“And where you got that beautiful new suit,” Dorian tacked on, earning a glare from Hugo. Dorian was supposed to be helping him, not encouraging Augustine.
“Later,” Hugo growled under his breath as Jessamine Baker stepped out of the house with a forlorn howl, still wrapped in her dressing gown. Thank the gods they didn’t have any neighbors who lived close to them. The Bakers would be providing them with fodder for gossip to last them days.
Hugo forced a weary smile onto his lips as he wondered if there hadn’t been a better third option he’d overlooked. Instead of being beheaded or having lunch with a charmless prince, he could have begged his strange new friend to whisk him away on a magical adventure.
Except the odd fellow had stated that his magic was good only for getting him in and out of the room.Oh, well.It was a lovely thought.
After a ridiculous number of hugs and damp kisses, Hugo ushered his mother and brothers into the house. They sat in the parlor, their one servant fetching his flustered mother a cup of tea to calm her nerves.
“Okay, we’re all seated now,” Augustine announced. “Tell us how you escaped the palace.”
“I didn’t escape,” Hugo snapped. “As you clearly saw, I returned via royal carriage. There was no prison break.”
Augustine huffed and threw up his hands before slumping low on the settee. Hugo knew his youngest brother was cooking up some bizarre scenario in his mind that involved Hugo slicing his way out of the palace dungeon with a sword while explosions went off around him.
“Obviously, Hugo spun the straw?—”
“I did not,” Hugo snarled at his mother. He clenched his teeth and nearly growled at the woman. “And you well know I can’t do anything of the sort. Why you thought it was a good idea to spin such an outrageouslieis beyond my understanding. I know you’re disappointed that I’m not more talented and handsome, that you feel you need to lie about me to find me a husband.”
“No! Never, Hugo! My baby, never!” Jessamine jumped up from her seat and kneeled in front of Hugo, gathering up his hands in hers, squeezing them tight. Tears glittered in her pale-blue eyes, and Hugo believed they might actually be real, justlike when he’d last seen her at their meeting with the queen. “I didn’t tell that stupid lie because I thought you weren’t talented or handsome enough. I said it only so that those people would take a moment toseeyou. If any of them bothered to stop looking down their noses at you, they’d realize that you’re worth more than a hundred of them, even without being able to spin straw into gold. Those snooty mothers would get on their knees and thank the gods to have such a wonderful son-in-law as you.”
Hugo’s sigh was caught up in the sudden tightness of his throat. “Thank you, but please, no more lies. I was very lucky not to have been killed, and I’d rather not be put in a position like that again. The same goes for Dorian and Augustine.”
Jessamine released his hands and pressed her right hand to her chest. “I swear to be on my very best behavior. No more outlandish lies or stories.”
“No more lies, period,” Hugo urged.
His mother rolled her eyes but acquiesced. “Yes, yes. I won’t tell any more lies.”
It was probably the best he was going to get. Hugo helped his mother onto her feet and into her chair.
“We’re all happy to have you home, but what we really need to know now?—”
Dorian jumped in, interrupting their mother. “Is how he did it!”
“No, no.” She waved a hand at her middle child before turning her full attention on Hugo. “The reward was supposed to be lunch with Prince Everand. So…did you have lunch with the prince?”
Hugo was sorely tempted to walk out of the house, but there was no point. His family would pester him about it until he admitted the truth. Even Augustine appeared interested, perking up from his slouch.
“Yes, I had lunch with Prince Everand,” Hugo admitted a bit sullenly.
“What’s he like?”
“What did you eat?”
“Did he fall in love with you?”
“Does he have an impressive sword collection?”
“Has he proposed?”
The questions hammered him from every direction, all of them completely ridiculous.
“Lunch was…fine,” Hugo said, grinding the word between his teeth a bit.
“Ugh. This is boring,” Augustine declared first. He jumped to his feet and strolled out of the room, pausing long enough to pat Hugo on the shoulder, mumbling something about being glad he wasn’t dead.
Jessamine released a frustrated noise. Only Dorian seemed a bit concerned. Hugo offered him a reassuring smile before turning to deal with his mother.
