Marion Lennox - Stepping Into The Prince's World

It would have taken his minders about thirty seconds after that to panic.

‘What is it?’ she said, and pushed herself up, wincing a bit as she moved her arm.

‘What?’

‘Your face. Someone’s looking for you right now. Someone’s terrified. Your wife? Partner? Family?’

‘I don’t have a wife or partner.’

‘Family? Parents?’

‘My parents died when I was five, but I do have grandparents.’

‘Back in Marétal?’

‘Yes.’ He closed his eyes, thinking of the fuss when his grandparents discovered he was missing. Then he thought of how long he’d been gone. After all this time it wouldn’t be fuss. It would be horror. ‘I imagine they’ll know I’m missing.’

She was sitting up now, blanket tucked to her chin, concentrating on the problem at hand. ‘Don’t worry too much,’ she told him. ‘The wind’s died. I suspect you’ll be mortified, but the Australian Air Sea Rescue services are good. They can probably track the wind and the currents and get a fair idea of your direction. If I was them I’d be checking the islands first. There’s only about ten. Any minute now we’ll have choppers overhead, searching for one lost soldier.’

He felt sick.

‘Don’t worry,’ Claire said again. ‘I imagine it’s embarrassing, getting rescued twice, once even by a girl, but you’ll just have to cop it.’

‘I won’t,’ he told her.

‘Are you going to tell me how you can avoid it?’

‘I already have avoided it,’ he said, goaded. ‘I didn’t tell anyone I was going sailing. What’s more, I took my friend’s boat. My friend’s currently trying to climb Annapurna Two in Nepal. He won’t know I’m missing and he won’t know his boat’s missing. No one knows I went to sea. I could be anywhere and my...my grandparents will be devastated.’

His grandparents?

This wasn’t just about his grandparents, he thought. His bodyguard consisted of two skilled, decent men who’d feel as if they’d failed. The top brass of the army would be mortified. His friends would be appalled. And, back home, the media would be in a feeding frenzy. Heir to the Throne Disappears! It didn’t bear thinking about.

He would have groaned if it would do any good.

It wouldn’t.

‘Raoul...’

‘Mmm?’

‘We all do dumb things,’ she told him, and put her good hand on his knee. ‘Some dumber than others. But, hey, you’ve lived to be embarrassed. The supply boat’s due next Monday. You’ll climb aboard, they’ll let everyone know, and by the time you reach Hobart the fuss will have died down. You might need to apologise to a few people and go home and hug your grandparents, but it’s no big deal. So one soldier’s gone AWOL? If they don’t think you’ve drowned then they’ll probably assume you’re in a bar somewhere. Or with a woman.’

And then she had the temerity to grin.

‘Actually, they’re both true. You’re very much with a woman, and if you go through that door there’s a truly excellent bar.’

‘I think I need it,’ he said, and she chuckled and tried to stand.

She wobbled a bit and he rose to steady her.

‘What did you give me?’ she demanded. ‘I feel like I’ve had enough drugs to down an elephant.’

‘Or to not scream when your arm went back in. You were very brave.’

‘I was, wasn’t I?’ she said smugly. ‘So I’m brave and you’re lost. And my arm’s back to where it belongs. They’re the givens. For the rest...we just have to get on with it.’

‘I really can’t get off this place until next Monday?’

‘We can try and fix the transmitter,’ she told him. ‘Are you any good with electronics?’

‘No.’

‘Then I’m vetoing that as a plan straight away,’ she told him. ‘I have no intention of saving you twice. Now, Raoul...?’

‘Yes?’

‘Put some logs on the fire while I feed Rocky. We have life to get on with.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ he said, because there was nothing else to say. Nothing at all.

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