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  For a moment, Gustav appeared to consider it. Will couldn’t believe it was that easy.

  It wasn’t.

  Gustav’s expression turned suspicious. “You close them,” he said, holding the gun steadily on Amé.

  It was important to remain calm. To look as if he was wholly on Gustav’s side. “I always knew your allegiance to my family was strong,” Will said, walking slowly. “If only the rest of the staff were as loyal as you are.”

  “They’re weak,” Gustav said. “Every one of them.”

  Thank God. He was working alone. Will caught Amé’s eye and gave the slightest nod.

  “The strongest army begins with one man,” Will commented.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Will closed the drapes, trying to buy time. “Tell me something else, Gustav. Is there anyone waiting for you at home? Someone who will serve as an alibi for you this evening?”

  “I live alone,” Gustav said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “I felt that way once,” Will said, then in English added, “Then I fell in love and everything I thought I knew turned out to be wrong.” He met Amé’s eyes and saw them soften.

  “Why are you talking in English?” Gustav demanded.

  “Why make our visitor feel left out?” Will walked behind Amé and put his hands on her shoulders in a way that he hoped looked menacing but felt comforting. “Who is she going to tell?”

  Gustav nodded. “She’ll tell no one.”

  “As I said, I fell in love. But I pushed her away, thinking I was doing what was best for her and for Lufthania.” He gave Amé’s shoulders a gentle squeeze. “I was wrong. And by the time I realized it, it seemed it was too late.”

  “You’re talking about Frauline Ella,” Gustav said, lowering the gun for just a moment.

  It was just long enough for Will to leap at him and try to wrench it free. The struggle that took place took longer than Will imagined it would. Gustav was still in fine shape, and his hatred for Amé and her family seemed to fire his adrenaline.

  Will grabbed the man’s wrist and squeezed it, trying to make him drop the gun, but Gustav resisted, trying to raise his arm to level it on Amé.

  Enraged that the man might actually fire at her, Will wrenched Gustav’s arm back and took the gun. Somehow in the struggle, it fired, an explosion that rang through Will’s ears and brought the acrid smell of sulfur to his nostrils. It wasn’t until he saw the blood pouring from his leg that he realized he’d been hit.

  Adrenaline surged and he pulled the gun free, stumbled backward and fired at Gustav, hitting him in the chest just as the palace guards burst in.

  He didn’t care what happened to Gustav from that point on. All he cared about, all he could see, was Amé. He went to her and untied her hands.

  “Oh, Will!” She threw her arms around him.

  “Amé.” He held her tight. “I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you.”

  “Are you really in love? With me?”

  He kissed her. “More in love than I ever dreamed I could be.”

  Tears poured down her cheeks. “I’ll stay,” she promised. “No matter what happens, I’ll stay here with you.” She shifted her weight, accidentally knocking his leg.

  He moaned with pain and she looked down and saw what had happened. “My God, you’ve been hit!” she cried.

  As soon as she said it, two guards rushed over to him.

  “He’s losing a lot of blood,” one of them said in German.

  “It hit an artery!” the other shouted. “Call for help.”

  The last thing Will heard before he blacked out was Amé saying to him, “Don’t you leave me now that I’ve promised to stay. I love you, Will. Don’t leave me!”

  He reached for her hand and murmured, “Never. I will never leave you. My heart is here with you always.”

  Epilogue

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it was my intention to introduce you this evening to your new princess, Amelia. But something has happened and I have an even more exciting announcement to make.”

  A hush came over the crowd.

  Amy stepped forward, her limbs trembling, until Will took her hand.

  “Tonight I present to you Princess Amelia,” he announced. “And my bride-to-be.”

  The crowd erupted in cheers and shouts of congratulations in both German and English.

  “When’s the wedding?” someone called in English.

  Will looked at Amé and gave a small nod. “On Sunday the twenty-fifth of this month.”

  “You will all, of course, be there,” Will said with a laugh. “Invitations or no.”

  Laughter trickled across the room.

  “Will you remain Prince Wilhelm?” someone asked, and the crowd quieted to hear the answer.

  Will shook his head. “I do not have the bloodline for the throne of Lufthania,” he said. “But my children will.” He looked at Amé and she beamed up at him.

  The cheers erupted again.

  “Now, it would be traditional at this time for the princess to have the first dance and commence the ball, but she has decided she would rather stay with her hobbled fiancé while the rest of you enjoy the dance.” He indicated the crutch he was using while the bullet wound in his leg healed, then smiled at his bride. “She’s very stubborn, so we should all get used to the fact that our traditions are about to change.”

  “For the better,” she added quickly.

  The guests clapped and several of them called, “Welcome home, Amelia.”

  At Will’s signal, the band began to play and the people crowded onto the dance floor.

  “There, see?” Amé said. “You don’t have to do things a certain way just because you always have.”

  “I’m learning that all the time.” He took her hand in his. “I spoke with the pilot just before we came in here. Your parents will arrive by midnight.”

  She smiled broadly. “My mother is going to drive me crazy with wedding plans.”

  “Would you prefer to elope?”

  “She’d kill me. She wants a huge ceremony. I think she imagines it will even be televised.”

  “Then a huge ceremony it will be,” he said. “Right here at the palace. Invite all of your friends and family. They can all stay at the palace with us that week.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Amé, I want everyone in the world to know how I feel about you. I’ll have a wedding every week if you want.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

  “Whatever it takes,” he said, bending down to kiss her. “You are my heart, and I want the world to know it.”

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-5425-4

  THE SECRET PRINCESS

  Copyright © 2004 by Elizabeth Harbison

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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