To Steal a Prince (14 page)

I can smell his breath, and it isn’t pleasant. “I’d slap you if I hadn’t just washed my hands.”

“Your choice. I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay at the palace. I’d estimate that you have about…” he looks at his wristwatch, “half an hour to find me and change my mind. When the guards have you in custody, you’ll change your mind. And then you’ll need to give me more than a kiss.” He inclines his head, his lips next to my ear. “It’s been nice talking to you, Grace.”

My blood turns to ice as he strolls away. I know he’s planted the necklace in my room. As if in a dream, I float down the hallway toward the blue door. Another pair of guards is checking one of the first rooms on the hall. Their backs are to me as I glide past them. I still have some time.

I slip into my room, though the blue door seems to offer very little protection. Marc’s estimate might not be too far off. I have about thirty minutes, give or take. Thirty minutes to foil him.

All I have to do is find the necklace. Well, that’s not all. I still have to hide it better until I can figure out a way to return it. No doubt Marc has “suggested” where one of the guards assigned to my room should look. But as long as I find it first, I have some kind of a chance.

I start with the obvious places. Under the pillows. Under the bed. I look in the jewelry box beside the bed, but there are only a few earrings and bangles, probably forgotten by the previous occupant. I try to breathe normally. Marc pretty much warned me of what he did, didn’t he? He wouldn’t have made it too obvious.

Groaning, I open the wardrobe. It seemed big before, but now that a necklace could be hidden in one of a thousand places, it seems endless. I check coat pockets, pants pockets, the inside of hangars. I rip shoes from their boxes, turning them upside down to see if anything’s hiding in the toes. As I claw through rack after rack, I’m afraid I’ll go insane. Who needs this much clothing, anyway?

I have to give up on the wardrobe. But just in case, I move some hangars and shoeboxes around. If Marc put the necklace in the third shoebox on the right, the guards will have to search for that box for some time.

Where else could it be? It’s not in any of the drawers. I pat things down the best I can, but there’s still the chance I’ll miss something. Stepping into the bathroom, I check the shower, then the toilet tank for good measure. I’m disappointed to find nothing but the usual bobs and chains. Going back to the main room, I run my fingers under the mattress. Just sheets.

I remember Damon opening panels in the wall. One was to put a meal in the fridge for me. I open it, and find the fridge clean and empty. Servants must check these places daily. It’s probably not a good place for a stolen necklace. For peace of mind, I check the microwave. It’s also empty.

Where could it be? I’m running out of guesses. I let myself sink onto the bed for a moment, putting my head in my hands. I need a minute, just one minute to relax and clear my mind. But I’m not sure I can afford it.

I stare at the rose, proud in its new vase. The guards will be here soon. They’ll know exactly where to look. I’ll be escorted out of the palace, and most likely out of the country. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to say goodbye to Damon. Then, this rose will be all he has to remember me. It’s not much, but it does look so pretty. That vase is perfect for it.

The vase. I stiffen. It had been behind another hidden panel, one I never would have seen if Damon hadn’t opened it. Where had it been?

I crouch, peering at the wall. It was somewhere around here. And how had Damon opened it? He had casually flicked his hand against the wall. He had barely had to reach down. There. I press my hand against the wall, and something clicks. The panel slides open.

There, coiled on a shelf, lies a necklace. It’s made of huge pink pearls. This must be the one. I can’t believe it. I found it.

The door creaks open. How wonderful. I’ve just screwed myself.

“Can you believe it? Guards at every junction, searching all the rooms. Even mine! As if I’d steal something like that.”

It’s Eris, pushing a laundry cart. My heart remembers how to beat again.

“What’s wrong, my lady—I mean, Grace?”

As she closes the door, I can hear the guards knocking one room over. My legs stop working, and I slither to the floor. There’s nothing left to lose at this point.

“I think I found what they’re looking for.” I show her the necklace.

Eris claps a hand over her mouth. “My lady! They’ll kill you!”

“They probably won’t kill me. I wouldn’t be surprised if they maimed me, though.”

“My lady, how did you get that?”

I wish she’d stop calling me that, but there’s no time to correct her. “Marc’s trying to blackmail me.” Wow. It sounds so silly when I say it aloud. Like I’m in a soap opera or something. Surely she won’t believe me. She’ll call to the guards and turn me in.

“Marc?” Her mouth sets in a hard line. “I happen to owe him one. Hand over the necklace.”

I don’t have much choice. I hold it out for her.

Eris tucks it under the laundry cart’s lid. “No worries. I’ll get it back to him. I’ll try to hang around so I can see the look on his face once it’s found. That vile piece of scum.” The maid straightens, pushing up her sleeves. In this moment, she really doesn’t look like someone I’d want to cross.

“What did he do to you?” I ask.

“Never you mind.”

“You could tell Damon, you know. Or Nic.”

“Nic?” Her face flushes, maybe with anger at some imagined revenge the bodyguard could exact. “Oh no, I don’t want him dead, my lady. That would be far too kind for the likes of Marc.”

Someone raps on the door. “Palace Guard. Please open for inspection.”

“Don’t be scared,” Eris whispers. “Shut that panel.”

I obey as quietly as I can. Shoeboxes spill out of the wardrobe, and the bed sheets look disheveled, but there’s no time to tidy them now.

“Open up.” There’s another rap, louder this time.

I rise, stepping away from the hidden panel. Eris nods at me, then swings open the door. She pushes her cart forward, nearly plowing into the guards.

“Watch it there!” one of them shouts.

“You watch it,” Eris retorts. “Work doesn’t stop around here just because you’re on some kind of scavenger hunt.”

“This isn’t a scavenger hunt,” says the shorter guard. “We’re searching for the queen’s necklace, in case you haven’t heard. It’s top priority. We’ll need to search your cart.”

My heart thuds against my ribs. Surely the guards can hear it. If Eris is about to be blamed for this, it’ll be my fault.

“Don’t go rummaging through my cart.” Eris has the audacity to slap the man’s hands away. “The queen’s delicates are in here. If you think she’s mad about a necklace, wait until I tell her you’ve ruined her things, and delayed her clean laundry to boot!”

“Excuse me, miss,” the taller guard says, “but have you been searched yet?”

“Have you searched him yet?” Eris points to the other guard. “How do you know he isn’t in on this whole missing necklace thing? Where has he been all day?”

The guards exchange a glance, like they’ve run into Eris before. “Just go, miss.”

“You’d better let me go. You don’t want me mixing your whites and colors.” Eris wheels the cart away, all the while muttering dire threats about what she could do to the men’s laundry.

All three of us relax when she rolls out of earshot.

“You think that’s bad,” I say. “You should try having her do your hair.”

The taller guard shudders. “You have my sympathy.”

The shorter one elbows him in the ribs.

“Oh. Right. No time for idle chatter, my lady. We have to perform our duties.”

“Of course.” And they probably remember that I’m supposed to be the culprit. I sit in one of the chairs, waving them into the room.

They open random drawers and glance in the wardrobe, but don’t seem to notice the mess. They run their hands over the bedspread, then make a cursory inspection of the bathroom. At this rate, I could hide a few dozen bricks of gold from them.

“Now, my lady, some of these rooms have secret panels in the walls. Do you mind if we check for those?”

“Sure. Wait, there are really hidden panels?” I try to sound like I’m eager to find out. I realize now why Marc hid the necklace there. No doubt he thought the panels would be a surprise to me. He didn’t count on Damon, and a deep red rose. I smile at the vase that saved me.

The guards knock on the wall, listening for a hollow spot. I’m not surprised that they zero in on where the necklace had been. The smaller guard yanks the door open, like he’s preparing for a big reveal. I lean in to look over their shoulders. Inside is … nothing.

“How many of those secret door things are in the palace?” I ask.

The guards look at each other, and shrug. I know it’s not in regard to the number of secret doors.

“Thank you for your cooperation, my lady,” the taller guard says. “We need to be moving along now.”

I hold the blue door open for them. “Good luck!” I call as they move away. Once it feels safe, I close the door as slowly and as hard as I can. Locking the knob, I take my palm off the door. It’s ingrained with the pattern of the wood. I slide to the floor, sitting until I stop shaking. That was so incredibly close. If I hadn’t found the necklace in time, or if Eris weren’t as convincing…

Shaking my head, I try to make the images go away. It turned out all right. Marc didn’t win, and I’m fine.

Except I’m not. My hands still tremble. I clasp them together, willing them to stop. It’s so strange to be under suspicion when for once in my life I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m not safe in the palace, not even here behind the blue door.

10

There’s a knock at my door, and I start. How long have I been sitting here?

“Grace?” Damon jiggles the handle. “The door’s locked.”

I let him in. “What is it? Did they search your room?”

“Didn’t need to.” He leans against the doorframe. “A guard found the queen’s necklace. You’ll never guess where.”

“Tell me then.” I’m not in the mood for games.

“On the floor in Marc’s room. Can you believe it? All this turmoil, and it probably just slipped off Sarina’s neck while she was tucking him in last night.”

I relax my hands, realizing that I’ve been clenching them. Eris has saved me. I’m going to have to repay her somehow.

Damon gives me a hand, pulling me to my feet. “I’m sorry for dinner… again. They aren’t usually such bad hosts.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

He sighs. “I can have some food brought to you, if you like.”

“I’m really not hungry anymore.”

The prince takes my hands. “I really am sorry, Grace. Let me make it up to you.”

“Really?” Coyly, I press myself against him. “How? Are you going to stay with me tonight?”

His shoulders slump. “I can’t. I’m going on an errand with my father.”

“Now? After what he said about us?” I wince, wishing I could take back my words. The last thing I want to do is make Damon feel he has to defend me to his daddy.

“I want a chance to discuss things with him privately. I’ve only known you a few days, but you’re very important to me. Believe me?” He cups a hand under my chin.

I nod, although I wish he would say something stronger at a time like this. I’m sure lots of things are important to the prince. Like Nic. And Felix. And having a room with enough shoes and clothes to keep a parade of women entertained.

He strokes my cheek with his thumb. “I should be back tomorrow. A contingent of the guard is coming with us, so Nic will be here to look out for you.”

I am glad that I won’t be alone with Marc. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“It’s for the Regulus project. I’ll tell—no, I’ll show you when I get back.” His eyes gleam with mischief.

I’m too tired to predict what he could possibly have in store. To be fair, the prince isn’t all that predictable to begin with. I look down, trying to hide a yawn. “What should I do with this necklace?” I rub the alexandrite pendant between my fingers. There’s no way I’m venturing to the Jewel Room myself after being accused of theft.

“That’s what I was getting at when I asked you to let me make things up to you.”

Puzzled, I squint at him. That’s far too many words to comprehend when I’m on the verge of sleep.

Damon smiles, folding my hand over the pendant. “I want you to keep it.”

“What?” I stare at him. This is a much bigger gift than a rose. “I can’t accept this.”

“Why not? You don’t think I can afford it?”

He really is exasperating. “It’s too much.”

“All right, then. I’ll loan it to you for an extended period of time.”

“How long?”

Damon thinks for a moment. “A century ought to cover it.”

“You’re impossible, you know that?”

He silences me with a kiss on the cheek. I tilt my head, trying to find his lips with mine, but I’m not fast enough. Damon teases me, only letting our lips graze each other.

“We’ll finish that when I get back. Goodnight, Grace.” He steps into the hall, closing the door behind him.

I still wish that I had gotten him for the night instead of a necklace. Defeated, I fall to the bed. How am I supposed to survive a full day without him?

Someone raps on the door.

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty.” Nic strides in without waiting for a response.

I roll over, shielding myself with a pillow. “What do you want?”

“The prince told me to look after you. So, here I am.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

“That remains to be seen.” He crosses his arms. “Are you going to get ready for the day, or are you going to throw a tantrum?”

Giving him a baleful stare, I pull the covers up to my chin.

“Come on, your ladyshipness. We don’t have much time.”

“Time for what?”

“To practice.”

I’m loath to leave my cloud-like bed, but he has intrigued me. “Practice what?”

“We’re full of questions this morning, aren’t we? Get ready, and I’ll show you.”

Dragging myself out of bed, I head to the bathroom. Nic rips back the curtain to the terrace, letting in a stream of sunlight. He hums all too cheerfully while I brush my teeth and splash water on my face.