He snapped his fingers at Valentina like she was a dog. “Up! We’re leaving.”
She glared at him, furious. Victor, impatient, grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the chair before dragging her from the room altogether.
I watched them go, shaking my head. Lost causes, both of them. Still, something Victor said made me wonder. Had he somehow gotten permission from Valentina’s parents beforebringing her here? Or had he just promised the moon, as he was sometimes wont to do, and then absconded with her?
Personally, my money was on the latter.
We still had no confirmation her parents even knew where she was. Honestly speaking, I wasn’t sure why that was taking so long. Was there some problem in Valentina’s family? It could explain how she’d made it up here without any retinue.
The second the door slammed behind them, Patrick locked eyes with me and pleaded, “We absolutely can’t offend our allies, so you must marry Valentina. We must undo Victor’s actions before they throw us into a war! We can make it a long engagement and wait until she’s more of age—”
I cut him off brutally, standing as I did so. “No. The answer is no, no matter your argument. Good evening.”
Then I escaped out the same door before anyone could stop me.
This wasn’t over with my refusal, of course, which meant I needed a plan. And I needed to concoct one quickly.
Fifty-nine
Edwin
I’d had dinner sent to our rooms so I could eat and hoped the dinner James was at wasn’t a complete disaster. I mean, it likely would be, considering who he sat with. But I hoped regardless.
James normally knew how to maneuver people around to the best effect. With Valentina, however, he had no patience. I didn’t see how any of this would go well. Victor, too, was a loose cannon. The whole situation was rather akin to throwing a lit match into a cesspool of oil. The explosion was inevitable.
Which was why, as a precaution, I’d had two plates sent up to the room. Even if he tried, I didn’t think James would really be able to eat while sitting near Valentina. I didn’t want him hungry.
The door abruptly jerked open and James stomped in, fit to be tied. I put my fork down, examining him. His cheeks were high in color, a fist clenched at his side, and the way he slammed the door behind him was enough to tell the story.
“That much of a disaster, eh?”
Blowing out a breath, he stared at the floor for a long moment. “She was flirting with me.”
For a moment, I doubted my own ears. “She…flirted…with you?”
“The whole meal. For as long as it lasted, anyway.”
The little bit of food I’d already eaten curdled in my stomach. I couldn’t imagine how he felt, having lived through it firsthand. “How utterly disgusting.”
“Everyone at the table was disgusted by her behavior. Well, except Beatrice. I think she thought of it as a hopeful sign.” He blew out another stressed breath. The man’s soul would escape at this rate. “Victor was livid, rightfully so. Despite what I think of the man, watching your fiancée flirt with another man right in front of you is appalling.”
“I must agree. Come, sit.” I waved him toward the little round table. “I had them send up an extra plate just for you.”
“Bless you for the foresight.”
James shed his jacket and boots, then leaned in to kiss my forehead before joining me at the table. It made me happy to make him happy.
He removed the covering over the plate and dug in, apparently too hungry to let a spoiled dinner ruin his appetite. After a few moments of silent eating, he spoke, but his voice was gravelly, his irritation clear with every word. “The parents both announced point-blank they would make me king and no one else. Which upset everyone at the table, naturally. They also announced their intention of shuffling Valentina over to me. That’s when Victor threw a fit, grabbed her, and stormed out of the room. Also when I left. I told them a flat-out no, but honestly? I don’t think it impacted them any.”
I didn’t expect so. Both monarchs had very selective hearing, a problem with people who had been catered to their entire lives.
Only having James’s account, some parts of his recitation struck me. “I’m sure Valentina heard of Victor’s banishment from his parents. Do you think that’s why she flirted with you? Already trying to jump ship?”
“She definitely knew. Nothing we said was a surprise to her, so I assume the parents told her. And somehow reassured her she could still marry in?” James popped his last bite into his mouth and chewed, expression thoughtful. “Did one of them encourage her to flirt with me or was that her idea?”
“That’s a separate question and I’m not sure if it even matters, frankly. What I want to know is did she already have the intel before she even came here?” I countered. “I don’t know what Victor told her when they first met, but he was an exiled prince being punished. Surely she’d heard whispers of him, at the very least. Did she use him only as a vehicle to get here? Then, upon arrival, figured out the true candidate for the throne? The staff have been abuzz with rumors about you being the next crown prince; it wouldn’t have been hard to pick up.”
“No, indeed it wouldn’t have.”
