Page 24 of Her Royal Rebellion

He gave me a tiny smile before slipping his hand out of mine and exiting the room, leaving us to deal with the bomb he dropped.

“Do you think this kind of thing is only with Jean, or are there more opportunities Dad is considering? Is there something he wants from each of the men?”

Peter shook his head. “I have no company or trade for him.”

“You’re a family friend and you know how much our mother loves you,” Aiden pointed out. “You might be here to throw us off.”

Peter looked uncomfortable. “I assure you; I knew nothing of any ulterior plans before I came.”

“We know, Peter.” I smiled at him. “Would you like to go for a walk with me?”

He stood and helped me from my chair. I turned back to Aiden and Charlie. “I’ll see you guys later.”

They wished us goodnight and we walked out of the dining hall, passing Logan on our way to the gardens. It was dark out, but I knew the path well. Once we got to the center where the fountain was turned off, we sat on the edge.

“Talk to me, Peter. What’s going on?” I’d never seen my friend so resigned. There was something massive weighing on him, and I wanted to help.

“I need to tell you why I’m really here.” He paused and I nodded for him to continue. “My parents have been putting pressure on me to settle down and marry as well, but I’ve resisted for as long as I could. They’ve been trying to set me up and bring in women for me to court, although, with much more discretion. They tried to play off each visiting woman as though she was merely interested in seeing more of Denmark or visiting a nearby site. Mother would never come out and admit what she was doing.”

I took his hand in mine. His voice held so much more pain than I expected from this situation.

“Last month, she grew frustrated. She wants me to marry and produce an heir. She thinks I don’t care, and she said she’s beginning to lose her patience. When I heard about your father’s invitation, I knew it was my chance to get her to back off for a while.”

“So, you came to please her?”

He nodded. “That’s not all.”

What more could he tell me? He wasn’t ready to marry. That was fine. I understood why he would take this opportunity to show his mother he was trying.

“I’m not interested in any of the women, Isla. I don’t want to marry any of them.”

“Okay, you don’t have to, Peter. You can wait until you meet the right one.”

He sighed and ran his free hand over his face. “It’s not that. I’m not interested in women.”

I widened my eyes. Oh. Right. I felt horrible I’d made him spell it out so plainly. I should have realized what he was trying to tell me. “Oh Peter. You haven’t told your parents?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know how. There are no other gay people in the royal and noble community back home.”

I nodded. “I don’t think there are very many who are openly gay in any of the royal families.” I couldn’t actually think of any. How alone he must feel. How trapped.

“Peter.” I tugged his hand into my lap to pull him closer. His eyes finally met mine and I understood the pain I saw earlier. “I love you no matter what. I want you to know that.”

“Thank you, Isla. I was scared you would be mad I was using you, but I’m not ready to tell my family yet. There’s still a lot I want to figure out first.”

“I understand. You can talk to me anytime. I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thank you.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’m only here for a few days, but I’ll run interference as much as possible.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

“Well this is a cozy sight.” A voice came from beyond the lit area. Jean slowly emerged looking a bit put out. “I was told Isla was out here. I wasn’t aware you were sharing your company with someone else.”

Peter stood. “Isla and I were just catching up. I was just going to call it a night, would you mind walking the princess back to the palace?”

Jean nodded, and Peter disappeared. What happened to him helping me? He was abandoning me already.

I shifted as Jean approached and sat next to me. He stayed a respectable distance away. “I’m sorry I haven’t had much of a chance to speak with you. Your parents have been generous hosts.”