Of course now she had to put those happy thoughts aside, if only for a few hours, while she assisted her mother with entertaining their visitors. Clarissa shifted impatiently in her chair. If she had her wish, time would speed by quickly so she could find Ryder and take him to her father. Oh, her patience was sorely lacking tonight.
“Clarissa,” her mother snapped. “Sit still, for heaven’s sake. You look like a restless infant instead of a composed young woman.”
Taking a deep breath, Clarissa calmed herself the best she knew how. Why had her mother made her feel like a child just now? The queen had never done that before. Perhaps her mother wasn’t looking forward to their dinner guests, either. If only Clarissa could tell her parents about Ryder, then they could stop this insane dinner party.
Footsteps echoed from the grand hall, and she sat a little straighter. Finally, they could start this meeting so it could be over quickly. She waited until her parents stood, and she followed. All eyes focused on the door in anticipation.
SIX
The butler enteredthe room and bowed. “Your Highness, Queen Ruth and Prince Ormond from the kingdom of Edan are here.”
The queen appeared slightly older than Clarissa’s mother, having more silver streaks in her hair and more aging lines around the eyes. The tall lady had red hair that didn’t match very well with the rainbow of jewels sparkling in her crown. She was thin—almost too thin—and walked with a haughty air of confidence about her.
Behind her, a mousy man strolled in, stumbling a few times on his shoes in the process. He quickly righted himself, but kept his eyes downcast. Clarissa didn’t know why he was so clumsy. There was no rug to trip over, so perhaps his knee boots were too big for his feet. Or he could possibly have poor eyesight.
He wasn’t as frail as his mother, but Clarissa doubted he possessed any true muscle. He was nearly as tall as his parent, though, and his gangly legs kept getting tangled for some odd reason. His hair was more sandy red compared to his mother’s fire red, and it curled tightly around his head. The color contrasted greatly with his pale skin. He wasn’t the most unattractive man she’d ever seen, but referring to him as good looking was quite out of the question. Plain and dull were the best descriptions she could think to use at this moment.
In his hand, he held tightly to a bouquet of pretty, lavender flowers. They appeared to be the Rapunzel flower, but...didn’t that particular flower only grow in one part of the kingdom? Then again, maybe that’s what she believed because of how many times she’d told that story to the hospital children. Perhaps this type of flower grew in abundance in the kingdom of Edan.
“Welcome to our home,” Clarissa’s father greeted, before glancing at Clarissa.
Queen Ruth nodded to him, and then to Clarissa’s mother. “It’s a pleasure to talk with you once again.”
“Indeed, it is,” the king agreed.
Queen Ruth turned to her son. “This is my son, Prince Ormond.”
His gaze bounced up just long enough to glance at her parents, then to her, before falling back to the floor. “I’m happy to meet you,” he mumbled in a squeaky voice.
Clarissa held back from curling her lip in distaste. She couldn’t do that yet. Perhaps this man was just extremely shy...in a pitiful sort of way.
“Won’t you please have a seat?” Clarissa’s mother said, motioning her hand toward the loveseat closest to them.
When they all sat, Clarissa observed how fidgety Prince Ormond seemed. As before, he wasn’t meeting anyone’s gaze. If he was trying to make a great first impression, he was failing miserably.
Queen Ruth glanced at her son and then rolled her eyes. “Ormond, dear, you could probably give those flowers to the princess now.”
