Iris Johansen - Always

"You certainly display the erotic temperament for it. I do have quarters at the palace, but that's not where I'm taking you tonight."

Her eyes twinkled. "You're not installing me in a nunnery, by any chance?"

"Not by any possible chance. I have a setting in mind that doesn't lean to either extreme." "You're not going to tell me where we're going?" He shook his head. "I want it to be a surprise. I've never planned a romantic tryst before." There was a touch of boyish eagerness in his smile that was very appealing. "I find I'm looking forward to it. I hope to hell I don't mess it up." He stood up and turned toward the cockpit. "It's almost time to land. I'm going to tell John he's to take you sightseeing this afternoon while I complete the arrangements."

She frowned. "But I don't want to go sightseeing. I'd rather stay with you."

He glanced back over his shoulder, his gaze lingering on the unconfined swell of her breasts beneath the silk blouse. Then, with an effort, he averted his eyes. "You should have thought of that before you initiated your little goad, acushla. I wouldn't last five minutes with you in the back of the limousine, and then all my arrangements would go down the drain." He paused. "As it is, I might just last until tonight if I get to the cockpitin the next two seconds." He walked quickly down the aisle.

It wasn't a Middle Eastern palace, but a medieval castle complete with drawbridge, turrets, and a wall to keep out potential invaders. The magnificent anomaly sat squarely in the middle of the Sedikhan desert when it should have occupied a cliff in the British countryside.

"What's the drawbridge for?" Lisa asked blankly. "There's no moat."

The blue-and-white helicopter Clancy was piloting hovered, dipped, and then settled on the flagstones of the courtyard. "The castle was built by one of Lance Rubinoffs more flamboyant ancestors, who decided he was homesick for Tamrovia." His lips curved in a half smile. "He must have been a great deal like Lance, because it apparently didn't make the slightest difference to him that the idea wasn't exactly practical."

"Tamrovia? That's a small monarchy in the Balkans, isn't it?" Clancy had made passing mention of Prince Lance Rubinoff, who was Alex's cousin, but he hadn't gone into any detail. "It's ruled by a King Stefan. I read something about it in National Geographic."

Clancy nodded. "Stefan is Lance's older brother. There have been close diplomatic ties between the two countries for decades, but no familial ones until Alex's father married Sheikh Karim's daughter." He turned off the ignition and opened the door of the helicopter. "Lance found the atmosphere at Sedikhan much more to his liking thanTamrovia and settled here with his wife, Honey. Brother Stefan is a bit of a stuffed shirt, evidently."

And Lance Rubinoff definitely was not. What Lisa had read about him had been in the gossip columns, not the National Geographic. He had been the darling of the tabloids with his scandalous love affairs and wild pranks before he was married. Lately his name had appeared more often in the art section as his reputation as an artist had skyrocketed. "This is Lance's castle?"

"No; he uses it occasionally, but it actually belongs to Sedikhan. It was lost to Alex's greatgrandfather in a poker game." He lifted her down to the flagstones of the courtyard. "No one is really fond of the old place except Kira, and she's in Tamrovia right now."

"Kira?"

"Princess Kira Rubinoff, Lance's younger sister." He frowned. "Can't we drop the family history bit? I didn't bring you here to regale you with stories of the Rubinoff dynasty."

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked with a teasing grin. "I haven't seen you at all since we arrived in Marasef this afternoon, until John delivered me back at the airport. Then you flew me off in the helicopter to this Ivanhoe's castle. I definitely feel swept off my feet."

"That's how I wanted you to feel," he said quietly, and made a gesture toward the castle. "I thought we'd spend a few months by ourselves before I dropped you into the social whirl in Marasef. Its towers aren't ivory, but I thought it made a fitting background for a princess all the same. I wanted to give you that."

What a touching gesture. Lisa felt tears sting her eyes. "But I don't have the princess mentality anymore. I just want to be a woman." She repeated his own words softly, "A woman with character and dignity."

"I knew I'd blow it. What can you expect when an old war horse like me tries to play Galahad?"

"You didn't blow it. It was a beautiful, wonderful thing to do," she said. "I love it. What woman wouldn't want a castle put at her disposal? But I'm afraid I don't deserve it. I'm not sure I can live up to such an extravagant gesture."

"You deserve it." His fingers touched her cheek gently. "And you don't have to have a particularly aristocratic mentality to be a princess." He made a face. "Remind me to introduce you to Kira sometime. What's important is that it gives you pleasure."

"Oh, it does." Impulsively she stood on tiptoe to press a kiss on his cheek. "I can't wait to see the rest of it."

"I'll give you the Cook's tour tomorrow." Clancy took her elbow and propelled her across the courtyard. "Right now, I want to introduce you to Marna and give you a chance to freshen up before dinner."

"Who's Marna?"

"She's the housekeeper of the castle. She used to be Kira's old nurse, and when things got a bit difficult in Tamrovia, Kira whisked her here to Sedikhan."

"Difficult?"

"Just a spot of diplomatic bother involving Kira. Considering that it did involve Kira, it's a wonder itwasn't worse. Marna would probably commit murder to protect her."

Lisa was becoming increasingly intrigued by the casual remarks Clancy dropped regarding Kira Rubinoff. She was clearly a colorful character.

When she was introduced to Marna Debuk a few minutes later, Lisa's curiosity was even more aroused. She couldn't picture anyone "whisking" this woman anywhere. She must have stood six feet tall in her stocking feet, with the deep chest and powerful shoulders of a lady wrestler; the neat, dark dress she wore looked wildly inappropriate. Her face was heavy-jawed, both impassive and ageless, and framed in a helmet of dark hair clipped in a short Dutch bob.

Her large hand completely enveloped Lisa's as they shook hands. The woman murmured a polite acknowledgment in slightly accented English. She turned to Clancy, and for a moment there was a flicker of warmth in her eyes. "Everything's prepared as you instructed, Mr. Donahue. Will you be ready to dine in an hour?"

"That will be fine, Marna. I appreciate your going to all this trouble on such short notice."

"It's no trouble." The housekeeper shrugged. "It gave the servants something to do. No guests have visited here since Kira left a few months ago. They grow lazy."

"I doubt that, with you in charge." Clancy said dryly. "They're all terrified of you."

"Yes." Her dark eyes glinted. "Which is as it should be, as we both know, Mr. Donahue." She turned to Lisa. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you toyour room. I hope you will find it suitable. It's the tower room, as Mr. Donahue ordered."

Lisa smothered a smile. Trust Clancy to go all the way. "I'm sure I will." As Mama padded ahead of her down the hall, Lisa cast a quick glance at Clancy. "Aren't you coming?"

He shook his head. "I'll come to your room in an hour and take you down to dinner. I have a few phone calls to make." A shadow crossed her face. "Martin?" "Not all my business has to do with Baldwin," Clancy said. "Don't worry, it's too soon for him to surface again. And even if he does, I'll keep you safe."

But would he be able to keep himself safe? Martin had been so chillingly malignant that day in the market. Lisa gave herself an admonishing shake. She wouldn't think about unhappy things tonight. Tonight was very special. "I know you will." She smiled at him. "And you can bet I'll 1wait for you to come and get me. This place is absolutely huge. I might get lost and never be heard of again. How many rooms does this castle have, for goodness' sake?" "Thirty-two, excluding the servants' quarters." "Oh, my, when you furnish a lady with a castle, you do it right, Clancy. I'd better get moving or I may lose my guide." She waved and hurried after Marna.