She turned then, her smile brittle, but her eyes fierce. "You will go when and where the queen allows you to go." She nodded toward the guards.Archer's respect climbed a notch-a tiny one-for the fiery little woman, but his grin didn't reveal that. "Sweetheart, you've never seen me in action."

She flushed, and retreated.

He turned to find Talia studying the room. Only when she rubbed at her arms

did he realize she wasn't quite as cool and collected as she pretended to be.He sat next to her. "Quite the place, huh?""It's... amazing." She looked up at hand-painted domed ceiling far above them. "It feels so old and historic and yet it's modern and hi-tech, all at the same time." She looked at the doors that had whooshed silently shut behind the a.s.sistant.

Archer understood her awe. "The castle was built on the foundations of one that was old even in your time. Over the centuries it has been the site of countless battles, the last of which occurred during the Insurrection. The aftermath resulted in the split of the United Kingdom into three separate lands, ruled by three separate monarchs."

"How long ago was that?"

Archer shrugged. "Long before I was born. Probably a hand more than a hundred years now." He sat back in his chair. "Llanfair is the capital of the

Welsh kingdom and the seat of the monarchy. The House of Dalwyn has been in power since shortly after the uprising. Queen Catriona is the sixth Dalwyn to rule."

Talia opened her mouth to speak, but apparently thought better of it.

Archer, who was feeling proud of himself for having put together that much

factual history of his adopted homeland, realized then that she had no idea what year she was in.

"It's twenty-two-thirty-five." She blanched and he wished he'd kept silent.

She looked at him and smiled. "It's okay. I mean, you had to deal with this

same thing, right? When you came to my... my time." She tucked her hair nervously behind her ears. "You handled it fairly well. So it shouldn't be too hard for me."

"I think the learning curve is a bit steeper on your end." He shifted so he faced her directly. "Don't think you have to be perfect here, Talia. Once we explain the situation, the queen will understand what you are dealing with. She's young, but with a wisdom far beyond her years."

"How young?"

"Twenty-five."

"And she rules the whole country?"

Archer nodded. "Every last bit of it. Her father, King Cynan, whom your

mother served, was a.s.sa.s.sinated three years ago. Catriona ascended the throne very young, but she's held the place together well enough, until... well, until she grew ill."

"I can't even imagine," Talia whispered. "All that and she's pregnant, too."

Archer nodded, not knowing what else to say, already wishing he hadn't said

as much as he had.

"What about the father? Is she married? Is there a king, or whatever they call a queen's husband. Prince regent or something? I was never a royal watcher."

"She wasn't married. She's never spoken about the father."

"I guess that's normal, even in my time." She looked at him. "Do people still

get married?" She hadn't put any emphasis on the question, until her cheeks pinked a bit and she rushed to add, "I mean, I was just thinking that my mother wasn't married either and that made me wonder if-Never mind."

Under normal circ.u.mstances, when a woman he'd been intimate with brought up the M word around him, no matter how seemingly casual the reference, Archer immediately began making his bon voyage plans. But when Talia had mentioned it, his internal alarms hadn't made a sound.

The doors slid open before he could think about that, much less answer Talia.

The a.s.sistant hurried over to them. "Follow me. Quickly."

Archer took his time standing. "Now she's in a hurry."

But Talia leaped to her feet, then smoothed her hair while taking a deep breath. She darted a look at him and murmured, "Thanks for standing up for me."

"I promised, didn't I?" He winked at her and placed his hand on the small of her back, beneath her bulging backpack. "What do you have in there anyway?" he asked quietly as they crossed the room to the door.

"Just... stuff."

"Some things never change, I guess." Archer smiled and waited for her to look up at him. She smiled then, too.

He took her hand, not caring who was watching them or what message the

connection sent. He squeezed. "You'll do fine in there, Tali."

He felt the fine tremors, but she stood tall, chin lifted. "G.o.d, I hope so."

Archer swallowed a grin. She had every bit as much presence as Catriona.

Should be an interesting match.

The doors whooshed open in front of them and the a.s.sistant stepped aside, revealing a vast sea of carpeting decorated in the royal seal of black and gold.

Enormous gold lions adorned either side. The a.s.sistant motioned them to precede her.

He heard Talia sing something under her breath that sounded like "Follow the

Yellow Brick Road," before stepping cautiously into the room.

Two very tall, very erect guards stepped forward. Their flamboyant black and

gold uniforms were of an extreme design that would have looked almost comical if it hadn't been for their intense manner and bearing.

"This way, please," they said in deep-throated unison.

"Not exactly Munchkins from the Lollipop Guild, are they?" Talia murmured.

Archer leaned closer. "What are you talking about?"

Whatever she might have said was lost as they traversed the long room and

stopped in front of what Archer knew to be the door to the queen's bedroom.

The guards stepped back, and with what seemed like a flourish, the door, though much smaller than the ones they'd just pa.s.sed through, slid silently open. The room was dimly lit, and the bed on the opposite side was deep in shadow.

"Step forward where I might see you," the queen commanded, sounding far older than her years. Yet Archer heard the underlying fatigue. She sounded weaker than she had at their last meeting. He looked to Talia, wondering if she was picking up on anything. The tension in the room seemed to pervade even

his senses.

Talia stepped in front of him, her face cast in shadows. She squeezed his hand one last time, then let go. He marveled at their silent communication, at how easily they'd fallen into that type of partnership.

Partnership.

Did he truly view the two of them that way? He who worked alone? He didn't

waste time wondering. Instead he watched with a sense of pride as she stepped to the middle of the room.

"Stop there."

Talia faltered, but quickly regained her composure. She stood in a pool of

light that came from a recessed lamp in the ceiling far above them. Archer stayed just outside the circle, close enough to signal his presence to anyone who cared to question it.

His attention was jerked toward the bed, lost in the shadows, as a gasp from the queen filled the chamber.

Chapter 17.

Eleri." The queen's shocked whisper filled the small chamber. "I couldn't

imagine it, but you look too much like her to be an imposter. How can it be?"

"I'm not Eleri." Talia began to step forward. She couldn't see the queen and it was more than a little unnerving.