She took his hand and gave him an ornery look. “Me.”
Without hesitating, he swept her up in his arms and made his way with long, firm strides toward the palace.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice sounding unexpectedly breathless as he carried her into the palace through a side entrance. “My room or yours?”
Why she suddenly felt breathless, Norah couldn’t say. She’d been married all day, and in that short length of time, she had very nearly been widowed. But as he held her in his strong arms and she felt the warmth of his chest beneath her, it dawned on Norah that she was really and trulymarried.
“We’re going to the royal suite,” he said. “I mean, we could have gone to your room or mine, but…” He shrugged, and his voice dropped slightly lower. “I figured both of us needed a new start.”
Norah laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She would never tire of hearing him speak.
They made their way down the hall that they always walked when he escorted her to her room, but instead of stopping in front of her door, he continued until they reached the door at the end of the hall. Without putting her down, he opened it and steppedin.
The room was painted a cornflower blue with white trim and filigree and molding on the ceiling. The bedcover was white, and the rugs were a deeper blue, and the room overall was twice the size of the room she had been sleeping in.
Phillip closed and locked the door behind him, making Norah’s heart hammer in her chest. But when he placed her gently on the bed and leaned down immediately for a kiss, Norah put her hand against his lips and sat up straight.
“Wait,” she said, giving him an apologetic smile. “I just… There are some things I need to know.”
He sat on the bed beside her and took her hand in his. “Then ask away,” he said, kissing the backs of her fingers.
Which only sent Norah’s heart into a more frantic rhythm. How in the world had she even thought of passing this man by?
“After the ceremony,” she began slowly, suddenly unable to look him in the eyes, “were you angry with me? When you weren’t healed, I mean.”
Phillip, who had been running his fingers along the back of her hand, paused. But a second later, he resumed.
“I was disappointed,” he said slowly. “But… How do I put this into words?” He stood and went to the window, and as he gathered his words, Norah held her breath.
“I wasn’t frustrated with you, though,” he finally said, turning to meet her gaze. “I blamed myself and my sister for placing such a burden at your feet. We might have given you shelter, but that was only the right thing to do. And in return, you shouldered a responsibility that you hadn’t known was waiting for you.” He frowned, his thick brows drawing together. “It wasn’t fair.”
“But I did have a choice,” Norah protested, standing and going to join him. “Freya told me I did.”
“Who could say no, though, seeing the position you were in? Destitute, without family or friends or fortune?” He shook his head. “I was angry because I felt like we’d wasted what could have been something beautiful by rushing things.”
“In your defense and your sister’s,” Norah shrugged, “you really didn’t have time to lose. The illness was progressing too fast.”
“Be that as it may,” Phillip said, gently lifting her chin, “I didn’t blame you.”
Norah’s breath caught in her throat as she met his gaze. His voice perfectly matched his eyes, she realized. Warm and rich in its depth.
“I realized why the healing didn’t work at first,” she blurted. “And it really was my fault.”
Phillip just stared at her with wide eyes, so she hurried on. “It failed because I was still thinking of myself as an outsider looking in, as though I might have a chance to step back out if things went wrong. I had one foot in and one foot out.” She shrugged, the words suddenly pouring out of her in a way they hadn’t since her family had died. “I guess I never really thought my love would be enough. If I’m honest… I haven’t felt like a Bianne princess since the fire. So why even try?”
Phillip ran a large, calloused hand down her face and stepped, seemingly unconsciously, closer. “Your family was torn from you violently and before your eyes. You lost everything you loved and your way of life. It’s only understandable that a child would try to leave that pain behind.”
“I tried for a long time,” Norah admitted, putting her face against his palm and pressing her cheek into it. She closed her eyes as the pain of those days after the fire washed over her again. But for the first time in a long time, she didn’t try to push it away. Instead, she let it make its way in and out of her heart and mind, focusing on the warmth of his hand on her cheek as she did.
“I remember when we first met,” Phillip said slowly.
This surprised Norah so much that she opened her eyes and looked up at him. “You do?”
“Well, probably not the first time we met. Our parentswere allies and met often, as your island was close to the mainland. But it was the visit before our official betrothal. I think I was about eleven, and you were nine. I apparently told my mother that you were…” He paused and gave her a guilty smile. “Well, never mind.”
“No.” Norah shook her head. “Youhaveto tell me now. You can’t say something like that and then hide it.”
He sighed and gave her a pained smile, but his eyes were twinkling. “Apparently, I told my parents that you were an impertinent little sass with fiery hair that matched your mouth. And then I immediately asked when I would see you again.”
