Royal Blood - By Rhys Bowen Page 0,91

just happen to discover that he was more attracted to men than women and let his parents know that I could never condone such behavior. That ought to do it. Only not tonight. Not now. At this moment I had to be Siegfried’s intended.

The meal finished with no more deaths, accidents or surprises and we ladies were escorted through to the withdrawing room for coffee and liquors. I was looking around to see if I could slip away unnoticed when the queen of Romania stood before me with open arms.

“My dear child,” she said. “I can’t tell you how happy this has made me. It was our dearest wish and that of your royal cousins too.” And she embraced me.

Suddenly I saw clearly: this whole excursion had been a plot to get me to marry Siegfried. I was never Matty’s dear friend at school. The queen could more properly have sent her own daughter to the wedding and not me. I was, as they say in American gangster films, set up. Framed. Duped. Ladies swarmed around me, patting me and offering congratulations. Even my mother came to peck me on the cheek. “Very sensible,” she whispered in my ear. “You’ll have a lovely dress allowance and he won’t bother you. A little difficult about future babies that Darcy has dark hair, but so does Siegfried’s mother, so that’s all right.”

I looked up to see Belinda looking at me with wonder and amusement on her face. As soon as she could she dragged me aside. “Have you lost your mind?” she demanded. “You can’t be that desperate.”

“I’m not and I haven’t,” I hissed back. “It’s all a horrible misunderstanding. I never said that I would marry him, but I had to humor him last night and he took it the wrong way. What on earth am I going to do, Belinda?”

“Can I be a bridesmaid?” she asked, mirth bubbling up again.

“That is not funny,” I snapped. “You’ve got to help me.”

“You could let him know you’re not a virgin,” she said. “I gather that rather matters to people like Siegfried.”

“But you know I am.”

“Then remedy it rapidly.”

“Thanks!” I laughed nervously. “And how am I supposed to do that? Darcy has gone away again, and I’m not desperate enough to want to remedy it with anybody else.”

“I could lend you Anton, I suppose,” she said as if we were talking about gloves.

“Belinda, you’re not taking this seriously.”

“You have to admit it is too, too delicious for words, darling. You becoming Mrs. Fishface. At least you’ll be a princess and Fig will have to curtsy to you.”

“I hardly think that makes up for being married to Fishface,” I said. “This is turning into the worst day of my life. Speaking of which, you haven’t seen my maid, have you?”

“Probably sneaking off again to get at the cakes,” Belinda said.

“No, I asked and she wasn’t below stairs. And she wasn’t in her room, either. I’m worried about her, given everything that’s happened.”

“What do you mean?” she asked and I remembered that she wasn’t in on Pirin’s murder.

“The vampires and everything,” I said, making her laugh again.

“Sweetie pie, you don’t really still believe there are vampires in the castle, do you?”

“In a castle like this it’s easy to believe in anything,” I said.

“My lady, I believe congratulations are in order,” said a deep voice right behind me. I spun around to see Count Dragomir standing there. He bowed low. “I look forward to serving you as my princess.”

As he went to withdraw I remembered my worry. “Count Dragomir, if you have a moment.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” He put his hand to his breast and bowed. So I’d now been elevated to Highness in anticipation, had I?

I beckoned him to one side. “Count Dragomir, I am concerned because my maid seems to have disappeared. She didn’t come to dress me for dinner and she is not in her room. I wondered if you could ask the other servants if they had seen her and perhaps even send out a search party to look for her for me. She may have taken a wrong turn and fallen down some dark staircase.”

“You are right,” he said, “there are plenty of dangerous spots in a castle like this for those who wander where they shouldn’t. But do not concern yourself, my lady. I will set servants to the task immediately. We will find her for you.” He was about to move off again when I spotted Lady Middlesex and