The Rejected Princess

by Clark, Katie;

  “I had no idea of the letter’s contents. Roanna assured me it wasn’t a personal letter, but after your display yesterday morning, I had reason to doubt.” He shot his own scathing look Ben’s way.

  Ben brushed off the rebuke. He should have refused to leave Roanna’s side, ever. He should have defied Mother. Now Roanna was in danger simply by association with the Dawson family.

  “You’re one to speak,” he said. “You’ve been in contact with Merry Stern and never realized she was the enemy.”

  Gregory stayed silent, as he should.

  Merry Stern. If he could see her now he would wring her neck.

  “We will retrieve Roanna and be on our way,” Gregory said. “If Dawson’s Edge refuses to cooperate, we will consider the marriage agreement void.”

  Unless the marriage had already taken place.

  The thought turned his stomach. Dawson’s Edge couldn’t be so foolish as to think a quick marriage would assure their safety if they were suspected of the attack.

  And surely Roanna wasn’t so foolish as to think getting her answers was worth a shoddy marriage. Unless, of course, she wasn’t given a choice.

  They arrived in Dawson’s Edge mid-afternoon. Neither King Dawson nor Queen Katherine greeted them at the palace. Roland Dawson was also mysteriously absent.

  A palace aide met them. “Your Highnesses, if you’ll follow me.”

  “Where is the king?” Gregory asked.

  The aide glanced over her shoulder at them. “He is busy at the moment, but he will see you shortly. He asked that I bring you to his office.”

  “We would speak with him now,” Gregory insisted.

  She shook her head. “I apologize for the wait. An unexpected matter has arisen.”

  “What unexpected matter?” Ben demanded. He couldn’t bear not knowing if Roanna was safe, but he knew they walked on thin ice. Two royal heirs in a foreign kingdom, demanding their way? Not likely to be favored.

  They entered the palace. “Again, I apologize. King Dawson will be with you as soon as he can.”

  “Then show me to my sister,” Gregory said. “We would see her before we go to King Dawson’s office.”

  “Please wait in the office suite. I will see what I can do.”

  She’d apparently been coached to hold her ground, no matter what.

  Ben followed behind her silently, seething. Roanna could be anywhere in the large palace, with its many places to hide an unwilling princess.

  They followed the aide to the offices, but they needn’t have worried. Roland Dawson waited for them.

  “Where is Roanna?” Gregory demanded.

  Roland bowed slightly to Gregory. “Prince of Chester’s Wake. Welcome.” He turned to Ben and his eyes narrowed slightly. He did not greet him.

  “I want to see her. You took her, and I would know she is safe.”

  “I did not take her, as you say. She left with me completely of her own will.”

  “But under what intentions on your part?” Ben could not keep the contempt from his voice.

  Roland’s nostrils flared, and he turned on Ben. “You are most unwelcome at this meeting, Prince Benjamin of Lox. What right do you have to be here? Were you to maintain your love affair even after my wedding to Roanna?”

  Hot anger spread through Ben. His muscles tightened and he readied himself to fight. “The royal families of Chester’s Wake and Lox have long been friends. I come on behalf of that friendship, as a gesture of good will.”

  “Enough.” Gregory stood even taller. “Where is she?”

  “She is in the gardens, at present. Unharmed, I might add.”

  “Why is she here?”

  Roland’s eyebrows rose. “That is something you will have to discuss with her.”

  “Then you will take us to her.”

  “I’m afraid you will have to wait a bit longer for that.”

  Ben wanted to explode at the man’s insolence. Why the secrecy? “Talk plainly, Ambassador Dawson.” He worked to keep his voice calm. “You say Roanna is safe, yet you won’t prove it. What has happened since Roanna arrived here?”

  “That is for my brother, the king, to divulge. As it is, he will be along shortly.”

  Roanna had come for answers, and it appeared King Dawson had given them to her. Roanna wouldn’t keep him in the dark. They’d been on this mission together for the last few months. She would tell him.

  But one thing he knew for sure, his marriage agreement with Dawson’s Edge was null and void. The Dawsonians were not to be trusted, ever, and if he had his way, he would dissolve the entire kingdom.

  60

  Ben fumed as he waited outside King Bartholomew’s office. They sat in a small waiting area, alone. What was taking the king so long? “If they harmed her…” he left the sentence hanging.

  Gregory didn’t acknowledge the statement. He moved to lean against a corner wall, clenching and unclenching one fist with the other shoved in his pocket.

  Roland Dawson rounded a corner and met them. “The king is still attending to other matters. If you’d be more comfortable waiting in a private setting, I’d be happy to show you to one of my brother’s personal relaxation rooms.”

  What Ben wanted was information, but bullying Roland Dawson wouldn’t get him anywhere. It hadn’t done any good so far, and Roland was many years his senior. Perhaps it was time to start acting like a prince again.

  Gregory had pulled himself off the wall he’d been leaning against. He nodded solemnly. “That would be acceptable. Can you please let my sister know we are here?”

  Roland led them away from the busy office area. “Right now Roanna is with King Dawson and Queen Katherine. I will let them know you’re waiting for them as soon as they finish.”

  Ben didn’t question Roland’s statement, but his mind raced. Roanna had come to Dawson’s Edge for answers regarding her birth. What answers could the Dawsons have on that subject? Perhaps they knew about Dr. Presnell. But it was hard to believe Roanna would confide in Roland Dawson. The whole thing made no sense.

  Roland left them in a small sitting room. One wall looked out over a large green field. The other three walls were lined with bookshelves. A piano sat in one corner, and several couches and chairs were nestled in small sitting areas.

  Gregory moved to the windows as Roland closed them into the room.

  “Why would Roanna leave with Roland?” Ben asked. “She must have said something to you.”

  Gregory looked at him at last. “She told me what she overheard between the Dawsons.” His eyes narrowed. “I have a feeling she didn’t tell me everything, so I’m guessing you know more than I do.” Gregory scowled, his eyes practically shooting fire. “Regardless,” he went on. “I have no clue why she would seek Roland’s help.” He turned to the bookshelves. “I will be glad to be done with Dawson’s Edge when this is over.” Gregory went back to silence.

  They stood like statues for long moments. Occasionally, Ben moved to the window to see if anything was happening outside. But from his vantage point, he saw no one. He watched Gregory from the corner of his eye. Tension emanated from the other crowned prince.

  It didn’t matter to Ben how Gregory saw him, but as Roanna was his sister and they would be neighboring kings, it would be better to stay on good terms.

  “You blame me for this.”

  Gregory took a few moments to answer. “You practically forced her away. What do you suppose your mother said to her when we left the room yesterday?” The loathing was back.

  Ben turned toward the rolling field out the window. Was Gregory right? Had he chased Roanna away?

  No. Roanna was on a mission for answers. He had to believe it, and he did believe it. “You’re wrong. You don’t understand what Roanna has been going through these last few months.”

  “And you’ve made it all the harder on her, no doubt.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Roanna’s troubles have nothing to do with our relationship. On the contrary, it is most
likely that your own parents know the answers to her questions but have been keeping them from her.”

  Gregory stepped close to him, anger radiating from him. “You speak ill of the King and Queen of Chester’s Wake?”

  All Ben’s anger over the last weeks—all his frustrations over the last years—boiled to the surface. He could take it out on Gregory in one moment of violence. Gregory wanted to fight as badly as Ben did. The anger was written all over his face, and in his body language. He was angry over Merry Stern’s betrayal and because the Dawsons kept Roanna from him.

  But Gregory wasn’t his enemy. Rather, he was the ally.

  Ben ground his teeth and took a deep breath. “No, I don’t mean to speak ill of your parents. I only ask that you trust me. This has nothing to do with my relationship with Roanna. She can explain it all when we see her, if she wishes to.”

  The fire left Gregory’s eyes, and he stepped away.

  A moment later, the door opened and King Dawson strode in. He did not smile but stood with straight shoulders and his chin raised. “Two princes in one visit. To what do I owe the honor?”

  “I’ve come for Roanna,” Gregory said. He stepped toward the king. “She left with little notice, and given the recent Loxian attack, I felt it safer for her at home.”

  “You do not feel Roanna is safe in Dawson’s Edge?”

  “I do not feel her safe when we still do not know who ordered the attack. Can I see her?”

  King Dawson kept eye contact with Gregory for long, torturous moments. “Roanna came to me of her own will. While we are investigating the strange circumstances surrounding her arrival, it is best she has no contact with you.”

  The earlier anger shot to the surface. Ben stormed past Gregory. “Where is Roanna? She would not willingly refuse her own brother.”

  King Dawson’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean to imply Gregory Hamilton is her brother? On the contrary, he is not.”

  Ben sat on the precipice. He could allow his anger to overtake him. He wouldn’t get far pummeling King Dawson before guards would overtake him. Maybe kill him. Then where would Roanna be?

  He forced himself to calm down. “Then Roanna found the answers she sought,” he stated it simply, letting King Dawson know he knew the quest Roanna was on.

  King Dawson’s expression did not change. “Roanna is safe, and that is all you need know for the time being.”

  “No.” Gregory shook his head. “You’re playing word games. She is my sister, and I am her brother. I would see her now.”

  “You are welcome to stay and wait, but it is most likely your own fathers require your assistance in locating those behind the Loxian attacks. Roanna will see you when all of our questions have been answered. Until then, you are welcome to stay and dine with us for supper.”

  Ben looked to Gregory. He saw the same resolve on Gregory’s face. They would stay, as long as it took.

  61

  Ben’s knee bounced up and down as he waited for King Dawson to pore over Gregory’s notes on the intelligence Chester’s Wake had uncovered. It had been two nights since they’d arrived in Dawson’s Edge, and so far, the Dawsons had come up with one excuse or another as to why Roanna was not available.

  Gregory had been in contact with his father, who was demanding King Dawson allow Gregory to see Roanna immediately.

  King Dawson smiled kindly and assured King Hamilton his compliance.

  Ben didn’t trust the man. He ground his teeth and forced his leg to stop bouncing. What could Roland Dawson have told Roanna in the first place to make her think following him to Dawson’s Edge would be a good idea? Roanna was no fool. It must have been something important, or she wouldn’t have come.

  King Dawson sat back in his chair with a huff, holding the reports in his hands. “The Maynes and Sterns are the rebels? That is your big conclusion?” He quirked an eyebrow and frowned.

  “You see the evidence for yourself,” Gregory insisted as his jaw worked. It must be hard for him to indicate the Sterns when he’d only just started a relationship with Merry.

  King Dawson sighed. “I do see the evidence, but it seems so unlikely. The Sterns in cahoots with the Maynes?” He shook his head. “My sources have told me nothing of it.”

  “Perhaps your sources aren’t to be trusted,” Ben spat out.

  The king turned venomous eyes toward Ben. “What business do you have here, again?”

  “My father was attacked.” Ben worked to keep his voice steady. In this moment, he would go to war with Dawson’s Edge in a heartbeat—whether the king himself or simply the subjects were the culprits behind the attack.

  “Yes, well,” King Dawson stood. “You did not come to discuss these attacks. Prince Hamilton came to retrieve his sister, and the reason for your presence is still in question.” He marched to the door. “My people can bring in the Sterns.” He still spoke to Ben. “If you are the ambassador in place for this mission, you may assist in questioning them and deciding on their innocence or guilt.”

  Gregory stood, too. “We will see Roanna now.”

  King Dawson’s eyes narrowed. What was the man hiding? “Because I respect your father, I will have her brought to the palace gardens at once.”

  After all the fuss he’d made, it seemed unlikely the king would make it that easy. But Ben would not complain.

  Gregory nodded once. Then they followed him to the elevators. The king’s entourage of guards and aides followed as well. The elevator took them downstairs. Then a servant led Ben and Gregory outside.

  “I don’t trust him,” Ben said as soon as they were alone.

  Gregory shook his head. “I don’t trust any of this. What secrets of Roanna’s could the Dawsons have the answers to? It is foolishness.”

  It was foolishness, but again Ben knew there had to be a reason. Roanna had acted impulsively lately—her life had been stressful—but she wouldn’t put herself in danger without good reason.

  They waited long minutes, and Ben stopped and fingered a soft, green leaf. Where was she? He looked up to the palace, searching the windows, but he saw no one.

  “Gregory!” Roanna’s voice drew him back. He hurried to Gregory’s side as Roanna reached her brother and hugged him.

  “Why did you come here, Roanna?” Gregory chided. “Whatever answers you seek could have waited. It was foolish to seek after these mysterious answers when things were so dangerous.” He shook his head. “I should have stopped you. We need to go home today.”

  Roanna’s face paled. She glanced behind her, as if someone watched from the shadows.

  Ben searched the area she’d come from, but he saw no one.

  “I won’t be returning with you today,” Roanna said. “I hope to go home soon, but I cannot go yet.”

  “Roanna.” Gregory’s face contorted with irritation. “You can’t stay here. It isn’t safe.”

  She swallowed hard, and her gaze flitted to Ben’s face. “There are things you don’t understand.”

  Ben stepped forward. He reached for her hands, but she stepped back. He frowned but let it go. “If we don’t understand them, then explain. Please?”

  She didn’t look behind her, but her body language told him someone was monitoring her.

  He didn’t wait for her answer. He marched to the doorframe where she’d come from and looked around. No one was there.

  He growled and returned to her side. He lowered his voice. “Is someone watching you?”

  She met his gaze, her eyes wide and her nostrils flared. “No, no one is watching me.”

  She emphasized watching.

  They were…listening? The Dawsons were listening to her. Forcing her.

  “Roanna.” His voice cracked, and he tried again. “Roanna, your family needs you. We can keep you safe. The people of Dawson’s Edge aren’t honorable. No one here can be trusted.”

  Pain danced behind her eyes. She bit her lip. “I need to stay, for now. I promise you will understand more, later.”

  Ben reache
d for her hands again, and this time she didn’t pull away. “Has Roland done something to you?” he pleaded. “Have you been hurt, or forced into an early marriage?”

  She frowned, but the fear was still plain on her face. “No, nothing like that.”

  When she didn’t pull her hands away, he stepped closer. “We are in this together, Roanna. What did they tell you? Do they know about Dr. Presnell?”

  She gnawed on her lip another moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly. “I promise you will learn the truth soon.” She squeezed his hands but still didn’t pull away.

  His heart ached to pull her into a hug, but something held him back. She would not welcome the hug, maybe because the Dawsons were monitoring her.

  “Have your feelings changed?” he asked as softly as he could.

  Again, the smallest of head movements. A shake.

  Relief and determination poured through him. He released her hands and turned to Gregory. “I won’t go until she is ready to return.”

  Gregory’s face showed his irritation with his sister, but he nodded. “I will stay, as well. But Roanna, you need to tell us what is going on. Lox has been attacked. It isn’t safe here, and Father and Mother need us.”

  Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. “I should go back inside now.”

  Instinct told Ben to grab her and not let go. The Dawsons had some kind of hold on her, but what? If they knew of Dr. Presnell, then they might know more. They might know of the curse—or whatever it was—that the doctor put on her hair. Did they know she had heard their thoughts?

  She went inside without another glance.

  Ben growled, then stomped back to his own room.

  62

  Ben attempted to pass the time by checking in with Mother and Father. He assured them of his own safety and relayed the conversations he’d had with King Dawson over the last few days. Father had been sent home to heal at the hospital, and he was interested in Ben’s reports.

  Ben left out Roanna’s strange behavior, but the pain and confusion in her eyes played fresh in his mind. He shouldn’t have rejected her in Lox. He’d been trying to keep his promise to Mother, but he should have followed his heart, and his instincts. He and Roanna belonged together, regardless of anything keeping them apart.