Unable to bear shouting at me from so far away, he comes forward until we’re mere feet apart. “The whole castle is buzzing with it! Did you or did you not tell the ladies in my mother’s sitting room that we’ve touched?”
Cold fingers walk down my spine. I’m unsure whether it’s better to lie or not. “Servants gossip. They exaggerate.”
“What. Did. You. Say?”
I step away from the bed. “I’m trying to sell our courtship. I embellished our interactions. I said we take midnight strolls together and that you’re more intimate when we’re alone.”
Why is he so worried? It’s not as if he has a reputation to protect. He’s the king. Royalty may do as they please.
“Did you say that we’ve touched? What were your exact words?” he demands.
I rack my brain, trying to find the wording. “I said you kissed my gloved hands in private.”
“Gloved? You’re sure you said gloved?”
“I’m certain. Why?”
He runs a hand through his hair, and the immaculate style falls away, the strands drooping to his ears.
“You cannot tell people that you’ve broken the law. You cannot—”
“You have no right to be angry with me!” I snap, quite finished with being reprimanded. “You tasked me with selling our courtship. That was the deal. If there were things I wasn’t allowed to do, you should have said so. Now tell me why people cannot think that we’ve touched. And don’t you dare try to tell me it’s for my safety. You could pardon anyone for anything. You’re king. So what do such rumors mean for you?”
The anger falls from his face, and I think he realizes for the first time that I’m in a nightgown. His eyes trail down the length of me. Slowly, just as he did when we were first introduced at the ball.
“They make me weak.”
He turns on his heel and disappears through the solid wall of my room.
CHAPTER
9
I demand my maid look for something red in my wardrobe the next morning. I know exactly the garment she will find. A floor-length dress that requires a petticoat to give it some volume. From my waist to the floor, the silk is gathered in bunches, giving it a tastefully wrinkled look. The bodice turns black at the torso and hugs my waist, coming to a little point over each breast, giving me full coverage. The dress is sleeveless, but I wear gloves that climb nearly to my shoulders.
I didn’t want to detract from my new necklace by wearing a dress with sleeves.
My maid does the clasp at the back, and the red rose pendant falls over my collarbone, matching everything beautifully.
I am not wearing the dress for the king. Not after last night. No, I’m forced to wear his trinket because all the ladies in the sitting room saw me receive it. How would it look if I were not to wear it?
As soon as I’m done, a tray is brought in and placed on the table, a breakfast of fresh fruits, porridge with sugar, and freshly squeezed juice.
Next to the first tray, a servant brings in a second, setting it on the other side of my little table.
“What is this?” I ask.
Then Kallias walks in, and the servants leave us alone in the parlor.
“I should have known,” I grumble as I take my seat, wondering if I should be prepared for more chastising from him.
“I thought I would join you today,” he says, holding out my chair for me. “I should visit your chambers to sell our act. We will, of course, avoid the bedchamber, so as not to ruin your reputation.”
I take a sip of my juice before saying, “You were in my bedchamber last night. Is that room only to be reserved for when you feel like yelling?”
He looks down, ashamed. “I was hasty to make assumptions. I should have known the ladies would exaggerate their gossip.” He looks up from his food, taking a proper look at me. At my neck. “Do you like my present?”
“I liked it better before you yelled at me.”
His eyes darken, and he stops the hand that was on its way to run through his hair. He holds absolutely still for a moment, as though thinking through something carefully.
“Ah,” he says at last. “I have not yet apologized.”
“No, you haven’t.”
“I’m sorry for behaving like an ass last night. Could you ever forgive me, Alessandra, my friend, if I promise never to do it again?”
“Do what, precisely?” I ask.
“Jump to conclusions without coming to you first, in earnest. Not in anger.”
I take my time, making a good show of thinking it over. But of course I forgive him. He has by far given me the sincerest apology I’ve ever received.
“You could yell at me in turn, if it would make you feel better,” he offers.
“I’m not in a mood for yelling.”
“Then save it for when you are in the right mood. It’s only fair.”
I crack a smile. “I forgive you.”
The tension in his shoulders relaxes, and he focuses on the meal before him. Without looking up, he says, “The necklace is lovely on you.”
He’s really fishing for my gratitude. Is he worried I do not like it?
“It’s the most exquisite gift I’ve ever received,” I say truthfully.
A small smile reaches the corners of his lips. “No doubt you’ve received many gifts from men.”
“No doubt,” I answer playfully.
“Has Lord Eliades tried to woo you with gifts?”
“So you’ve noticed his attentions toward me?”
“I think everyone in the castle can tell he’s smitten with you.”
I smile. “Not yet, he hasn’t.”
“Good.” As an afterthought, he adds, “Because it wouldn’t do for people to think you’re being courted by someone other than me. It would ruin our plans.”
“Of course.” But could that have been just a smidgeon of jealousy in his tone?
* * *
I ENTER MY ROOMS for the evening, having spent a lovely afternoon with the ladies in the sitting room. I didn’t see Kallias, save for breakfast. More and more it’s becoming important for me to find a way into the meeting rooms. Not only do I wish to get a head start on running the kingdom, but if those rooms are where Kallias spends the majority of his time, then I need to be there.
How else am I to get him to fall in love with me if we’re not spending more time together?
I send my maid away as soon as I’m dressed in a simple nightgown and approach the bed.
“Alessandra.”
I gasp so loudly, I nearly choke on the air. My hand goes flying to my heart.
“What the devils, Myron?”
He emerges from my wardrobe of all places, dressed in pristine brocade, not a wrinkle in sight despite the cramped quarters he was in.
“Why the hell are you coming out of my wardrobe?” I demand.
“The only way I could sneak in here was to wait until a servant was distracted in cleaning. Then I waited for you.”
“I thought I made it perfectly clear that we would not be speaking anymore. How dare you ignore my wishes? That won’t go without consequences.”
Myron grins like he’s just won his father’s inheritance before folding himself into a cushioned chair near my bed. “That’s the problem, Alessandra. You no longer have anything to hold over me.”