Shades of Truth (The Summerlynn Secrets)

by C. L. Stockton

  With so much to think about, I nearly walked past Colton waiting in the hall for me. At least I thought it was for me. He could be waiting to speak with his father to analyze what I’d just said.

  When he fell into step beside me, I nastily asked, “Did your father arrange this walk with me?”

  “I do not do everything my father instructs.” His voice was subdued amid our echoing footsteps. The slate tiles marked with the Goran royal crest ran the entire length of the downstairs floor. They gave way to gorgeous maple wood on the front staircase, which we were fast approaching.

  “No, of course not. Only the important things.” I quickened my pace. I didn’t trust myself to speak with Colton, my heart still raw from having my illusions ripped away.

  “Cadrian, wait. I can explain.” He grabbed my arm. Immediately, I jerked away, turning to face him.

  “Don’t touch me!” My voice was shrill in the vast ceilinged entryway. We appeared to be alone, but I knew better. Servants heard everything.

  Of course he ignored me, pulling me against the staircase so at least our voices wouldn’t echo as much. I looked at his hand on my arm with so much repugnance he released me. “I don’t want you to explain. In fact, I don’t want to hear another word from you.”

  “I hate to disappoint you, but I have a few things you need to hear.” I began to speak, but he talked over me, “I never gave you a reason for bringing you here. I simply brought you. Any disappointments you have are brought on by your own expectations.”

  He knew. I felt my face redden. Of course, I had been fooling myself that he wouldn’t notice, would not see I was in love with him. I wondered how long he’d known. Maybe as long as he’d known about my father’s death.

  I took refuge in anger. “I never would have had expectations if you refused to take me to Lisbon!” I poked his chest. Hard.

  “And leave you in the midst of the fight that claimed your parents? Oh, yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea.” His sarcasm was sharp as a knife as it slid between my ribs. “You’d be dead if I left you!”

  “Better that than here with you.”

  His arms gripped my shoulders and he shook me. “Death does not need to be chased. It has already been stalking you for some time.” The words were chilling in the warm entryway. I felt suddenly unsure of his strength, of the arms holding me against the staircase.

  “What? What are you not telling me?” To keep his eyes on mine, I framed his face with my hands, feeling the coarseness of his beard.

  “I was instructed to negotiate with your father and if that failed, to take something of value from him. Unfortunately, he was only too willing to hand you over.” Though his eyes were on me, he was lost in some inner world, seeing things I could not. “In Mantle, I sent instructions back to my father, alerting him that I had you.”

  Of course. Now I understood the soldiers’ dilemma. Obey their king and accuse their prince of lying, or step back and allow Colton’s actions to be on his own head.

  “Those men in the forest. My father sent them. He’d received my message.”

  No wonder the men recognized Colton. But there was more to this story. “Tell me.”

  “They were sent to kill you. The only thing that kept you alive was me.”

  The truth was a hard thrust into my stomach. Coming on the heels of so many other shocks, I was surprised my reaction wasn’t worse. During our journey, death had been rather removed. Suddenly it was closer than my next breath.

  Having promised to protect the daughter of a man he did not trust, Colton then realized his own father demanded my life. How easy it would have been to step aside, to leave while the men raped and murdered me. But he hadn’t.

  Promises meant a lot to the man before me.

  Now he was home, however, now he’d met at length with his father, was his promise negated?

  “Cadrian?” My hands still around his face, I felt the movement of his jaw.

  Carefully, I removed my hands. In as calm a tone as I could manage, I said, “I would like to go home now.”

  “It’s not safe.” He still held me, his fingers making separate imprints along my shoulders.

  “Safer than here with the Norths! I might not wake tomorrow.”

  “Nonsense. You are no longer a threat.” He glanced over my face. “At least not in that way.”

  I pushed him away. “Listen carefully. You are not to come near me. My life was simple before you barged in.”

  “More like you forced your way into my life.” He folded his arms over his chest, muscles bunching. I was reminded how easily he could murder me. “You are only angry because you’ve decided you quite like it.” He looked deliberately around the foyer.

  I remembered his mother’s comment about the shameless way he was pursued because of his title. Taking a step closer, I poked him in the chest. “Do not compare me with those other girls. If I were interested, your title would be a huge detriment.”

  “But you are not interested,” he repeated, a mischievous light in his eyes. Since I’d saved him the trouble of coming after me, he lightly grabbed my elbows again.

  “That’s what I said.” I refused to allow his eyes to hypnotize me, though they were the bluest blue I’d ever seen.

  Lowering his head toward mine, his words floated across my cheekbones. “I don’t believe you.” Already, the warmth from his hands on my elbows had spread throughout my body. I leaned in, arching slightly to bring my mouth closer to his.

  Then I remembered this meant nothing. I was only here because King Richard decreed it. Probably because he hadn’t decided whether or not to kill me. In fact, he may have even enlisted his son to do anything to keep me here. What better way than to seduce me?

  Although it wouldn’t be seduction.

  From some deep reserve, I pulled back. “No.”

  He studied my face a moment. “You’re thinking too much.”

  “One of us has to.”

  He nodded. “You are probably right.” With one last squeeze of my elbows, Colton stepped back. “Will you be here when I return?”

  “No.” My plans were not firm, but the need to get away intensified. With this newest threat from the Norths, it was up to me to discover my father’s secrets and how they connected to the map.

  “If I had a mark for every time you said that word,” he teased.

  “You are wealthy enough without it.” I tilted my head to the side. “Are we through here?”

  “No, but I will allow you to go upstairs, if you wish.”

  “But not out the front door?” Being so huge, the door was located a good twenty feet from the staircase and I didn’t like my chances of reaching it before Colton grabbed me.

  “No.” He trailed me to the stairs, resting a hand on the rail and watching me climb. “There is too much to discuss for you to even think about leaving for at least a year.”

  “Try again,” I called down, having reached the landing to the second floor.

  “6 months?”

  “No.”

  “Three months?”

  “No.” I wondered how low he’d go. I was nearly to the third landing. My room was just down the hall.

  “At least promise you’ll remain until I return.”

  I leaned over the banister and he looked so appealing, with one foot on the stairs, head tilted upward to see me, that I asked, “Which will be when?”

  “A week. Maybe more.”

  “You have two weeks.” I supposed I could grant him that much. That would give me enough time away from his influence to firm up my plans to leave. If I had a solid plan, he’d have to let me go. Besides, it might actually be fun to accompany the queen on her social rounds. He opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted, “There is nothing more to say. Have a safe journey.” I left the staircase and didn’t stop until I was inside my room leaning against the closed door.

  Either I was a complete idiot for staying, or a demented fool with a taste for torture, though the instrume
nt of my torture would not be here. Surely that counted for something.

  Chapter Twelve

  Starting early the next morning, Queen Cassandra—“Call me Cassie!”—descended on me with three tailors and assorted seamstresses in tow. Even now, I was being measured and fitted for a dizzyingly vast array of clothes. When I protested, she simply hushed me with an upraised hand, saying if she was to be seen with me, I must be presentable.

  Feeling as though I’d scream if I tried on one more dress, I slipped out while Cassie and DeMarius were discussing whether ruffles or pleats looked best on a ball gown (neither. I preferred lace). I sprinted toward the back of the hall, nearly crashing into Rob when I turned a corner.

  Steadying me, he said, “Good morning, Cadrian. Is something chasing you?”

  “Why? Did you see someone?” I flattened myself against the wall.

  “No.” For the first time, he noticed I was clothed in a loose yellow gown that was not quite buttoned all the way in the back. Compared to Rob’s neatly pressed navy jacket, white shirt and fitted chocolate trousers, I felt supremely underdressed. “Ah. I should have known my mother would not miss the opportunity to dress you.”

  “I said no,” I attempted to explain.

  “But she took no notice. She never does.” I watched the sunlight lighten strands of his black hair to blue. The pairing of his blue eyes with his dark hair must drive the ladies wild. “Fashion is her pet project. Luckily, she is now focused on you, meaning I am to be spared my morning appointment with her tailors. Tell me, how many tailors are in your room?”

  “Three.”

  “All three? I am impressed. Mother is quite serious about you accompanying her on her social rounds.” He ducked his head toward mine. “Run now, before it’s too late.”

  “I’m trying!” I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. One prince told me to stay while the other told me to leave.

  Rob laughed with me. “I sense you need a break. May I interest you in a tour?”

  “Yes.” When he offered his arm, I smiled. “Anything to avoid a fitting?”

  “Of course. Besides, Sorin would have my head if you became lost in a back corridor somewhere.” He noticed I stiffened at the mention of Colton’s name. “Ah, a flinch. Will you explain?”

  I sniffed. “I cannot tell you anything you do not already know.”

  “Perhaps, but it never hurts to see him through another’s eyes.” He bent his head to look closely into my eyes. “Yours are quite pretty, by the way. Blue is my favorite color.”

  There was more than one flirt in Colton’s family. “Thank you.”

  “But before we go, would you like help with your gown? The last thing I need is word to reach my brother that I have been escorting you around the palace in an unbuttoned gown.” He made a twirling motion with his hands until I turned around. The buttons were securely fastened, his fingers light against my skin.

  We began walking down the hallway together, my hand tucked securely on Rob’s arm. Unlike the excitement and nervousness I felt whenever I touched Colton, I was able to simply admire Rob’s muscles with no desire for further exploration.

  Entering a long narrow room along the back of the hallway on the third floor, I took a moment to admire the long rows of portraits in expensively gilded frames lining the walls.

  “This is where I come when I feel the need for a stern reproof,” Rob commented.

  “Which is not very often.” I smiled, releasing his arm to more closely examine a portrait of some North ancestor clothed in armor with the Goran royal crest emblazoned on his shield and breastplate.

  “Of course not. Levity is one thing us Norths require.”

  Content to let me wander, Rob crossed to one of the floor to ceiling windows along the back of the room. I slowly went portrait by portrait, assessing which features Colton had from his forefathers. One painting in particular startled me. It was of a young King Richard, who had been painted with a few shadowy guards in the background. Around the neck of one of the men hung a Tallon pendant.

  “Rob? Can you come here, please?” Unfortunately, the man’s face was entirely in shadow.

  “Yes?”

  “Who is this man?” My finger hovered above the surface of the oil painting.

  Rob took a moment to consider the painting. Then he shrugged. “I do not know. I can ask my father, if you like.”

  “No!” The harshness of my answer startled him. I tempered my tone. “No, but thank you. I do not wish to trouble your father over such a trivial detail.”

  He wasn’t entirely convinced, but being so newly acquainted, he must have decided not to cause any ripples between us. “As you wish.”

  Next to King Richard’s portrait was a family portrait from when Colton and Rob were still quite young. So young, in fact, I hardly recognized Colton. Though the hair and eyes were the same, his structured jaw and high cheekbones had not fully emerged from his round, boyish face.

  Not allowing myself to linger on that, or either of the two portraits beside it (of an older Colton and Rob, separately), I walked to the end of the gallery. “Where to next?”

  “Oh, the silver drawing room, the music room, and other suitably boring places.” Rob slowly sauntered to my side.

  “How about the dungeon?” If it was possible Colton lied and my father was alive, he’d be in the dungeon. No, I scolded myself. He wouldn’t lie about something like that.

  Would he?

  “Whatever has Sorin been telling you about us? We have not used the dungeon in simply ages.”

  “Ten years,” I guessed.

  “Fifteen.” Rob laughed. “But I have been forbidden to show anyone the dungeons. Parts of it caved in last year.”

  “That’s too bad.” I frowned. There went my theory of my father secretly being held there. “How about the library, then?”

  “You mean libraries? We have seven.”

  “We’d better get started. I want to see them all.”

  So we passed an enjoyable afternoon in a tour of the palace. I saw all seven libraries, including the one Colton kissed me in, three music rooms, twelve drawing rooms, three receiving rooms, two ball rooms and the other miscellaneous rooms that made up a palace.

  Nearing the end of the tour, our lighthearted conversation took a serious turn.

  Turning to face me, I noticed laughter lighting his blue eyes when he asked, “So, you and my brother?”

  “Of course not.” I frowned. “Why would you even ask that?”

  “It’s obvious there’s something between you.” Rob scrutinized my carefully blank face. “Are you in love with him?”

  I couldn‘t be sure why Rob asked the question, but he deserved an honest answer. “I am not in a position to feel anything beyond admiration and gratitude for your brother.”

  Rob took a moment to sift through what I wasn’t saying. “Fair enough. And if I were to tell you he is in—”

  “Don’t!” I made a chopping motion with my hand. “Do not make any declaration he is unwilling to make himself.”

  A flash of appreciation appeared in Rob’s deep-set blue eyes. “You nearly match him in stubbornness.”

  “I don’t want to match him in anything.”

  “Liar. There are quite a few things you wish to match him in, the least of which is matching his mouth to—“

  “Robert!”

  “Do you know you sound just like my mother when she is annoyed with me?” Retreating back into playfulness, we continued down the hallway to my room, where I was immediately set upon for final fittings.

  That had been nearly four hours ago. How I wished I was again wandering the palace with Rob. Cassie decided it was time to make my public debut, and cajoled the tailors into preparing a beautiful satin ball gown in a shade of green for this evening. So here I was.

  It was overwhelming to suddenly be thrown into a ballroom packed full of beautiful women and well-dressed men. Everyone seemed to know everyone else; the queen and Rob were hailed by man
y as we started across the room. I must have been introduced to at least forty people, but I forgot all their names within a few minutes of our meeting. I concentrated on staying glued to Cassie’s side, and limited my replies to smiles and nods, with a “yes” thrown in every now and then.

  Distractions abounded, mostly in the form of an especially handsome man or an eye-catching gown in the corner of my eye. I felt inconsequential in this room apparently filled with people of consequence. Though I hated myself for it, I kept an eye peeled for a glimpse of Colton, as if he might magically appear. Catching me watching a tall blonde gentleman much of Colton’s height, Rob smiled and leaned to whisper against my ear.

  “He’s not here. He won’t be back for days yet.” Rob’s grin stretched across his face. My hand rested along his elbow, and I stood closer than was strictly polite. I couldn’t help it! I was desperate for a friendly face, and so far, Rob was the only one smiling. Already, I was catching many interested and yes, malicious gazes directed my way. A man as handsome as Rob was a magnet for feminine attention.

  “The longer, the better.” I put on my haughtiest expression and may have scared off a gentleman coming at that moment for an introduction.

  “Do you realize your eyes crinkle at the corner when you lie?”

  I lifted a hand to my eye. “They do not.”

  “Of course not, but now I know for certain you lied.”

  “I begin to dislike you.” My attention returned to the dancers. I had always been an accomplished dancer, but after Rob’s comment, I wasn’t certain I wanted to dance with him.

  Rob followed my gaze. “But you will dance with me anyway.”

  “I suppose I could be persuaded.” We joined the already gathered couples on the floor. Thankfully, it was the Handel, where couples remained together the majority of the dance. I wouldn’t be passed off like a side of beef from man to man. I never understood why most dances were designed to keep the initial couple apart. I’d agreed to dance with Rob, not every other man on the floor.

  Taking my hand in his, his other hand lightly clasping above the curve of my right hip, Rob swept me into the opening right hand turn of the dance. I experienced a moment of panic that I would somehow forget the steps of the dance and embarrass the queen and Rob, but the steady pressure of Rob’s lead made my dancing flawless.