They knew about her Matty? They knew…

She wanted to go home right now. She wanted to creep into a bunk and stay hidden while Gordon sailed her out of the harbour and away.

Serenity. Peace. That was what she’d been striving for since Matty died. Where was serenity and peace now?

How could she find it in this?

‘I’ll talk to them,’ Gordon said, looking stunned and sick, and she looked at this big shy man and she thought why should he fight her battles? Why should anyone fight her battles?

Maybe she had to fight to achieve this so-called serenity, she thought. Maybe that was what her problem had been all along. She’d been waiting for serenity to find her, when all along it was something she needed to fight for.

Or maybe it wasn’t even serenity that she wanted.

Then, before she had time to decide she’d lost her mind entirely-for maybe she had; she certainly wasn’t making sense to herself and Gordon was looking really worried-she flung open the hatch again and stepped out onto the deck.

His cellphone was on mute in his pocket. He felt it vibrate, checked it and saw it was Gordon calling. Gordon wouldn’t call him except in an emergency.

The documents had just been signed and the Heads of State were lining up for a photo call. These men had come for the coronation and had stayed on.

Cepheus was a small nation. These men represented far more powerful nations than his, and Cepheus had need of powerful allies. Nevertheless, he excused himself and answered.

‘Paparazzi know about Jenny’s baby,’ Gordon barked, so loud he almost burst Ramón’s eardrum. ‘They’re on the jetty. We’re surrounded. You need to get her out of here.’

He felt sick. ‘I’ll have a security contingent there in two minutes,’ he said, motioning to Señor Rodriguez, who, no doubt, had heard every word. ‘I need to get to the docks,’ he told him. ‘How long?’

‘It would take us fifteen minutes, Your Highness, but we can’t leave here,’ Rodriguez said. The man was seriously good. He already had security on his second phone. ‘Security will have dealt with it before we get there. There’s no need…’

There was a need, but as he glanced back at the Heads of State he knew his lawyer was right. To leave for such a reason could cause insupportable offence. It could cause powerful allies to turn to indifference.

His sense of helplessness was increasing almost to breaking point. He couldn’t protect his woman.

‘You can see, though,’ Señor Rodriguez said, obviously realising just how he was torn. He turned back to the men and women behind him. ‘If you’ll excuse us for a moment,’ he said smoothly. ‘An urgent matter of security has come up. We’ll be five minutes, no more.’

‘I will go,’ Ramón said through gritted teeth.

‘It will be dealt with before you arrive,’ Señor Rodriguez said again. ‘But we have security monitors on the royal berth. I can switch our cameras there to reassure you until you see our security people take over. If you’ll come aside…’

So Ramón followed the lawyer into an anteroom. He stared at the monitor in the corner, and he watched in grim desperation as his woman faced the press.

They’d pull her apart, he thought grimly-and there was nothing he could do to help her.

The cameras went wild. Questions were being shouted at her from all directions.

Courage, she told herself grimly. Come on, girl, you’ve hidden for long enough. Now’s the time to stand and fight.

She ignored the shouts. She stood still and silent, knowing she looked appalling, knowing the shots would be of her at her worst. She’d just scrubbed out a boat. She didn’t look like anyone famous. She was simply Jenny the deckhand, standing waiting for the shouting to stop.

And finally it did. The journalists fell silent at last, thinking she didn’t intend to respond.

‘Finished?’ she asked, quirking an eyebrow in what she hoped looked like sardonic amusement, and the shouting started again.

Serenity, she told herself. She tapped a bare toe on the deck and waited again for silence.

‘I’ve called His Highness,’ Gordon called up from below. ‘Security’s on its way. Ramón’ll send them.’

It didn’t matter. This wasn’t Ramón’s fight, she thought. Finally, silence fell again; baffled silence. The cameras were still in use but the journalists were clearly wondering what they had here. She waited and they watched. Impasse.

‘You do speak English?’ one asked at last, a lone question, and she nodded. A lone question, not shouted, could be attended to.

And why not all the others, in serene order? Starting now.

‘Yes,’ she said, speaking softly so they had to stay silent or they couldn’t hear her. ‘I speak English as well as Spanish and French. My parents have Spanish blood. And I did indeed act as crew for His Highness, Prince Ramón, as we sailed between Sydney and Auckland.’ She thought back through the questions that had been hurled at her, mentally ticking them off. ‘Yes, I’m a cook. I’m… I was also a single mother. My son died of a heart condition two years ago, but I don’t wish to answer any more questions about Matty. His death broke my heart. As for the rest… Thank you, I enjoyed last night, and yes, rumours that I cooked for His Highness early this morning are true. I’m employed as his cook and crew. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last three months and no, I’m not sure if I’ll continue. It depends if he needs me. What else? Oh, the personal questions. I’m twenty-nine years old. I had my appendix out when I was nine, my second toes are longer than my big toes and I don’t eat cabbage. I think your country is lovely and the Marquita is the prettiest boat in the world. However, scrubbing the Marquita is what I’m paid to do and that’s what I’m doing. If you have any more questions, can you direct them to my secretary?’

She grinned then, a wide, cheeky grin which only she knew how much effort it cost to produce. ‘Oh, whoops, I forgot I don’t have a secretary. Can one of you volunteer? I’ll pay you in muffins. If one of you is willing, then the rest can siphon your questions through him. That’s so much more dignified than shouting, don’t you think?’

Then she gave them all a breezy wave, observed their shocked silence and then slipped below, leaving them dumfounded.

She stood against the closed hatch, feeling winded. Gordon was staring at her in amazement. As well he might.

What was she doing?

Short answer? She didn’t know.

Long answer? She didn’t know either. Retiring from this situation with dignity was her best guess, though suddenly Jenny had no intention of retiring.

Not just yet.

This was a state-of-the-art security system, and sound was included. Not only did Ramón see everything, he heard every word Jenny spoke.

‘It seems the lady doesn’t need protecting,’ Señor Rodriguez said, smiling his relief as Jenny disappeared below deck and Ramón’s security guards appeared on the docks.

Ramón shook his head. ‘I should have been there for her.’

‘She’s protected herself. She’s done very well.’

‘She shouldn’t have been put in that position.’

‘I believe the lady could have stayed below,’ the lawyer said dryly. ‘The lady chose to take them on. She has some courage.’

‘She shouldn’t…’

‘She did,’ the lawyer said, and then hesitated.

Señor Rodriguez had been watching on the sidelines for many years now. His father had been legal advisor to Ramón’s grandmother, and Sofía had kept him on after Ramón’s father died, simply to stay aware of what royalty was doing. Now he was doing the job of three men and he was thoroughly enjoying himself. ‘Your Highness, if I may make so bold…’

‘You’ve never asked permission before,’ Ramón growled, and the lawyer permitted himself another small smile.

‘It’s just…the role you’re taking on…to do it alone could well break you. You’re allowing me to assist but no one else. This woman has courage and honour. If you were to…’

‘I won’t,’ Ramón snapped harshly, guessing where the lawyer was going and cutting him off before he went any further. He flicked the screen off. There was nothing to see but the press, now being dispersed by his security guards. ‘I do this alone or not at all.’

‘Is that wise?’

‘I don’t know what’s wise or not,’ Ramón said and tried to sort his thoughts into some sort of sense. What was happening here? The lawyer was suggesting sharing the throne? With Jenny?

Jenny as his woman? Yes. But Jenny in the castle?

The thought left him cold. The night of his father’s death was still with him, still haunting him.

Enough. ‘We have work to do,’ he growled and headed back to the room where the Heads of State were waiting.

‘But…’ the lawyer started, but Ramón was already gone.

CHAPTER TEN

HE MANAGED a few short words with her that night as he passed the supper room. It was all he had, as he moved from the evening’s meetings to his briefing for tomorrow. To his surprise, Jenny seemed relaxed, even happy.

‘I’m sorry about today,’ he said. ‘It seemed you handled things very well.’

‘I talked too much,’ she said, smiling. ‘I need to work on my serenity.’

‘Your serenity?’

‘I’m not very good at it.’ Her smile widened. ‘But I showed promise today. Dr Matheson would be proud of me. By the way, I hope it’s okay that Gordon and I are staying here tonight. The boat’s up on the hard, and who wants to sleep on a boat in dry dock? Besides, staying in a palace is kind of fun.’

Kind of fun… He gazed into the opulent supper room, at the impassive staff, and he thought…kind of fun?

‘So I can stay tonight?’ she prompted.

He raked his hair. ‘I should have had Señor Rodriguez organise airline tickets.’