Читать книгу The Princess and the Outlaw - Leanne Banks - Страница 8

Seven Months Later

She’d started running for exercise. That was what Pippa told her security detail anyway. She knew the truth. She was running from memories. Memories and the possibility that there was only one man for her and he was the one man she couldn’t have.

“Stop it,” she told herself, staring at the empty beach in front of her. Azure waves dappled onto white sands. By noon, there would be quite a few more bodies enjoying the beach. At six in the morning, however, she was the only one around. She debated turning on some music via her smartphone. She usually welcomed the noise, hoping it would drown out some of her thoughts. Today, she was searching for a little peace. Maybe the sound of the waves would help, she thought, and started out.

One foot in front of the other, she ran for two minutes, then walked for three. It was called interval training and the different paces suited her. Pippa had never been athletic. From the time she’d learned to read, she’d always been happiest with her nose stuck in a book. Her nanny had been relieved because her brothers and most of her sisters had been more demanding in one way or another.

Running again, she inhaled the scent of the salt air. The humidity was low today and she could feel the moisture on her skin begin to evaporate. Slowing after three minutes of running, she took a swig of her water and trudged onward.

Along the shore, in the distance, she spotted a long figure walking. She would wave and be friendly. Pippa was a royal and Chantaine royals were not allowed to be snooty. Other runners might be able to put their blinders and zip past everyone in their path, but not a Devereaux.

As she drew closer, she saw that the figure was that of a woman. Short white hair crowned her head, and a sundress that resembled a nightgown covered her petite frame.

Pippa nodded. “Good morning,” she said.

The woman looked away and stumbled.

Curious, Pippa vacillated as to whether to approach her. Perhaps she was longing for solitude just as Pippa was. The woman stumbled again and Pippa felt a twist of concern. She walked toward the woman. “Pardon me, may I help you?”

The woman shook her head. “No, no. I’m fine. It’s so beautiful here,” she said in a lilting voice that contrasted with the lines on her face and the frailness of her frame.

Something about her seemed familiar, but Pippa couldn’t quite identify it. The woman stumbled again, and Pippa’s concern grew. Was she ill?

“Yes, the beach is lovely. Are you sure I can’t help you? I could walk you back to where you started,” she said. “Or perhaps you would like some water.”

The woman’s face crumpled. “No, no. Please don’t make me go back. Please don’t—” She broke off and collapsed right in front of Pippa.

Alarm shot through her. “Oh, my God!” she exclaimed and bent over the woman. This was one time when she would have loved to have had her security detail close by. Pippa put her arms around the woman and lifted her, surprised by her light weight. Glancing around, she pulled her toward a small stand of palm trees.

Frantic, she held the woman and gently shook her. “Please. Miss. Please.” She spilled water from her bottle onto one of her hands and gently patted the woman’s face. “Please wake up. Please.”

Terrified that the woman was dying, she reached for her cell phone. The woman clearly needed emergency medical attention. Just as she put her finger over the speed dial for her security, the woman blinked her eyes. Huge and full of emotion, her eyes captivated Pippa.

She held her breath. “Are you all right? Please take a few sips of my water. It’s clearly too hot out here for you. I’ll call for help and—”

“No,” the woman said with a strength that surprised Pippa. “Please don’t do that.” Then the woman closed her amazing, mesermizing eyes and began to sob.

The sound wrenched at Pippa. “You must let me help you.”

“There’s only one thing I want,” she said and met Pippa’s gaze again. “I just want to die in Chantaine.”

Pippa gasped. Then a lightning flash of realization rocked through her. She looked at the woman and saw the resemblance of Nic in her eyes. His bone structure was a stronger, more masculine version, but his eyes were all Amelie. “Amelie,” she whispered. “You’re Amelie Lafitte.”

The woman reluctantly nodded. “How do you know?”

“I know your son Nic.” Pippa also knew that Amelie was in the final stages of cancer. Her time was drawing painfully close.

Amelie looked away. “I just wanted a little walk on the beach. I bet he’s quite peeved that I left the yacht.”

Peeved wasn’t the word that came to Pippa’s mind. “I’ll call him for you,” she said.

“Then all my fun will be over,” she said with a cute pout. “He’s such a worrywart.”

Stunned at how quickly Amelie’s spirit had returned, she hesitated a half beat, then dialed his cell. Despite the fact that she’d deleted it from her phone records months ago, every digit was engraved on her brain.

Five minutes later, a black Mercedes came to screeching halt on the curb of the road above the beach. Pippa immediately identified the dark figure exiting the driver’s side of the vehicle. Nic. As he strode swiftly toward her and Amelie, she could see the tension in his frame. Seeing him after all these months set off a visceral response inside her. Her stomach clenched. Her heart beat unevenly.

“Hi, darling,” Amelie said, remaining seated on the sand under the tree as she sipped Pippa’s water. Pippa was still surprised at how quickly the woman had recovered after fainting. “Sorry to be a bother, but I woke up early and I just couldn’t resist the chance to go for a walk on the beach.”

“I would have been happy to walk with you,” Nic said and turned to Pippa. What she wouldn’t give to get a peek behind his dark sunglasses. “Thank you for calling me. I’ll take her back to the yacht now and you can continue your run. I didn’t know you were a runner.”

She felt her face heat with self-consciousness. “I’m more of a combination walker and runner.”

He nodded and glanced back at his mother. “Dad’s beside himself with worry. It was all I could do to keep him from tearing after you.”

“Paul can’t hobble with crutches let alone tear after me with that broken foot of his. The doctor said it will be ten more weeks before he can put any weight on it at all,” she said, then turned her head thoughtfully to the side. “You know what I’m in the mood for? Crepes. There used to be a wonderful café on the edge of town. They made the most delicious crepes.”

“Bebe’s on Oleander,” Pippa said. “It’s still there, and Bebe’s granddaughter helps makes the crepes.”

“Oh,” Amelie said, clasping her hands together. “It’s still there. We must go. And we can bring one back for Paul.” She turned to Pippa. “You must come, too.”

Pippa blinked at the invitation and slid a quick helpless glance at Nic.

“Mother, do you know who Pippa is?” he asked as he extended his hand to help her rise to her feet.

Amelie studied her for a long moment and frowned. “She looks a bit familiar. I can’t quite.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, dear. You’re a Devereaux. I can see it in your eyes and your chin. Oh, dear. This could get a bit messy.”

“Just a little,” Nic said in a wry tone. “But let’s give her the choice. Would you like to join us for crepes, Your Highness?”

Pippa heard the hint of goading challenge in Nic’s voice. She’d heard it before, but it seemed to hold more of an edge than ever. The truth was she didn’t want her photo taken with Nic and his mother. To say it could cause problems was a huge understatement.

“That’s okay,” he said before she could respond. “Thanks again for looking out for my mother. Ci—”

“I’m coming,” Pippa said impulsively. “Unless you’re rescinding the invitation,” she tossed back at him in her own challenging voice.

He paused a half beat and tilted his head as if she’d taken him off guard. The possibility thrilled her. “Not at all. Would you like to ride with us in my vehicle?”

“Thank you, but no. I’ll drive myself and meet you in about fifteen minutes,” Pippa said and turned her gaze to Amelie. “I’ll see you soon. Please drink some more fluids.”

“Thank you, darling. Isn’t she delightful?” she said to Nic. “She fusses just like you do.”

“Yes,” he said in a dry tone. “Delightful.”

Fifteen minutes later as Pippa put a ball cap on her head and adjusted her large pair of sunglasses, she wondered if she’d lost her mind agreeing to join Nic and his mother, the notorious Amelie, for crepes. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she could easily imagine the horror on the face of the royal advisers. Running on the beach at 6:00 a.m. in her current state was one thing, but walking into a public place of business was quite another. She thought of Nic’s goading attitude and made a face at the mirror. Well, she couldn’t back down now. Stepping from her car, she could only hope she wouldn’t be recognized.

Because she’d spent far less time in the public eye than her siblings, that was on her side. Her hair, however, was very distinctive and not in a good way. Wavy and brown with a tendency to frizz, she hoped she’d concealed it adequately by pulling it back in a ponytail and covering it with a cap.

She walked into the old but elegant eating establishment that featured every kind of crepe one could imagine. As soon as she stepped inside, she spotted Amelie, who also saw her and lifted her hand in a wave. Nic, sitting opposite Amelia, turned his head around to look at her and also waved. His gaze said he was surprised she’d shown up, which irritated Pippa.

She walked to the booth where Amelia and Nic sat and sank onto the red vinyl seat.

“Lovely that you joined us,” Amelie said and smiled as she lifted a menu. “How shall I choose? I want one of everything.”

Enchanted, Pippa picked up the menu. The array of choices was vast and mind-boggling. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Something sweet,” Amelie said. “Sweet, fruity. Oh, no, chocolate, too.” She shrugged helplessly.

The waitress approached. “Bonjour. How can I help you? Coffee?”

“Yes,” Amelie said. “Café au lait.”

“Tea,” Pippa said.

“Coffee, black,” Nic said. “Ladies, any idea what you want to order?”

“Apricot crepes. Strawberries and cream. Chocolate hazelnut. Banana cream.” Amelie paused.

Wondering how the woman could possibly consume that many crepes, she exchanged a quick glance with Nic, who shook his head and rubbed his jaw. She glanced back at Amelie. “Do you want anything with protein?”

“Not particularly,” Nic’s mother said.

“And you?” Pippa asked Nic.

He shrugged. “I’m here for the ride.”

“Can you please also bring us the crepe suzette and some carryout boxes?” Pippa asked the server.

“No problem, ma’am,” she said and stared at Pippa for a long moment. “Pardon me, you look familiar.”

Pippa fought a sliver of panic and held her breath. Please don’t recognize me.

“Are you a newscaster?”

Relief rushed through her, making her almost giddy. She shook her head and smiled. “Nope, I’m just a university student. Thanks for the compliment, though.”

The server’s face was sheepish. “No trouble. I’ll have your order up as soon as possible.”

“Thank you so very much,” Pippa said and after the server left, she felt the gazes of both Nic and Amelie.

Amelie sighed, lifting her shoulders and smiling with a charm that lit up the room and Pippa suddenly realized who the woman resembled. Gamin with superexpressive eyes, Amelie could have been a white-haired twin of Audrey Hepburn. “It’s so wonderful to be here again. Magic. The smell is divine. I should have come back sooner, so I’ll just make up for it today.”

“You don’t want to make yourself sick,” Nic said.

“Of course not. I’ll just take a bite of each, and we can take the rest back to Paul.” Amelie’s smile fell and she made a tsking sound. “Poor Paul. He’s in such pain with his foot.”

She said it as if she suffered no pain herself, but Pippa knew she did. She took a quick glance at Nic and caught the tightening of his jaw. She was struck by Amelie’s determination to grab at every experience in life and Nic’s struggle to hide a myriad of the emotions he was experiencing.

“I’ve heard the recovery from a broken foot can be a bear,” Pippa said.

“Oh, and trust me, Paul is a being a complete bear,” Amelie said. “He doesn’t like being restrained. Never has.” Amelie glanced at Nic. “It runs in the family.” She turned back to Pippa with an expressive, interested gaze. “But enough about us. Tell me about you, your interests, your life. Over the years, I’ve read a few stories in the news about the Devereauxs, and I must confess I wondered about Edward’s children. I’m sure he must have been proud of all of you.”

Pippa paused. The truth was her father hadn’t been very involved with any of his children. He’d given the most attention to her brother Stefan because he would be the heir, but her father was mostly pleased that he had enough children to do the work, so he could spend more time playing on his yacht. Often with women other than his wife.

“I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm. I’m working on my doctorate in genealogy with a specialization on the medical impact on the citizens of Chantaine. My brother Stefan is determined to improve the health care of our people, so he has approved my path of studies.”

“That’s fascinating,” Amelie said. “What have you learned so far?”

“Like many countries, our people are more susceptible to some diseases and conditions than others. These can be traced back hundreds of years to the introduction of different immigrants, new foods and changes in our environment. The neurological disease that struck down my father can be traced back to his great-great-grandmother’s family. There are also certain cancers that became more common such as when Chantaine experienced a large immigration from Iceland.”

Amelie gave a slow nod. “I wonder if—” She glanced up and broke off with a smile. “The crepes are here.”

Just as she’d said, Amelie only took a bite of each crepe. She savored each bite, closing her eyes and making a mmm sound. “I’m tempted to eat more, but I know it would be a mistake.” She leaned toward Pippa and extended her hand. “Dear, I must tell you that even though I couldn’t marry your father all those years ago, I wished him only the very best after we parted. I hope he was happy.”

Pippa tried to think of how to respond to Amelie’s words. The story about Edward and Amelie’s courtship was the stuff of tabloids. Before he’d taken the throne, Prince Edward had fallen for Amelie and Amelie had been entranced by him for a short while. When she’d met Paul Lafitte, from the States, however, she’d fallen for the tall, dark Texan hook, line and sinker. The Lafittes descended from pirates and even Pippa had to agree the Lafitte men held a dark, irresistible charm.

When Amelie tried to break off her engagement, Prince Edward had refused. Paul had intervened on her behalf and there’d been a terrible brawl. Her father the prince had been humiliated and Pippa wasn’t certain he’d ever truly given his heart away again.

“I think he enjoyed his life,” Pippa finally said. “He loved his yacht and the sea and we always felt glad that he was able to indulge his passion.”

Amelie patted Pippa’s hand. “You’re a lovely girl. As they say in Texas, you do him proud. Now, if you’ll both excuse me while I powder my nose,” she said and stood.

Nic also stood. “Need an escort?” he asked.

“Not this time, darling. Maybe you can talk Pippa into nibbling on some of those crepes,” she said and walked away.

“Is she okay?” Pippa asked when he sat down.

He shrugged. “For the moment. The next moment could bring something totally different. She knows her time is short and she’s decided to make the most of it. The only problem is she’s turned into an eight-year-old. Impulsive, runs off without thinking. With my father down due to his broken foot, I’ve become her keeper.”

Pippa swallowed over the knot of emotion in her throat and began to put the crepes in the carryout boxes. “I’m sure it’s difficult. On the one hand, you want to give her everything she wants. On the other, you want to keep her safe. It’s an impossible situation. She told me,” she said, biting her lip, “that she wants to die in Chantaine.”

His gaze narrowed. “That’s going to be a tough wish to fulfill given the fact that my father isn’t allowed to set foot on Chantaine.”

Cold realization rushed through her. “I forgot all about that. I can’t believe that would be enforced after all these years.”

He gave a rough chuckle. “After all these years, your family still hates me. I can’t take the chance that your family would lock him up in prison.”

“It wouldn’t be my family. It’s a silly law,” she said.

“Same result. It sucks, but Amelie can’t have every wish on her bucket list. I’ll do my damn best to make sure she gets as many as I can,” he said and stood as his mother arrived at the table.

Amelie met his gaze and sighed. “We should leave, shouldn’t we?”

He nodded and placed the boxes in a bag.

“Let me look around just one more moment,” she said, surveying the room as if she wanted to savor each detail, the same way she’d savored each bite of the crepes. “I’ve already spoken to Bebe. She’s lovely as is her granddaughter. Ciao,” she whispered and picked up the bag, then led the way to the door.

A terrible helplessness tore at Pippa as she followed Amelie out the door. She felt Nic’s presence behind her and tried to tamp down the painful knot in her chest. Seeing him again had been like ripping off a bandage before the wound was healed. She’d thought the longing she’d felt for him before was awful, but now it was even worse. Knowing that he was facing some of his darkest days and that she shouldn’t, couldn’t, help him, was untenable. Meeting his magical mother face-to-face and seeing her courage and joy made her feel like a wimp. Her biggest challenge to date was writing her dissertation.

Amelie stopped beside Nic’s Mercedes and turned to Pippa. “I hope we meet again, Your Highness. You’re the nicest princess I’ve ever met. I’m sorry I frightened you with my annoying fainting spell. But then you gave me water and helped me remember Bebe’s. I certainly came out the winner in this situation.”

“I beg to differ,” Pippa said. “It was my great pleasure to meet you.”

“Ciao, darling princess,” she said and Nic opened the door for her.

Pippa should have turned away, but she couldn’t resist one more look at his face. It was the worst kind of craving imaginable.

He turned and met her gaze for a heart-stopping moment that took her breath away. “Ciao, Princess.”

Still distracted by her encounter with Nic and his mother after she’d returned to the palace, Pippa started down the hallway to her living quarters. She would need to set the Lafittes’ situation aside if she was going to make any progress on her research today, and heaven knows, progress had been very slow coming since she’d made the insane mistake of getting involved with Nic. The problem was that even after she’d broken off with him, he still haunted her so much that she struggled to get her work done.

Just as she turned the corner toward her quarters, she heard a shrill scream from the other wing. Tyler, she thought, easily identifying one her sister’s toddler stepsons. He was going through a screaming stage.

“Tyler, darling, you’re not dressed,” her sister Bridget called, her voice echoing down the marble hallways. “Don’t—”

Pippa heard Tyler cackle with glee. She also heard the sound of her sister’s heels as she ran after him. Chuckling to herself, she wondered when Bridget would learn that toddlers and high heels didn’t go together. She rushed down the hall and turned another corner, spotting Tyler running toward her in all his naked glory. Bridget followed with Travis in her arms.

“Oh, Pippa, you saved my life. Can you grab him? The little beast thinks it’s funny to run all over the palace bloody naked.”

Tyler shrieked when he saw Pippa and skidded to a stop. Glancing over his shoulder at Bridget bearing down on him, he knew he was caught. Pippa scooped him up in her arms before he had a chance to get away.

“What are you doing? Did you just get a bath?” Pippa asked and buried her nose in his shoulder, making him laugh. “You smell like a deliciously clean little boy.”

“Thank you so much,” Bridget said breathlessly. “At least I got a diaper on Travis.”

As soon as she stepped within touching distance, Tyler flung himself at her. “Mumma,” he said and pressed an open mouth kiss against Bridget’s cheek.

Bridget squeezed him against her and shifted Travis on her hip. “Now, you get all lovey-dovey,” she said and gave him a kiss in return.

“Where are the nannies?” Pippa asked and held out her hands to Travis. He fell into her arms, then stuck his thumb in his mouth.

“I gave Claire the morning off and Maria had to take care of an emergency with her mother,” she said. “I had planned to check on the ranch Ryder and I are having built.” Bridget rolled her eyes and laughed. “I never dreamed Stefan would permit a ranch to be built on Chantaine.”

“I never would have dreamed you would live on a ranch with twin stepchildren.”

“They’re not steppies to me,” Bridget said. “Ryder and I are in the process of making it all legal. The little perfect, gorgeous beasties will be mine just as much as they are his.”

“Would you like me to watch the boys while you go check on the new house?” Pippa offered. Because Chantaine was an island, new construction was a long process and she knew both Bridget and Ryder were eager for their own place.

“I feel like I take advantage of you far too often. I know I’m not helping you get caught up on your studies….”

Pippa felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. Bridget and the boys weren’t the real reason she’d had a difficult time focusing on her studies. “It’s not as if you’ll be gone all day,” she said.

“True,” Bridget said. “Only an hour or two. You’re the perfect sister,” Bridget said, leaning forward to give Pippa a kiss on the cheek. “Let’s go back to my quarters so I can at least get my little nudist dressed before I leave.”

Pippa smiled as she followed Bridget down the hall and into her family’s suite of rooms. “I think it’s your outlook that has changed. Since you got married to Ryder, everything’s close to perfection.”

“That just goes to show the power of having a good man in your life,” Bridget said. “As soon as I have more than half a moment, I must get to work on finding one for you.”

Alarm shot through Pippa. “Oh, so not necessary. I still have to finish my work for my PhD.”

“That won’t be forever,” Bridget said as she dressed wiggly Tyler.

“I can only hope,” Pippa muttered.

“It won’t be,” Bridget said emphatically. “Besides, you can’t wait forever to move on, romantically speaking. I can help with that.”

“You seem to forget that our family is dreadful when it comes to matchmaking,” Pippa said. “How much did you enjoy Stefan’s attempts at matchmaking?”

Bridget waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “That’s different. I won’t be trying to match you up with someone who can contribute to Chantaine. I’ll find someone hot and entertaining.”

“Lovely intentions,” Pippa said. “Don’t strain yourself. The boys and I will have some fun in the playroom.”

“Perfect. If I’m late they can have lunch in an hour.”

“Will do,” Pippa said. “Are you truly going to have cattle at this ranch?”

“If Ryder has his way,” Bridget said with a sigh. “If we have to take the man out of Texas, we’ll just bring Texas to him. Ciao. I’ll be back soon,” she said and kissed both of the boys.

As soon as Bridget left, the twin toddlers looked at her with pouty faces. Travis’s lower lip protruded and he began to whimper. Tyler joined in.

“Absolutely none of that. She’ll be back before you know it.” Bridget set both of them on their feet and took them by the hand. “To the playroom,” she said and marched them into the small backroom. If there was one thing she’d learned about caring for toddlers, it was that it helped to be willing to make a bloody fool of herself. She immediately turned on the animal sounds CD and followed the instructions to make honking sounds. The boys dried up and joined her.

Just over an hour later, Bridget returned and Pippa could no longer escape her studies. She retreated to her room with a half sandwich for lunch. She thought of the crepes and her stomach clenched. Her mind kept wandering to the time she’d spent with Nic and his mother.

She told herself not to think about it. It wasn’t her responsibility. These genealogy charts required her complete and immediate attention. She’d used every possible device to procrastinate doing her work entirely too long. Inputting her second cousin’s name to the chart, she forced herself to focus. Whenever she conducted her research on people whom she knew, she often thought about their personal stories. Her second cousin Harold had moved to Tibet and his sister, Georgina, had married a man from England and was raising her children in the countryside. Pippa had always liked Georgina because she’d been such a down-to-earth sort of woman. It was a shame she didn’t see her more often.

Harold and Georgina’s deceased parents had owned a lovely cottage on the other side of Chantaine that was now left vacant because neither Harold nor Georgina visited Chantaine very often. Why, in fact, Pippa was certain it had been nearly eight years since either of her second cousins had set foot on Chantaine.

Pippa stopped dead, staring at the cursor on her laptop. Vacant lovely cottage. Nic’s parents.

“Stop it,” she hissed to herself. It would be incredibly disloyal. If her brother Stefan ever found out, he would never forgive her. And there was no way he wouldn’t find out. Not with her security haunting her. She was lucky she’d escaped discovery today.

Back to work, she told herself sternly and worked past midnight. She finally crawled into bed, hopeful she would fall into deep sleep. Thank goodness, she did. Sometime during the night, she sank into a dream where a black limo crawled through a beautiful cemetery. Cars and people dressed in black but carrying flowers followed the limo. Everything inside her clinched with pain. A white butterfly fluttered over the black limo, capturing her attention. It could have been the spirit of…

Pippa suddenly awakened, disoriented, the images of the limo and the butterfly mingling in her mind. She sat up in bed, her heart slamming into her chest. Images of her brother Stefan, Nic, his mother, Amelie.

This wasn’t her business, she told herself. Her heart ached for Nic and his mother, but she couldn’t go against her family to make his mother’s dream come true. She just couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right. It would be a terrible betrayal.

She tried to catch her breath and closed her eyes. She tried to make her brain stop spinning. How could she possibly deceive her family for Nic? For Amelie?

But how could she not?