Caught
His fling with Julia was supposed to be over, but gorgeous bachelor Alex is determined to win her back.When the pair end up trapped in a museum together he has forty-eight hours – and some seriously saucy tactics – to reclaim his lover.
Читать Caught онлайн беплатно
To Kathryn, for efforts above and beyond
the call of duty and to Stephen for being pure of heart
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Pamela Hatchfield, conservator, and
Rita Freed, curator of Egyptian art, Boston Museum of Fine Arts; and to Robert Burnham, editor of the Napoleon Series.
The Legend Continues
The drums and cymbals sounded. The heavy, muskyscent of incense filled the air. Despite the heat outside,the Hall of A Thousand Pillars remained cool withits heavy stone roof and carved columns. It was theNaming Day.
Batu walked along behind her older sister Anan,slowly, matching the pace of her footsteps to the beatof the drums. The cloth of Anan’s garments shonewhite in the flickering torchlight; the gold-and-colored-stonebracelets on her arms gleamed.
Anan had to be exhausted, Batu knew, thinkingof the week of ceremonial cleansing, the fasting, theprayers. That morning they’d risen before dawn to gothrough the rituals, the bathing, the adornments, thedressing of Anan’s hair with precious pearls, broughtfrom afar.
It was not every day the ruler of the kingdom waspromised her consort.
A throng packed the Hall of A Thousand Pillars,waiting to see the shape of their future. For Anan wasnot to take merely a husband, but the man who wouldrule by her side, and from his strength would fl ow theprosperity and security of the realm.
Batu felt sympathy for her sister, for she knewthat Anan’s duty was a difficult one. Hers was a lifeconsecrated to the kingdom. How fearful it would be tobe in her spot, left without choice, forced to marry theone the priests chose for her.
For Batu was in love.
As she walked, she stared at the dais ahead, at therich, golden throne, so that she would not look to herside at the line of soldiers guarding their path, so thatshe would not meet the eyes of the one man she desiredabove all others.
Egmath. Even the whisper of his name in herthoughts felt like a stolen pleasure. Soon they wouldtell of their love, soon. But for now, it was theirs tosavor, still new in its full flower. When they informedthe priests and Anan, it would be a public thing; theywould be held separate until they’d married.
And Batu did not think she could bear it.
From the corner of her eye she saw the gleam of thegold cuff around his upper arm. She saw the strongmuscles of his chest, the proud carriage of his head. Andher heart swelled at the knowledge that this warrior,this man of honor, was hers.
Batu couldn’t help it—her eyes fl icked towardhim to meet his gaze. The rush of it stole her breath. Itseemed hardly possible that the love she’d always feltfor him had transformed into this tremendous emotionthat took her over. This was not the simple affection ofchildren for children.
This was the love of a woman and a man.
Batu followed Anan up the stairs to the dais andmoved to stand behind the golden throne as her sistersat. From there, Batu could stare out into the hall,looking at the torchlight flickering off the richly coloredpillars. Looking out at the throng that packed the hall.
Looking at Egmath.
On the steps stood Hortath, the eldest priest. At thefoot of the dais stood Lagash, the leader of the army,with his soldiers arrayed beyond him. And Egmath byhis side.
The music ended, and the silence of the hall wasbroken only by the rustling of the throng.
Hortath cleared his throat. “May all the gods of thisland give strength and health to our ruler, Queen Anan.Let great joy and celebration mark this day, the day theQueen will stand before you with her consort, a greatwarrior to keep the realm safe and bring forth heirs.”
But it wasn’t Anan’s choice. The priests made thedecision, as they did in so many things. Anan wouldfind out at the same time as the rest of the kingdom.She would take Lagash, they’d speculated, though shebore him no love and he was two score harvests olderthan she. She would take him into her life, take himinto her bed.
Batu ached for her sister.
Hortath raised his hands. “Let stand forth theconsort whom the gods have chosen.” He waited amoment for silence. “Let stand forth Egmath.”
And the hall erupted with cheers.
Let stand forth Egmath. The impossible wordsreverberated in Batu’s head. She felt stunned, asthough the knowledge held the force of a blow. It wasimpossible, unbearable. Egmath was hers, her destiny.But the priests wished to control his power and they’dsworn him to Anan.
At the foot of the dais Egmath looked frozen,unable to move. And she who knew him better than all,she who could read every nuance in his expression, sawpure agony in the liquid dark eyes. He looked at her
