Page 39 of Her Royal Rebellion

The large ensuite was annoyingly beautiful. Tastefully decorated in tans, pale greens, and blues, it featured a waterfall shower and large soaking tub with a view of the land.

I went to the last door, and turned the knob but it was locked from the outside. Of course. I was on the third floor, so there was a small chance I could jump and land uninjured, but I had no idea where I was. Which direction should I head in? What if I was a hundred kilometers from the nearest neighbor or town? I couldn’t be rash. I had to gather more information and make the smart decision.

I didn’t hear any voices from the other side of the door, but I tried calling out anyway. “Hello? Is anyone there? Hello!”

I waited and listened for a response but there was nothing. Just silence. Was there even a staff here, or was it just me and my captor? I blew out a breath and moved to sit on the chaise in the far corner. I was going to figure this out. I was smart and resourceful. I’d been trained for this exact situation. I needed to remain calm, focused, and control my impulses. For now, I was safe. I had to stay that way for as long as possible to give my parents time to find me.

Logan.

His face flashed in my mind. He would come for me. He was the very best at what he did. He would already have a plan put together by now. Shane would be helping him. They would guess it was one of the suitors. It was too obvious for them to miss. But which one? Henri, the drunken count who ran at the sight of my brother? Jean, the older man who was more interested in my parents than me? Philippe, hurt that I ditched him during our ride and hadn’t bothered to apologize. Or Marius? My skin prickled at the thought of that man. He was forceful and entitled and made me uncomfortable from the moment I laid eyes on him.

My instinct said it was him. Didn’t he own a vineyard?

I racked my memory for the details I’d ignored when Carolyn ran through them before each man’s arrival. I was pretty sure he was the one. So, he hadn’t agreed with my request for him to leave.

He was the most likely man of the lot, and I knew Logan would figure that out. I just had to make sure I gave him time to find me, before Marius… did what? What was his plan with me? I shivered in fear, but forced myself to remember my training. Panicking wouldn’t help.

But what to do until Logan came? There wasn’t anything in the room to occupy myself. I could take a bath, but the idea of being naked and vulnerable in my captor’s home kept me from even considering it.

Being left alone with my thoughts was dangerous.

I could plan more for the Independence Day parade. I already invited the young singer to be my guest and she’d accepted. The only remaining details were a matter of my outfit and making sure the Tarramore palace was prepped for the influx of guests. It was twice the size of the palace I called home, so I wasn’t concerned about everyone fitting, but the staff needed to have an accurate count of who was coming.

Serena and Cian’s wedding was coming up as well, but they had a team of planners and a small army working to put everything together. My only task was picking out my dress, and I already had an idea I was going to share with Silvia.

Huh. I tapped my thumbs on my thighs. The North Country children’s hospital was nearly finished, and I’d attend with Charlie and Aiden in two months for the official ceremony. The next hospital location had been decided, and I received an update last week that work had begun.

I was pretty caught up on everything. Carolyn would be so proud of me. Kidnapped and alone and what was I doing? Running through my responsibilities and making to-do lists.

I knew I should be more afraid, and there was a large part of me that was, but I knew I couldn’t succumb to the fear. I had to stay brave and keep a clear head. I had to remain alert and collect as many details as I could. If that meant working while a hostage, then it was what I needed to do.

My training had taught me how to fight if it came to that, but for now I needed to remain calm and cooperate with my captor.

I wondered what my parents were thinking. Did they know who had taken me by now? How were they feeling? I wanted to rub it in their faces that it was their fault I was in this position, but I knew that wasn’t really the case. They couldn’t have known one of the men was insane. Deep, deep down I knew they were doing what they thought was best for me. Hopefully, now they would back off and let me do things my way.

Surely, this was enough to get them to see my side. If not, maybe it would be better if I stayed here. Ah my first thought of Stockholm syndrome. It was already starting. I was thinking it would be better to be captive than return home. Soon I’d fall for the beast and start talking to the furniture as if they were people.

I couldn’t wait to tell Logan how quickly I’d succumbed to the insanity. I was also going to tell him that I no longer accepted his excuses. If he felt about me how I felt about him, as I suspected he did, then there was no reason to keep pushing each other away. I wouldn’t let it continue. I knew I loved him. I wanted a future with him. My heart told me he wanted that too. I was done with letting outside forces dictate my life. I would give up my title, my crown, my life of privilege for the chance to be with him forever. If that’s what he needed, I would do it in a second without a single regret. He didn’t think he could be with me because he wasn’t a noble, but it didn’t matter to me. I just met some of the most eligible men in Europe and hated every single moment of it. I knew who I wanted to be with. I knew who made me happy. I was ready to fight for us. I’d go against my parents. I’d take on anyone who said we couldn’t be together.

It took an extreme event, like getting kidnapped, to make me realize what was worth fighting for. I was done letting anyone else make decisions for me. My parents would understand eventually, and if they didn’t, it was their loss. Cian, Aiden, and Ronan would support me. They knew what it was like in my position. How hard it was to trust and to know when someone was being genuine. Heck, it was why Aiden had kept his identity from Charlie when they first met. It was nearly impossible to meet someone who didn’t already have a preconceived notion of who we were and how we should behave.

Logan never treated me like that. He got to know me as Isla, not the princess. He asked me questions and spoke to me like an equal. We formed a friendship that turned into real feelings.

I loved him. I knew it, and I was ready to tell him. If he had the strength to walk away from me after I admitted that to him, then I had to let him go and respect his decision. But I didn’t think he would. I think he needed me to make the first move, test the waters and prove to him it was safe. I could do that for him. I wanted to. It was one of the rare times I could be the one to protect him.

There was a knock on the door before I heard it unlock and open quietly. A girl, close to my age, walked in carrying a silver tray. The moment her eyes found me she froze and her mouth opened.

“Hello?” I stood and waited for her to approach me. She seemed terrified, and I didn’t want to scare her away.

Her eyes dropped and she marched forward to set the tray on the end of the chaise. She bowed and kept her eyes on the ground.

“Thank you.”

Her shoulders sagged and she peered up at me for a split second.

“What’s your name?”

“Ana.” The word was barely a whisper.