A Love that Endures 3 Page 20

  Marcos sat the bag down and began to pull out what looked like warm French rolls. He turned back to David. “But I guess you have other roots too, huh? British ones.”

  David nodded. “As demonstrated by the accent, probably.”

  Marcos chuckled. “You’ve got some American in you, too. American Jew. Like Jeanine.”

  It had been so late, and their conversation had been so draining that David hadn’t thought to bring it up the night before. But now that he had Marcos here . . . now that he was fully awake, almost believing that this could all be real, the questions were buzzing around his mind in a storm.

  The words sprang from his mouth without real conscious thought. “Do you know where she is?”

  Marcos stopped buttering the toasted rolls and looked back at David over his shoulder. “I wish I did, David. I’d certainly like to see her. Hear her voice. Her laugh.”

  David’s breath escaped him then, his lungs deflating in defeat.

  But he had Marcos now. And he still had the chance to someday find Jeanine, with his father’s help. Now that they were free of the Morenos.

  And he still had his mission to get Katy back, even if he wasn’t sure how he would do it yet.

  “But that’s what I wanted to talk to you about today, David.” Marcos turned back to the bread, passing David a warm slice from his large, thick hands. He turned to face his son. “Your mother. Last night, I was thinking . . . We have plenty of money to hire the best investigators and travel the world looking for her. So let’s go. You and I. Today, even.”

  Marcos’s tone sounded casual, like he was just throwing out a random idea, but the lightness seemed forced, as if he was hiding a deep anxiety. David was touched. His father was obviously still nervous in his son’s presence. And, just as clearly, he had high hopes for the two of them, and their future as a family.

  David stopped chewing, swallowed the crusty bite with great difficulty, and let his arms fall to his sides.

  “Dad . . . er, Marcos . . . er . . .”

  “If you’re ready for that title, then I’m ready,” Marcos added, his brown eyes warm and focused. The corner of his lip pulled back in the beginnings of an excited grin. “Call me whatever feels right.”

  David smiled appreciatively, then took in a deep breath, letting the word come out as naturally as it could. “Dad. I can’t leave London yet.”

  Marcos’s eyes dropped slightly, but then he waved a hand dismissively. “If it’s because you’re looking for her yourself, well, I know Jeanine isn’t here. She wasn’t one for rain or gray skies. She’d be on a beach somewhere, or maybe in a mountain-wrapped valley. But definitely not . . .”

  “I’m not looking for Mom right now,” David interrupted. “I’m here for something . . . someone else.”

  Confusion flashed briefly across Marcos’s face before realization settled in his eyes.

  “Your princess,” he said, nodding slowly.

  David didn’t reply. He didn’t have to.

  Marcos’s face went pensive. “We could go anywhere in the world right now, David. Machu Picchu. Los Angeles. Paris. New Zealand. Start a new life with new names, leave all of our past behind. If you wanted.”

  David shook his head, and, almost as though he’d expected it, Marcos looked down and took a deep breath. And when he looked up, his eyes were determined.

  “Then I guess we have work to do here. I’m in. What’s the plan?”

  David’s brain stuttered to a halt. That was it? His father was already willing to help, just like that?

  Marcos must’ve seen the shock on his face, because a long, amused grin stretched across his face, then softened into a look of what seemed to be true affection.

  “David, it’s me and you now. Forever. And if you tell me that this princess is your future, then I believe you. But we have to have a good plan. Preferably one that doesn’t involve another run-in with palace guards. So what are you thinking?”

  David shifted his weight. “Well . . . I’m still working on that part.”

  26

  Katy

  “Princess, if it’s not too bold, I have to ask,” the matronly palace servant said, holding the silver tray with Katy’s morning tea. “Do you ever sleep?”

  Katy managed a chuckle. Obviously she wasn’t quite as good at hiding the emotions and exhaustion as she thought she was.

  “I’m fine, Dulcie. And thank you for the tea. I needed it.” She nodded at the woman.

  Dulcie sat down the tray, offered Katy a bow, and then exited the room. When she was gone, Katy made her way desperately to the caffeine.

  The woman was right; she’d barely been sleeping since she arrived in London. Originally it had been due to the swirl of confusion and guilt that had consumed her thoughts as the engagement party loomed. Then it had been because of David’s sudden reappearance in her mind. Then, following so suddenly on its heels, David’s unexpected reappearance in her life. And last night, things had taken a sharp turn, and she’d barely slept a wink at all.

  Cerise’s confession had deeply affected Katy. But she still wasn’t sure what to believe, or what it would all mean if she did believe David. Of course she already knew that Mama and Papa hadn’t been happy about she and David being together when they’d dated so briefly. After all, their interference in her love life was very on brand.

  But what Cerise said David had suspected . . . that wasn’t just interference. It was a character assassination. Were the king and queen truly capable of ruining a man’s life if it meant their daughter wouldn’t marry him?

  Katy just didn’t think that was possible. Sure, they could be pompous and self-centered and unsupportive, but breaking the law to hurt an innocent man? That was something else entirely. And Katy just couldn’t believe it. They were her parents. They’d always taught her to live by a strict moral code which certainly did not include blackmail, lies, and feigning evidence.

  But the more she thought about it, the more Katy was realizing that, even after everything, there was a part of her that believed in David.

  So as the hot tea hit her belly and brightened the cloudy mess of her mind, she resolved herself in what she had to do.

  She had to find David. She had to talk to him. No matter how, she needed to find a way to escape her new personal security detail—she managed to ditch them often enough, but it only encouraged them to be more persistent—and go exactly where she wasn’t supposed to. And then, with all the information, she could come to a conclusion about what had happened five years ago. She wasn’t going to let her family, the media, or even the man himself tell her what to think about David Rosen anymore. She had to find out for herself.

  But there was something she needed to do first. And it was something that she had needed to do for a long time.

  Now, she’d finally made up her mind.

  * * *

  A woman exited the suite just as Katy was preparing to knock.

  “Oh, pardon me, dear,” Princess Harriet said. “I was just visiting with Ollie.”

  Katy smiled politely. “I’m sure he was grateful for your company.”

  She felt uncomfortable and exposed speaking to Oliver’s mother. She couldn’t imagine that it had gone unnoticed by the palace staff, the guests, and, most importantly, the royals themselves that she hadn’t been spending any time at all with her fiancé in the wake of this latest scandal. She was ashamed of that fact, even if in her heart she knew it had been what she needed.

  “You know Ollie,” Harriet said, still standing in the doorway. “He’s a good boy. Gentle heart.”

  Katy blinked. It struck her as a strange thing for the older princess to reply. But then, in a way that gave her a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, it began to make more sense.

  Harriet probably knew why she was there. There was a new restraint and a distance in her voice—as if she were preparing herself for a severing of ties. Katy’s heart sank considering the pain she was causing to a perfectly nice family. Especiall
y since they’d been nothing but kind to her, even as the drama unfolded.

  But a loveless marriage would do even more damage in the long run. And Katy was sick of hiding her feelings for the sake of others.

  “Well . . .” Harriet said, with a little sigh, “I’ll let you two get to it.” Another thinly veiled sign of her knowledge about the situation, perhaps. She left the door open for Katy, smiled in parting, and then walked away down the stateroom corridor.

  Katy briefly watched her go before stepping into Oliver’s stateroom. When she entered, she took a deep, anxious breath and closed the door behind her.

  “Oliver?”

  Katy took a step into the sitting room and looked around. She didn’t see her fiancé anywhere.

  “I’m back here, Katerina.” Oliver’s voice came from his bedroom. Tentatively, she made her way back to him.

  Oliver was dressed but sitting on his bed, which immediately struck Katy as odd. Oliver was almost always the type to dress early and begin his day before the sun came up. Katy had only come looking for him in his room when she didn’t find him in any of his usual palace haunts.

  “Are you okay, Oliver?” Katy asked. She was afraid that she already knew the answer.

  Oliver didn’t answer her question directly. He offered her a sad half-smile instead. For the first time, Katy noticed how red and swollen his eyes were, like he’d been crying.

  “My mother told me to expect you, you know. Women must always know,” Oliver said. He was looking down at the floor from his seat on the edge of the bed. As Katy took a step forward, he reached for a tissue from a box behind him.

  “Oh, Oliver,” Katy said softly.

  Oliver wiped at his eyes with the tissue. “Would it have made any difference, Katerina? I mean, if . . . if he hadn’t showed up at the party?”

  Katy took another step toward her soon-to-be ex-fiancé. She didn’t know what exactly to say, but she knew one thing.

  She was going to tell him the full truth.

  “No, Oliver. It wouldn’t have.”

  Oliver inhaled and wiped his nose. He still wasn’t looking up at Katy; he kept his eyes down on the crumpled tissue in his hands.

  “I just don’t understand, Katerina. Why?”

  Katy stopped and considered her words. “It wasn’t you, Oliver. I know it’s trite, but it wasn’t. I always enjoyed your company and your friendship. But . . . I didn’t have a heart to give you, Oliver. It belonged to someone else all this time.”

  Oliver looked up then, quickly, with a hint of anger. “How could you still love him, though? After everything he did. Everything he is.”

  “You don’t know him like I do, Oliver. I don’t believe those things about him. I don’t know if I ever did.”

  Oliver scoffed and stood, walking toward his powder room. But before he reached the door, he turned back to Katy, his eyes down on the floor, and began to pace.

  Katy sighed at his restless silence. “I’m sorry, Oliver,” she said. “I’m sorry that I dragged this out for so long. When, truthfully, I always knew.”

  “I don’t blame you for that, Katy,” Oliver replied quickly, still pacing, his voice strained. “After all, you tried to tell me. And I knew all the while, too. I should’ve just listened to my instincts.” Oliver looked up to face Katy. “But I do blame you for how you treat yourself. How you’re just . . . throwing your love away on someone who doesn’t deserve it.”

  Katy winced at Oliver’s sudden venom. She knew that he’d be hurting, and she also trusted that, deep down, he was just worried for her and wanted what was best. But it was still hard to hear. Just like everything everybody else had been saying all these years, but sharpened by the closeness they’d shared.

  And as much as this would be the easy way out, she still had to be honest with him. “This isn’t about you versus David, Oliver,” Katy replied. “To be honest, I don’t even know what will happen with David. Maybe I’ll never speak to him again.” It hurt her to imagine the possibility, but she had to acknowledge it—especially if any of those accusations turned out to be true. “This is about letting you go so you can find happiness,” she continued. “So you can meet a woman with no reservations. A woman who wants the same things you want and loves you.”

  Oliver shook his head. “But you’re going to get hurt again, Katerina. He’s going to break your heart all over. I could protect you. I could . . .”

  And suddenly, Katy had had enough.

  She cleared the remaining space between the two of them and firmly grasped both of Oliver’s hands in her own. She had moved so quickly and confidently that Oliver seemed to be stunned into silence. He merely looked down into her plaintive face and allowed her hands to cradle his.

  “I don’t need protection, Oliver. I need to figure things out for myself from now on. And if I get hurt . . . I get hurt. But that’s just part of life.”

  Katy leaned forward, standing on her tiptoes, and gently pressed her lips against Oliver’s cheek. She tightened her grip on his hands one last time . . . and then released them, looking wordlessly into Oliver’s torn, pained face, and then turning to leave.

  She’d almost made it to the door when Oliver called out one last time.

  “Princess Katerina.”

  Katy turned to face the man she respected, was fond of . . . but couldn’t bring herself to love.

  “Good luck,” he said genuinely.

  Katy offered a small, sad smile, lowered her chin in a nod, and then turned and left Oliver’s room.

  * * *

  “Princess . . . are you sure?”

  Katy closed the back door of the dark SUV in the palace drive and turned to the chauffeur. “It’s all right, Edward. I know what I’m doing.”

  Edward had been driving Katy and her parents for over a decade. He was a trusted family friend and a kind, gentle man. She knew it wasn’t fair to ask such a favor of him, but she also knew that he would want to go with her in case anything happened.

  I might not need protection, but I don’t want to be reckless, either. Especially in a situation like this.

  She’d managed to slip out of the palace in casual attire, but only after convincing the stony-faced guard who’d accompanied her all day that she was going to sleep early, then making a break for it when he was relieved of his duty. It was nice that nobody expected her to lie about her intentions and sneak out of her rooms, and in truth, even that kind of deception made Katy feel terrible, but in this case it had just been an unfortunate necessity. Though the fact that she was out here alone, with nobody who knew where she was, did make her more grateful for Edward’s presence and his skepticism.

  “I don’t know, Princess. I’ve driven past those places a few times. They’re dicey, to say the least. And there isn’t just one camp. There are a few different bad parts of town that the homeless flock to.”

  “Let’s start with the nearest,” Katy replied assuredly.

  Now that she knew David wasn’t at his hotel anymore, she was looking for him. Blindly, yes, but at least she would be methodical. Mia’s responses had dwindled since she’d left town, but she had been willing to tell Katy to look for David “among the vagrants” before she’d stopped responding completely. Which had been frustratingly vague, but Katy understood that the private eye was unwilling to be too specific or release any possible contact information over the phone, for David’s safety more than anything else.

  Almost like she was afraid of someone watching her private communications.

  So that was the only clue Katy had to go off. David might be living with the homeless tramps of London. It was a thought that broke her heart. David had once been so strong, so driven, so polished. His future had seemed undoubtedly brilliant.

  Could he really be wasting away in London’s slums? It seemed impossible.

  But she had to find him. And this was a start.

  “None are very close to the palace, Princess. But we can get to some after a drive, I’m sure,” Edward replied. Th
e car had yet to start moving. He was obviously reticent. “But don’t you think we should have your guard accompany us? Or tell your parents where we’re going.”

  Katy looked intently at the older man in his dark suit and cap. “No one else can know about this, Edward.”

  “Princess . . .”

  “No one,” Katy interrupted. The king and queen would never allow her to do something so dangerous. And while Cassie could possibly agree to it, she’d definitely make sure to insert herself into the endeavor.

  And Katy needed to speak to David alone.

  At last, Edward sighed and straightened his cap on his head. “Very well, Princess. But I have to insist on staying near your side wherever we go. Can we agree on that?”

  Katy fidgeted with her hands in her lap. She knew she’d have to compromise if she wanted the car to move out of the side drive of the palace. Unless she made a direct order as his princess, which she had never felt comfortable doing.

  “Of course, Edward. Agreed.”

  The chauffer looked up in the rearview mirror and nodded at his passenger. Then the SUV slowly rolled away from the palace, toward the gate.

  Katy’s heart was in her throat as the gate opened to allow them to exit. She was excited, nervous, and a little afraid.

  But she was confident that she was doing the right thing. Because no matter where she went or what she did, she knew that she would never be able to move forward in her life without knowing what David had been trying to tell her at the engagement party.

  27

  David

  “Where’d you go off to, lad? We was worried you’d been picked up by the fuzz, or . . .”

  Mick trailed off when he noticed the South American man, a full inch taller than David, walking behind him. His eyes narrowed in confusion and suspicion. Around him, Giles and Rufus were also looking surprised and a bit nervous.

  When David got close enough to the ragtag group, he gestured toward the well-dressed and broad-shouldered man beside himself. “Gang, this is Marcos, my . . . uh . . .” The words got caught in his throat for a moment, but he pushed them through with effort. “My father. He’s here to help.”