"I didn't expect it myself until recently." I put a hand on his arm, enjoying how close we are, and being amazed about how easy it is.
"I really wish I didn't have to say this, but do you think we could talk about this in a few hours?" he asks. "I have breakfast prep to finish."
"Yes, of course. I should have thought about the timing, it just...all happened tonight."
"We'll talk about it in a few hours," he promises. "I can bring something to your room, if you'd like?"
I nod. "Yes, I'd like that. And we can talk." I step back, but he catches hold of my hand before I can move away from him.
"One more thing before you go." He leans in and kisses me again, not as deeply as before, but just as sweet. "You taste of lemons," he murmurs against my lips.
"I was eating one of your tarte au citron before I came," I respond.
"It tastes even better than I remember."
I laugh without helping myself. "How is that possible when you can't taste the whole thing?"
"It just does." He looks at me with adoring eyes and I feel a lightness inside that I haven't expected. All I know is that this is what I want, more than I ever imagined I would.
Chapter 19
The only good thing about my dress for this evening is that it has a lot of removable components, so with some help from Betsy to remove the collar, lower sleeves, and the bustle, I have a dress that's much more comfortable to sit around in while I wait for Nate to come to my room. Maybe I should have suggested that we go somewhere else for this conversation, but I'm not sure where else could be as private, at least not at such short notice.
The moment the knock comes on my door, I'm on my feet.
Ember rustles from where she's perched in the fire, but she barely looks up before deciding that I'm not doing anything interesting.
I head to the door and pull it open, a little confused when it isn't Nate standing on the other side, but Mama, and she doesn't look happy.
"Where have you been?" she demands.
"Here. Isn't that why you came to my room?"
"This isn't the time to be smart, Evelyn," she says as she steps inside.
I want to tell her that she can't be here, and that I'm expecting someone, but I fear that will raise more questions than I want to answer. "I'm not trying to be smart," I respond. "I was just answering the question."
She shakes her head and presses a finger against her forehead. "We have talked about the rules, Evelyn. You can't just leave a feast because you feel like it," Mama says, a hint of anger threaded through her voice. Which is marginally better than hearing her disappointment, which I'm sure is coming.
"There was something important that I needed to do."
"In the kitchens, no doubt," she says.
My whole body goes cold, though I'm not entirely sure how that's possible.
"I don't know what you thought was so important there that you thought it was appropriate to leave a feast where we're welcoming delegates from a foreign kingdom, but you will not do it again. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mama. I understand."
"Your Father and I are trusting you to represent Falhaven, especially while Kathryn is indisposed," she says. "I expect you to stay until the end of all of the events while the Gaullessian delegation is here."
"All of them? To the end. Mama, I don't think that's a good idea," I protest, not really knowing what to do with that information. If I don't have enough time to clear my head, then I'm likely to explode. Or burst into tears. Neither of which she'll find particularly befitting of a princess and will likely come with a conversation like this, reminding me of what I'm supposed to do. It's not even that I don't want to do them, I just struggle with it.
"All of them, Evelyn," she says firmly.
"Yes, Mama." I look down at the ground and try not to feel too overwhelmed by the idea of having to attend them all like that.
"And in a few days, we will announce that you'll be having a ball for your twenty-fifth birthday," she says. "We'll invite our Gaullessian guests, and we'll invite eligible suitors from around Falhaven. I expect you to dance with them."
