A Valiant Prince: The Poisoned Pawn Duet Part II Read online

  My father greets us in the great hall, hugging us both.

  “How was your trip?” he asks.

  “Good,” I say.

  “Hey, you made it,” my uncle calls out as he comes into the hall. We hug. I’ve spent a fair amount of time getting to know them both over the past few months. They are starting to feel like family to me.

  I turn and Pete enters the great hall, pushing a wheelchair, a wheelchair containing Lara. Hendrick walks in behind him. I glance at him briefly as he scans the room. And then I let him do his job as I focus back on Lara. It’s her first time going anywhere. She’s still gaining her strength every day. Her speech is back, but she struggles for words on occasion. The doctors now believe she will be able to make a full recovery, but she still has several months of rehabilitation ahead of her. She’s struggled with the news of Hans’s involvement in the plot against our families. Sten stayed with her much of that time, reminiscing on their childhoods. It was at Anna’s insistence that Lara agreed to come with us.

  “Lara?” Sten says, a smile forming on his lips.

  “These two made me come,” she grumbles, but a smile threatens to break out on her face.

  “Oh, did they?” he says with a laugh. “I’ve got her from here, Pete,” he says as he goes and takes over her wheelchair. “I’m going to show her to the guest quarters.”

  Anna waves to her aunt who waves back and blows us a kiss. Somehow, I think my sneaky fiancée is playing matchmaker, but she and I will chat about that later.

  “I have something to show you,” my father says to me. He seems excited, like a kid opening birthday gifts.

  We follow him upstairs and down a hallway. We reach large oak double doors, with carvings of deer on them. He pushes them open, and I’m greeted by a nursery. I look at him puzzled.

  “We aren’t…I mean…Anna’s not…” I flounder for the right words.

  He chuckles. “No, I don’t think that. I wanted to show you your room,” he says as he waves a hand around. I walk in and look around. But it’s the photo on a shelf that draws my attention. It’s a photograph of my father, my mother, and me as a baby. I walk up to it and pick it up, studying it.

  “That’s the only one of all of us,” he says sadly as he comes to stand next to me.

  I look up at him. “We have a lot to catch up on, don’t we?” I ponder.

  “We do, son, we do. But we have the rest of our lives to do it,” he says.

  I turn back to Anna who’s watching us.

  “Come here, Anna. I want to show you a photograph of my family,” I say to her. She walks over to me, and I wrap my arm around her. Standing between my father and my future bride, I suddenly feel overwhelmed by love. And I know whatever challenges we face in the future, we will face head-on because together we are fierce and valiant.

  Acknowledgments

  To every parent who reads their child a bedtime story. Because that’s how fairy tales are born.

  And because of that, I have to thank every member of my family who ever took the time to read me a bedtime story when I was a girl. Each and every one of you contributed to this story by igniting the fire of imagination in my soul.

  About the Author

  S.E. Rose lives in the DMV. And if you know what that means, then you know where she lives. She currently resides with her husband, two children, and always at least two cats and usually other random creatures her children decide they need. While she works at a desk during the day, her evenings and weekends are devoted to writing and editing her romance novels. She loves all things wine, coffee, tea, and dark chocolate, that’s right dark chocolate. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, traveling, going to concerts, and reading.

  Learn more about upcoming books from S.E. Rose at www.seroseauthor.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @seroseauthor. She has many other social media accounts and you can find them all at: https://linktr.ee/seroseauthor .

  Other Books by S.E. Rose

  Series:

  Portentous Destiny Series:

  Island (Book 1)

  Secrets (Book 2)

  Bravura (Book 3)

  Determination (Book 4)

  Home (Book 5)

  * * *

  Duet:

  The Poisoned Pawn Duet:

  A Fierce Princess

  A Valiant Prince

  * * *

  Novels:

  Chronicles of a Hot Mess

  The Decoy

  * * *

  Novellas:

  Neighbor in Apartment No. 5

  The Tinsel Tango

  * * *

  Want to learn more? Visit www.seroseauthor.com.

  Sneak Peek at Island, The Portentous Destiny Series Book 1

  Beginning of August

  Laura’s Playlist: “A Bad Dream” by Keane

  As I open one eye, I can see the sunlight starting to creep across the sky in a small line above the water. My face is half-buried in a pillow and half-facing the open window. The fresh sea breeze gently blows in, filling my nostrils and making me want to eat and curl deeper under my blanket.

  It is a little too early to go for my morning walk and meditation ritual, so perhaps a few more minutes lying in bed wouldn’t hurt anything. I breathe in deeply and close my eye again.

  It is as I lie there breathing in the salty sea breeze that I hear a noise. My eyes shoot open and I gaze out the window. The cottage is a mere one hundred feet from a walking path along the North Sea. It was far enough from town that there had been very few people out here over the past few weeks. The cliffs of the shoreline are several feet farther out from the path and then the sea lies beneath.

  My eyes readjust to the barely visible light outside and I can just make out a figure on the path. Whoever it is stands there looking at the cottage. My skin prickles as I realize that someone is watching me. Of course, it is too dark to see inside, or is it? Had I locked the door last night? I had not been locking the door. The cottage is two miles from town or a twenty-minute drive by car on winding back roads. Who is there? Maybe it’s Jack? But it seems much too early for him. I blink and look again as a million thoughts begin flying through my head and my imagination at this early hour begins working double time.

  Squinting in the darkness, I see that the person is holding something. But I can’t make it out, a bag, a suitcase, what? Slowly I roll out of bed. I am used to having my cat lying next to me, so I move cautiously. After a minute, I chide myself, remembering he isn’t there. I position myself to look out a nearby window that is closed, but when I get there the figure is gone. I stand staring out the window and decide to investigate further. I realize I need something to protect myself. Glancing around the room, I see a hiking stick in the corner and grab it. I quickly shut all the windows and lock the back door. And then very slowly I turn the handle on the front door and peek my head around it. The sunlight is starting to invade the night sky now and I can see a little better than before. There is no one there. I push the door farther open, and holding the hiking stick in my right hand like a bat, I very slowly step out onto the front path. I swivel around quickly assessing that no one is against the house and then continue walking toward the hiking path out front. There are woods about a quarter mile behind the house but the forest ends abruptly on either side with fields cutting into it. There are very few trees in the forest as it is maybe an eighth of a mile wide and a quarter mile deep. It is dark in there and I can’t see anything but the treetops. I scan the trail looking right and left. I see no one. I peer down over the cliff and watch the sea crash against the rocky coast below. A little ways down from me, there is a small fishing boat not far from the breaking waves. There is a light coming from it, maybe a flashlight or a small lantern, but there doesn’t appear to be anyone on it. Strange, I think to myself. Perhaps my eyes are playing tricks on me. I decide to go lock the door and head back to watch the boat until the sun reveals whether it has an occupant or not.

  I turn and walk the short dis
tance back to the cottage while continuing to scan my surroundings for movement, nothing. I open the door and grab the key from the hook. Then I shut the door and lock it before heading back down to the cliff. Now I can clearly see the bright orange glow of the sun just starting to peek up over the horizon. I glance back down toward the boat, but it is gone. I look out at the sea, no boat. I look up and down the jagged coastline and see nothing. How is this possible, it was just here? It hadn’t even taken me five minutes to walk back and forth from the house.

  I look back at the sea. It is choppy and I wonder if perhaps the boat is out there, and I just can’t see it over the waves. I scan the waters again and again and see nothing except the rolling white tips of each wave. Finally, as the full sun makes its way over the horizon, I turn and walk back to the cottage.

  I lock the front door behind me and decide to make tea. I throw on my yoga pants and a t-shirt. I’ll wait for Jack before going to walk today. I always walked to the left for some reason and pass him while he goes in the other direction, away from town. I don’t like the idea of going right, as the grass in the fields is taller in that direction and I am not able to see people coming toward me. My city girl instincts have always told me to stay where I can see my surroundings.

  I put the kettle on while I pull the tea out of the cupboard. I stare at the window, willing Jack to appear. The whistling of the tea kettle startles me and I jump. Sighing at my irrational fear, I pour the water into my teacup and continue staring out the window.

  The minutes tick by slowly. Being so far north, the sun rises very early and it makes me wake when I should be sleeping. I normally wake at 6:30 a.m. at home, but here I had gotten up with bright sunshine each morning by 5:00 a.m. I peer over at the clock on the microwave, 6:45 a.m. I have been standing there for over an hour and still no Jack. Jack is methodical, since the first day I saw him, he always passes my cottage at 6:50 a.m., just a few minutes after I leave for my morning stroll. We pass each other not far down the path from the cottage, so that it is still in plain view as we speak. Sometimes, if I am fast enough, I make it to a big rock near the path where I lay out my travel yoga blanket and meditate to the sound of the sea below.

  Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock. I begin to feel like a schoolgirl waiting for the bell to ring at the end of a long day. Come on, Jack, come on, where are you?

  I don’t bother looking out at the woods as I know my eyes would play tricks on me against the darkness of the forest. Alright, Laura, you are now officially being ridiculous, I think to myself. It could have just been a local going for an early morning walk. It could have been the priest, sometimes he does walk up this way although he hadn’t ever come up this far, but maybe he did today. It could be a backpacker walking the coastal trails. It’s not like the person tried to come into the cottage. And the boat, maybe it sped away and I couldn’t see it between the waves. Sure, that’s right, no big deal. But deep down, I know better. With everything that is happening, I know perfectly well who it might be and that thought sends a shiver down my spine.

  I look once more at the clock—6:51 a.m. Jack is never late. He is as predictable as the sunrise or the phases of the moon. I have only known him for ten weeks, but this I know beyond a shadow of a doubt. I glance at my phone and contemplate calling Oliver. Too early. I decide on a text instead. Wait, no, I’ll text Jack. If he didn’t go for his walk then he will be home and he will have his phone. I slap my head for not having thought of this earlier.

  Laura: I just wanted 2 make sure u r ok. I didn’t c u this morning.

  Tick, tock, tick, tock.

  Nothing. I look at my phone—7:20 a.m. Time to text Oliver.

  Laura: Jack never came by today and he isn’t replying to my txt. Do u know if he is OK?

  I wait and wait for what seems like an eternity. And then my phone buzzes.

  Oliver: Don’t know. Haven’t seen him since last night. I saw him pull in when I was checking the gate. I’m sure he is fine. I’ll txt him.

  I wait some more and then feel the buzzing and look down.

  Oliver: His lights are off and he doesn’t answer the door. I’m going to walk the trail and make sure he didn’t fall. I will come by the cottage on my way.

  I look out the window at the morning sun and blue sky. Birds chirp in the distance. It is still outside, too still. Jack, where are you?