She’d never forgotten anyone’s name before.
Oh, her mind was rattled.
“Thank you,” she said after a moment of racking her brain for the girl’s name.
She still couldn’t remember it, but the girl was gone before she could ask.
She’d have to make it up to her later.
She made her way out of the blue suite and found Caspian in the hallway, waiting outside his own rooms. She was in the suite nearest to him, a thought that had been present for most of the night. She’d found it hard to sleep, unable to put her mind at rest, and more than once had almost gone to him, if only to hear him say that all would be well and to get a hug.
“Good morning,” he said, smiling down at her as she hurried to him and threw her arms around him. “Goodness! What did I do to deserve that greeting?”
“I’m so nervous,” Sophia said.
“Me, too,” he admitted, resting his hands on her waist. “But it will all be over soon. Shall we go eat some breakfast before we leave?”
She should eat something…even though the thought of food made her nerves worse.
He led her through the mansion to a dining room that she never would have found on her own. When they entered the room, all the men eating stood and nodded their heads to her.
She froze in the doorway as their deference made heat run to her head. These were her peers—or they had been, until yesterday. She didn’t want to see Dietrich and Hopkins treating her like a lady. It didn’t feel right.
“Shall we sit?” Caspian asked gently, resting his hand on her lower back and guiding her to a seat at the table. He placed her at the foot of the long table, across from his brother, and took his place beside her.
“Good morning,” Kellan said, his voice booming across the table, which could have seated twenty easily. “I hope you slept well, Lady Sophia.”
Lady Sophia.
She felt like she was going to vomit.
Was this really happening to her?
Was she really going to stand before a king and tell him that she believed herself to be nobility?
She was a servant girl.
Caspian looked at her expectantly. She hadn’t responded to Kellan yet. “I did,” she said gracefully as she placed her napkin on her lap, only mimicking Caspian’s moves. “I hope everyone has had a lovely morning.”
There was a chorus of voices from around the table. Dietrich and Hopkins were closest to her, though there was still space for five men between them, and Dietrich looked at her as if he could see right through her.
Could he tell that her head was buzzing like a beehive and her stomach felt like someone was churning butter in it?
Sophia could barely eat anything, only nibbling on a piece of dry toast. It wasn’t until the meal was nearly over and Rosaleen was ushered into the dining room by a servant that she took a true breath, the sight of her almost-mother nearly bringing her to tears.
“Hello, my girl,” Rosaleen said as she hurried over to give Sophia a hug. “Are you ready for this?”
Sophia shook her head slightly and Rosaleen smiled in sympathy. “I know, me, too,” she admitted in a whisper. “What business do I have going to the palace?” she asked.
“Just as much as me,” Sophia said, just as quietly.
“Have a seat, Rosaleen,” Caspian said, gesturing to the seat on Sophia’s other side. “Would you like some food?”
“Food that I didn’t have to cook?” Rosaleen asked, grinning at Sophia. “That would be wonderful.”
Caspian nodded to a servant, who immediately brought a plate for Rosaleen. They loaded it with freshly cooked eggs, two types of sausage, a biscuit, apples in honey and cinnamon, and a pat of fresh butter, and Rosaleen tucked in.
The sight of Rosaleen had calmed Sophia’s nerves a bit, and she was able to eat some of the apples, the rich flavor exploding on her tongue.
