Valentin had hissed over his shoulder to his valet, who stood behind him in case he needed anything as he accepted congratulations from his guests. Thankfully the receiving line that had wound the full length of the ballroom had grown much shorter, but that had only made Estelle and the Linleys’ absence all the more worrisome to him.
“Not yet, my lord. Shall I go seeif anything is amiss?”
His breath stilling at the thought, Valentin nonetheless shook his head. “Let’s give them another few minutes.”
“I’m sure it’s no more than an innocent delay,” Robert said in a discreet whisper as if to reassure him. “Miss Easton looked quite well at your coronation.”
Well? Valentin had never seen Estelle look more beautiful, the radiant blush on her face matching thepink rosebud color of her gown. Nothing could have made the day more perfect than seeing her as soon as he entered the narthex, Robert having informed him that she and the Viscount and Viscountess Linley had arrived at the cathedral some time earlier.
He hadn’t been sure until that moment that Estelle would attend at all after visiting her last night, no matter the determination she’d displayed.Now he couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms and dance with her at the ball…andonlyher.
He had already decided that Estelle would be his sole partner this evening, Hortense and her misguided plans to have some influence over whom he married be damned. He was done pretending. Done with the charade!
He had already found some satisfaction when he had quietly told his half-sister that there wasno need for her to join him in the receiving line. Two high spots of color had appeared on her cheeks so suddenly that he thought she might be having a fit, but somehow she maintained her composure, curtsied to him, and walked away without saying a word.
More satisfaction had come when he’d given only a curt greeting to the three noblewomen who had plagued him since the moment they had arrivedat the castle. Their painted fans had beat the air as they didn’t even attempt to hide their outrage.
Like a gaggle of indignant hens, Alicia, Ophelia, and Ingrid had hastened over to where Hortense had taken a seat at a white-clothed table and joined her, while Edward waved for another glass of champagne.
Poor bastard. Valentin had never felt much sympathy for the man, but he did tonight, unableto imagine enduring two years of house arrest with such a wife.
He had decided, too, not to trouble Edward with an inquiry into how he and Hortense had escaped worse treatment by his uncle, reckoning that the baron had suffered punishment enough.
Valentin had felt the solemn weight of power the moment the glittering crown of Bratavia had been placed upon his head, and he had no intention ofabusing it. His privy council was always there to balance that power with reasoned discussion, and the authority to overrule him as well-established law decreed.
Yet he would no longer allow anyone to think he could be swayed by caprice or emotional outburst, a glance in Hortense’s direction steeling his resolve.
She stared stonily back at him, clearly having trouble adjusting to a half-brotherwho would no longer tolerate her inflated sense of entitlement or her meddling in his affairs…especiallywhen it came to Estelle.
“She’s here, my lord.”
Valentin at once excused himself from the receiving line that had dwindled to a few last guests, his heart pounding as he made his way toward the entrance where Estelle stood with Adam and Linette.
He could not tear his eyes from her. No longerwas she dressed in rosebud pink with her upswept hair loosely framing her face…but a gown of silvery satin that sheathed her lithe body like a Grecian goddess, her lustrous auburn hair arranged in an elegant chignon entwined with silver ribbon.
A hush had fallen over the ballroom, even the orchestra musicians staying their instruments, while Valentin found it difficult to breathe in the presenceof such beauty.
Truly, she looked like a princess.
Hisbeloved princess.
“Your Serene Highness,” she murmured in greeting, her voice as soft as a whisper.
Valentin watched, entranced, as she curtsied gracefully, her simple acknowledgement of the royal title he now held touching him more than he could say. When she rose to face him, her eyes shone with such love that he felt more humbly blessedthan he could have ever imagined possible.
He extended his arm to her and she placed her white-gloved hand in his, Valentin deciding then and there that he would not wait until morning to speak with his privy council.
He would announce his choice for a bride that very night in front of his assembled guests. He wasn’t surprised that Adam, as if reading his mind and in full agreement, nodded andthen reached as well for his wife’s hand.
Valentin bowed his head gallantly to Estelle. “May I have the honor of this dance, Miss Easton?” In answer, she gifted him with a smile so brilliant that once again, he found it hard to draw a breath or even to move.
Until Estelle’s gentle squeeze of his fingers seemed to break the spell that had rooted his feet to the floor. As he drew her into thecenter of the ballroom, the chamber orchestra struck up a waltz that seemed to awaken everyone from the same spell, excited conversation rippling across the immense room.
Yet his guests could have been shouting their approval for all he noticed as Valentin focused solely upon drawing Estelle into his arms.
His hand upon the curve of her waist.
Her hand upon his shoulder while she reached downwith the other to gather up the folds of her gown.
