A Royal Kiss and Tell

Leo had guessed Beck would be unhappy with what had happened at Arundel, but this was more than he’d anticipated. His friend had disappeared from the earth. But Caroline was still flitting from salon to salon, apparently. According to the gazette, some lady was wearing a dress she’d made, and the sleeves were unique and all the rage now.

Leo was completely obsessed with any mention of Caroline in that gazette. When he wasn’t thinking what to do with his three wards, and how to reach Rasa, he was thinking about her. He even felt unusual pangs of jealousy at the mention of suitors. Bloody hell. What a mess he’d made for himself. He couldn’t even get her brother to respond to his invitation.

He sighed and glanced at his secretary. “Well, Josef, I suppose you might inquire of the hotel if one of my chickens might be made ready for us this evening, as I’ve no place to dine.”

“Ambassador Redbane has asked for a moment, Your Highness. He has some dispatches from Alucia.”

“Oh,” Leo said, perking up a bit. “Is he here?”

“Je.”

“Bring him,” he said, eager to have some company.

Ambassador Redbane, a jovial gentleman, hailed from the southern border of Alucia—the wine region, where people were known for their hospitality.

Redbane greeted Leo enthusiastically, which gave Leo a glimmer of hope that news of him hadn’t reached into every corner. The ambassador had very little for him, mainly a letter from his mother the queen, which said very little. “Not a word from Bas or Eliza?”

Redbane shook his head.

Leo studied him. “Do you know what I think, Redbane? I think we ought to have a party and celebrate my time here in England before it draws to a close.”

For the first time since he’d arrived, Redbane’s smile dimmed. He looked down at his leather pouch in which he carried the official correspondence and winced.

“Oh dear,” Leo said. “What’s that look?”

Redbane sighed. “I would be remiss,” he said carefully, “if I were to allow you to believe that such a gathering would be...well attended.”

“Is that so,” Leo said. He sniffed back a wave of offense. He was still a bloody prince, wasn’t he?

“I mean no offense, Highness,” Redbane hastened to assure him.

“Offense taken,” Leo muttered.

Redbane’s face began to pinken. “It, ah...it has to do with what some perceive as your proclivities.”

“My proclivities? I have no proclivities, Redbane. I am proclivitless.”

“With housemaids and...women of the night.” Redbane whispered the last part. “And...and it has been suggested that perhaps you should return to Alucia.”

Leo stiffened. “Women of the night, Redbane? You mean prostitutes, for heaven’s sake. We are grown men here.”

Redbane turned redder. He cleared his throat. But it wasn’t this poor man’s fault. It was solely on Leo’s shoulders, and he couldn’t let the ambassador suffer any longer. He waved a hand at him. “Pay me no heed, sir. I’ve heard the same. Has the king heard the rumors, as well?”

“I can’t say for certain,” Redbane said carefully. “But I would suspect that he has. I have received word from the foreign secretary that you are to depart for Alucia as soon as is reasonably possible.” He handed him a folded vellum, sealed in wax and stamped with the official signet of the king of Alucia.

Leo took the vellum from him. “You’ve been holding out on me,” he said with a wry smile. He didn’t break the seal right away. “Fine. But there is something I must do before I leave England.” Leo abruptly stood up. “Will you send Josef to me?”

The ambassador came to his feet. He bowed and went out. When Josef appeared, Leo said, “I mean to go round to Lord Hawke’s house this afternoon.”

“Je, as you wish, Your Highness.”

What he wished was beyond Josef’s capacity to provide. He wanted to find all five women and see Caroline again. Beyond that, he didn’t know any more. He couldn’t imagine it. He couldn’t imagine being married to Lady Eulalie and thinking of a beautiful blonde woman in England every day for the rest of his life, but he feared that was his fate.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A gentleman who inherited a fortune invested it all so heavily in a defunct railway that now he is left penniless. Reports are that there is keen interest in his Mayfair abode, which now stands empty.

An unfortunate encounter with a candle nearly set Lady Hogarth aflame. It is highly recommended that one not stand so close to the dinner buffet when dressed in formal wear.