More Than a Mission - Caridad Pineiro [75]
The headline read: The Prince of Fake: Reginald’s False Claim to Throne Revealed.
Chapter 26
The Lazlo Group clearly had a problem on their hands. A problem that needed their coordination with the royal family as soon as possible.
But she had her own problems, as well.
The restaurant would be in full swing by now, even if it was midweek. Natalie would be crazed, wondering where Elizabeth was, since she had never missed a day without notice. Calls had to be made.
After Aidan had instructed Lucia to print out the entire article and also the materials Lord Southgate had sent over earlier for their review, he turned to her. “I need to deal with this,” he said, his tones apologetic.
“There are things I need to address, as well, Aidan. Arrangements for Dani—”
“Once Corbett tells us we can.”
Anger boiled up inside of her and she moved close. So close her nose brushed the edge of his jaw. “No one decides what to do about Dani except me.”
“Lizzy—”
“No one, Aidan.” Her tone conveyed her emotions quite clearly.
“I understand. I’ll do what I can. In the meantime—”
“I need to call Nat. She’s probably frantic by now.”
Aidan gave a resigned nod. “You’ll need to stay here until we know more about Dani’s assailant. For now, we should keep any information regarding Dani’s death to ourselves.”
She walked over to a phone and dialed the restaurant. When the hostess answered, she asked for Natalie.
“Lizzy Bee! Thank God. We were so worried about you,” Natalie immediately said as she answered.
“I’m okay, Nat, but Dani…She’s been hurt. Bad. I’ll need to stay with her for a little while so please close the restaurant for a few days,” she explained, all the time looking at Aidan to make sure she didn’t give out any more information than was necessary.
“Will she be okay?” Natalie asked and tears came to Lizzy’s eyes.
She bit back the tears, but her voice was tight as she answered. “I’m not sure, Nat. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Lizzy. If you need anything, absolutely anything—”
“I know, Nat. Please tell Kate and Samantha. I’ll keep you posted, okay?” she said, but didn’t wait for an answer as the tears came more furiously.
Aidan reached out and pulled her into his embrace. “You need to get some rest, Lizzy.”
“I’m not sure I can,” she mumbled against his chest.
He tightened his hold and rubbed one hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture. As he did so, he called out, “Guys, I just need some time.”
“Aidan,” she protested, but he silenced her by gently placing a finger against her lips.
“Don’t argue on this, Lizzy. The next few days may be rough. You need to be ready to deal with them.”
With that, he slipped his hands to her shoulders and applied light pressure, guiding her in the direction of the room she had been in earlier. Once inside, he led her to the bed and made her climb in. As he tucked the sheets in around her, she laid her head on the pillow and smelled his scent.
“Is this your room?”
He confirmed it with a shrug. “Is that a problem?”
“No. Thank you.”
It was so awkward between them when just last night…
“Was any of it true? The army? The moving around?” she asked, peering up at him as he stood by the side of the bed.
He stroked her hair. “It was all true, Lizzy.”
She looked away to the edge of the sheet, afraid to ask about the rest. About his feelings for her. Despite that, he must have known what she was thinking.
“Lizzy. What happened…it was real. I never meant to hurt you. Believe that, please.”
If she’d had any doubts, they vanished in that moment. The sincerity in his voice quashed any qualms about his true feelings. “I believe you, Aidan. But it doesn’t change anything does it?”
His lips thinned into a harsh line. “No. It doesn’t. I’ll go and let you rest now.”
He pushed away from the bed. She didn’t look up until she heard the solid thunk of the door closing.
Then and only then did she give in to the tears she had been holding back. Tears for her sister and the man she’d loved. Tears for herself, selfish as they were.
Aidan heard her sobs even through the thick wood