“He said you’d say that, and he said he bought it because every woman in the place was going to snatch it up because you looked so incredible. But he didn’t buy you shoes, because he needs to wait until he gets his first paycheck first.”
“Paycheck.”
“He’s going to be consulting for the king,” Fenella says with a proud smile. “He’ll be staying in Battle Harbour for a while.”
My heart stutters in my chest, trips over itself before it resumes a normalpitter patter. Ashton is staying. Here.
Where I am.
“Why?” I whisper.
Fenella cocks her head, looking so much like her brother that I want to cry. “I think you know why. And if there’s any doubt, he told me to tell you that he’ll be waiting for you at the Sea Queen ball to help you dance. He said it was important that I told you that.”
Heat pricks my eyes and I have blink quickly. “Okay,” I say, because what else do you say when you hear something like that.
“Let me help you get this to the car.” Fenella pushes open the door for me. “He said it was a pretty incredible dress. Can’t wait to see it.”
42
Ashton
There’salwaysbeensomethingabout romance movies that I don’t like, and now, I know what it is.
Or I do, because my sister explained it to me.
The third-act breakup.
It’s when the couple has defied all the odds and looks like they’re holding hands, racing toward the finish line with happy smiles, whenwham. A car comes out of nowhere and knocks them out of the race.
But they’re not really out of the race. One of them has to do something special to get them back onto the track.
I don’t know if I’ve done enough of the “grand gestures” that Fenella told me I needed to do.
I can only wait until Friday and see if Sophie shows up.
For me.
Because I’m going to be there for her, even if she doesn’t want me.
I hope she does. Because Battle Harbour is going to be unbearable without her.
43
Sophie
Thetownhallisawash in Winter Wonderland. There are snowflakes everywhere, inside and out.
Odd, since it’s a celebration of the sea queen that has protected the East Coast since the Vikings. At least, I think that’s how the story goes.
As well as the plethora of snowflakes, the walls are covered by paper mache waves, whipped into a frenzy. There is silver everywhere. There are disco balls.
They pulled out every decoration possible to hide the tired ballroom in the town hall.
I suspect my mother runs the decorating committee—like she does so many other social committees—since I know she favours silver.
Proof? Her dress tonight matches the disco ball.
I haven’t seen much of her in the last few weeks, thanks to the protection of staying at the castle. Not that I need protection from my mother, but she can be a bit much. And since I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how she cut both Stella and me off from the royal family, I’m not looking forward to the usual small talk with her that is necessary at events like this.
