Jewels by Danielle Steel Page A

was a duke, in line to the throne, and she was acting as though they were old friends, but that was how she felt after spending the last three hours with him, and she didn’t want to go back to London.
    “Where are you staying?” She heard him ask her father, as they walked slowly back to the castle again, to the moat where they had entered.
    “At Claridge’s. Would you join us there sometime? For a drink, or for dinner?” Her father said it very casually, and William looked delighted with the invitation.
    “I’d like that. May I call you in the morning?” He addressed the question to Edward, and not to Sarah.
    “Certainly. We’ll look forward to hearing from you, sir,” Edward said as he shook his hand. Then William turned to Sarah as her parents walked past her to the waiting car and driver.
    “I had a wonderful time today. I really didn’t expect that. I almost didn’t come … you were a lovely surprise, Miss Sarah Thompson.”
    “Thank you.” She smiled up at him. “I had a wonderful time too.” And then she couldn’t help saying something to him about what Belinda had told them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “About what?”
    “Your Grace.” She said it with a shy smile and for a moment she was afraid he’d be angry, but he laughed, after only a moment’s hesitation.
    “Dear Belinda.” And then, “Does it matter?” he asked softly.
    “No, not at all. Should it?”
    “It might. To some. For all the wrong reasons.” But he already knew from talking to her that she wasn’t one of those people. And then he looked at her with an expression that was both serious and teasing. “You know my secret now, Miss Sarah Thompson … but be careful!”
    “Why?” She looked puzzled, as he moved just a little closer to her.
    “If you know my secret, perhaps in time I will ask you to share yours.”
    “What makes you think I have one?”
    “We both know that, don’t we?” he said softly, and she nodded, her eyes very full, as he reached out and touched her hand gently. He didn’t want her to be frightened of him. “Don’t worry, little one … don’t ever tell me anything you don’t want to.” He bent and kissed her cheek then, and walked her slowly to the car to return her to her parents. She looked up at him in awe as he stood beside the car, and waved until they were gone. And as they rode back to London, she wondered if he would ever call them.

Chapter 5
    HE next morning, as Edward was having breakfast with his wife in the living room of their suite at Claridge’s, the telephone rang, and a secretary’s voice announced a call from the Duke of Whitfield. There was a moment’s pause, and William’s warm, genial voice came on the line with a friendly greeting.
    “I hope I’m not calling you too early, sir. But I was afraid you might get off on your rounds before I could reach you.”
    “Not at all.” Edward glanced at his wife with a look of delight, and nodded vehemently as he continued the call, and Victoria immediately understood him. “We were just having breakfast, except for Sarah, of course. She never eats, I don’t know how she does it.”
    “We’ll have to see about that.” William jotted himself a note to have his secretary send her flowers that morning. “Are you free this afternoon, all of you, I mean? I thought it might be amusing for the ladies to see the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. One of the few privileges that comes with rank is that one can have private tours of oddities like that, if one chooses. It might be fun for Sarah and Mrs. Thompson to try some of it on. You know … that sort of thing …” He sounded a little vague this morning, and very British. But Edward liked him a great deal. He was a real man, and it was obvious that he had a considerable interest in Sarah.
    “I’m sure they’d love it. And it would keep them out of the stores for an hour or two. I’d be very grateful.” The two men laughed, William said he’d pick them up at