by J. J. McAvoy
“My name is Lady Ramona Marlowe of Bothwin.”
“Lady?” Odette questioned before curtsying. “You must forgive me, Your Ladyship, I was not aware.”
The girl giggled and smiled. The future queen had curtsied to her. Despite what the papers had said, it was not customary for the future queen once engaged to curtsy to anyone who was not among the royal family. They could if the lord or lady was of some great importance or held some reverence for them, but that was not protocol.
“She has just made that little girl’s whole year.”
Once more, my shoulders went up slightly as the same voice came up behind me. I thought he had left, but once again, he was right back at my side.
“But we know what tomorrow’s story will be,” he went on. “Odette Wyntor breaks protocol by curtsying to a lower-court lady, even though it’s not against protocol, and she was being kind.”
His voice held apparent anger. Childish anger like someone had called his mother fat, and he wished to jump them in the schoolyard.
“Look at their faces,” he still went on, even though I was not adding to his conversation. “Half of them want to get closer to her, and the other half wish she would screw up in some way so they can laugh and talk about it for years to come.”
I could see the two groups, men and women alike.
“She really pushed herself for this, Iskandar, over and over again, practicing, working, studying,” he whispered, and I swear to God it looked as if he was getting emotional. “I truly just want this to go well for her.”
“It—” It will was what I was going to say. However, I stopped as my attention was drawn toward the figure dressed in black coming down the staircase.
“But why? Bloody hell, why? Isn’t she in mourning?” Wolfgang muttered, his shoulders dropping.
The announcer, who I thought was done for the day, called out, “Sophia De Loutherbergh, the Dowager Duchess of Elmburgh.”
They all parted for her as if she were Moses, and they were the red sea, and she nodded once to their curtsies. Everything about her, the way she looked, the way they regarded her, and the way she acted around them, you would have thought she was the queen. The prime minister, who did not look like a supporter of mine, stopped to kiss her hand and speak to her about how great Arthur was. Sophia listened with poise and grace, and every other great adjective, before excusing herself from their conversation and walking directly toward me. The long, black gown she wore made it look as if she was gliding on the ground. I tried to prepare myself, but I was not sure exactly what I was preparing myself for. I tried to keep my face as pleasant as possible, waiting, when all of a sudden, I felt a hand on my back. The body attached to that now closer than what was considered decent according to my classes here.
I knew it was Gale from the smell of him. I had thought he had moved to talk to someone from parliament. But apparently, he had not gone far. When Sophia finally came close enough, I immediately curtsied to her much longer than I needed to.
“Adelaar.” She turned and did the same to Gale before looking at me. “Miss Wyntor.”
I nodded.
And just like that, she moved on. It was eerie. She was like the walking dead, a ghost haunting us, chilling everywhere she entered with her beautiful and dead eyes.
“I will not be far when you need me,” Gale whispered quickly before putting the correct distance between us.
When I looked up to him, he was tense, his jaw pinched, and I was not sure why until a tall yet round man with short, blond hair, wearing a top hat came over, and on his arm was a woman who had to be a Brazilian supermodel. She had slightly tanned skin, bright-green eyes, and very large breasts when considering the rest of her size.
“Lord Belway. Lady Belway,” Gale replied coldly as they approached
“Adelaar. How stunning you are, Miss Wyntor,” Lord Belway stated before looking over to Gale with amusement.
I was not sure why since it was clear Gale was not his friend. But by looking at him, I also noticed him glance to the Lady of Belway. I was not exactly sure what I was seeing until Lord Belway leaned in and whispered, “I always knew our tastes were similar.”
Gale’s nostrils flared, and before I could speak, the Lady of Belway did so herself. However, I had no idea what language she spoke. She shot me a cold glare before her husband nearly yanked her along with him.
“Old friend of yours?” I asked gently as they left.
“Can we please talk about all of this later?”
I did not answer that question. “I cannot stick beside you throughout the whole event. I am going to walk a bit.”
“Odette.”
Because I had stepped so far from him, he could no longer whisper, and he could not call out my name in front of everyone. So, we just shared a glance. In his eyes, I could tell he was asking me to come back by his side. But I did not want to. It did not feel the way I wanted it to feel. I knew that it didn’t make much sense.
I carefully walked farther from the palace. Luckily, now, with the queen and Sophia here, more people had shifted their attention to them. This was my only small chance of freedom. Yes, I was sure people were watching me, and yes, Thelma was still walking at a slight distance behind me, but it was still a tiny hint of freedom. Walking on my own and watching the white and black swans swim in the lake made me feel slightly better. It reminded me of my mother, who loved swans. Hence my name. I wished she were here. To see all of this, at least. I knew I shouldn’t, but I brought out my phone. I wanted her to see what I saw at this moment, at least. But I did not hold up the phone. I tucked it against my purse.
I could hear Wolfgang’s tour information repeating in my head. The Victory Garden, created in 1917 after the first world war, comprises 861 different species of flowers. It is also home to two different species of swans, among three different pounds—
“I always love seeing these ducks swim next to swans.”
I turned to the voice of the woman with mismatched eyes—one hazel, the other pure blue. She was dressed in blue, too, though it was tight, with a slight slit up the side of the thigh.
“And you are?”
“Sabina Franziska, former Countess of Gormsey.” She curtsied with a smile on her face.
“Hello. Former you said?”
“Yes, divorced.” She snickered and leaned over. “It was very scandalous. My husband left me for another man.”
“I’m...that must have been hard.” What was I supposed to say to that?
She flicked her fingers nails. “Not really. I already knew when I married him. I was in it for the money and the title.”
My eyes widened.
“Oh, do not look at me like that. It was a mutual deal. He got a cover, a wife of good standing, and got what he wanted. It was a marriage of convenience. You should know how those things work correct?”
“I beg your pardon?” I asked.
She just kept pretending as if we were friends and smiled as she spoke. “You and Gale. Don’t worry. I already know.”
“Sadly, I do not think I know what you are talking about.” I tried my best to keep my face calm.
“Do not panic. I am not one of the vultures looking for you to fail.” She giggled, flicking her nails again. “In fact, I am actively in your corner. There is nothing I want more than for Gale to marry you.”
Each time she said Gale instead of Galahad, a small part of me wanted to yank her eyeballs out and stuff them into her mouth.
“I was always worried about us if he were forced to marry some noble lady. Before you, they thought of Lady Maeve Cudmore over there.” She pointed to the short, sort of plump girl with braces and acne that her makeup failed to cover. “Very rich, one of the richest in the country, but very weird. She is an entomologist too. Her whole mansion is filled with dead bugs, even her bedroom from the rumors. Gale told me once, his family visited their summer home, and she was smashing beetles into some paste to use on her skin. It gave him shivers. He declared he’d
never marry her even if the country were on fire. He can be dramatic, can’t he? Especially when I already know he will do whatever his family asks anyway. That is why I was so worried she would be the one. Because to be so weird for so long means she does not care what others would say about her. And with her family being so powerful here, I was sure whenever Gale came to see me, she would make a huge deal out of it.”
Now, after her little speech, I understood. “You are one of Gale’s exes too.”
“Oh, so you have met the Lady of Belway?” She giggled, shaking her head. “Yes, Giselle is in his past too. Not his favorite, though, mostly because of her damsel in distress act. If there is anything Gale loves, it is a woman with a heartbreaking story. He loves being the knight in shining armor. Do not mind Giselle. She will get used to you and then ignore you.”
I bit my tongue for a moment. “Is there a reason why you are talking to me right now?”
“I told you, because I am in your corner, your friend—”
“You are not a friend.” I shook my head, slowly looking out at the swans. “Let us skip forward. I guess you are here to tell me that you are not giving up on Gale? And that I should just accept that.”
“I am glad you are smart.” The grin on her face widened.
“So, you are telling me you are a whore?”
She did not even flinch. “I prefer the word mistress, the future king’s mistress, to be exact. And you are the future queen, and I will always remember that and stay in my place. You will barely even know I exist. To be king, to be the Adelaar is stressful. Gale needs a place, a person who helps him forget. Also, do not worry. I cannot have children. That is why he’s always felt safe with me.”
Was this woman really pitching to me why she should be Gale’s mistress? I was so shocked by how brazen she was about it. As if it was already a settled fact.
“In truth,” she went on, “I think we can all get along. I hate the press in this country. They are like rabid dogs, as you have seen sometimes. So, we all should have an understanding now like the ducks and the swans here. The ducks know they are not as big as the swans. They do not share the same type of beauty, nor do they get the same amount of attention, but they still share the same pond and eat the same food. They enjoy almost the same life. They remind me of myself. What do you think?”
I stared at her for a long time before reaching over and taking off my hat, running my hands through my hair. “I think you are mistaken, but I should thank you for speaking up because this little speech has reminded me of who I am. You and I are not the same. We do not share a pond. This is not a marriage of convenience. I am not here to be the queen of anything. I do not want a title. I do not need fame or money. God knows I have plenty of my own. Unlike you, when I truly care about and love someone, I do not share them with anyone for any reason. If Gale were dying and you were the only person in the world with his cure, I would either let him die or leave. That is how selfish I am,” I replied boldly. “If my mother saw me standing here in this outfit being talked down to by some pitiful, desperate, damaged garbage of a human being like yourself, she would slap me silly. Because she told me a thousand times, there is no line in a ring.”
“And that means what?” Her voice and demeanor now changed.
I lifted my phone for her to see. “That means you have bad timing. I was recording to send my mother what it was like today. Then you decided to come over and admit to far too much. And now I have that recording, and I am very upset. Not upset enough to do what I think you wanted me to—break down, stomp off, and just come to accept you. No, I am upset enough that I’m going to send it to those rabid dogs in the press you hate so much.”
“You—You would not dare.” Her voice stammered. “You would hurt Gale too.”
“I sort of want to hurt Gale right now, so it’s okay. Thank you for coming to talk with me, Sabin—”
“Stop.” She grabbed my arm. However, another hand grabbed her arm much faster, squeezing tighter.
Thelma stared her down, her hand locked so tightly it looked painful. Thelma, with her other hand, reached up and said, “I have a duck.”
I did not know what that meant, but two female guests came forward swiftly, flanking Sabina on each side. However, they looked very familiar. Sadly, I did not have to think about it as everyone’s attention now returned to me.
“We are sorry, Miss Wyntor,” one of the women said, holding her arm. “She is a bit drunk.”
“Odette?” At Gale’s voice, Sabina’s head whipped to him.
Her mismatched eyes were wide. “Ga—Adelaar, it was just a small misunderstanding. I spilled my drink on Miss Wyntor here. I apologize.”
Gale watched her for a moment before shifting his gaze to me. He scanned the length of my dress for signs of a spill but saw none, nor even a cup between either of us. The look on his face worsened. Instead of speaking, though, he reached out his hand for me, and I took it. He smiled toward her and nodded. “Accidents happen. It is fine. Please go ahead with your company. Odette, come, there are some people I wish to introduce you to.”
I let him lead me back up to the palace only because I did not want to insult him publicly. This was crazy. All of this was crazy. Why was I here? Why was I putting myself through these insults? Was it really worth it? I was an heiress. I could marry any Joe off the street and go live a luxurious, grand life on a yacht somewhere, where no one was ignoring, insulting, or pushing me. I could be living a dream without a crown. My father had worked too damn hard in life for me to begin to hate my own.
“Why am I here?” I whispered and paused right in the middle of the greenery.
When he looked back at me, it was clear he heard me, though how he did over the commotion of everything else I was not sure.
But his eyes were filled with shock and hurt as he just stared dumbfounded. He turned and stepped right up to me.
“Gale, there are eyes—”
“You are here because I am here. And you love me.”
“Gale.” I hissed, trying to remind him where we were. But for some reason, he was not paying attention nor seemed to care. So, I tried once more. “Please, people are watching.”
“Let us give them something to talk about then,” he snapped, pulling me to him, and before I could do anything, his lips were on mine.
The queen was going to snip off my fingers.
The press was going to crucify me.
Everyone at this party was witness to this scandal.
He should have stopped, but when I did not kiss him back, he pulled me closer, his arms wrapping around me. I was pissed.
One, he destroyed all the effort I had put in for this event. Two, at this moment, the freedom I thought I was finding again vanished as I kissed him back. All of me ached from the press of his body against mine. My fingers tingled, and I could feel the heat rising in my neck. So, when he slowly lifted his head from mine and smiled, I wanted to punch him in the face. He knew the effect he had on me, and he was abusing that power.
“You are here because I am here. And you love me.” He repeated it as if it were law.
And I could not argue or yell in his face like I wanted to as the people around us began to clap.
We pulled back, our hands still linked, though, by his choice, not mine, I might add. Once more, I was forced to nod and smile at the gathering of people who were cheering—up until my eyes connected with the queens. She was not clapping. She was still as stone, glaring with the fury of thousand dead queens.
In the back of mind, all I heard was snip.
Chapter 17
Was I losing my sanity?
Because it felt like I was.
How was it possible for one woman to single-handedly disrupt all 100 billion neurons in my brain? Honestly, the woman had me twisted in knots. I wanted to yell at her. I wanted to say to hell with it all. I wanted to talk. I wanted her to talk, and at the same time, especially considering what she had said earlier, I feared what she would say when she
did speak. There was just so much space between us, and it was driving me mad because while I felt as though I was trying to close it, she was once again running from me.
“Why am I here?”
Of all the things she could have said, those four words had to be the worst. I would have even preferred if she said she did not love me. Because at least then, I would know she was lying or scared. But no, she said, “Why am I here?” which basically translated to loving you is not worth it. It took all my strength at that moment to not unleash the rage I felt. It was either kiss her or curse her. I thought I had chosen the more rational option, but as we reentered the palace, she yanked her hand away, refusing even to spare me a glance, let alone a word as we walked through the corridor.
“Her Majesty wishes to see you in the drawing room,” Ambrose said, not to me but Odette.
She lifted her head and snickered bitterly before nodding. “Of course, please, by all means, lead me to the drawing room.”
“We shall go together,” I said to her, but she ignored me, inhaling deeply and standing further upright.
“Her Majesty requests that you prepare for dinner, sir,” Ambrose replied to me.
I cracked my jaw to the side. “I shall tell her personally that her request was impossible to fulfill at this time. Odette, shall we go receive our punishment together?”
It was my sad attempt to find humor here, and it failed miserably. The look of anger on her face as she finally met my gaze was proof enough of that.
“I did nothing wrong, Galahad, so why would I be punished?” she asked, and I had no answer, nor did she wait for one, walking forward without either Ambrose or me to accompany her.
However, she did not seem worried, and she was right not to be. Because out from behind, Wolfgang appeared, rushing to her side. Over and over again, we were surrounded by a wall of people, which kept us from ever speaking to each other.
Galahad? Is that what she was going to call me from now on?
Annoyed, I marched ahead of them both, grabbing her wrist.
Her head whipped back at me. “Gale—”