“It was a key.”
He gasps. “Even worse! Tanadelle, honestly…honestly.” He trails off, shaking his head, completely astonished by my confession.
“And now I’mhere, in this mist-forsaken town in the very middle of the uncivilized world to bestow upon you a kiss! Tanadelle, it’s all so dreadfully inconvenient. I havethings to do.”
“I know, Hamish—I do appreciate you coming all this way—”
“No, but you see, it’s notonlythat, although that is extremelyirritating. But, Tanadelle, if the kiss works…” He trails off significantly.
“I know,” I sigh. “We’ll likely have to wed.”
“Yes! And I can’twedyou; there’s already someone else. We’re notaffianced, but we have an understanding of many years’ duration!”
“Oh, Hamish—that’s lovely. Congratulations.”
“She’s not exactly happy about this…thisparticular circumstance, Tanadelle! I believe I’m quite in love with her, but if I kissyouand the curse breaks…Well, you see the awkward situation I find myself in.”
Yes, it would be a diplomatic nightmare to sort out.
“What if I’mnotin love with her?” he continues, looking aggrieved. “I feel quite certain I am, but thenthissituation arose, and now, if I kissyouand the curse breaks—by my mother’s garters, woman, don’t you see? I’ll have been in love withyouall this time, and not my dear Chrisellum…For mercy’s sake, Tanadelle, did you absolutelyhaveto get yourself cursed?”
“I didn’t mean to, of course,” I say, trying to sound more understanding than I feel.
“Yes, but you did, and now Ihaveto kiss you!” he repeats.
“The other one already tried it, you know,” the pirate breaks in. I put my head down on my desk.
“The…other one?” Hamish asks, perplexed.
“The loud one with the intriguing vocabulary,” the pirate says, waving a lazy hand. “Drizzle. Drazzle. Drippit.”
“Am I to understand,” Hamish says, turning to me, his brow black, “that that boorish, arrogant foolDrizenhas alreadykissed you?”
“Thanks, you,” I say to the pirate. “Yes,” I tell Hamish. “It didn’t work.”
“I wouldassumenot. Drizen isunworthy.”
“Now, see here!” booms a voice from behind Hamish, and I groan. “That’s awful unkind, Hamey.”
“Hamey!” Hamish shouts incredulously, spinning round. “You dare refer to the prince of the Two Mountains, heir presumptive, crown prince, and marquess of Senetal, asHamey?!”
“Tanadelle and I have always been friendly,” Driz continues, loudly. “It’s no wonder it didn’t work; the curse is all about true love, or some such. Tanadelle and I, well…” He looks at me and smiles, rather fondly. “We’re really better off as friends.”
Suddenly I hear a thumping coming from the ceiling above. We all look up, surprised.
“Do youmind?” Sasha yells down the stairs.
I resist the urge to tell all three men to shove off, stomp upstairs, and ask Sasha to behave herself. I can feel the beginnings of a headache coming on.
“Do you haveanotherprince stashed up there?” Hamish says, returning his attention to me. He then flicks a pained glance at the pirate. “Or perhaps more scandalously underdressedmenlying about?”
“Thank you,” the pirate says.
“That’s my assistant upstairs,” I sigh. “She’s having a day. You wouldn’t understand.”
Hamish waves Sasha’s invisible concerns off and steps forward.
“We may as well get on with it,” he says, sounding profoundlyunhappy about the situation. “I’m already extremely bored and very irritated. And if this works…”
