“Perhaps …” Mother rubbed her lips together. “If you had not disappeared last night, Marius would have asked you himself.”
Nyssa sank into her seat. Kingston must have ratted her out. The man hardly said a word to her the whole trip, and then he talks her mother’s ear off. It was clear where his loyalties lay and why Mother was pacified by his accompanying her on the trip.
But even Kingston snitching wasn’t what scratched at Nyssa’s ego. “You’re right. Staying in the ballroom would have made it easy for Marius to ask me out. But where is he now? I am here and he still chose to arrange a date—through mymother.”
“Nyssa.”
“I am a woman of twenty and five and quite capable of using my mind for such matters as planning an evening with a suitor.” She pressed her palms into the chair. “Quite frankly, I’m afraid if I did marry him, he’d spend the marriage consulting you and ignoring me.”
“Nyssa.” The queen’s voice betrayed her indignation. “I would not intrude upon your marriage.”
Nyssa sighed. “You missed the point. I wasn’t worried about you, but about Marius.”
“He has never treated you with anything more than respect.”
Nyssa snorted. “Have you forgotten the time he and Titus tricked me into chasing the chicken through the pigpen?”
“You were seven.”
“And my hair smelled until I was eight.”
“It was three days before your birthday.”
“He doesn’t see me as a woman.”
“How can he when you behave like a child?”
“I refuse to marry a man who does not see my value.”
Mother paused, her hand frozen in the air. “Do you truly believe he does not?”
Nyssa paused and then nodded. “He’s not a bad person,” she added quietly. Quite the contrary. Marius was handsome enough he could pose for statues and they would be admired for centuries. He worked hard for his island, doing his part to advance their trade across the globe. He’d attended university and graduated with many honors. She’d seen him carry an old woman’s bags from the grocery, play with children as if he was one of them, and sit through an evening of chess with her father. With all of his glowing qualifications, she should love him.
But she didn’t. An uncomfortable mixture of guilt and regret washed over her. Her parents had gone to great lengths to secure the marriage treaty with Riodan. And they hadn’t promised her to just any of the king’s sons. They had hand-picked Marius. “Perhaps I should have found Marius last night. His family has always been good to us.”
The queen leaned back in her seat. “Go out with him Friday night. Away from the palace, from either of your families. See him as a man and not a prince.”
Nyssa nodded. “I will try.” She couldn’t ask something of Marius that she wasn’t willing to try herself. Pigpens and chickens could be put aside, couldn’t they? She rubbed her forehead where a small headache formed at the thought of marrying Marius.
Perhaps she could talk Tatum into kidnapping her just before the ceremony. He seemed like a resourceful type of man. The kind who could swoop in under the cover of darkness and secret her away from the palace. She grinned to herself. There actually was a trellis outside her window. She’d never felt the need to test it, but for Tatum …
If Tatum treated a coat girl with such care, she could only imagine the way he would treat a princess. Although she didn’t see him as being swayed or influenced by a title. He labeled himself a farmer, clearly avoiding putting on airs. His humility was amiable. Something Nyssa would benefit from modeling.
Mother folded her hands in her lap. “Where did you go last night?”
Nyssa already had her answer prepared. “I took a stroll in the gardens. The hotel was stuffy.” Nyssa couldn’t tell her the rest of the story. She couldn’t say that she’d followed a stranger into the garden, that he’d held her close and stroked her cheek, causing her knees to sway like palm trees in a strong breeze.
Mother’s lips formed a thin line. “While you were strolling, the American ambassador stopped in.”
“I greeted the guests,” Nyssa protested. “The ambassador was not among them.”
“He arrived late and left early to meet other obligations.”
She’d missed the American ambassador? For that, Nyssa truly felt sorrow. Her purpose for this visit was to convince America to help her family. “I’m sorry, Mother. An introduction to the ambassador would have proven advantageous for our people.Networking, as the Americans call it, is an important part of politics.” She had spent the plane ride readingHow to Win Friends and Influence People.The steward on the plane recommended the book after she’d twittered on in excitement about the purpose of her trip. The information soaked into her mind, leaving her thirsty for more. She was anxious to see how she fared in the political arena over the next few days—however small her arena might be.
“You were to be the face and voice for our family and our people last night—since you left, we have no face, we have no voice.”
Shame blanketed Nyssa’s heart. “I am sorry, Mother.”
