Page 21 of Decoy
“I’m curious what has so thoroughly captured Her Highness’s attention.”
I startled at the voice disrupting the silence, shattering the illusion I’d been alone. Heart pounding, I searched the room; I didn’t see anyone at first…until I noticed a familiar figure blending in with the shadows. I narrowed my eyes.Him.
“It’s unbecoming to spy on a princess. ”
Lord Luke appeared with a bow. “Spying would require secrecy and thus deprive me of the company of one who’s thoroughly captured my interest.”
It seemed he no longer had any reason to pretend otherwise. My gaze flickered across his handsome features to the long cut just below his eye, the same one borne by the assassin I’d encountered last night. The faint moonlight hadn’t been bright enough for me to properly examine it, but now the bright light of day made it impossible to hide.
It appeared Lord Luke and the masked assassin were one and the same after all.
He noticed the trajectory of my gaze and without any hint of fluster offered his usual charming smile. “Paper cut.”
I was so startled by the absurd claim that I couldn’t quite suppress my unladylike snort. Too late I pressed my hand to muffle the sound. The corner of his lips twitched.
“Apaper cut?” Did he think me daft enough to believe the poorest excuse he could have contrived? His expression remained entirely serious…save for the laughter in his eyes, evidence he was toying with me.
“Would you believe I acquired the injury when performing a heroic deed? I am quite the honorable type.” He surveyed my reaction, and at my continued skepticism he tilted his head. “You’re certainly a doubtful one. How about…I accidentally cut myself with a quill while I was composing some letters to my myriad of admirers; those feathers can be quite sharp.”
With each ridiculous suggestion the temptation to laugh only grew, an impulse entirely out of place considering the circumstances. It felt wrong on so many accounts to get so much entertainment from our interactions, especially now that it was clear he was the enemy stalking the night. Whether or not he’d been my attacker remained to be determined.
“Are you even trying?”
“You wound me, Princess; I spent all night brainstorming these. No appreciation for my efforts.” He pressed his hand to his heart as if I’d delivered a fatal blow.
If his cut hadn’t been such an obvious giveaway, his theatrics alone would have been enough for me to wonder whether he truly was the mysterious man hidden beneath the mask. Was such a contradiction in behavior deliberate as part of some grander plot?
“I commend you for your creativity in finding unique ways to describe a cut made by myknife.”
“Aknife?” Up went his eyebrows. “Is the study of weapons now a compulsory part of a princess’s training?” He stroked his chin. “If you’re seeking an excuse that involves a sharp object, then how about…wrestling with a wild beast? That one isn’t even a lie considering said knife was thrown by a dangerous but thoroughly beguiling woman.”
Triumph swelled. “Iknewyou were the attacker from last night. Finally you admit it.”
His lips curved into a smirk. “I’ve admitted nothing. Just because I fell victim to a princess’s ire doesn’t mean I’m the same assailant who did his part to earn it.”
“I have no reason to believe you after your recent game of excuses. There was no one in that corridor but you.”
“So you believe.”
An ominous chill curled up my spine at the thought of another assassin lurking in the shadows, as if dealing with this one wasn’t aggravating enough. “Yet you don’t deny your presence. For someone who’s just been found out, you’re showing a surprising lack of concern.”
He chuckled. “Because I have no reason to be worried—you’re not as threatening as you think.”
“Nor are you.”
He shrugged. “I’m not currently trying to be.” He leisurely picked up one of the books on my teetering stack to examine the cover. “Royal genealogies and geography, a fascinating topic.”
I already had my prepared excuse ready. “Such a study seems worthwhile for one in my position.”
“I agree. One must never forget your unique position, Princess.”
The darkness underlining his words only reminded me of the ominous threat he’d left me with last night—either I find a way into the forbidden tomes, or he’d do whatever it took to ensure my cooperation. In an instant, the teasing atmosphere shifted and I became acutely aware I was alone in a secluded section of a nearly abandoned library with a dangerous man. I could feel his presence closing in around me like the towering shelves, hear the warning filling his threat.
Though he wasn’t currently doing anything particularly threatening, I still sensed danger in the tension choking the air, as if his words alone were enough to snare me within a trap. My nearby guard would offer me very little protection against a quick and silent kill made before he even had the chance to defend me.
Without even bothering to put my books away, I hurried from the suffocating shelves into a much more open sitting area that unfortunately was just as empty of witnesses. Lord Luke followed, easily keeping pace. “Have I done anything to upset you?” Concern filled his expression, a contradiction to the silent laughter glistening in his mischievous gaze.
“I have somewhere I need to be.” There was a grand tea arranged for later this afternoon, another event in the week-long celebration welcoming the true princess home.
