Shades of Truth (The Summerlynn Secrets)

by C. L. Stockton

  “It was very funny.” Rob’s eyes, a lighter blue than Sorin’s, scanned my face. “Come. We’re going for a walk.”

  If it got me out of the palace and away from Sorin, I was all for it. “Where?”

  “We’ll decide when we get there.” Opening the door, Rob gave a sweeping bow to usher me through.

  “How will we know we’re there?”

  “We just will.”

  “You sound very confident.” I took Rob’s offered arm. He was a bit shorter than Sorin, but they shared the same leanly athletic frame.

  Rob and I had no problem connecting. We never ran out of things to say, and simply being around him brightened my day. Thankfully, there was none of the physical intensity of my relationship with Sorin. While I appreciated Rob’s appeal, I felt no desire to kiss him or curl up in his arms or any of the other feelings Sorin aroused with a single glance.

  “I’m a prince. The world would not dare thwart my desires.”

  “I’ve heard that before.” I rolled my eyes. We were now in the front entryway. The butler, Cedric, went for my coat. Even though it was late summer, a lady might find herself chilled by the light breeze.

  “Then you should believe it by now.”

  A moment passed as he helped me into my jacket. “I won’t need this.”

  “Heaven forbid you catch a chill on my watch. My brother would murder me.” Rob shuddered playfully.

  “Only if we come back. Any chance you’ll run away with me?” We stepped through the front doors and the enormous fountain the drive encircled claimed my attention. Nearly as tall as the three-story palace, some type of humorous celebration among the statues was depicted. Of course, any gravity for the occasion would be hard to maintain with water coming out of one’s head.

  Tugging Rob, I made a beeline for it.

  “My brother will still be waiting to kill me when we return. He’s very patient.” We’d reached the fountain, and I more clearly saw the sculptures. The central figure was a man holding up the larger bowl for water to pool in, and around him stood assorted women and creatures. Almost everyone wore a happy smile and I wondered what they knew that I didn’t.

  “Then we won’t come back. My family will love you.” Especially Janice and Isabelle, my two younger cousins.

  Propping himself onto the lip of the lower basin which hit him at the hips, Rob folded his arms. “Why were you and my brother fighting?”

  “We always fight.”

  “You said you were leaving.”

  I frowned at him. “And you said you hadn’t heard anything.”

  “I lied.”

  “A family trait,” I muttered. “Since you were eavesdropping, you must have heard Sorin tell me I couldn’t leave.”

  “I may have heard that. Which is why I want to know why you want to leave.” Rob lifted his head to the sun’s rays. Already, I was peeling the jacket off my shoulders to more fully enjoy the warmth of the summer day. “Have we done something to offend you?”

  “The reasons I am leaving have nothing to do with you, or your parents.”

  “Then it is Sorin’s fault.”

  “Not entirely.” I sighed. “What do you know about my father?”

  “I know my father doesn’t like him.”

  “Which, by itself, would be enough to derail any future I might have with Sorin.”

  “Do not discount Sorin’s will. If his mind is made up as firmly as it appears to be about you, few dare interfere.”

  “And there are some things in this world not subject to Sorin’s will.”

  “So you think.” He held up his hand. “I am not here to argue with you, something Sorin has already done today. Tell me about your father.”

  To the best of my knowledge, Rob was completely in the dark about everything his father and brother were working on. The decision to enlighten him wasn’t mine. “King Richard believes my father orchestrated an unsuccessful plot to force him to abdicate.”

  Rob’s eyes went serious. “Ah.”

  “Yes.”

  “But you had nothing to do with it.”

  “Your father doesn’t think so.”

  Again, Rob said, “Ah,” but this time, a wealth of knowledge lay in that single syllable.

  I trailed my fingertips into the cold water as Rob continued to think. I knew he was thinking because his brows were lowered and he tapped his finger against his mouth.

  Finally, he turned to me. “You don’t have to go.”

  “I do.”

  “The story about your father is a good one, Cadrian, but hardly enough to send you running. What else is there?” His blue eyes searched mine intently.

  Unable to lie while looking him in the eye, I dropped my gaze to the cool, gray stone of the fountain. “The simple fact is I have no wish to associate with people who believe me guilty of treason.”

  “Sorin doesn’t think so.”

  “Sorin doesn’t rule the country.” I paused. “Yet.”

  “Then you are afraid of my father.”

  “Partly.” I shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

  “Here are the pieces I have so far.” Rob ticked them off on his finger. “My father doesn’t like you, my mother wants you in the family, my brother likes you too much, and while I will admit to a certain affection—but no more, mind you—you like none of us enough to stay.”

  A laugh escaped. “Only affection and here I thought I had your heart.”

  “You may only have one royal heart at a time. Do not become greedy.” Both our smiles faded. “If I can help?”

  Reaching a hand out to rest on his forearm, I smiled. “Thank you, Rob, but this is between your brother and I.”

  Rob looked at me, the sun gilding his black hair. “You cannot leave and expect him to let you.”

  “I can and I will,” I vowed.

  Rob arched his eyebrows at me. “I think it’s time you learned a few things about Sorin.”

  “I’ve learned enough, thank you.”

  There was a devilish slant to his smile when he said, “Are you not even curious about Constance?”

  “Who’s Constance?”

  “The woman we thought he would marry.”

  A sharp thorn ripped off a corner of my heart. “Perhaps you should tell me this story.”

  “I thought you might be interested,” he said smugly. “But first, before I tell all of my brother’s deep, dark secrets, I would like to go somewhere he can’t see us.”

  Abruptly, I lifted my head and looked around. I didn’t see anything. “Sorin’s rooms are in the front of the palace,” Rob explained.

  “Oh.” My gaze returned to the warm sandstone of the palace. The endless windows glittered in the sun, and I wondered which were his.

  “As I was saying,” Rob tucked my hand onto his elbow, forcing me to transfer my jacket to my other hand. “Sorin has always been very protective of females placed in his care. He cannot help himself. If there is a female in need, no matter what, he will see she is taken care of. So there was nothing out of the ordinary when he brought you home. Until I saw him look at you.”

  Though I desperately wanted to ask what Rob saw when Sorin looked at me, I didn’t. “I thought we were speaking of Constance.” We walked further into the garden splayed behind the fountain.

  “I’m getting to her.”

  “Then please, tell me about Constance and only Constance.”

  “Lady Constance Patterson is the daughter of my father’s oldest friend. It had long been agreed, informally, as soon as Sorin and Constance were of age, they would marry. It seemed a sound match. Two friends would join their families, and already wealthy families would grow wealthier.

  “As the years passed, Constance grew into a breathtakingly beautiful woman. She was rumored to be the most beautiful woman in all Goran. It only made sense Sorin would marry her. They made a lovely couple, always laughing and smiling.” Rob smiled, remembering.

  I frowned. The Sorin I knew rarely laughed or smiled. He ha
d changed.

  “Only months before their engagement was to be announced, something happened. To this day, I don’t know what. All I do know is Sorin told my father in no uncertain terms he would not marry Constance and never would.

  “Father was livid. He yelled, screamed, threatened, and finally refused to even see Sorin and sent him to our uncle’s home in Germany. Sorin came back different. Something in him had hardened. This time, when he refused to marry Constance, Father listened.”

  Same old Sorin. He made a decision and expected others to fall in. “How did Lady Constance respond?”

  “There were tears, and a few threats to sue Sorin for breach of contract, but nothing had been formalized. There was nothing the Pattersons could do. To this day, there is a coolness between them and Sorin.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “You are what Sorin wants. Best to give in now, as he will not take kindly to coming after you.” He studied my face. “Any other woman would be overjoyed at learning the crown prince of Goran is in love with her.”

  I lifted my chin so I could look Rob squarely in the eye. “I wish I was any other woman.”

  Rob frowned. “There is more going on than a misunderstanding about fathers.” At my nod, he asked, “Am I allowed to know?”

  So he did realize his father and brother were involved in something secretive. “Perhaps. But I cannot tell you. Your father already hates me enough.”

  “Father doesn’t hate you. He’s simply concerned about the influence you have with Sorin. You weren’t supposed to be a guest, you know.”

  “Which is why your father sent men to murder me.” At Rob’s uplifted eyebrows, I quickly explained about the soldiers in the woods and their strange reaction to Sorin.

  “Are you certain they were following my father’s orders?”

  “Sorin said so himself.” I remembered the serious look in his blue eyes when he’d confided the only reason I lived was because of him.

  “And Sorin wouldn’t let them have you.” He shook his head. “I always knew he’d be a fool for love.”

  “Didn’t I tell you not to make any declarations for Sorin he won’t make himself?”

  “If you were paying the slightest attention, you would know how he feels.” When I would have interrupted, he held his hand up. “When he first sees you, his eyes lighten, and a smile curves his lips. And he watches you, tracking your movements from room to room almost as if he cannot help himself. Then there is the way he cannot stop smiling. My brother has never been in such good spirits.”

  Feeling my cheeks flush, and my heart leap, I looked at the ground. “We cannot be together. Only he is too stubborn to recognize it.”

  “He can no more chose where and who to love than you.” Rob frowned. “So you will break his heart because you think it impossible.”

  “He will recover,” I returned quietly, wondering if I would be so lucky.

  His eyes scanned my face. “There is a large piece of this puzzle missing and neither of you will explain.”

  “I don’t have very many pieces myself.”

  “Does this have anything to do with the Tallons?”

  My head shot up, nearly clipping Rob in the face. “What do you know about the Tallons?”

  “I know my father suspended their involvement in our lives right before relations with Bolien worsened.” Rob cocked his head to the side. “You look shocked. I am more than a handsome face.”

  “I know that.” Straightening my shoulders, I decided to risk telling him who my father really was. “My father was a Tallon.”

  “Interesting connection then, between your family and mine.” He thought a moment. “I am guessing this is not a happy connection.”

  “No.”

  When I didn’t continue, he prompted, “Tell me why it matters so much that your father was a Tallon.”

  “Because he allegedly plotted with the Tallons to dethrone your father,” I whispered. Sorin was going to kill me when he discovered I’d told Rob things I shouldn’t have.

  To my surprise, Rob rolled his eyes. “Everyone is working to dethrone my father. I suppose it happens when one is in power.” While I struggled with my shock at his answer, he said, “This still doesn’t explain why you can’t marry Sorin.”

  “There’s more.” I wondered if Rob’s opinion would change once he learned about his aunt, the rightful ruler of Goran and my father’s role in attempting to enthrone her. Not to mention I had a pendant that might just be the key to the future of the Norths. “But you need to speak with your brother. I’ve already said too much.”

  “You’re beginning to sound like him. That is not a compliment.” I stuck my tongue out at him. “You’ve also picked up some very charming habits while you’ve stayed with us.”

  “It must be the company I keep.”

  He smiled. “This secret. Are you better off keeping it or allowing others to share the load?”

  Watching the play of sunlight over the planes of his face, I came to a sudden decision. I needed help with my father’s map. Why not show Rob, an uninformed bystander, and see if he recognized it? “Come to my room; I need to show you something.”

  “That is certainly an invitation I never expected from you.” Removing my now filthy jacket from where I was grinding the hem into the dirt, Rob slung it over his shoulder. He turned me toward the palace.

  I rolled my eyes. “If you wish to learn the real reason I’m leaving, you will shut your mouth and follow me.” He did as I asked, silently shadowing me all the way back to the palace, up the staircase and into my room. Briefly I worried what Sorin would think when he heard Rob had been in my bedchamber, but discarded the thought. The map, not my reputation, was my primary concern.

  Crossing to the wardrobe, I threw open the doors. Retrieving the book and map from the overcoat pocket, I held the folded sheet of paper out to Rob. Without hesitation, he took it, carefully opening it. Only the size of two book pages, it was the type of map easily held.

  Crossing to the window, Rob examined the map from different angles. I’d already tried that with zero success but I kept my mouth shut. Some things had to be learned firsthand. Besides, he might see something I’d missed.

  Rubbing his finger over my father’s cryptic All the secrets lie here, he said, “This isn’t a location I know.” But his eyes never left the map. Turning it a bit to the left, he frowned.

  “What?” I attempted to crane my own neck at the same angle and only succeeded in twinging a muscle.

  “I cannot be certain, but these are familiar.” His finger skimmed the humps on the left I’d taken as mountains. “If I am not mistaken, this is the Galeon Pass.” He named the mountain pass connecting Bolien and Goran. It was difficult to navigate in the summer months. Being fall, it would be mere weeks before it became impossible to cross.

  Now I had a location, or at least a landmark. “But where does that put the X?” Taking in account the X on the map was located past the Galeon Pass, it still didn’t tell me which country it was in, since I didn’t know which country was on what side.

  I hated maps.

  “Well, if this is the Galeon Pass, that would make this the Waring Sea. Your X is in Bolien.” With a finger, Rob indicated what I originally thought was a lake to the left of the X. The edges trailed off the side of the paper, so I could be excused for not guessing the size of the water.

  Hmm. So I needed to traverse the Galeon Pass, wave to the Waring Sea and go where? The X was in an area without any distinguishing landmarks, unless those jagged lines were meant to indicate the Hovering Canyon. “Please tell me that is not the Hovering Canyon.” I hated heights in addition to mystical maps.

  “Either that, or the person drawing the map had a sudden seizure.”

  I sighed. “I suppose the Galeon Pass is nice this time of year?”

  “It’s never nice at any time.” Finally lifting his eyes from the map, he raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you honestly leaving the comfort of the p
alace for the outdoors?”

  “Yes.”

  “I have long suspected it and here is proof. You are crazy.”

  “Probably.” I turned my gaze to the window. My room overlooked the pond in the back. “Has your father ever asked you to do something you didn’t understand, but you did it anyway?”

  “My father would never ask me to risk my life on his say so.” Crossing his arms, he tucked the map beneath his arm.

  “Are you certain of that?”

  “I know my father. He loves his family more than anything in the world.”

  “Even the throne?”

  “It would help if I knew what you were talking about.”

  “You’d be the first to know if I knew what I was talking about. I know only pieces.” I looked at him over my shoulder. “One of those pieces is that map you’re holding. I’d like it back.”

  “No.”

  Turning, I tilted my head to meet his gaze. “It is not a request.”

  “I reserve the right to protect you when you’ve taken complete leave of your senses!” One of his hands (not the one with the map) loosed itself and flew into the air to make his next point. “You cannot honestly believe my brother or I will let you risk your life because you think your father wants you to find an X in enemy territory!”

  “If you drop your voice a smidge, you’ll sound exactly like Sorin.” I narrowed my eyes.

  “At least we both agree keeping you safe is more important than a father’s request.” Reaching for my elbow, he implored, “Cadrian, please. Be reasonable. This map may be decades old, and your father probably did not mean for you to find it. Stay.”

  Oh, I wanted to. I wanted to happily sweep all my father’s lies and any miscellaneous secrets under the Brazilian carpets littering the palace and stay forever with Sorin and the Norths. Only I couldn’t. Questions would prick at my mind until I followed the path my father chose for me. What was worse, marrying Sorin now and leaving him later, or leaving him now when no vows bound us?

  “I can’t.” I met Rob’s gaze squarely. I would not beg and I would not plead, but I would have my way.

  “Is this why you and Sorin argued?”

  Partially. “Yes.”

  “Then I am on his side. Might I remind you he usually wins?”