Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80283 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80283 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was drunk.
But I suppose I don’t know better.
Elizabeth could be a person who has no issue with drinking and driving, though it’s hard to imagine the thoughtful girl I knew behaving in such a criminally irresponsible way.
Jaw clenched and irritation prickling my skin, I tug out my cell to call Andrew with an update on the hunt for his fiancée’s twin only to discover I’m out of service range. That’s not uncommon in the mountains, but the additional irritant ensures my mood is dark as I pull into the parking spot beside Lizzy’s and slam out of the car.
I don’t make any effort to be quiet. There’s nowhere for her to run, and it’s best if she knows I’m coming. I don’t want to surprise her or frighten her.
I just want the truth, and I intend to get it.
Tonight.
The official royal engagement ceremony is only a few days away. I have to get to the truth before then. Andrew may very well decide he wants to marry Sabrina instead of Elizabeth—if that’s what his heart is telling him to do—but he should know which woman he’s falling for before he makes any ‘til death do us part promises.
Reaching the top step, I knock on the cabin’s door, listening for sounds from inside in the silence that follows.
But there’s nothing, only a faint whistling as the wind wheezes through the loose shingles on the steeply slanted roof.
I knock again and wait, but it’s still so quiet inside I would think the place was empty if I hadn’t seen Elizabeth tumble through the front door minutes ago. Wondering if she might have slipped out the back again, I turn, but there’s no sign of her circling around to get into her car, and she isn’t going anywhere on foot. The last sign of civilization was a schoolhouse several kilometers back that looked as though it hadn’t seen active duty for a half-century or more.
This cabin is in the middle of nowhere. How did she even know it was here?
She must have connections, people willing to help her stay off the radar, which makes it even more important I pin her down before she can scurry off and find another place to hide.
Balling my hand into a fist, I pound harder and shout, “Elizabeth, its Jeffrey. We need to talk.”
The silence in response is even more complete, as if even the wind is holding its breath.
“Elizabeth?” I sigh. “Sabrina? Please? Whoever you are? Can we talk? What you’re doing isn’t fair to Andrew. I know he was a little monster when we were children, but he’s not that boy anymore. He’s a good person, and he’s on the verge of becoming a king. He needs to be surrounded by people he can trust.”
I lean closer to the door, ears straining and frustration building. “Seriously, Lizzy. You can’t hide in there forever. Eventually, you’ll have to face me and own up to—” I break off when a soft moan from just inside makes my heart stutter. “Lizzy? Are you all right?”
The moan comes again, followed by a fragile croak, “So cold…”
I reach for the door, deciding to break in through a window if I have to, but the handle gives easily. Apparently, Elizabeth forgot to lock it behind her. Or she didn’t get a chance.
What the hell happened? Did she fall? Was she attacked? I didn’t see any other cars nearby, but on the off chance that someone hiked up here to lie in wait for her inside, I draw on my royal guard training, entering the space as if I expect an assailant to be hiding in the shadows.
But a quick examination of the interior of the cabin reveals an open concept living room and kitchen with nowhere for an attacker to hide and nothing out of the ordinary…aside from the woman lying curled on the floor.
“Elizabeth, what happened?” Shutting the door behind me, I crouch beside her. “Are you hurt? Did you fall or—”
“Sick,” she croaks. “I think I’m really sick.”
I press the back of my hand to her forehead. She’s burning up, and even in the dim light from the lamp glowing in the far corner, I can see the sweat beading on her forehead and upper lip. But when I reach for the close of her scarf, she clutches it with one hand and shivers.
“Please, I’m so cold,” she says, her teeth beginning to rattle. “It’s freezing in here.”
“It’s not freezing. You’re running a fever,” I say, gently. “A high one, I’m guessing. We should get you to a hospital. I can drive.”
She gives a slight shake of her head and curls into a tighter ball. “No hospitals around here, and I don’t need one. I just need a pill and…sleep. I’m soooo tired, Jeffrey. It just…hit me. All at once. Like lightning.”