wedding night?”

“Not you, my dear husband, but those who follow us. It is my way to keep Zarrenburg safe, for before the explosion, Tommy whispered words to me that could haunt future generations. Thank God he has survived his injuries.”

“Aye, but he’ll not work as a thief again. Mind you, him whispering sweet nothings to you, and here I thought that was my job.” Nathan gathered her in his arms, his warm breath teasing down the curve of her neck.

She arched back her head. “So whisper.”

* * * * *

With a shaking hand, his breathing shallow, his lungs still damaged from those hours he’d been in the murky river water, he picked up the parchment and reread the black cursive script.

To my son,

When you read this, you will know that I am gone. It was my wish that you take your rightful place as Zarrenburg’s ruler, but it was not to be. It is imperative that you prove your place, and for that, you will need help. You have it in your sister. Yes, you have a sister. Her name is Zara, and together I believe you will be a formidable force.

Look for her. Plan your revenge.

Love, R

About the Author

Multi-published author Jane Beckenham lives in a tiny slice of paradise just north of Auckland, New Zealand. From her office she can watch the tuis and fantails flit about, along with families of pukeko and quails and a pair of lorikeets have taken up residence.

Along with the menagerie of bird life, are Jane’s husband of thirty plus years and two daughters, and her beloved dog, Bingo and new members, Barney and Fred the goats, and Daisy, a new puppy.

For the last ten years, Jane has sat in her office every day, writing stories of hope and dreams that bring a smile to her face and hopefully her readers too. Romance, love and honor are the words in Jane’s tag line, and words she believes are the centre of all her romances.

Jane’s love of reading began as a child when she spent years in hospital. Those days inspired her dreams, which over the years have become a crucial part of her life. Dreaming of being able to walk again, then dreaming of her own happy after, and dreaming of becoming a mother, and subsequently adopting her daughters from Russia.

Come and dream a little while with Jane.

Visit Jane’s web site
www.janebeckenham.com

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Look for these titles by Jane Beckenham

Now Available:

He’s the One

Secrets and Seduction

Romeo for Hire

The Palmera Royals

The Bachelor Prince

The Royal Affair

Don’t miss the other titles in the Steel Hawk Series!

Colleague, friend, lover…beautiful liar?

Steel Hawk
, Book 2

Adam Steel is in crisis mode. A recent exposé claims a founder of Steel Hawk was actually The Raven, an infamous jewel thief. Amid the ensuing damage control, all eyes are on his ability to develop a prototype to secure and protect the royal Pasha Star diamond.

He’s further blindsided when he learns his assistant, Honeysuckle Hawk, has a sordid past he never knew about. Proving he never really knew her, never should have trusted her, and
definitely
shouldn’t start falling for her.

With her dirty laundry flapping in the media storm, Honeysuckle’s first instinct is to run. Two things make her stay: Adam’s insistence it’s better to show the world a united front, and her heart’s insistence by his side is where she belongs.

High stakes and long hours ignite passion…until the diamond is stolen and Adam’s own prototype shows Honeysuckle is a thief. Dare he trust her to help him expose the real criminal—before the mastermind wreaks havoc on the royal family?

Warning: Contains an über-hot, alpha-geek who’s good with his hands, a sassy reformed-rebel determined to prove she’s not a flake, romantic castles, gorgeous jewels, sleek and sexy technology, heart-pounding suspense…oh, and nipple tassels!