Defending the Duchess. Rachelle McCalla

of disappointment. Now she’d have to discuss the details of the attack. By rights, she’d have to tell them everything about her fears back home, even if that ended up having nothing to do with tonight’s attack. She’d only been practicing law for a couple of years, but that was plenty long enough to understand the problems one could get into from withholding pertinent information.

      And she’d have to let go of Linus. She told herself that should be a relief, but as he lowered her to standing, still propped against him to keep the weight off her injured leg while they waited for the pedestrian gate to open, Julia wished she had an excuse to press her cheek to his shoulder again.

      Silly. Absurd, really. But it had been so comforting to be close to him.

      Linus helped her hop through the door, and a pair of guards hurried over from the guardhouse, quickly forming a human chair with their arms, carrying her sling-style across the lawn.

      “To the palace?” one of the guards asked.

      “No.” Julia started.

      “To the guardhouse,” Linus explained. “She doesn’t want the queen to be worried.”

      Whatever the other guards thought of her request, they kept their mouths shut and delivered her inside with a minimum of fuss, planting her on a modern sofa in the front waiting area while one of them fetched a first-aid kit. For the first time, Julia was able to get a look at the injury in decent light, and was relieved to find only a nasty scrape and some bruising—painful, but nothing that required a hospital visit.

      Linus stood facing the corner, speaking earnestly into his earpiece, scowling. Julia couldn’t make out his words, but from what she could see of his face in profile, he didn’t look happy.

      “They didn’t catch him?” she asked when Linus ended the transmission and turned toward her.

      He shook his head regretfully.

      Julia looked down at her leg. One of the other guards dabbed with gauze at the bleeding parts, cleaning it with gloved hands.

      When she looked back up at Linus, she saw the front of his pale blue button-down royal guard shirt rising and falling as he pulled in deep breaths. She sensed his repressed frustration that the shadowy figure had evaded them.

      She also guessed that as soon as he caught his breath, he’d want to know everything she could tell him about the man who’d attacked her. If she’d had answers or understood the man’s reference to a file, she’d have gladly shared those details. The little bit she knew only made her shiver with greater fear. She wasn’t looking forward to reliving those few terrified moments, but worse yet, she didn’t want to confess who she feared it might have been.

      * * *

      When Linus looked back at Julia, her attention was focused on Jason Selini, the head of the royal guard, who’d come in from off duty in response to the attack, and now knelt at the duchess’s side, bandaging the scrape on her leg.

      Linus watched her in puzzlement for a moment, wondering. He hated that she’d been attacked while under his guard. Worse still, he couldn’t help wondering why she’d purposely escaped from the palace without him—and if her reasons might be related to her attack.

      “Do you need anything?” he asked when she looked up. “A drink? Something to eat?”

      “I am a little thirsty.”

      Linus listed drink options, and Sam, another of the guards, went to fetch them both some juice. With just the three of them in the room, Linus hoped Julia wouldn’t feel too overwhelmed. If it had been up to him, they’d be inside the palace and she’d have her sister at her side to comfort her, but Julia had been adamant about not alarming the new queen.

      He crouched alongside Jason so that he could look up at the duchess. He didn’t need her feeling lectured or looked down upon. “We need to find out everything we can about the man who attacked you this evening.” Linus tried to make his low voice less imposing. “What can you tell us about him?”

      “I couldn’t see him. It was dark.”

      “You didn’t recognize anything about him?”

      “Should I have? You fought him. What did you notice?”

      Linus swallowed. “He’s about six-two, one-eighty. Trained fighter.”

      Julia shuddered. “Why would a trained fighter attack me?”

      Linus watched Julia’s face carefully. He’d always been adept at reading people—far more adept than at reading words in books. Now he watched her eyes dart between their faces before she glanced down. She felt ashamed and was weighing her next words.

      The door burst open, and more guards poured in.

      Julia’s eyes widened at the activity.

      Linus sensed there was more Julia wanted to say, but she clearly wasn’t going to open up in front of so many people. He leaned toward Jason and murmured quietly, “She knows something.”

      “About her attacker?” Jason whispered back.

      The duchess watched the men pour into the room discussing what they’d found on the beach—footprints and sure signs of their scuffle. She looked overwhelmed.

      And Linus knew the commotion wouldn’t die down anytime soon. The members of the royal guard had always taken their charge to protect the crown very seriously. If possible, they were even more zealous about their duties since the attacks that had threatened the royal family two months before. The attack on Julia was bigger than any threat to the royal family since the crown had been restored with the coronation of King Thaddeus and Queen Monica.

      As control central for such events, the royal guard headquarters would be far too distracting a place to hold such a sensitive conversation.

      Linus looked back to Jason. “Where can I talk to her?”

      Jason looked thoughtful, and Linus could guess what he was thinking. The interrogation room was meant to intimidate, not set a frightened female at ease. In fact, the whole royal guard headquarters was set up for tough men to do hard work. There wasn’t a room in the building where the duchess might feel at ease enough to open up about her attacker and the fear that haunted her eyes.

      “Take her back to the palace.” Jason cleared his throat and addressed the duchess. “I understand you don’t want your sister to know about the attack,” he conceded. “We don’t have to tell her yet this evening. Linus can escort you back to the palace and avoid your sister, but he’s going to need to ask you some questions about the attacks. And we’ll have to brief the king and queen tomorrow. Will that be okay?”

      Julia wrapped her arms around her shoulders as she nodded, blinking back tears. Yes, the events of the evening were catching up to her. Linus feared he might not learn much tonight.

      Frustrating. Still, he’d do his best.

      “Want to try walking on it?” he asked as Julia placed her feet on the floor and braced herself to stand.

      She nodded and eased herself slowly to standing. He felt a moment’s triumph at the small victory, but when she tried to shuffle forward a step, she winced.

      He swooped in beside her and she took his arm, leaning on him slightly for support.

      “I can do it,” she whispered.

      “You don’t have to. We can find a wheelchair—”

      “I can do it.” Julia grimaced and leaned heavily on his arm as she made her way forward, growing more certain with each step.

      Much as Linus appreciated the woman’s determination, he wished she’d relent to letting him carry her. It would be so much faster that way, and she wouldn’t have to risk straining her injury.

      They made it more than halfway across the lawn toward a back entrance to the palace when the duchess stopped to catch her breath.

      Linus