"You sure you're up for this?" I asked Maxwell as we got ready to put Hana's plan into action.

"Of course!" he said cheerily. "Distraction is my middle name."

"Okay, just really play it up. When I see the photographer, I'll wink, and that'll be your cue to wrap it up."

"Got it." He cleared his throat and raised his voice so that the nearby press could overhear. We were at a table near the front of the restaurant. "Lady Riley," Maxwell said. "There's something I need to say to you."

"Oh?" I asked, glancing around. I noticed a few of the paparazzi swiveling their cameras around to us.

"Tonight," Maxwell continued dramatically, "I discovered something about myself. Something I suppose I've known was true for a long time, but..." he put a hand over his heart and looked down a little. "I couldn't admit it to myself until now."

"Why, Maxwell, what could it be?"

He took one of my hands in his. "There was always something missing. Some piece of me that wasn't there. But then...then something unbelievable happened."

I made my eyes wide and stared at Maxwell in wonder.

"Tonight," he went on, "I realized what has been missing."

Maxwell stood from the table and got down on one knee in front of me. By now, every photographer was trained on Maxwell and me. I looked around the crowd, trying to act surprised, but really looking intently for the familiar face from the badge.

"And," Maxwell was saying, "It's like my eyes are opening for the first time!"

"Maxwell, I don't understand..."

"Riley, now that I know, I need the world to know..."

I spotted the photographer behind Maxwell in the crowd, and gave him a wink.

"Maxwell, what are you trying to say?" I said.

"I'm saying..." he said, reaching into his breast pocket, "That I love..." he pulled out a spoon. "Gelato!" He held the spoon up like a sword, then sprang to his feet and made it dive into the bowl of gelato. He scarfed down the spoonful and fell back into his chair with eyes closed, moaning in delight. "So good!"

I could hear the groans from the press as they began to scatter, more than a little annoyed by the false start.

"I have never seen a love so pure," I said with a laugh. I saw the photographer we were looking for groan and start walking out of the restaurant, so I quickly grabbed Maxwell and we followed after her. She looked back, saw us, and...started running!

"Seriously?" I shouted after her. Maxwell took off, and I trailed behind him, barely keeping up in my high heels. We chased her down a couple blocks before she ducked into an alley. We cornered her, and she threw up her hands.

"Fine," she said, stepping towards us. "I was hoping to avoid this, but..."

She trailed off and waited for us to say something.

Maxwell looked at me. "Do you want to be good cop, or bad cop?" he asked.

The reporter rolled her eyes. "Oh, very intimidating."

"Oh, shush," I told her. "Who are you?"

"Rosanna. Freelance photographer."

"No last name?"

"Not for you."

"Don't play dumb with me!" Maxwell shouted suddenly, then looked shocked. "Woah. I guess I'm bad cop."

"Who hired you to take those pictures of me and Tariq at Applewood Manor?" I asked Rosanna.

She sighed deeply. "Okay, listen. I really don't want to be embroiled any further than I am in...whatever is going on here, so, I'll tell you what I know."

"We want the truth!" Maxwell shouted again.

"Calm down, Starsky," I told him, "She's getting to it." I looked at Rosanna and motioned for her to go on.

"I don't know who hired me." She said. "Never met them."

I sighed. With all the freelance writing work I had been doing lately, that made sense to me. You get a client online, submit the work online, and get paid online. No personal contact required.

"Can you tell us anything at all?" I pleaded. "Like, the e-mail address that they used?"

She shook her head. "I can give it to you, but it won't help. I tried emailing a few weeks later, looking for follow-up work, and it bounced back. Like, it was one of those temporary, anonymous addresses."

I frowned. "Do you have a receipt from the payment or anything like that?" I was grasping at straws.

"I do have a digital copy of the bank transfer," she said. "You can have it. I want to wash my hands of this whole thing. ASAP."

Maxwell gave her his email address and she forwarded him the receipt. I thanked her, and she quickly took off, more than ready to be done with us. I looked at Maxwell as he examined the e-mail.

"Anything useful?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I think we should take this to Bertrand."

"Good plan," I agreed. As we walked back to the restaurant, I asked Maxwell, "If you're bad cop, what's Bertrand?"

"Grumpy cop?" He suggested.

"Perfect," I said with a smile. Even if it was a small lead, I was feeling a little lighter now that we had something to go on.

Everyone was leaving by the time we got back to the restaurant, so Maxwell and I met Bertrand and Justin in the limo. Maxwell didn't say anything about the receipt immediately, so I was going to, but he jabbed me in the side.

"Ow," I yelped.

Maxwell leaned in to me and whispered, "Justin's an outsider. We can't trust him with this information yet!" I nodded and sat back, rubbing my sore ribs. Maxwell hit hard.

When we got back to the train, I was going to leave Maxwell and Bertrand to the detective work and get changed into some sweat pants for the night, but Maxwell caught me outside the door to my sleeper car. "I almost forgot!" he said. He straightened up and went, "Ding!"

"Um..." I said.

"You have a message!"

"Okay..."

He laughed at my confusion and explained, "Since Liam couldn't contact you directly, without it being traceable, he asked me to give you a message. He said that if you want to see him, he'll be waiting for you down by the shore."

"Really?" I asked, "He's just...waiting for me down there?"

"Yep. And as your fellow house member, I say you should go."

I agreed. I couldn't just leave him waiting there all night, hoping I would show up. I quickly left the train and headed a couple blocks down to this little private beach by the station. When I walked up, I could see Liam standing next to a rowboat. When he saw me, he rushed forward and swept me into his arms, pressing his body to mine. I kissed him. Thoroughly. "You wanted to see me?" I said at last, with a grin.

"There's something I want to ask you. Something I've been thinking about."

I cocked my head to the side, wondering what he could mean. Knowing Liam it could be anything from Are you doing okay to Let's run away together and elope. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's about our future. But...I don't want to talk about it here."

"Oh," I said, looking around. The moonlight on the water made silver lines along the crests of waves, and the starry sky twinkled like faerie lights. "Here's pretty nice."

"It is," he agreed, "But I can do better." He grinned as he gestured to the rowboat. "There's a place nearby called the Blue Grotto. It used to be the bathing hole for Roman emperors. It's...breathtaking. I used to go there as a child when my family came to Italy on diplomatic trips. I got to escape the boredom of policy talks, back..." his face fell. "Back when my brother was going to be king instead of me." He managed a small smile as he continued, "I'd like to show it to you. That is, if you want to go?"

"It sounds magical," I said. "Plus, I'll be seeing a slice of your childhood. How can I say no?"

"I had hoped you wouldn't be able to resist."

We got in the boat, and Liam started rowing. The waves were gentle, but there was a small breeze as we went. I couldn't just sit and do nothing, so I sat next to Liam and insisted on taking one of the oars. We paddled side-by-side, not saying much, until we approached a large, craggy cliff face. As we approached it, I could see a small, dark opening, which was where we were headed. "Is that it?" I asked. "It's barely big enough for the boat!"

"Don't worry," Liam assured me. "I've taken this boat through here before."

"Ah, so this is where you take all your mistresses for romantic midnight rendezvous?"

Liam laughed. "The only person I've ever been here with is Leo. And Bastien, of course," he said. "He wasn't particularly happy I insisted on coming out here without his guard tonight."

We ducked our heads as we entered the cave, the opening just barely tall enough for us to fit through. As we passed through the entrance, I felt momentarily blinded by the bright, ethereal blue light in the cave. "Woah..." I breathed. There was a blue glow coming from below the water, bright enough to light up the whole grotto. I peered over the boat into the water, trying to understand where this magical light was coming from. Phosphorescent algae or something, I guessed. I didn't want to ask, because I thought it might spoil the atmosphere.

"So," Liam said after a long while. He was looking at me with a little bit of tentativeness. I sat up and looked back at him, confused.

"What?"

"I believe this occasion calls for...disrobing." He said, and I laughed at how shy he was. As if we hadn't spent last night naked in each other's arms.

"Right," I said, and shimmied out of my dress. I stood carefully, deciding whether or not to keep my undergarments on or go skinny dipping with Liam. I noticed him watching me, transfixed, and I decided to ditch the undergarments. "Are you coming?" I asked him with a smile.

He nodded and quickly stripped his clothes off, leaving them in a pile next to mine. We quickly jumped into the freezing cold water, gasping for air as we surfaced. "So cold!" I cried.

"Oh, can't take it, huh?" he asked playfully. He splashed a little water at me and I shrieked.

"You're gonna get it!" I cried, chasing after him, trying to dunk him under the water.

"Catch me if you can!" He shouted back, then dived under the surface and disappeared from my view. I looked all around, trying to figure out which way he was headed.

"I've never seen you this playful," I said aloud, knowing he probably couldn't hear me. "Fine!" I shouted louder, "You win!" I waited a minute, but he didn't surface. My smile dropped from my face as my heart started pounding a little harder. "Liam?" I yelled. "You're scaring me now!"

"Over here!" I heard from behind me. I jumped a little and then swam towards his voice.

He was near a wall of the cave. "There's something I want to show you," he said as I got close. He held one arm out, fist closed. He told me to put out a hand, and I did. He opened his fist and something dropped into my hand. I held it tightly and brought it up to my face to examine it in the dim blue lighting. It was a pearl!

A beautiful, large, perfectly round pearl. "I've never seen a natural pearl that was so perfect," I said, admiring the gem fondly. "How did you find it so quickly?"

"I was here last year with my brother, and I found it while we were diving. He told me it would win the heart of any woman I gave it to. But, there wasn't anyone in my life I wanted to win over. So, I left it here, hiding it back in one of the crags. I thought that if it was meant to be, I'd find it again. Knowing that it was here...and that I finally had someone I wanted to give it to..." he swam a little closer, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Well, I couldn't wait to see if I could locate it once more." He chuckled a little. "It sounds rather silly now that I'm saying all of this out loud to you, but...would it please you to have this?"

"Oh, Liam..." I practically breathed the words, completely overwhelmed by his words and his gift. I could feel tears start to form, so I swallowed hard. "It's so beautiful." I cleared my throat once more, trying to speak normally. "Did you know how much I love pearls?"

He shook his head, "Do you?"

I nodded. "So, I'm not big on gems and things. I've always disliked diamonds, especially after I read about how the whole engagement ring business is just a big marketing scheme," I explained. He raised an eyebrow at me, but I didn't want to get sidetracked from my point. "But pearls. Pearls are..." I sighed. "I mean, think about it. It starts with a piece of sand or shell, some annoying, painful thing. And the oyster turns that pain into..." I held up the pearl, letting it catch the light. "Something so beautiful, and precious, and rare." I sniffed, still feeling teary. I pressed the pearl back into Liam's hand. "It would please me greatly to have this," I told him. "But not right now. Right now, we're still dealing with the grain of sand. When all this is over, and we can be together in public, and I can tell people you're the one who gave me this pearl...then I want it."

He nodded and kissed my forehead. "I'll keep it safe until then," he promised me. "I love you so much, Riley."

I shivered, both from his words and the cold water. "It's getting chilly," I said.

"It is. Should we head back?"

I shook my head. "Not just yet."

"Good. Honestly, I'm not ready to give you up just yet."

Liam dragged the rowboat to an outcropping of rock, where we both climbed up and retrieved our clothes. Still shivering even with the added layers, I sat close to Liam. He wrapped a strong arm around me. Being so close to him, I instantly felt warm. I desperately wanted to get even closer to him, but I remembered that he had actually brought me out here for a reason. "Wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?" I asked.

"Yes," I could hear his frown, though I couldn't see his face. "I've perhaps been avoiding it." My stomach flipped a little as he spoke, not knowing what to expect. "These past few weeks," Liam said, "Have been so hard on both of us. I have been putting one foot in front of the other to get through it, but...living like this...it isn't fair to you. I've never felt so powerless."

I felt a tear slide down my cheek, but I didn't dare move to wipe it away.

"There's only one action that I can take to change this," Liam said.

"And what's that?"

"Abdicating the throne."

I was speechless. My heart leaped at the thought, but quickly sank back down as I realized I could never let him do that.

Liam continued, "Ever since my brother abdicated, I've known I would marry for the benefit of Cordonia. I had made peace with that. But then I met you, and I allowed myself to hope that I could marry for Cordonia and for love. Now..." he paused. "I don't want a loveless marriage. And I'll never have anything more than that with Madeleine. There's this thought I can't shake off. What our life could look like together. You and I. Without the court and the Crown."

I knew I was going to talk him down from this. I knew it wouldn't be hard to do; Liam loved Cordonia, and he wouldn't be Liam if he could throw his kingdom aside so easily. But for a minute, I wanted to pretend like it was a possibility. So I asked him, "What does it look like?"

"The parts I know? We elope and get married in a small private ceremony with only Drake, Hana, and Maxwell as witnesses."

"Outside a rustic farmhouse, surrounded by trees," I suggested.

"That sounds so peaceful. It would be perfect." He toyed with my hair. "I can imagine you now, a crown of flowers in your hair."

"And then?"

"And then we quietly settle into our new lives."

"Where are we settling into?"

"You tell me."

"I think we'd live in Cordonia, with our friends. In a house by the sea."

"I like the sound of that."

"We would have dinner parties with our friends every week."

"Hana could play the piano while Drake makes the drinks. And Maxwell would pick the entertainment."

I laughed. "I think Maxwell would be the entertainment."

"And would we have day jobs? Or simply retire to a life of leisure?"

"I would be a world-famous novelist," I said, "And you...you would be a teacher."

"A teacher? What do I teach?"

"History and political science, of course. Who better to teach politics than a former king?"

"Fair enough." Liam let out a long sigh. "It's a nice thought, isn't it?"

I nodded, knowing he could feel the movement on his chest. Then I took a deep breath, and brought us back to reality. "It's a really nice thought. But you can't abdicate, Liam." I pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes. "You wouldn't be happy if you gave up the throne. And...you wouldn't be you. In your heart, you know that." I pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

He frowned deeply and shook his head slowly. "I...I know you're right, Riley. But...what if things never get better?"

"You have to have a little faith," I told him. "We're making progress."

He nodded, but looked unconvinced. "But what if...if I do marry Madeleine. Can you go on like this? Stealing moments, meeting in secret?"

"Is that what you would want?" I asked.

"I want you however I can have you. But what do you want?"

I paused, unsure. "I...I don't know. I'm sorry. I love you so much, Liam. And I don't mind doing this, now, while we're still fighting for a chance to get married. But...seeing you with Madeleine all the time, only being able to be with you in secret?" My voice cracked a little. "Just the thought breaks my heart."

"I understand," Liam assured me, pulling me close to him again. "You deserve so much more than that." We sat in silence for a while before Liam spoke again, saying, "One thing is clear. We must uncover who our enemies are. Until then, your safety must be our only concern."

I looked up at him with wide, hungry eyes. "Our only concern?" I asked. He leaned towards me, and I caught his lips in a kiss that I poured all my hope and love into. I smiled coyly as we came up for air. "I don't suppose we could spend the night here," I asked.

"You know I'd love to, but Bastien will come looking for me if I'm not back soon."

I whined, but Liam stood, leaving a kiss on my forehead, then helped me into the boat.

I was feeling exhausted, physically and emotionally by the time I made it back to the train. I was looking forward to collapsing into bed when I saw Drake, walking towards me as if he had just come from my room.

"Harkness," he said with a hint of a smile. "Thought you were sleeping."

I shook my head wordlessly. Suddenly, strangely, I felt guilty at having been out with Liam. "Uh," I managed after an awkward silence. "Where are you going so late?"

"To get a real meal. I don't know about you, but I don't 'get' fancy food. That stuff was designed to impress my eyes, not actually feed me. You're welcome to tag along to whatever place I find, but be warned, after tonight, I'm in the mood for something with a Michelin rating of zero."

As he spoke, my stomach growled, and I realized that between the rowing and swimming, I had worked up quite an appetite. "I guess I can handle that," I said.

"I can promise real food and decent conversation."

"You mean you'll actually tell me more about yourself?" I gasped.

"Whatever secrets that've made it this far, sure."

I looked down at my dress and felt an urgent need to change. "Just give me two minutes?" I asked, and he nodded. I quickly threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and found Drake waiting just outside the train. We walked along together in silence for a while until we found a restaurant that was still open. We headed in and a smiling middle-aged man led us to a table for two. The man asked us a question in Italian, and I looked at Drake for translation.

He looked just as confused as me.

"Didn't think this through, did you?" I teased.

"No, no, I got this," he said. He looked at the waiter. "Um...Spaghetti and Pizza." The man nodded and left us alone.

"Nice save," I told Drake. I looked around the cozy restaurant, which was dimly lit but had a warm, friendly feel. The smells of garlic and herbs saturated the room, making me realize again how hungry I was. "Do you do this a lot?" I asked.

Drake nodded. "Comes with the territory. After the fancy parties, I usually find myself a local dive and have a real meal."

"Alone?"

"Usually."

I nodded. We chatted for a while, and I asked him about his favorite and least favorite meals. Eventually, our food came out, smelling absolutely delicious. The waiter set a cheese pizza in the middle of the table and the spaghetti in front of Drake. He took a bite of the pasta and sighed contentedly. "This is what I needed. Real food. Simple, delicious, and filling."

I grabbed a slice of pizza and dove in, making lots of "Mmm" noises as I polished off two slices before we resumed conversation.

"So, how come we didn't have to dodge security guards to come out tonight?" I asked.

Drake shrugged. "I'm nowhere near as important as Liam. But Bastien also knows me pretty well. He knows I can take care of myself...and you."

I raised an eyebrow at Drake as I stole some of the spaghetti. "Is that so?"

"Why is that so surprising? Bastien and I go way back."

I clapped my hands, "Ooh, story time!"

Drake groaned and rolled his eyes, but complied, telling me all about how his father and Bastien had worked together, and that after Drake's dad died, Bastien had taken him under his wing.

"Why didn't you join the King's guard?" I wondered. It seemed like Drake had kind of idolized the guard as a kid, and it seemed a natural fit.

"They're experienced security agents. I would've had to cut my teeth protecting some stuck up nobles first. So, I went to college, decided to build my own life, away from the palace."

"Why'd you come back?"

He looked down at his plate. "Liam and I started drifting apart. I was caught up in classes and in...life. There was an assassination attempt on the royal family, including Liam. The King's Guard stopped it before anyone got hurt, but it shook Liam."

I frowned. "He never told me about that."

"It doesn't really come up in casual conversation."

Except ours, I thought, staring at Drake. Drake was so standoffish at first, but he had grown into the biggest, marshmallowiest, sharer I had ever known.

Drake continued his story, "Besides, I don't think he wants to remember those times...it was rough. He seemed fine to most people, but his brother dropped by my campus one night in the royal family's private jet asking if I could come back. He was worried. Behind closed doors, Liam wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping. He was growing distant. I had to be there for him. Things were bad. He needed me."

Drake was picking at the last few pieces of noodle on his plate, and looked up at me with sad eyes. I reached a hand out and put it over his, making him drop the fork.

"You're an amazing person, Drake," I said quietly.

"He was my best friend, I had to do it." Drake sighed. He pulled his hand out of my grasp and used it to ruffle his long hair. "After that," he said at last, "I never really left. When I saw how things were at court for Liam, I knew I couldn't leave him to these sharks."

A thought occurred to me. "Do you think," I asked, "After Liam's married...settled...do you think you'll stay at court?"

Drake looked at me like it was the first time he had considered it. "I guess that depends on who he marries," he said at last. He stared at me for a long moment, and I could see the wheels in his head turning, but I didn't know what he was thinking.

"We should get back," I said to break the silence, and Drake agreed. He paid the check and walked me back to the train. He paused outside the door to my room.

"Thanks for coming out with me tonight," he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"It was fun," I said. I reached up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. As I shut the door to my cabin, I could see Drake still standing outside, his cheeks bright red as his fingers traced the place where my lips touched.