I see the moment Elliot realizes this too, and his eyes darken as he picks up his pace to cut the distance between us. His smile turns roguish as he gets closer, and his lips form my name withoutmaking a sound.
I am not as silent, breathing out his name with relief because I no longer have a weight on my chest now that he is here.
When he reaches me, Elliot’s hand finds my waist and pulls me close, his forehead pressed to mine, and he seems to breathe me in before he murmurs, “Hey, Rapunzel.”
“I do not recall giving you the morning off, Mr. Reid.”
His other hand presses to the other side of my waist, enveloping me and pulling me even closer. “Mm, I was following orders.”
“Not mine.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
Feeling reckless, I tilt my head back and let my eyes rest on his lips. “I can think of a few things.”
“Freya, is that you?”
I jump back at the sound of my mother’s voice coming through the ajar door on my right, my heart pounding like it always did when I was caught doing something I should not as a child. I had not noticed where in the family wing Elliot and I reached each other, butof courseit was directly in front of my parents’ sitting room.
“Yes, Mum,” I squeak, wincing at the guilt in my voice, then glaring when Elliot lifts an eyebrow, as if I am the only one in the wrong. Tempted to smack him in the chest, I clear the guilt from my throat and say, “I was just speaking with Agent Storme.”
“Ah, is she still here?”
My eyes lock onto Elliot’s hand, which slowly inches closer to mine, and I narrow my eyes. “She agreed to stay for the ball tonight.” Elliot’s pinky brushes mine, electric with the contact, and I drop my voice to whisper, “You are too bold, Mr. Reid.”
He smirks as his fingers lace with mine. “So I’ve been told.”
“Come inside a moment,” Mum says, breaking us apart once more. Though her voice is stern, that is normal for her and does not necessarily mean she is angry. “You as well, Mr. Reid.”
With a long, worried look at Elliot, who frowns, I set my shoulders back and push open the door, stepping inside with my head held high and Elliot a few paces behind me.
Both my parents are in the sitting room, each in their usual spots on the loveseat, Dad with a cup of tea and Mum with a tablet. The sight is so familiar that it almost calms me.Almost. The uncompromising furrow in Mum’s brow does not promise a cheery conversation, and even Dad looks a bit worried.
Swallowing, I do my best not to look like a child as I sit on a chaise opposite them. “You wish to talk?”
Mum’s eyes shift to Elliot behind me. “I hope you were able to rest this morning, Mr. Reid.”
“Some, Your Majesty.”
“Not enough,” Dad says with a soft chuckle.
“I won’t disagree,” Elliot replies. “Derek Riley arrived at Stonemere this morning with some news from home, so my body has been at rest, but unfortunately my mind hasn’t.”
I twist to look at him and note the set of his jaw and hard lines around his eyes that were not there out in the hall. “What news?” I ask, knowing it likely has to do with whatever put Derek on edge.
Though he keeps his expression neutral, Elliot cannot hide the rise in tension in his body when his eyes jump to me for only a moment. “Nothing related to you or your campaign, Your Highness.”
“If you need the day,” Mum says, softening in a way she rarely softens with me, “Gregor can handle security during tonight’s ball.”
Elliot smiles. “With all due respect, ma’am, I’m determined to stay by the princess’s side whenever possible until everything with the election is settled.” He looks at me again, but so briefly that I cannot read what his eyes seem to be saying.
He did not say until theelectionis settled. He is talking about everything else. Is he saying he will not take another break until my life is alittle more calm, or does he not intend to stay by my side beyond that? I hate that I do not know and cannot ask. Not here.
“Yes, well, that is precisely why I called you in here, Freya.” Mum sets her tablet on the table in front of her and laces her fingers together on her lap, sitting up taller, and I brace for another lecture about being too close to my bodyguard. “I wonder when you were going to tell me that Markham Grimstad offered for your hand in marriage? Before or after you made the announcement?”
For a moment, I can hear nothing but a ringing in my ears, and I am certain I heard her wrong. But I know that look in her eyes, a mixture of anger and disappointment that leaves a sting that lingers long after she has left a room. I can barely breathe, but I have enough air to whisper, “How did you find out?”
She sighs. “So, it is true?”
