The smile she wore would certainly be a permanent fixture until she could get Ryder Grey off her mind. And yet, she hoped she’d always have him in her thoughts.
As she strode down the large hallway, she could hear shouting coming from one of the rooms. Curious, she stopped and listened closer. She wasn’t sure who was shouting, but to even have someone raise their voice in anger in this place was practically unheard of.
Carefully, she crept toward the door where the shouting was coming from, and pressed her ear against the thick piece of wood. After a few seconds, she crinkled her forehead.Mother?Impossible. Her mother never shouted at the servants.
Closing her eyes, she listened closer, pressing herself against the door a little more. Suddenly, the door cracked open. She sucked in a quick breath and waited for someone inside to notice her lurking in the hallway. But after a few moments and nothing changing in the rhythm of her mother’s voice, Clarissa breathed a relieved sigh.
“And do you see this window?” the queen continued her rant. “The glass should sparkle. I shouldn’t have to see smudge marks here, here, and here.” There was a brief pause. “Are you an imbecile? Or perhaps you are blind, in which case, I need to release you and replace you with someone who has better vision!”
Clarissa grimaced. Her mother had never spoken to a servant in such a degrading tone or manner. What had happened to her mother in the year Clarissa had been away?
The servant started speaking, but Clarissa could hardly understand her words through the sniveling and sobbing she was doing. Clarissa’s heart hurt for the treatment of this poor servant, yet she didn’t dare confront her mother about this issue. Not yet. Not until she had a chance to speak with her father. Perhaps he could enlighten her about her mother’s cruel behavior.
She turned and hurried up the hallway toward the wide stairs. A nap was in order, especially since she’d been awakened earlier than she had wanted, and spent most of the day out of the house. Hopefully her parents would understand and let her sleep.
Clarissa entered her room and stopped short. Kimberly was laying out one of Clarissa’s gowns on the bed. When Kimberly saw her, she jumped and then curtsied.
“Forgive me, Princess. I didn’t know you were back.”
“Just barely.” Clarissa moved toward the bed, eyeing one of her nicer gowns. “Is there something special happening this evening that I’m not aware of?” She pointed to the gown.
“Oh, yes. Your father sent word that I was to have you looking your best at dinner tonight.”
Clarissa stopped by the bedpost and leaned against it. “Why?”
“Because you have guests for dinner.”
“We do?” Surprise washed over Clarissa. Why would her parents invite guests for dinner, knowing this was her first night home?”
“Yes. Queen Ruth and Prince Ormond from the kingdom of Edan are visiting.”
Inwardly, Clarissa groaned. Although she had told her father to invite them, she had no idea it would be this soon. “I remember now.” Sighing heavily, she frowned. There would be no nap this evening.
The gown Kimberly had chosen was teal satin, decorated with bows and ribbons. Clarissa did like this gown, because of the bell-shaped sleeves that hung off her shoulders by an inch. She especially liked the heart-shaped bodice that made her waist appear smaller. However, she would rather wear this when Ryder was in the room. She didn’t want to impress anyone else at this point—definitely not someone she’d never met.
Almost two hours later, Kimberly had Clarissa ready. The maid had arranged Clarissa’s hair differently tonight, only pulling back the bulk of her long hair and tying it with a ribbon that matched the gown. She fastened a strand of pearls around her neck and matching solitaires to her earlobes.
Slowly, Clarissa made her way down the stairs, searching in every room and behind every corner in hopes of seeing Ryder. She wouldn’t be able to endure this evening without seeing his cheerful smile and his amazing brown eyes that twinkled with delight.
She’d hoped her father would have been free sometime earlier to speak with Ryder, but sadly, the king was too busy.
Clarissa made it all the way into the sitting room with her parents without seeing Ryder. Disappointment washed over her. How was she going to get through this evening now? She would have to let her memories of their kiss keep her entertained. She was certain this dinner party would be extremely boring.
Her father jumped out of his chair first and held out his arms to her. She smiled and gave him a hug.
“You look beautiful this evening, my dear.” He kissed her on the forehead.
“Thank you.” She pulled away and glanced over her father’s attire. “And you look perfect—as always.”
He chuckled and turned to face his wife. Clarissa’s mother seemed preoccupied as she stared into the hearth where the fire licked the stone walls. Something was definitely bothering her mother, because her toe tapped nervously on the rug, and she twined her fingers as they sat on her lap. A frown marred her face, which was something she didn’t show often.
“Mother?” Clarissa asked, stepping closer. “Is everything all right?”
Finally her mother’s attention snapped to Clarissa. The older woman smiled. “Good evening, Clarissa. You look lovely tonight.” She patted the seat of the empty chair next to her. “Why don’t you sit beside me while we wait for our guests.”
Clarissa studied her mother’s eyes. Although she looked at Clarissa, her mother didn’t really seem to be seeing her. For certain, the queen was having an off day.
Shaking away the eerie feelings, Clarissa took her seat. Her father sat in his normal chair in the room. He stared at her with sad eyes. It upset her to think he’d acted so quickly on inviting the queen and her son to dinner, mainly because Clarissa had hoped her father would have been available to speak to Ryder today as she’d wanted. There was no use putting off that talk another moment, especially when her heart had soared from Ryder’s kiss. She’d enjoyed herself immensely, and she couldn’t wait to tell her father that she might have a man in the running for thehusbandtitle. Anticipation pumped through her, making her nervous. Had she really found the one man who she could spend the rest of her life with? And so quickly? Could she have experiencedtrue love’s kissalready? She’d known Ryder for years and had loved him as a friend. So why not love him as her future husband?
