When she glanced over at him, his eyes communicated encouragement at odds with his mask of obedience. She fought back a smile, discovering that it warmed the very c.o.c.kles of her heart to have an ally like him at a moment like this.

But when she turned back to the Turkish amba.s.sador once more, she a.s.sumed her royal glower. "You see, gentlemen, Colonel Knight and I just returned from searching the spot on the road where someone tried to kidnap me the other night-or kill me-it's hard to say for certain which, but why split hairs? We found this dagger there and, as you can see, it comes from your corner of the world."

"If Her Highness is implying-but this is absurd!" the Turk cried, glancing from her to Lord Griffith in protest. "The Porte Sublime has no designs on Kavros!"

"Good," Sophia said coolly. "In that case, Sultan Mahmud might wish to have a word with Ali Pasha. If he has his eye on my nation, someone ought to tell him not to try it. He will fail."

The Ottoman amba.s.sador appeared confounded. Sophia was starting to think that he knew nothing, but actions spoke louder than words. When he gave them some solid a.s.sistance in finding out who was behind this, then she'd accept his claims of innocence.

Lord Griffith, for his part, looked like he wanted to strangle her. "May I remind Her Highness that England has no quarrel with the Turks?"

"Nor do we want one," Gabriel hastened to interject. He gave the Sultan's agent a courteous smile. "If the amba.s.sador is in a position to help us, then I am certain he will do so."

"Humph!" Sophia conceded with a haughty toss of her head, but she sensed her role in this little drama had come to an end. Time to exit left and let her able partner take center stage.

"Gentlemen," she clipped out in terse farewell. She pivoted and without a backward glance, swept from the chamber.

But unseen by the others, she sent Gabriel a wink full of cheeky satisfaction as she pa.s.sed him.

Pulling the door to the Map Room shut behind her, Sophia leaned back against it for a second and let out a large exhalation. Well, that was somewhat rea.s.suring.

Judging by the amba.s.sador's reaction, she did not get the feeling that the Ottomans were the ones who were trying to kill her. And that was certainly good news.

"Your Highness?" Timo stepped toward her and searched her face in concern. "Is everything all right?"

She gazed fondly at him. "My old friend. Everything's just fine. Come." She rallied her spent strength after that nerve-racking confrontation. "I wish to retire to my chambers."

He snapped his fingers at the others. They fell into formation. Sophia's step was light as she returned to her gilded apartments with her retinue of trusty Greeks in tow.

Gabriel stepped to the fore, loosely clasping his hands as he approached the men. The placating role was wholly unfamiliar, nor did he like it much. But she was worth it, he supposed, this blow to his warrior pride. "I beg your pardon, sirs, for this intrusion by the princess. I could not stop her-Her Highness was terribly upset. I can only hope you gentlemen will understand the poor girl is distraught over the attempt on her life."

Griff eyed him warily, but the Turkish amba.s.sador begrudged him a somewhat mollified nod.

"I am certain Her Highness would have wished me to a.s.sure you that Kavros welcomes the friendship of the great Sultan Mahmud. Which is why," he added, explaining in a delicate tone, "we thought it proper to warn the Sultan of any possible new intrigues arising from Janina. We would certainly wish to save His Serene Majesty from any embarra.s.sment or...inconvenience. Just in case the Porte Sublime is not already aware of such activities, that is."

"Sultan Mahmud prides himself on knowing everything that transpires throughout his domains," the amba.s.sador answered with an indignant lift of his chin.

"Of course, sir." Gabriel bowed modestly.

"If there is any such mischief afoot, we will certainly get to the bottom of it immediately."

"Mr. Amba.s.sador, that is all we ask. We should be extremely grateful for whatever information you are able to provide." He paused. "By the by, sir, may I show you the markings on this blade? They are most unusual." Gabriel pulled the knife out of the table with a wrench, then presented the flat of the blade to the Turkish amba.s.sador. "Have you ever seen these symbols before?"

Gabriel studied the Ottoman's face intensely, and saw how the amba.s.sador paled as his stare locked on the odd little squiggle at the base of the blade, quite apart from the Koranic verses inscribed on the hilt.

"Is this symbol familiar to you?"

"No, I-I have never seen it before. May I-take this with me to show to my colleagues? Perhaps one of them may be able to identify the mark."

Gabriel nodded. "Indeed, sir. We would appreciate that."

Quickly masking his consternation, the Turkish amba.s.sador rose from his chair and bowed to them. "Lord Griffith, Colonel. Her Highness may rest a.s.sured I will do all in my power to unearth whatever information I can to add to her protection."

"We thank you, sir. Shukran. Masaa' alkhayr." Gabriel gave the Turk a bow in the Eastern fashion hand to heart.

The amba.s.sador returned it, bid Griff a good evening, and then hurried off to start making inquiries of his own about the attempt on Sophia's life.

As Gabriel watched him leave the room, he wondered just what the man knew about the symbol on that dagger. The mysterious markings definitely seemed to worry him.

The door closed and his suave brother-in-law instantly turned to him with a rare show of anger. "What the h.e.l.l was that little stunt?"

CHAPTER.

ELEVEN.

G abriel bristled. "Sorry?"

"You expect me to believe that young chit could run roughshod over you? You had a part in this, do not deny it! Don't you realize what a catastrophe that could have been?"

"But it wasn't," he said coolly.

Griff glared at him, but backed off a bit. "Gabriel, you can't let the girl go tearing about in this fashion. Good G.o.d, after growing up with a spitfire like your sister, I'd have thought you could handle the princess better than that!"

"Handle her?" His face darkened as he took umbrage at his kinsman's words. "I thought it was my duty to protect her, Griff."

"Yes, from herself, if need be, as well as from would-be a.s.sa.s.sins."

"Beg your pardon, old man, but considering all the girl's got on the line in this-she's risking heart and soul and blood in this quest of hers-don't you think you're being just a little condescending toward her?"

"Condescending?"

"Do not underestimate this woman. Her Highness is more than just a pretty young thing who happens to have the right lineage for our purposes. She is young, true, but she has great courage and more brains than the average man."

"Does she, indeed?" Griff folded his arms across his chest and stared at him. "Don't tell me she's gotten to you, too?"

"Of course not! Don't be absurd," Gabriel muttered with a scowl. The blunt question confused him; his guarded response was automatic, if not entirely honest. "I just...think you should be fair to her, that's all."

"Well, she's not the only one risking herself here. The stakes are high for us, too. She simply can't go running about half-c.o.c.ked making accusations against England's allies-"

"Ah, don't blame her, it was my idea," Gabriel admitted with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Your idea?"

"Well, it worked, didn't it?"

"Gabriel!"

"You saw the amba.s.sador's reaction to the markings on that blade! You still think there's no merit to Sophia's suspicion of the Turks?"

"I don't know, anything's possible!" Griff exclaimed with a confounded gesture. "Ali Pasha would seem to be the likely villain here, but why would he try it? He's the first one who'd be suspected, and besides, that brute stands more to gain by the new treaty than we do. As for Sultan Mahmud, I can't see what he'd stand to gain by harming the girl."

Gabriel furrowed his brow in thought. "What manner of man is the sultan?"

Griff shrugged. "Mahmud is widely known as a reformer. He's been surprisingly receptive to Western ways. He prefers the French to us, of course, but he has been basically peaceful. If he gives anyone problems, it's the Russians. They're still squabbling over control of the Dardanelles."

Gabriel nodded.

"Now...if we were dealing with his predecessor," Griff said slowly, "his half brother, Mustafa the Fourth, then I would certainly give more credence to Sophia's accusations. The previous Sultan was a dangerous and evil religious fanatic. He betrayed his half brother, Sultan Selim, another reformer, so he could gain power. Had him murdered in his harem, for G.o.d's sake.

"Mustafa surrounded himself with viziers and sheiks who wanted to expunge all Western influence and take the Ottoman Empire back to the b.l.o.o.d.y Dark Ages. But fortunately, Mustafa was only in power for a very short time. The present Sultan Mahmud's supporters destroyed him. Now Mustafa is dead, his core of supporters scattered to the winds. With a reasonable man like Mahmud in power, I cannot imagine that the Porte Sublime would undertake such an adventure as trying to take over Kavros."

"Yes, it doesn't sound like it," Gabriel agreed. "Perhaps the amba.s.sador will be able to shed some light on all this. For what it's worth, I don't think Sophia alienated him too badly."

"Well, she went about as far up to the line as she could without crossing it."

"Somebody's trying to kill her, Griff. We still don't know yet who or why. She's scared."

"Luckily, she's got you," Griff replied wryly. "She got away with it this time, but it had better not happen again. And as your kinsman," he added delicately, "I would remind you that you, too, must be careful about stepping over any lines, my friend."

Gabriel eyed him warily. The man was too perceptive.

"I will talk to her," Gabriel a.s.sured him in a low tone. "Let me know if the amba.s.sador learns anything of interest, will you?"

Griff nodded with a piercing look, and Gabriel took leave of him.

Striding through the castle on his way to the royal apartments, he felt a twinge of guilt for being less than forthcoming with his kinsman about his feelings for Sophia, but what was he to say? He was not even sure what he felt or what she felt, or if he'd be allowed to remain at his post if the truth were known. He could not leave her. Shrugging off the tangle of emotions, he turned his mind to practical matters and weighed Sophia's certainty of Ali Pasha's guilt against Griff's insistence that the Terrible Turk would not risk breaking his new British treaty; then he considered both sides against his own newfound suspicions that one of her Greek bodyguards might have turned traitor.

He did not want to broach the subject with Sophia after all she had been through-he knew it was going to upset her-but her safety was at stake. Besides, if he spoke to her about it, he might discover there was someone in her entourage whom she already doubted.

He made a mental note to post a few British soldiers from the castle's garrison around Sophia as an added layer of protection in case her Greeks could not be trusted. Then he reminded himself to review Leon's logbook tomorrow and any other recent notes or writings from the late head of security. If Leon had known or suspected something about the threat against Sophia, he might have kept records on any leads in the matter before he was killed.

Arriving before her suite of rooms several minutes later, Gabriel tensed when he saw four of Sophia's Greek guards posted, as usual, outside her door.

He gave no sign of his suspicions. "Is she at home?"

Niko nodded, and then Gabriel noticed with some irony that the swarthy Greeks were eyeing him as skeptically as he regarded them.

He ignored the undercurrent of resentment coming from her bodyguards and banged loudly on the door, bracing himself for what was sure to be a difficult conversation.

The door opened, but it was not Sophia who answered. He found himself face to face with the languid blonde he had seen with the princess earlier.

He bowed to her. "Ma'am. I am Colonel Knight."

The young woman smiled with a brief glance flicking over him. "I know."

Gabriel paused, taking in the speculative gleam in her eyes. "I would like a word with Her Highness, if I may."

"Of course, Colonel. She's been expecting you."

"You are...Lady Alexa?"

"I am," she answered, straightening up and looking pleased to have been acknowledged.

"Pleasure." He gave her a perfunctory bow, his hand resting on his gleaming sword hilt.

"The pleasure is mine, Colonel." From the corner of his eye, he noticed the two Greeks staring at Lady Alexa with panting looks.

He furrowed his brow, his manner toward her turning even more businesslike. "I understand you were there the night of the ambush."

She nodded with a pouting little frown.

"I hope you are quite recovered from your ordeal."

She peeked at him from under her lashes. "I'm well," she said in a tremulous voice. "How gallant of you to ask."

"If it is not inconvenient, I should like to talk to you about your experience-"

One of the Greeks nearby coughed. The sound bore a striking resemblance to stifled laughter.

Raising a brow, he looked over, and the l.u.s.ty mirth on the men's faces as they exchanged a glance made him wonder what exactly Lady Alexa had been doing with the bodyguards.

He turned to her again. "Your, er, experience of that night," he clarified.

"Gladly, Colonel. I am at your disposal," she murmured, curving her voluptuous body against the frame of the open door. Leaning there, her receptive pose lifted her ripe b.r.e.a.s.t.s for his inspection, as if she wanted to make sure he saw them.

Which he certainly did.

Gabriel faltered slightly.

Perhaps the full size of his libido had gone cramped and stifled much too long, locked up in the iron safe of his good intentions.

It occurred to him in hindsight that if his rakish brother had ever truly intended to send him a wh.o.r.e, Derek would have chosen someone like Lady Alexa.

A flash of memory zoomed through his mind of his younger, wilder years, and his ardent study of India's Kama Sutra. Back then, he'd have kept a woman like Alexa very busy, indeed. Alas, his tastes had evolved from those simpler days. Complicated women were so much more trouble.

"Alexa, let the man in!" Her Highness ordered her lady-in-waiting from somewhere inside her apartments.

She sounded a little exasperated-and no wonder, that.

Sophia's friend had a body, all right, but Gabriel wasn't sure she had a brain.