Behind the Mask by Elizabeth D. Michaels Page A

relationship to Gerhard Albrecht would affect his opinion of her. “And I daresay,” he went on, “that you don’t see him much these days.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    “I hear he’s not been around the last few years. Got himself into some sticky trouble with the law.”
    Abbi said nothing. She wondered if it was simply coincidence that her father was accompanied monthly by officers of the Duke’s Guard, and this man was the duke. A hard look came briefly to Nikolaus’s eyes, but he smiled it away and she wondered if her fear had made her imagine it.
    “Abbi, my sweet,” he said as if the previous conversation had not transpired, “how often have you been told what a beauty you are?”
    “Does my grandfather count?” she asked, her intrigue for Nikolaus settling a little deeper.
    “Hardly,” he replied, apparently pleased.
    “Then this is the first.”
    “Come now,” he said with a devilish grin, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Can I really be so lucky as to come upon first love?”
    “Is that what you call this?”
    “I do indeed. I intend to make it known here and now that I want you for my very own.”
    Abbi couldn’t believe the Duke of Horstberg was saying such things to her. Not knowing how to respond, she remained silent, wanting him to go on, hoping the night would never end.
    “How would you feel about that, my sweet?” he asked.
    “It’s hard to say,” she said. “It’s been such a short time and . . .”
    Not waiting for her to finish, Nikolaus pressed his lips to hers with a warm kiss. Abbi couldn’t believe that her first kiss was from the duke. She couldn’t help but enjoy it.
    “And your kiss is sweet, too,” he whispered, pulling back.
    Flushed and flustered, Abbi searched for small talk. “So,” she said, moving away slightly, “your family name is du Woernig. It doesn’t sound German, really.”
    “The Woernig is German,” he stated, disinterested in the topic. “The prefix comes from Norman ancestors. It was some odd marriage way back, with some great royal merger. Dull story. Say you’ll be mine, Abbi.”
    “Wouldn’t it be bad manners to refuse the duke?” she said, trying to remain noncommittal.
    “Indeed.” He smiled and kissed her again, stirring something in Abbi that she didn’t understand. But she felt her hands moving around his neck, lingering in his soft, dark hair.
    From somewhere in the room Abbi heard a deep voice say something indiscernible. She thought that being caught in a kiss should be embarrassing, but Nikolaus continued, as if being the duke allowed him to do anything he wanted.
    Abbi was surprised to feel a hand take hers from behind Nikolaus’s head and pull her reluctantly from his grasp.
    “Now, Nik,” Lance said with forced amusement, “I think you’ve overwhelmed her enough for one night. Look elsewhere for a distraction, dear friend. I’ve got plans for this one.”
    Abbi was led from the room while Nikolaus leaned back and sighed triumphantly.
    “I must apologize for his behavior,” Lance said with barely concealed annoyance as they walked out into the evening air. “At times his position makes him a little overbearing.”
    Still overwhelmed by Nikolaus’s boldness, Abbi paid little attention to the comment.
    “I’d like to talk with you, if I could,” Lance continued.
    “What is it?” Not wanting to be rude, she forced herself to be attentive.
    As Lance removed his coat and put it around her shoulders, Abbi noticed that he too was handsome, yet in a much different way. Though his build was much like Nikolaus, his face was meeker. Lance’s pale hair had a soft wave to it, and his blue eyes were less bold. In truth, she found it difficult to imagine him as Captain of the Guard if not for the uniform and the dignified way he wore it. Beneath the coat he’d removed he wore a tight-fighting, high-collared white shirt, with dark braces over his shoulders.
    “I didn’t want to bring this up tonight,” he