Page 42 of A Wayward Movement

“Rumors?” He repeated the word with a frown. “Which rumors, precisely?”

“Oh, well…” Alina trailed off, suddenly finding it hard to meet his eyes. “The word is that if a girl bears you an illegitimate child, the crown will pay handsomely for her discretion. Enough to support her and the child for life.”

Her words were met with silence, and she snuck a peek. He was staring at her, taken aback. All laughter was gone from his face now, his brows growing heavier by the moment.

“They say it’s standard.” She cleared her throat. “I imagine some at least of your…admirers are hoping for a fabulous payment.”

“That,” said Xavier, in a surprisingly calm voice, “is nonsense. No one has received payment for discretion from me or my parents in the whole course of my life.”

“So you leave your illegitimate children to fend for themselves, do you?”

Her attempt at humor fell woefully flat. Xavier straightened, his arms still crossed and his voice agitated.

“I’ve fathered no children, illegitimate or otherwise,” he said, his words tight.

Unsure what to do other than try to make light of the situation, Alina said, “Can you be sure, though, really?”

Xavier stood his ground, his stance confident as he held her gaze.

“I can be absolutely sure.”

A strange breathlessness crept over Alina as she considered his words. She didn’t know what to make of it all, and it must have showed on her face, because Xavier became visibly upset.

“Do you not believe me? Do you really think that being a prince means I have no need to consider consequences?”

“I…I don’t know,” she said. That was basically what she’d thought, but she didn’t think it would be helpful to say it. “I’m sorry if I upset you,” she said instead. “I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just…it’s hard to believe rumors could be so far from the truth.”

“Then you don’t know much about rumors,” Xavier said in a hard voice.

“It’s quite a shift, though, isn’t it?” she said with a flash of spirit. “Picturing you plagued by rumors you can’t extinguish in spite of your best efforts to prove them all wrong with your consistent behavior to the contrary?”

“I didn’t say that.” He was frustrated, and he wasn’t the only one.

“You have nothing to explain to me,” Alina said. “I have no grievance with you, and no need for you to prove or disprove anything. Thank you for walking me to my room. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She didn’t wait for him to reply before slipping into her room and closing the door. By what she could hear as she leaned back against the wood, he stood there for a long time before finally walking away.

Chapter

Ten

It took more effort than normal for Alina to find her usual cheerfulness before emerging for breakfast the following morning. Neither she nor Xavier made any reference to the unexpectedly intense conversation of the night before, but she had the sense that she wasn’t the only one who’d found sleep elusive.

They spent several hours in the morning speaking to other supposed witnesses. No new information appeared, and Alina was less convinced than ever that the investigation had any need of her help. From the way Captain Mitchell’s eyes rested on her anytime Xavier spoke to her between interviews, she suspected he was having much the same thoughts.

When she learned that the afternoon was to be spent examining the location where the missing girl was last seen, she quietly asked Captain Mitchell if she could be excused. She was relieved when he gave her permission, and she didn’t mention the matter to Xavier.

Her plan was to visit her aunt, since the larger city where the family lived was only about half an hour’s ride away. When she’d risen from lunch, however, she found herself unsure how to proceed. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have hesitated to beg a ride of a stranger, or even walk such a distance. But traveling alone would be foolhardy now. She had no desire to be reckless with her safety.

One of the prince’s guards had wandered out of the inn just behind her, and she turned to him.

“Excuse me,” she said, and he instantly gave her his attention. She eyed the sword strapped to his side. “I’m probably not supposed to ask, but is there any chance you’d be willing to accompany me to a town a half-hour’s ride away?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Yes?” Alina stared at him. “I mean, thank you,” she amended, seeing his eyebrow rise. “I’m just surprised you can be spared from your regular duties.”

“You are my regular duties,” the man said blandly.