“I-I thought I was all right too. But I know I can’t go climbing tomorrow. Please-follow through with your plans and don’t mind me. In the morning I’ll phone for a taxi to take me to the station.”
A long silence ensued. The enigmatic look on his burnished features prevented her from knowing what he was thinking.
“If that’s your wish, then I’ll ask Greta to keep an eye out on you. If you need anything, just dial 0 on the phone by the bed and she’ll answer. I’ll have your promise on that.”
She averted her eyes. “You have it.”
“Don’t worry about your gear. Greta’s husband will take it back to the store in the morning.”
“Thank you. You’ve been especially kind to me. So have your friends. Tell Philippe I appreciated him picking me up and running me around.”
“I’ll pass your words along.”
Her heart was hammering so hard she was afraid he could hear it. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and Sophie this weekend, but there will be plenty of others,” her voice trailed. “She’s a very fortunate woman. I-it’s been a privilege to meet you, Your Highness. Take care on the mountain.”
“Sleep well,” was all he said before he left the room.
Lee fell back against the pillow in the kind of physical and emotional pain only the man you loved could take away.
After spending half the night replaying the day’s events in her head until she thought she’d go mad, she sat up and drank the cold tea. She finished off with the crackers and wished she had more.
It was four in the morning, the in-between time that seemed to pass so slowly. Now that she had a plan, she was desperate to put it into action.
Too keyed up to sleep, she dressed in a pair of denims and a dusky blue knit top with long sleeves and a crew neck. All that was left to do was make the bed and pack her bag.
In a few minutes, while she was fastening the lock, she heard the sound of the cars starting up behind the chalet. She left what she was doing and ran over to the window. Pretty soon she saw headlights as Raoul and his friends made their way down the hillside.
They needed to leave this early to get up on the mountain before anyone else. Without her along, no doubt they’d climb the North Face, the most challenging of the approaches. The four men were seasoned veterans. During her conversation with them she’d learned that Roger was a guide who lived in Zermatt year round.
Though she knew Raoul could take care of himself, there was a part of her that feared for him. The Matterhorn had claimed its share. Even in beautiful weather it was treacherously cold with gale force winds at the top. One misstep and a climber could fall thousands of feet, even experts like the Prince and his friends.
Shuddering at the mere thought, she left her vigil at the window and turned on the bedroom light. She needed her purse so she could get out her cellphone to call for a taxi.
When that was done, she wrote a note of explanation to Greta in French and left it on the table next to the empty mug. “I guess I’m ready,” she murmured to herself, looking around the bathroom and bedroom to see if she’d left anything.
It was time to put all thoughts of Raoul away. When she left this chalet she’d be closing the book on that particular fairy tale forever.
After turning out the light, she moved down the hall as quietly as she could so she wouldn’t wake Greta or her husband. Lee would wait for the taxi out in back.
The air was cold, but not freezing. Once the sun came up it would warm everything and illuminate this little portion of heaven on earth. Maybe it was just as well she couldn’t see the village right now. Better to drive away in the dark and forget such a place existed.
She had to forget such a man existed.
Five minutes went by before she caught the sound of a motor. Pretty soon she saw headlights. When the taxi rolled into the parking area, she hurried toward it, anxious to get away before the staff were alerted.
“Merci bien,” she called out to the driver, who opened her door from the inside and put down the seat so she could stash her suitcase. “To the station, please.”
“Oui, Mademoiselle.”
Lee climbed inside and shut the door. She started to thank him for coming at this hour, but a gasp escaped when she discovered who sat behind the wheel.
She’d feared Raoul hadn’t believed her when she’d come back from town pleading illness. Even so, she never dreamed he would forego the climb with his friends to catch her stealing away in the darkness. He wouldn’t have gone to these lengths if he didn’t want answers.
CHAPTER FIVE
RAOUL started up the car and headed out of the parking area. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”
She fought for a steady breath. “I guess all I needed was some sleep.”
“It appears to have done wonders for you. I wish I had been so lucky,” his voice grated.
Lee kneaded her hands, waiting for him to say something else, but he kept her in misery during the drive down to the village.
“Y-you’ve passed the train station.”
“It’s too early for the train. We’re going someplace where we can be warm and completely alone.”
This was the very thing she’d tried so hard to avoid.
“Look, Raoul-I don’t blame you for being disappointed, even angry because Sophie couldn’t make it.”
He flashed her an oblique glance. “If you knew me better, you’d realize anger doesn’t begin to cover what I’m feeling.”
Leaving her to digest the ramifications of that remark, he drove to the other end of the village and pulled around the side of an apartment building.
“This is Roger’s condo. There’s no cook or caretaker here.”
She bowed her head. He’d really meant it when he said they were going to be alone.
After pulling out her suitcase, he helped her from the car. Cupping her elbow, they climbed a flight of stairs. Raoul put the key in the lock and opened the door for her.
If she could be grateful for one thing, it was that it was still dark out. There were no paparazzi around to take pictures of them. She could imagine tomorrow’s headlines labeling the blond mystery woman Prince Raoul’s latest lover. It would help Sophie’s case with her parents, but Lee couldn’t imagine a worse punishment.
Roger had left a lamp on. His place contained the same rustic feel as the chalet. However the dozens of pictures, some including Raoul, had turned it into a home.
Over at the entertainment center she noticed a pile of video cassettes on top of Roger’s VCR. The label on the top one caught her attention.
“You climbed Everest this year!”
“In the spring,” came the deep voice behind her.
“Th-that’s incredible. I’d like to see it.”
“Perhaps after breakfast.”
Not wanting Raoul to get anywhere near her, she moved out of the way and took off her jacket, laying it over a chair. There was an odd gleam in his eyes as he studied her actions.
Frightened that he could read her mind, she blurted, “You obviously brought me here for a reason. Please-” She swallowed hard. “Tell me what it is you want to know.”
“I think we’ll save that until we’ve eaten. The kitchen is beyond the archway. After you.”
Lee didn’t need to be urged. She was famished and Raoul knew it. Besides, the way she was feeling right now, the kitchen was a much safer place for the two of them.
As it turned out, the small dining nook provided enough space for two people. He told her to sit down at the drop table and he’d serve her.
It was her turn to watch him navigate the room. He pulled things out of cupboards and the refrigerator as if he were at home, evidence of a long-term friendship with Roger.
Seeing him like this, you’d never know he came from a titled European family that had specific expectations passed down from father to son. The life of Prince Raoul was one of privilege. That made him forbidden to a woman from the American West whose impoverished ancestors had come to the New World in order to survive.