Brenda Harlen - Invitation to the Prince's Palace / The Prince's Second Chance - Invitation to the Prince's Palace / The Prince's Second Chance

‘We met through your cousin Nicolette when I was at university in Australia. Six months ago we came across each other on a computer forum and we’ve been chatting online and on the phone ever since.’ He turned his head and deep blue eyes looked into hers. ‘I wanted you for my princess. You are calm and pleasant and I felt I could spend the rest of my life with you. It’s not the entire truth, but it’s as close as we’ll get.’

‘Okay. That will work. I know the years that Nicolette was at university, though I didn’t attend myself.’ There was one other issue, though. ‘What’s my story? Why did I say yes?’

Before he could answer, she shook her head. ‘If your father asks me that question, I’d rather tell him that I will do everything in my power to be as supportive of you as I possibly can in all the time we’re together.’

He dipped his head. ‘Then stick to that. Commitment to me is implied in such statements. My father should find that more than acceptable.’

‘Wh-what will be expected … otherwise?’ Mel asked the question tentatively, and she didn’t want to be tentative. She needed to know, therefore she was asking. She straightened her spine. ‘When we’re married, will we be in your suite as we are now, or … ?’ Despite the straighter spine she couldn’t quite bring herself to put it into words.

His gaze met hers. In it was steadiness. ‘For the sake of appearances we would be sharing my room and … bed at first. This is something that can be managed with a little creative imagination without needing to cause you undue concern. Just for the look of things, you understand?’

‘Just—just part of our overall practical arrangement. Yes. I understand totally. That’s very sensible.’ Mel tried not to stutter the words, tried to sound mature and au fait with the situation and what it might entail. They might be sleeping together at the start—her mind tried to boggle and she forced it not to—but they wouldn’t be sleeping together . Not, well, you know. Not like that . She drew a breath. ‘Right. That’s okay, then. We can make that work.’

‘We will, Melanie, so do not worry.’ His words again held reassurance.

And Mel … relaxed into that reassurance.

They were at a turn in their downward descent where the two mountainsides faced each other when a cry ripped through the air, shattering her composure and bringing Rikardo to an abrupt stop.

‘Damn. What’s the man doing? He’s tangled in his equipment!’ Rik dumped the picnic basket and strode towards the source of the cry.

Mel followed, and after a few moments managed to spot what Rik had already seen. A man dangled against that icy outcrop. It was one of the two men she’d seen earlier. The other—Mel couldn’t see.

‘Stop, you fool!’ Rik spoke the words aloud but they were too far away for any hope that the man might hear them.

Even so, Mel echoed the sentiment.

The prince let out a pithy curse. ‘If he keeps trying to get loose, he’ll drop to the bottom.’ He didn’t slow his pace, but he turned to glance at her. ‘There’s no one anywhere near except us. I’ve rappelled that section many times. I have to see if I can help while we wait for a rescue team to get here.’

He already had a cell phone out, and quickly called for assistance and explained the situation and that he would see what he could do until the rescue team arrived.

Mel could hear someone at the other end insisting the prince must not go anywhere near the dangerous situation, before Rik said, ‘Get help here as quickly as possible’ and ended the call.

She bit back the inclination to ask him if he would be safe enough. ‘What can I do, Rik?’

‘Keep yourself safe. Do not follow the path I take. Follow the path that’s cut into the mountain and you’ll reach the same destination. It will take longer, but I’ll know you are not at risk. When the rescue team starts up the mountain, point them to where I am.’ He strode ahead confidently.

Mel followed at the best pace she could manage. Each moment counted and Rik quickly got ahead of her, and then cut a different path towards the ice-bound cliff. After a few minutes she could hear him shout to the man first in English, and then in French. The conversation continued in French, and Mel could only guess what was being said.

She struggled on, determined to reach Rik and be of help if she could. She was within shouting distance herself when she looked back and saw the rescue team starting up the mountain. Mel waved to them and pointed to Rik’s location, and got a wave back from the leader of the team.

Mel kept going, and then there was the man, dangling in mid-air, and Rik saying something sharp and hard to a second man at the top of the cliff before taking that man’s unused equipment and kitting up.

The third prince of Braston was over the edge in a breathtakingly short time. Mel didn’t go any further, then. She wasn’t sure she could have if she tried. Instead she stood frozen in place, completely unable to breathe as all the concern for his safety that she’d pushed back rushed to the surface and threatened to overwhelm her.

She bit back the instinct to call out, ‘Be careful.’ Considering what he was doing, he would already be at the bottom of the cliff if he weren’t taking care.

Nevertheless, what followed made Melanie’s blood chill. She’d never watched ice rappelling. It looked risky, and it was obvious from the way he tried to control his slip that Rik didn’t have the right boots on his feet for the job.

The stranded man, despite Rik’s instructions that even Melanie could tell were to stay still and wait whether they were in French or not, continued to tug and pull at the tangle he was in. Did he want to end up at the bottom of the mountain?

‘Your Highness, you must wait for us!’

‘Please, Prince Rikardo, you must come away from there!’

The words were called as the rescue team came close enough to see what was happening, but it was too late. If Rik didn’t do something about this man, he would kill himself. Panic had the man in its grip. The second man showed no apparent interest in proceedings, sitting there with a blank look on his face.

Had Melanie looked like that when she’d taken that medication and faded into sleep?

He’s taken some kind of illicit drug, Mel. You’ve seen enough of that in Melbourne to recognise it. No doubt Rik recognises it, too .

‘You have to make sure that second man doesn’t interfere with what Rik’s doing or do anything stupid himself.’ She spoke the instruction to the head of the rescue team as they drew close. ‘He’s under the influence of something. It’s likely that both of them are, because Rik’s struggling to get the stranded one to listen and stop fighting to get free.’

Rik had rappelled out beside the man. He couldn’t untangle him, but he was trying to calm him. At his own risk! Even now the man reached for Rik with clawing hands!

‘Oh, please, be careful,’ she whispered.

She didn’t notice that she’d called him Rik as she spoke to the rescue team, or that she’d spoken as though she had every right to that authority. Mel didn’t care.

The next ten minutes felt like a lifetime. When the man was hauled up, Rikardo followed. He moved with confidence. Mel had made her way to the top and wanted to grab him once he got up there and …

Shake him? Check that he was unharmed?

Kiss him a second time?

‘All is well, though I have asked the team to take both men to the nearest hospital and have them checked over, drug tested and, if need be, charged by the police.’ Rik’s words were spoken across a very calm surface.

But beneath that calm must be all the anger over the stupidity of those two men.