She’d found millions of hits. It turned out that Freiherr was the name of a German pop singer in the empire. A recording company had launched his first single five years before. The hacker had opened his bank account a year later.
Her blackmailer had concealed himself in a crowded room.
Lila had given up the search to take a nap, or more correctly, she’d given up because thoughts of Tristan had finally overwhelmed her.
“Rise and shine,” Alex said gently as she reentered, straightening the distance between the hangers.
Lila thrust her head underneath a pillow. In the past, she hadn’t wanted to go to balls because they were an annoyance, but this time was different. There’d be no coming back from her actions if she attended the ball.
Tristan wouldn’t be coming back.
How on earth had she let herself get so wrapped in one person?
Lila pulled up her covers. Every part of her was sore and stiff from the surgery and the wreck, and now she had a headache from her crying jag.
“You have a ball tonight,” Alex reminded her. The mattress shifted as she sat. “I heard you earlier. I know you’re upset.”
“I’m not upset,” Lila mumbled, hating that someone knew she’d cried. Heirs didn’t do such things, or at least they weren’t supposed to do them, and lately it felt like that was all she did.
“This is about the man who came into the great house earlier, isn’t it? He’s the man you’ve been seeing?”
Lila’s head shot out of her covers. “What are you talking about?”
“How do you think he got up here? He came through the tunnels, found me, and asked me to help him the rest of the way up. I had no idea he’d be able to fit into a dinner cart.”
“Someone tried to shoot me earlier, so you naturally thought it would be the perfect day to let a stranger into my bedroom?”
Alex shrugged. “He was hot. I gave him a Lila quiz, and he passed. I figured if he wasn’t supposed to be up here, then you’d tranq him. He’s your lover, isn’t he?”
“So attractive people can’t be—”
“Ha! You admit he’s attractive? You’re totally fucking him. Is he good in bed? A man flexible enough to fit in a dinner cart has to be good in bed.”
Lila swallowed and turned her gaze to the floor. He had been good in bed. He’d been really, really good.
“Oh gods,” Alex said, her face falling. “You really like him. You quarreled, didn’t you?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Lila shrugged, pulling her covers back over her head. “We don’t work. He wants more than I can give him. We’re not together any longer.”
Alex nodded slowly, taking Lila’s cue. “Good. He wasn’t worthy of you, anyway. He was attractive, but lots of senators are far more beautiful. You’ll find someone new to take your mind off him. Someone worthy of a prime.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“Tough.” Alex slapped her ass with a loud pop. “Hop in the bath and be quick about it. You don’t have much time left to get dressed, and you’ll definitely need time to work on your eyes. They’re a puffy mess.”
Lila didn’t move. “There’s always time to get dressed later. I’ll be fashionably late.”
“Yes, there’ll be plenty of time if you want to go to the most elegant ball of the year dressed in your pajamas.”
“Depending on the pajamas, it might improve my chances considerably.”
“Chances of what?”
“Of becoming pregnant due to an erection alone.”
“I don’t think it works like that, but I could perhaps find something.” She ripped Lila’s blanket off her body and tossed it onto the ground. “I suppose I’ll have to. There’s no erection in the world that could get through those.”
She jerked her chin at Lila’s torn militia tank and cargo pants. “Out of bed, now,” she ordered.