Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Calder raises a brow at me, doing a poor job of hiding his curiosity. He knows the gash on my head wasn’t there this morning when he saw me, but he won’t argue when I give my mother an excuse.
“It’s nothing. I slipped and hit my head on my morning run.”
My mother gestures for her nurse to wheel her closer so she can fuss over my wound, inspecting it as if I might bleed out before her eyes. She worries too much, but I never deny her these moments to show she cares because this is what she lives for.
“Calder said you requested to meet with me.” I take a seat beside her, and she offers me a warm smile.
“Indeed.” She reaches out for my hand, and I resist the urge to recoil from human touch as I usually do, for her sake.
“How are you feeling today?” I ask.
“I’m just fine.” She waves my concerns away. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, good, you’re here.” My father enters the room with the subtlety of a hurricane. “Have you told him yet, Frida?”
“Told me what?”
He takes a seat beside my mother, narrowing his focus on me. My mother looks worried, and she removes her hand to touch his arm, her gentle way of letting him know she wants to deliver this news, whatever it is. Still, he chooses to disregard her.
“We have been informed by your secretary that you’ve been gallivanting around England to find some mystery woman from the ball.”
My body becomes unnaturally still, and I glance at Calder, who seems just as concerned as I am about where this conversation might be heading.
“It seems she made quite an impression on you,” my mother adds softly. “So, I think you will be happy to hear we have discovered the very woman you were looking for.”
“You have?” Alarm stirs inside me.
The king nods briskly, a lingering note of bitterness in his tone that I never accepted Princess Yasmine. “We have invited her and her family to stay at the palace for a length of one month. Adequate time for you to get to know her in a controlled setting. After which, we can announce your engagement.”
“Engagement?” I scoff. “You want me to marry… who exactly?”
“It’s the woman from London,” my mother answers hopefully. “Lavinia Maddison.”
The air in my lungs turns to ice as the consequences of my behavior comes back to haunt me. I was aware that Hayes would run back to my parents with this information, but I could never have imagined they would bring that dreadful woman here.
“Don’t you think you’re getting a little ahead of yourselves?” Calder asks. “He barely knows this woman. You can’t expect him to marry her after one month—”
“I have been patient for long enough!” My father slams his fist down onto the table. “Your mother has gone to a lot of trouble to bring this woman here. I’ve given you time and space. I’ve indulged your refusals of perfectly suitable women. But you can no longer afford to shun your responsibilities. I will see you married in three months, and this is not negotiable.”
I bite my tongue as my mother’s face crumples. She’s visibly shaken, and I seem to be the only one who remembers that stress can aggravate her condition.
“Don’t get yourself so worked up, Elias.” She pleads with the king. “It isn’t good for your heart.”
“My heart will give out before the New Year if the gods have anything to say about it. And then where will we be? A son who is woefully unprepared to take his place at the throne, let alone take care of his ailing mother.”
“Don’t ever question my abilities to take care of her,” I snarl, rising to my feet. “She will never want for anything.”
“Please,” my mother begs with tears in her eyes as she reaches out to touch my arm. “Let’s not fight today. A beautiful woman is waiting to meet you this afternoon. And I’m certain you will be pleased to see her again.”
My eyes drift over her face, and she seems thinner than the last time I saw her, only a week ago. Maybe it’s my imagination, or maybe she truly is getting frailer every day. But I know I can’t afford to crush her spirits now. Her only desire is to see me at peace, and I can’t fault her for that.
Leaning in, I place a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I’m sorry, Mor. I don’t mean to upset you.”
“You could never upset me.” She squeezes my hand in hers and then releases me. “Now, come. Let’s put this stress behind us and meet this lovely woman and her family.”
“Your Royal Highness.” Lavinia offers an overly exaggerated curtsy as I enter the room. “What a pleasure it is to see you again.”
She’s wearing a yellow floor-length gown that’s entirely too formal for this afternoon’s tea session, and it does nothing for her ghostly complexion.