Always - Iris Johansen [43]
“You deserve it.” His fingers touched her cheek gently. “And you don’t have to have a particularly aristocratic mentality to be a princess.” He made a face. “Remind me to introduce you to Kira sometime. What’s important is that it gives you pleasure.”
“Oh, it does.” Impulsively she stood on tiptoe to press a kiss on his cheek. “I can’t wait to see the rest of it.”
“I’ll give you the cook’s tour tomorrow.” Clancy took her elbow and propelled her across the courtyard. “Right now, I want to introduce you to Marna and give you a chance to freshen up before dinner.”
“Who’s Marna?”
“She’s the housekeeper of the castle. She used to be Kira’s old nurse, and when things got a bit difficult in Tamrovia, Kira whisked her here to Sedikhan.”
“Difficult?”
“Just a spot of diplomatic bother involving Kira. Considering that it did involve Kira, it’s a wonder it wasn’t worse. Marna would probably commit murder to protect her.”
Lisa was becoming increasingly intrigued by the casual remarks Clancy dropped regarding Kira Rubinoff. She was clearly a colorful character.
When she was introduced to Marna Debuk a few minutes later, Lisa’s curiosity was even more aroused. She couldn’t picture anyone “whisking” this woman anywhere. She must have stood six feet tall in her stocking feet, with the deep chest and powerful shoulders of a lady wrestler; the neat, dark dress she wore looked wildly inappropriate. Her face was heavy-jawed, both impassive and ageless, and framed in a helmet of dark hair clipped in a short Dutch bob.
Her large hand completely enveloped Lisa’s as they shook hands. The woman murmured a polite acknowledgment in slightly accented English. She turned to Clancy, and for a moment there was a flicker of warmth in her eyes. “Everything’s prepared as you instructed, Mr. Donahue. Will you be ready to dine in an hour?”
“That will be fine, Marna. I appreciate your going to all this trouble on such short notice.”
“It’s no trouble.” The housekeeper shrugged. “It gave the servants something to do. No guests have visited here since Kira left a few months ago. They grow lazy.”
“I doubt that, with you in charge,” Clancy said dryly. “They’re all terrified of you.”
“Yes.” Her dark eyes glinted. “Which is as it should be, as we both know, Mr. Donahue.” She turned to Lisa. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your room. I hope you will find it suitable. It’s the tower room, as Mr. Donahue ordered.”
Lisa smothered a smile. Trust Clancy to go all the way. “I’m sure I will.” As Marna padded ahead of her down the hall, Lisa cast a quick glance at Clancy. “Aren’t you coming?”
He shook his head. “I’ll come to your room in an hour and take you down to dinner. I have a few phone calls to make.”
A shadow crossed her face. “Martin?”
“Not all my business has to do with Baldwin,” Clancy said. “Don’t worry, it’s too soon for him to surface again. And even if he does, I’ll keep you safe.”
But would he be able to keep himself safe? Martin had been so chillingly malignant that day in the market. Lisa gave herself an admonishing shake. She wouldn’t think about unhappy things tonight. Tonight was very special. “I know you will.” She smiled at him. “And you can bet I’ll wait for you to come and get me. This place is absolutely huge. I might get lost and never be heard of again. How many rooms does this castle have, for goodness’ sake?”
“Thirty-two, excluding the servants’ quarters.”
“Oh, my, when you furnish a lady with a castle, you do it right, Clancy. I’d better get moving or I may lose my guide.” She waved and hurried after Marna.
He watched her as she climbed the wide stone steps of the staircase in the foyer. She moved quickly, her carriage light and graceful, her delicate coloring contrasting sharply with the harsh gray of the stone wall.
He felt a swift rush of possessiveness that was as powerful as it was sudden. Tonight she was going to belong