The Perfect Temptation (63 page)

holding the lantern was an Indian and
clearly a servant of the

regally dressed, somewhat older version of
Hanuman advancing

toward them. Mohan walked at his uncle's
side, followed

by three other men who Aiden guessed were
Vadeen's

comrades-in-arms.

"It
is not
necessary, Vadeen. Please do not add to your

injuries in
trying,"
the
man
replied. his
English
studied, his

accent
fairly light He
motioned to the men behind
him
and

they quickly moved forward to
take
Vadeen from
him
and

Alex. as their master went on. saying,
"I
have seen the proof

of your success. Take your rest, Vadeen.
It
has been earned."

Relieved of the burden, Aiden squared up to
the man and

resolutely faced the inevitable reckoning.
''I
gather that you're

Prince
Sarad."

"I have been told that you would
be
John Aiden Terrell."

"I
am."

Sarad slowly, deliberately took his measure
and then

brought his gaze back to meet Aiden's.
"I have also been

told that you have been the protector of my
brother's children

in recent weeks."

He nodded, knowing what was coming next, his
heart

growing more leaden with every beat.

"On behalf of my brother
Kedar,"
Sarad went on,
apparently

oblivious to the
pain
his words were inflicting, "I
thank

you for all that you have done. I have
entrusted the payment

for your services to
your
man, Sawyer. He bas removed your

belongings and awaits
your return
to your own home.
Prince

Mohan,"
he
added. motioning offhandedly to the boy, "has

indicated that he would like to
gift
you with the horses and

the carriage you assisted
him
in acquiring."

"Thank you, Mohan. That's very generous
of you."

"It
is my pleasure,
Mr. Terrell." He smiled sheepishly and

shrugged. "And
I
cannot take them with me on the
ship."

"Well," Aiden replied, forcing
himself to chuckle, "when

you're done with them, let me know and I'll
come collect

them."

"You should take them now, Mr. Terrell.
We sail in
the

morning."

"In the morning?" Alex gasped. her
hands pressed hard

against her midriff, the anguish on her face
the mirror, Aiden

knew, of that tearing him apart on the
inside. "Why so

soon?"

"The danger is past and your father
wishes to have his

children home," her uncle replied.
"Were it possible to have

the ship ready to sail before then, we would
not spend even a

single night."

"But," she stammered, her voice
edged with barely contained

tears. "My shop. Our home. All the
things in it ... "

"Preeya is directing my men in the
packing. She is upstairs

if you wish to speak with her concerning the
task."

Aiden watched Alex swallow, saw her look
past her uncle

and into the open back door of the Blue
Elephant. She was

close to tears and in a few more minutes she
was going to

lose the struggle to hold them at bay. He
knew exactly how

she felt. The only thing he could think to
do was to get their

parting done as quickly and as cleanly as
possible. The rug

had been pulled out from under their feet
and the next blows

would hurt less
if
they came while they were both still

stunned and reeling.

"You'll tell Preeya good-bye for me,
won't you?" he

asked, turning to her and offering a smile.
It
was tight, but it

was the best he could do.

"Of course," she offered, clearly
dazed, the smile she

gave him in return vacant and weak.

"Behave yourself, Mohan," he said
briskly, reaching out

to ruffle the boy's hair.

"I will. Thank you for
all
you have done for me. I am honored

to have known you,
Mr.
Terrell."

"The honor's mutual." He started
to turn away and then

stopped to look back over his shoulder and
jauntily ask,

"You are taking the cats with you,
aren't you?"

Mohan grinned and nodded. "Yes, sir.
Sawyer insisted."

"He's a good man."

"Aiden, please," she said softly,
catching his arm and

staying
him.

Tears welled along her lower lashes and tore
at his heart.

"Good-bye, Alex," he whispered,
lifting her hand and pressing

a light kiss to the back of it He released
her with a wink

and managed to clear the lump from his
throat to say,

"You'll be the best princess India ever
had."

"Aiden ... "

''Take care of her," he instructed
Vadeen as he walked

past, determined to be gone before Alex's
tears shredded

what little was left of his dignity.

"With my life."

He couldn't speak; not and keep hidden his
ravaged emotions.

He nodded instead and kept walking, willing
himself

to keep his gaze on the carriage and his
mind focused on the

task of getting the horses tied
to
the rear of it, on getting

back into the driver's box and setting it
all in motion, on getting

the hell gone before he made a complete,
blubbering

fool of himself.

Alex fought back the tears and turned to her
uncle. "I will

join you in the house in a moment. For now I
wish to say my

farewells privately."

"Narain will wait for you here,"
he declared, turning

away. "Do not tarry, niece."

She didn't have the time or the energy to
protest. And

she'd tarry if she damn well pleased.
Gathering her skirts,

she hurried out toward the rear of the
carriage, her heart

lodged high in her throat and her thoughts a
confusing jumble

of words and swirling emotions. .

"You're not leaving with regrets, are
you?" she blurted as

she reached his side. "You have nothing
to
be sorry for,

Aiden."

He looked down at her and blindly finished
tying the

reins of her horse to the ring. ''Well,'' he
drawled, "I never

did teach you to dance."

His voice was tight, too tight, too
controlled. He
was

hurting just as deeply as she was. Desperate
to prolong her

time with
him,
wanting with all her heart and soul to ease his

conscience in his leaving, she raised her
hands in the pose

her mother had taught her long ago.
"Teach me now," she

pleaded. "Show me how to dance,
Aiden."

He swayed on his feet and then stiffened,
expelling a
hard

breath. Offering her a brittle smile and a
cocked brow, he

asked, "Does an Indian princess really
need to know how

Englishmen dance?"

''There's a difference between needing and
wanting;' she

countered, her heart tearing. "I want
to know what it's like to

dance with you. I want that memory to tuck
away with all the

other treasures that have been ours."

He looked over at the door, to where Narain
waited

silently for her in the shadows. Then
slowly, almost hesitantly,

he stepped close and took her hand in his
and slipped

the other to the small of her back.
"Keep the distance between

us as we move," he whispered, his voice
catching.

Alex nodded, afraid her sorrow would
overflow if she tried

to speak. He guided her smoothly backward
and she looked

up at
him,
memorizing his face as it looked in the moonlight,

remembering the way he smiled, the sound of
his laughter.

Ask me to stay, Aiden,
she silently begged.
Ask me to love

you. Tell me that you'll
try
to find room in your
heart for me,

too.

He stumbled and stopped, then deliberately
released her

and stepped back. "I can't do this,
Alex. I have to go." He

moistened his lower lip with the tip of his
tongue and took a

ragged breath. Cupping her cheek in the palm
of his
hand,

he gazed down at her and murmured,
"Stay safe, my beautiful

princess. Think of me from time to time and
know that

I'll never forget you."

"I will always remember you, Aiden.
Always."

And then he was gone, striding past her
without another

word, without another touch. She couldn't
turn and watch

him disappear from her life. It was all she
could do to stand

where she was and keep silent with the tears
coursing over

her cheeks. The springs of the carriage
creaked. The leather

of the reins popped. The horses snorted and
then their

hooves pounded over the hard-packed earth of
the yard and

onto the brick pavers of the street beyond.

She stood in the darkness, listening to them
fade away.

"Princess
?"

The sob broke from her soul and tore up her
throat. Gathering

her skirts, she fled toward the house, past
the startled

guard, and up to the sanctuary of her lonely
room.