The Prince

Mr. Railey would trade doing this favor for her in exchange for her promise to leave Wesley once and for all.

“So am I, young lady.”

Mr. Railey said nothing more and Nora waited, biting her tongue.

He smiled, sighed and shook his head.

“‘Four things greater than all things are…women and horses and power and war.’”

Nora stared at him.

“That’s Rudyard Kipling,” Mr. Railey explained. “One of my favorite sayings. Women and horses and power and war…story of my life.”

Nora smiled. “Mine too these days. Apparently.”

“Did you need anything else?” Mr. Railey asked, tapping his desk with obvious impatience.

“No…that was it. Just…”

“Go on back to bed. It looks like you could use a few more hours sleep. I’ll make your phone call. But your friend better never step foot onto a race track ever again.”

“He won’t.”

“Good. Go on now. I’ve got work to do.”

Nora opened her mouth and closed it again just as quickly.

“Thank you, Mr. Railey.” She bobbed a curtsy for no reason she could explain, other than the moment seemed to demand it. Mr. Railey laughed as he shooed her from the room.

At the bottom of the stairs, Nora peeked into the drawing room. Wesley’s mother sat at a petite desk with a fountain pen and a stack of cards, white with red trim, in front of her. With Mrs. Railey engrossed in her writing, Nora took a moment to look at her. Lovely lady really, with eyes as big and brown as her son’s.

She glanced up and smiled at Nora.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Nora apologized before

Mrs. Railey could speak.

“You can interrupt the thank-you-note writing anytime you wish.”

Nora whistled at the stack of thank-you cards in front of Mrs. Railey. It looked like she’d written a hundred notes and still had another hundred to go.

“Writing that many thank-you notes is my definition of hell.”

“Mine, too,” Mrs. Railey admitted, capping her pen. “But we had two hundred people donating exorbitant sums to The Rails Foundation. Have to say ‘thank you.’”

“I’d tell them to keep the money.”

Mrs. Railey nodded. “I’ve wanted to a time or two. Have a seat if you like.”

“I won’t stay and bug you. This is just the first time your husband let me in the house.”

Mrs. Railey’s smile broadened. “My husband is as stubborn as a mule. He’s a good man. Only…difficult.”

“I’m well-versed in good, stubborn and difficult men.”

“Never considered my son to be difficult. He was, still is, the sweetest child you could ever hope to have. He gets that from me,” she said with a wink.

“I can see that. It’s the sweetness that makes him so difficult.”

With a sigh, Mrs. Railey sat back in her chair and gave Nora a long searching look. “You’re not planning on staying around these parts, are you?”

“I…” Nora shrugged. “I don’t really plan much.”

“I can see that about you. You look like a woman who never completely unpacks her suitcase.”

Nora opened her mouth to protest and then shut it again. Ruefully, she laughed her agreement.

“Someone called me a pirate once,” she said, not wanting to say Søren’s name to Wesley’s mother for some reason. “A born marauder destined for the high seas.”

“Even a pirate needs a safe harbor.”

“But is that harbor still safe when the pirates dock their ship?” Nora would have smiled as she asked the question but for the sudden lump in her throat.

The look Mrs. Railey gave Nora would have impressed even Søren. “I just don’t want to see my boy hurt again.”

“Then we’re in agreement there.”

“He loves you.”

“And I love him.”

“But?”

“Takes more than love for a ride off into the sunset together.”

“That’s true. It also takes hoses.”

Nora glanced out the window. Right on the east lawn she saw dozens of horses dotting a sea of green.

“I thought Wes was the brainiac in the family.”

“He also gets that from me.”

Nora nodded. “You have good genes. I’ll let you get back to your thank-you note slash prison sentence. I’ll get back to…”

“My son?” Mrs. Railey asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

“That guy.” Nora found her grin again. The pirate in her took hold of her tongue as she headed for the door. “He’s horny as hell in the mornings. He’ll notice if I’m not there.”

Mrs. Railey didn’t even bat an eyelash. She uncapped her pen again and picked up another blank note.

“He gets that from his father.”

All the way back to guesthouse, Nora tried to figure out what had happened. Mr. Railey had agreed to help Talel at her request…and he’d asked nothing in return. She would have bet her own life that he would have demanded she leave in exchange for his help. But he hadn’t. And he hadn’t threatened to, either. He’d said “yes” and sent her on her way.

She’d been almost counting on Mr. Railey trading her departure for saving Talel. And now that he hadn’t…

Nora started stripping out of her clothes the second she got into the guesthouse. She found Wesley only half-asleep in bed. Glancing at the clock, Nora couldn’t believe it was barely 8:00 a.m.