Prologue

EARLY OCTOBER, 1891 THE ROYAL LODGE, SANDRINGHAM HOUSE, NORFOLK

The large house with wings that spread across the grounds like those of a large bird was mostly silent now, except for the occasional glow of an electric light as a servant went about the last of his duties for the night.

There had been cloud cover earlier, but wind had picked up, and now the moon slipped out from behind a cloud and lit the vast gardens at Sandringham in gray hues that spread to the forest beyond.

The pathway disappeared as he made his way to the tree line as he had before, to that arranged meeting place.

A glance back over his shoulder and he slipped into the dense tree cover, the piney scent surrounding him as moonlight disappeared with dense foliage, then reappeared in slivers of light that spilled onto the forest floor, guiding his footsteps.

This was the end of it. Afterward, he thought, he would return to London with the others after the long weekend of gaming and hunting, and none would be the wiser for this final journey into the forest and what he had decided must be done.

It had nothing to do with the money—he had enough to live very comfortably wherever he chose, from a family inheritance. It had everything to do with the person waiting for him when it was finally done. A daring and dangerous plan that had been set in motion the previous year and now quickened his footsteps.

Was he prepared for the inevitable calamity it would cause after a brilliant military career that brought a wall full of meaningless medals? After orders that had ended in the deaths of countless good men? And the return to a life that had become empty and meaningless?

The weekend in Sandringham House with his Royal Highness and his circle of friends was part of it, the final step that would buy him time. No one would suspect anything until long after it was done, and by then he would be gone.

There were words that would describe the choice he made and what he had done, but that would all be left behind when he disappeared and became someone else.

It had already been arranged months earlier and now there was just this final step to be taken.

He reached the clearing that he had discovered on that previous weekend excursion of hunting and gaming.

With the village of Sandringham very near the Norfolk coast, it was the perfect location and the last piece that had fallen into place, waiting only to be set in motion.

He frowned as he entered the clearing and that other figure stepped from the shadows. There was a smile, so very sweet.

"It is late. I was afraid you might have been discovered."

"I had to wait until the others had retired for the night."

"Do you have it?"

"Of course…!" he replied, then hesitated. "I thought that he would be here. Has there been a change of plans?"

A shake of the head and the hood of the mantle slipped to his companion's shoulders, revealing silvery-gold hair.

" Non, " came the accented response. "Our friend is too well known and it was decided that no one would suspect a woman."

He understood, although he didn't care for the change in the plans. No word had been sent.

"Very well," he replied. The only thing left was to give the woman the package he had brought with him. He handed it to her.

She immediately opened the thick envelope and inspected the contents.

"It is all there," he told her with irritation along with a growing uneasiness.

Organization and precision were long-established habits acquired in his former career and often meant the difference between life and death on the field of battle. Last-minute changes could be reckless and dangerous.

"What of the rest of it?" He didn't bother to disguise his displeasure.

She tucked that thick envelope into the folds of the long cloak she wore, then looked up and replied in that same accent.

"Nothing else has changed."

It might have been that smile that slowly faded, the expression that narrowed in her eyes. Or it might have been that sudden stirring in the branches of the tree behind him after the wind had died down—a warning that slipped through the shadows.

"Do it!" she ordered.

He gasped, thrust his arms out as reality set in, then gasped again. In a matter of seconds, it was over.

He was slowly lowered to the ground, mouth gaping open in stunned surprise. But there were no words, only that last gasping sound as blood seeped out onto the floor of the forest...