Page 9 of Awakened On Her Royal Wedding Night
“Go.” He flicked his hand and they all melted away.
It helped that they were alone now, but would he even believe her? Defensive words bubbled up. She was desperate to plead her side of it before she had to face all the scrutiny and disbelief that would be heaped upon her if she reported it to the pageant, though.
“You started on theQueen’s Favorite, I presume?” he prompted.
“For a dinner cruise, yes. The ship is huge. I was part of a group touring all the decks when the Prince caught up with us. He invited us onto a smaller yacht. It was inside the bigger one and already had champagne and photographers on board. I thought it was a surprise announcement that we’d made the calendar or something. Pageants do that, ambush us with big news so they can capture our reactions.”
She had been so excited at that point, giving absolutely no thought to being in any sort of danger.
“It was still a really big boat,” she continued. “They took us toward one of the other islands where we could see the sun setting. Once it was dark, I wandered around and the Prince found me. He said, ‘Look, I have this little boat that won all these races. Let’s pop aboard and zip around to surprise everyone.’ It seemed harmless.Hedid. Then he steered it away from all the other boats and...”
She didn’t want to continue.
He didn’t move or speak, but she couldn’t look at him to see what he was thinking. She was too embarrassed.
“I feel really stupid for trusting him, but he owns the pageant. He’s aprince.” According to the online accounts, the twins had been competitive when they were young, but Felipe had supposedly been the one with the violent streak. Francois was the forgotten spare who was sensitive and kind and only wished to make his country proud.
“You don’t have to tell me what happened, Claudine,” Felipe said gravely. “The fact you swam a mile to get away from him tells me all I need to know, but if he...hurt you, Dr. Esposito can do any necessary tests. They’re helpful for prosecution.”
Her stomach protested the heavy meal she’d put into it. She swallowed and shook her head.
“That’s not necessary. He didn’t—he was angry that I wouldn’t go below with him and grabbed my arm.” She rubbed where there was a shadow of a bruise on her wrist. “I managed to pull away and... I jumped overboard. It was a senseless thing to do. I realize that now.” She covered her eyes. “I just reacted.”
“I’m sorry you felt it was your only option. And I’m glad you survived it,” he said in a tone that sounded sincere, but also severe enough to draw her nerve endings taut. “Do you think this is something he’s been doing all along? Assaulting his contestants?”
She hadn’t even thought of that, but of course this would have been Francois’s modus operandi.
She flashed a look upward. Felipe’s voice was concerned, but his narrow-eyed visage suggested there was something more calculating behind his interrogation.
“Why do you care? Because you see this as a weapon you can use against him?”
His expression didn’t change, but the sweep of his gaze suggested he was reassessing her. He sipped his coffee, giving the impression he was considering how much to tell her.
“His ship is called theQueen’s Favoritebecause he is. Our mother adores him.” He sat back, lips twisting with weary disdain. “I’ve always thought the pageant very tawdry. Our mother supports his argument that the pageant showcases Nazarine’s beauty, raising our profile and enticing tourists to visit long after the pageant is over. I can’t deny there are economic benefits to it, but if this contest is a cover for his sex crimes, then it must be stopped.”
She folded her arms across her middle, cupping her elbows.
“Judging by the way certain crew members behaved...” Her stomach turned as she recalled the way the purser’s gaze had slid away from hers. “It’s hard to describe, but they didn’t seem surprised by his taking me out alone. I have a feeling that if I were to go back and say that he had plotted to assault me, the crew would say I seemed happy to go with him. In fact...” She cringed as she saw it in a new light. “The Prince made a point of sayingIwanted to see how fast his speedboat could go.” She covered her face again. “If I accused him of anything, he would say what you implied, that I was just trying to seduce him so I could win the pageant.”
“Will anyone have noticed last night that you went missing?”
“Probably not. There were tenders going back and forth to shore all evening. Other people coming and going. Celebrities and entertainers. It was very chaotic. They probably won’t notice I’m missing until this morning’s photo shoot for the calendar.”
Her stomach was churning over that. She had never broken a contract in her life, but here she was missing one of the key requirements of the contest.
It was killing her that she had lost so much so quickly! She should have done as her mother had asked and taken the job at the bank. It was entry level and hadn’t paid much. Not enough to support her mother or pay for her treatment. Definitely not both, but she could at least have beenwithher mother.
She’d been so sure she had a shot at that stupid calendar, though! It was easy money. Justsmile.
“Please, can I go home?”
CHAPTER THREE
FELIPEHADBARELYSLEPT.His mind had been busy running through every scenario and course of action available to him, now that such an odd, and potentially explosive, opportunity had washed up on his doorstep.
He needed more facts, though. And, as much as he had trained himself to be suspicious, he was keenly aware that he had to treat Claudine carefully. Her injuries were not faked. She had been through a terrible ordeal.
She was reassuringly stroppy, despite it. Perhaps because if it. For her sake, he was profoundly relieved she had foiled part of Francois’s predatory plan, but he could see what the experience had cost her. She was physically wrecked and emotionally shaken.
