To Protect a Princess by Jess Michaels
Enjoy this sneak peek of Earl’s Choice
Book 2 of The Regency Royals series
Coming September 21, 2021!
(Bramwell and Sasha’s Story)
She sighed heavily and backed away from the window, moving toward the shadow again. She leaned against the terrace wall’s stone edge and gazed up at the stars. The English had their own constellations, but she saw a few of her favorite Athawickian ones like the butterfly, the sailing ship and the crown. She sighed in pure pleasure and for a moment all was calm and right in her world. She had no duties or fears or anything but the sweet connection to the sky above.
“Your Highness?”
She froze at the words coming from behind her and all good thoughts fled. She’d thought she’d hidden herself well enough from eyes, she’d thought that no one would wish to miss the end of the dance between the Regent and the Queen of Athawick.
She was apparently wrong and now she had created a situation that could go very wrong, very quickly if she didn’t use her wits and manage the intruder. She only hoped she was capable of doing just that.
Sasha turned slowly and lifted her chin, trying to put herself in as much shadow as possible.
The stranger, on the other hand, was fully lit by the ballroom window and she caught her breath. He was uncommonly handsome and put her to mind of Paris from the ancient mythology of Troy. The only man beautiful enough to pair with Helen, the one who would start a war to have her.
This man had thick dark hair, full lips, a jawline that could cut through metal and warm, kind brown eyes that widened as he moved closer.
“Oh…I beg your pardon, you are not Princess Ilaria.”
Sasha wasn’t certain that his observation made this situation better or worse. She cleared her throat. “Er…no. But I thank you for the comparison.”
His brow furrowed a little and he came to a stop, tilting his head. “You are wearing the same gown.”
Sasha’s eyes went wide. Here was the perfect excuse. “Indeed, I am. I was embarrassed by the fact and slipped from the ball to keep from further humiliation.”
He arched a brow and she could see his disbelief on his face. “But you are also wearing a copy of Princess Ilaria’s crown. And your hair is styled in the same way. You mean to look like her. For what purpose?”
She folded her arms. “If I am to be interrogated, I would expect to know the name of my inquisitor. Who are you, sir?”
“The Earl of Bramwell, madam.”
Sasha’s breath caught. Earlier in the day, before their disembarkation at the port, she had stumbled upon a list on Dash’s desk that included this man’s name. A list of potential suitors for Ilaria. Her heart sank a little when she ought to have no reaction at all.
“And I think you will find that I cannot be so easily put off, even by one so lovely as you,” Bramwell continued, his eyes locking with hers. “Do you dress like the princess for some nefarious purpose?”
She shifted. Only the royal family and staff knew of her role. She had never been so uncareful as she had been tonight to reveal it to someone who was unaffiliated with the Crown.
His jaw tightened and his lips thinned. “I will fetch someone from inside, do not move.”
He pivoted as if to march back to the ballroom and she stepped forward. This entire situation could easily escalate in a very bad way if she didn’t end his curiosity.
“No, wait. Sir, I can explain myself. But first I will need to know that you can be discreet.”
He hesitated and turned back, his gaze flitting over her from head to toe in one smooth motion.
“It depends upon your answer. I will not do anything that would put someone in danger.”
“Especially the princess?” she asked, searching his face.
His brow wrinkled. “It seems you might be a threat to her in this situation so I think of her, but not just the princess.”
He seemed unmoved by Ilaria and that threw Sasha off even further. After all, men were always drawn to her even when she didn’t notice them at all.
“Have you met the princess?” she asked.
He tilted his head. “Yes, earlier this evening. We danced.”
She blinked. So he had met Ilaria and yet seemed unaffected. Very interesting. “You must see that a lady of her position and her beauty attracts a great deal of attention. Sometimes attention that is unwanted or even dangerous.”
He nodded slowly. “I can imagine that is true.” He examined her a little closer and then he drew in a sharp breath. “You are a double.”
She drew back a fraction. Here she had been trying to find a way to describe her role and he had guessed it without any additional help. “Er…”
“Of course,” he mused, almost more to himself than to her. “In her role, she would not always be available or safe in public. To have someone who looks enough like her to wave from a balcony or carriage…to step in under duress…”
Sasha let out her breath gently. “I admit no one has ever guessed. Though I suppose not many see me dressed as her. When I am in my own clothing, when my hair is different, they just see me as…”
“Sasha Killick,” he finished for her. “That is who you are, aren’t you? The adopted daughter of the family, the princess’s companion.”
She wrinkled her brow. “You certainly seem to know a great deal about Ilaria and the family, my lord.”
He shrugged. “At my mother’s behest, it seems I do. God, what have I become?”
There was something about his tone that she couldn’t help but laugh and when she did so, he smiled. Her breath was all but sucked from her lungs. Great God, but he was not just handsome, but beautiful. Utterly, perfectly beautiful. She had never met a man his equal and she hated herself for being so drawn to him in this moment.