Page 11 of Lord Fournier’s Shameless Princess (Scarlett Affairs #4)

T he owner of the guesthouse on the east bank of the Rhine near Koblenz spread his hands wide. “Welcome to the White Stag, madame .”

Liesel greeted the proprietor, whom Dirk knew well. That measure of comfort was second to her surprise that the man spoke to them not in German, but French.

“It is diplomatic to use French here,” Dirk told her when his friend left to get room keys from his wife. “Since they took possession of the left bank last year, most try to appear inconspicuous.”

She shivered at the knowledge that French soldiers could be so close.

He saw her reaction and leaned near. “They rarely cross the Rhine, my dear.”

But that meant little, didn’t it? The French took everything they wanted. Rivers and boundaries meant nothing to them. Heirs to thrones even less.

“I trust you are right,” she murmured. She had little choice but to hope they were safe. Their carriage had arrived near dusk. The rain had turned the roads from Frankfurt into a muddy mess. Their journey had been long, cold, and arduous.

Liesel stood with the others in the entryway of the large coaching inn, the wind blowing through in chilling gusts. Waiting for the innkeeper to return, she pressed Katrin to her side and put a hand to her little brother’s brow. Nikky was burning up.

“I hope your friend has a cozy room available for us.” The man had said he had a full house.

“He will make room for the four of us. I must say”—Dirk leaned closer—“I know of no other innkeeper nearby whom I can trust as well.”

Katrin flinched when she overheard him. “I’m hungry.”

Liesel cuddled the girl closer. “We will have a hot supper very soon, ma petite .”

Dirk frowned, but said to them all, “Not to worry. Herr Heinrich will settle us. And once we are in, I will go a few streets away to a fine apothecary shop.”

“I need camphor for the room, lavender and mint for Nikky. But from Herr Heinrich, I need hot liquids for tea. Every hour.” Her mother had always been frantic to cover Nikky’s little chest with poultices and feed him hot tea and clear soups. Her little brother had always been prone to coughs and congestion, especially in summer and autumn.

Traveling had contributed to his condition. She had to alleviate his misery quickly before he burned up with fever. And if he got worse, they could not continue tomorrow toward the coast. But she liked the looks of the inn. It was large, built of sturdy stone, and kept in good repair. She hoped that inside, the innkeeper wife’s would be helpful for Nikky’s needs, all of their needs. Most of all, Liesel wished for a well-appointed eiderdown bed for Nikky, perhaps even a fireplace in their room.

“Stop worrying.” Dirk put a hand to her cheek.

She took his gesture with his generosity of heart. For a man so notorious, he was that rare man who truly honored women. Kiss her he may have, but only at her instigation. Take privileges and molest her, he had not done.

She gulped back her urge to turn her face into his palm and bless him with a kiss. She marveled that each day, each hour with him, she grew more reliant on him, and more her normal self than she had ever been with any man.

What was more, he merited her gratitude. His ready agreement to leave Karlsruhe, she knew, was motivated in part by his own need to escape French tentacles. But he had done so quickly to aid her in getting to Rittenburg. His finesse pressing Hartenburg to marry Mara was invaluable. That man would have escaped his duty to her sister if Dirk had not shown his silent but pervasive presence. His help with the hiring of horses and coaches, his knowledge of inns and the rivers, was all so vital. Had he not agreed to help her, she alone could not have managed so well with two children in tow, one of whom was very ill.

Dirk took his hand away, but his smile remained. “We will be well. All of us.”

Herr Heinrich appeared, a welcoming look wreathing his pudgy face. “Come with me,” he told them in French, and headed up the outside steps to the second floor. “I have two rooms. One for the children, and one for you.”

*

Hans Heinrich was an accommodating host. Throughout the evening and into the wee hours, he brought up hot water, broth, and cloths that Liesel could use to minister to Nikky.

Dirk had taken Katrin down to the great room, where they had their supper. Liesel’s little sister was well satisfied afterward, and happily went to bed in the adjoining room. At once, Dirk left to find the local apothecary and brought back solutions of mint and chamomile for Nikky to sip.

But the boy’s cough deepened and his fever rose. He tossed and turned upon the plush eiderdown until past midnight. Then, spent, he lay still. Liesel and Dirk took turns applying cool cloths to his forehead and bathing his limbs in cool water.

“Go to bed,” Dirk whispered to her. “I will do this.” She would have refused, but he set his jaw. “I’ll hear no objections.”

Liesel left them and crawled into the soft comfort of the bed with Katrin. She fell into a dreamless sleep.

The clatter of other travelers walking the hall awakened her. She startled, unsure where she was. The small room seemed warmer than it should be, and through the tiny window above them, Liesel could tell the sun was high.

She rose, unsteady on her feet. A shiver ran through her and she wished she had a shawl. But Katrin still slept soundly, thank heavens. Liesel crept into the bedroom where Nikky lay. Beside him was Dirk, his arm around the boy’s waist. In the night, Dirk had shared his body heat to warm her brother. Tears scalded her eyes, but she blinked them away.

She rushed to lean over Nikky to listen to his chest. His lungs were clearer this morning. She wanted to feel his forehead, but dared not wake him from his rest. However, the one she had awakened slowly smiled at her, drowsy with his own rest.

Thank you, she mouthed.

He lifted a hand as if to brush off his service. Then he shooed her back to bed. She made a motion that she wanted a drink. He put up his palm, then shook his head as if to say he would get that. When she opened her mouth, he raised his brows at her.

She bit her lips to hold in her laughter. Hands on her hips, she nodded and pointed toward the door.

He scowled at her in playful regard, then carefully lifted the quilt and left the bed. You, he pointed at her, then pointed toward the other room.

“Tyrant,” she murmured, and scurried back to the warmth of the bed.

*

Dirk brought creamed oats, bread, jam, and tea for Liesel, but she was asleep when he returned. He did not wake her. Instead, he made himself comfortable in the only chair in the room and waited for Nikky and Katrin to awaken. It was after one in the afternoon when they roused.

He motioned for Katrin to join him in the hall. “I will get luncheon for all of us, and more tea and soup for Nikky. If Liesel wakes, help your sister to wash and refresh herself. She was up most of the night nursing your brother, and she needs you.”

The girl looked worried, and was most eager to help. “I can make a new poultice for Nikky’s chest if you think it would help him.”

“It would. Thank you.”

She rubbed her eyes, but rose to the task. “I know how Mama used to do it.”

As they opened the door, Liesel coughed. Dirk shot a glance at Katrin.

She winced and whispered, “Liesel used to get sick like Nikky.”

Alarm froze him. “Will you also make a poultice for Liesel? I will return with more food and tea.”

He took the stairs down at a clip and entered the gathering room. It was crowded. Men, women, and children sat or milled about. All ate and drank. A fiddle player plucked at his instrument while his friend flexed his fingers over a piano and another struck chords on a concertina. At a nod to each other, they began an old drinking song. The guests took up the melody immediately. A few men stood, mugs in hand. The whole room burst into song.

“Du, du, liegst mir in Herzen. Du, du, liegst mir in Sinn…” You, you live in my heart. You, you live in my mind.

Dirk blew out a huge breath as he stood by the main barrels. He loved this song. It described his life now. Liesel lived in his mind and his heart, just as the lyrics said, and he would not let her down. He’d give her anything. If she suffered as Nikky had, he would do all in his power to save her. Tea, soup. Stew, bread, beer. Hot poultices now for her chest. She was worn with worry and care of Nikky. Worst of all, she worried about their safety and their future. He would not fail her.

He glanced around the large room filled with a few travelers and local inhabitants who clearly knew each other and liked to debate, all enjoying their beans and sausage with beer steins in hand.

But as his gaze swept over one set of friends, some familiarity had him going back to take another look.

Twenty feet away from him, a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes locked his gaze with Dirk’s. The fellow wore poor merchant’s togs of faded gray wool and linen. The cap on his wavy black hair was old and the scarf around his throat was a dull brown. Despite his weathered complexion, he looked pale.

Dirk flinched at his recognition.

What is he doing here? How did he come here?

Dirk tipped his head to the man to indicate they should meet outside in the courtyard to talk.

“ Gutentag, Mein Freund, ” Dirk said to him in his native language as the man approached and grinned at him. “ Was bist du, herein? ”

Rainer, Crown Prince of Rittenburg, reached out, and the two men embraced. “I need to ask you what you are doing here, Mein Herr.”

“The same as you.” Dirk dared not speak his name out loud.

Rainer blanched.

Dirk nodded, and the two of them moved to the street corner, far from other ears.

Rainer tensed. “You flee the French?”