“Ugh,” I say.
“Oh, look, here he comes.” I hear the bells over the door tinkle and wonder if I can just hide under the desk until everyone’s gone away.
“Prince or pirate?” I say, not daring to look.
“Oh, the pirate. I assume we’ll hear the prince long before heenters the store. He brought, uh, some people with him. Y’know, like, a whole retinue.”
“Ugh,” I say again.
“Gosh, if a quarter of the folks who are milling about in here right now bought something, we’d make some actual money today. Maybe you should start charging admission to these things. You’ve got, what, three more after this one?”
“I’d really prefer to have as few people around as possible,” I say. “For this bit, anyway.”
“Don’t be like that,” the pirate says, his voice making me shiver. I should have known he’d gotten close; the wild scent of salt and sea air is filling my senses. “I get the feeling that Little Pepperidge hasn’t seen this much action in, well—”
“Forever,” Sasha suggests.
“Would you deny the punters a glimpse of real, solid curse-breaking?”
I push myself up from the desk and face him, hoping my cheeks aren’t as pink as they feel. “I don’t know how many times I have to say it; it won’t work. No one is going to kiss me and break this curse, no matter who they are.”
He looks as he always does, absolutely and cheerfully unbothered by anything. He leans over the desk, getting much too close to me, and smiles, a slow-burning sort of smile that makes my traitorous heart speed up. “In a universe of infinite possibilities…” he begins.
Sasha rolls her eyes. “You two, honestly. Look, I hear something outside. You think he’s on his way?”
I groan. I can hear trumpets.Trumpets.
Chapter 27
The blaring—a fanfare of some sort—increases in volume until the door to my little shop is thrown open and Yenny steps through the doorway, backlit just enough that I can only barely make out the glitter of his crown and chain of state. His velvet cape billows artistically around him. It’s trimmed in something; if he were anyone else I’d guess ermine, but this looks suspiciously like blue shearling.
“My darling Princess Tanadelle!” he shouts, once the trumpets conclude their strident serenade. “We have come at long last to break the dread curse which binds you thus!”
Oh no; he’s using the royal “we.” This is going to be a disaster.
I step out from behind the desk, trying to ignore Sasha’s sniggering. I should have dressed better, but even the thought of so much as brushing my hair to play into this little charade had exhausted me. I’m wearing one of the gowns I rescued from Mrs.Gooch’s collection; it’s simple, pretty, and old-fashioned. And comfortable. A necessary, given this could go on forhours.
“The Princess Tanadelle, daughter of the house of de Courcy; child of the Widdenmar; representation of the royal families of the Shining Realm. My darling,” Yenny shouts, stepping forward and taking my hands in his. “Yenal, scion of the kingdom of Corscan, is here to free you from your damnèd curse.” Somewhere to my left, I hear Sasha and the pirate snort at his enthusiastic mispronunciation of “damned.” Blithely ignoring them, Yenal sweeps his eyes across me. “Long have we waited upon this day. Longer still have you waited, bemired in such surroundings. How your modesty becomes you so beautifully.” He definitely means my dress. I should have worn something…else. Of course, I haven’t got anything else. Certainly not something he’d find appropriate.
“Are you prepared to join our houses and rule as one?”
“Please don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work,” I murmur.
“Hah!” he barks. He’s so confident he makes Driz look like a shrinking violet. I glance around a little wildly. The bookshop is full to bursting with customers—no, onlookers; no one hasboughtanything, nor do they seem like they might—some portion of his retinue, and at least two trumpeters, dressed in their purple velvet livery, holding their long, shining fanfare trumpets tight against their bodies and trying very hard not to break the delicate ostrich plumes that decorate their floppy caps, which are brushing against the bookcases and the low ceiling. The bookshop suddenly feels very small and very crowded. I swallow.
“Dearest Tanadelle,” Yenny says, dropping his voice and gazing at me affectionately. “Together we shall make such magic!”
He pulls me into his arms and kisses me, his lips soft against mine, for what feels like a very long time. When he pulls back, his expression is a little—just a little—tentative.
“I don’t think it worked,” I say, gently. “But I can walk to the door and try it.”
I hear the soft shuffle of people on either side of us trying to move out of the way. We squeeze past them, and I put my hand out and reach for the lovely clear day just outside the open door.
My hand meets the expected resistance.
I drop my arm and turn to him, shaking my head.
He sighs. “Well, hells. We tried.”
