As soon as we set foot inside his rooms, he releases my arm and steps away. “Are you hungry? Would you like dinner?”
I open my mouth to make some excuse, just as my stomach lets out a loud gurgle.
“That sounds lovely, my lord husband,” I say because my stomach is right, I am hungry. And I’ve already upset my husband enough for one day.
Prince Selwyn nods. “I will have it served in the dining room.” Then he walks away.
I watch him leave, and then I pull myself together. Time to wash and get changed for dinner. I can do this.
I successfully find my bedchamber, and then the delightful bathroom. The servant with the wispy hair joins me, and I’m so relieved. I’m really not sure I could figure out how to undo the right laces.
“What’s your name?” I ask, as she helps me to undress.
“Peaony, your highness,” she answers with a smile.
She is a hell of a lot nicer than Rupert. With the additional bonus that I doubt she reports to Mother. To Selwyn, maybe. But that’s fine. I think I can live with that.
I wash quickly, even though it is criminal not to linger in that glorious bath. Peaony helps me to dry off and dress. Then she leads me through Prince Selwyn’s sprawling rooms. We pass through the main sitting room. It is covered with potted plants. Greenery is everywhere. On every surface.
It’s surprising. As well as reassuring. It is hard to believe that someone who takes the time to nurture plants can be cruel.
It is also a startling, vivid, visual representation of how little I know about my husband. I know next to nothing. He is a fey prince. Fifth of six royal brothers. And far more dangerous than anyone seems to realise.
Other than that, the man is a complete mystery.
You know how it feels to take his large cock.I blush fiercely and banish that thought far, far away.
Peaony opens a door into an elegant dining room. Selwyn politely gets to his feet. I drop a quick curtsy. So far, so good. All polite formality. The way I was raised.
I take my seat, and dinner is served.
We eat in silence. I’m sure the food is delicious, but I can’t taste it at all. The sound of my fork against my plate is deafening, and I’m acutely, horribly aware that I am alone with Selwyn.
Eventually, the last course is taken away. I dab my lips with the thick linen napkin. Selwyn stands, so I hurry to my feet too.
“We have to share a bed for the duration of our honeymoon,” Selwyn says tonelessly.
I lick my lips. “I know.”
Silence. Oppressive and thick. So very many things unspoken.
He moves suddenly. Jerky and uncoordinated. Nothing like his usual predatory grace. I follow him to my bedchamber. I suppose it is our bedchamber for the duration of our honeymoon. Afterwards, it will be mine. On the nights he wants me, he will let himself in through a discreet adjoining door.
I shudder.That’s if I choose to stay.
Damn errant thoughts! Of course I’m going to stay! My happiness is not worth other people’s safety.
Peaony quietly enters the room and starts helping me undress. Layer by layer, my fey court robes are peeling off. On the other side of the room, Selwyn is undressing himself.
Peaony stops when I am down to one thin white robe. She curtseys and leaves with the rest of my clothes bundled in her arms. She shuts the door softly, but it still sounds like a thunderclap.
Selwyn looks at me. He has stopped at his last layer too. That is strangely comforting.
I bite my bottom lip and force my feet to move to the bed. I slide under the cool crisp sheets and scrunch my eyes up tight.
The bed dips. Selwyn slides in beside me. He clicks his fingers, and my eyes snap open, into darkness.
Oh, he was just turning the lights off.
