“Thank you.” Gratitude swirled through me at her words. Hopefully, we could provide her some company during our stay, too.
“What will the ball be like?” Iris swung around the post at the top of the staircase.
“Stop that! You could fall to your death down these stairs.” Then Grimelda covered her mouth and looked at me, her eyes wide. “Oh, Princess Lily. I am sorry. I just get so worried you see. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to any of you girls.”
I narrowed my gaze at Iris as she resentfully stepped away from the top of the stairs. “That’s perfectly fine, Grimelda. I’m sure I’ll be glad for the help keeping Iris in line.” None of my sisters were here to entertain her, and my time would probably be taken up fending off the advances of men I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life with, if Dahlia had done what she’d planned.
Iris stuck her tongue out at me, but then she sighed. “I just want to see my bedroom. Which is mine?”
Grimelda quickened her step a little. “Let me see. I’ve put the two of you down this corridor, in the west wing, and the visiting gentlemen are over here in the east wing.” She looked at me and lowered her voice. “I didn’t want to take any chances on the manners of the men involved.”
My face heated, but I nodded. “Thank you.”
Then I glanced around. Something was missing. As I looked back down the staircase at the now closed door, I turned my head, about to ask Keane if I’d forgotten something. But he wasn’t there. He was my missing thing, and it felt strange to be without him.
Worse than strange. It felt wrong.
Eleven
Keane
I gathered my guards in the courtyard behind the palace. Men had ridden on horseback through the night in pairs or small groups to avoid arousing suspicion from anyone watching the castle. I couldn’t guarantee no one had guessed we were moving Lily, but hopefully I’d minimized any danger. Adrenaline ran in a constant hum through me with the need to protect Lily from whoever was attempting to assassinate her, but it was hard to fight an unknown enemy.
I looked out over the grounds as I stood in a cluster with my men. “Sun and Moon,” I ground out. “Is this really what we’re expected to work with?”
Coming to the summer palace had seemed a good idea at the time, but now, with unkempt and overgrown land and a crumbling border wall, doubts sprang into my mind. Even Princess Dahlia mustn’t have been aware of this level of lack of repair if she intended to showcase Lily for betrothal here. No future King would want to believe he had so little money as to be unable to keep a second castle to a high standard of splendor.
I hacked back a little of the tall grass with my blade. “We shall have to do our best. Perhaps I can discuss employing a new gardener. In the meantime, I want you stationed around the perimeter and doing regular patrols. We need everything around this castle locked down tight. If nothing else, undergrowth this dense gives us as much of a chance to conceal ourselves as it does anyone creeping into the palace. I need a group of you to walk the outside of the walls and identify any weak points or areas you think vulnerable to attack.”
Three men peeled off from the group and slipped almost soundlessly through the undergrowth. I watched them go, worry invading my thoughts. If we came up against a group of men as capable as my guards, we could be in trouble.
I returned my focus to the remaining men. “We also need to arrange surveillance on the visitors here. What do we know about them? I’ll find out all I can and see if Princess Dahlia has any information to add, but until Princess Lily’s attacker is caught, we have to assume all people are either dangerous to her or have the potential to become dangerous to her.”
Case in point was Lord Malren. His history suggested capability for very bad deeds, but usually from somewhere hidden, in the background. For him to actually appear in Lily’s bedroom, ready to kill her in almost plain sight, suggested the involvement of someone very powerful indeed, and that kind of influence could certainly hold sway over our visiting noblemen. I wasn’t sure if I believed that person was Queen Riala, but we needed to be cautious nonetheless.
I rubbed my forehead. Just thinking of all the areas where danger could potentially lurk gave me a headache. I drew in a deep breath and coughed out the grass seed I’d accidentally inhaled.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. Too many thoughts of Lily crowded in, obscuring my need to keep her safe. “I’m going to join the men checking the perimeter.”
Caspar nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
I strode through the long grass, avoiding the desire to swipe my sword left and right. Clearing paths through the overgrown foliage and plants would only alert anyone watching to our activity. I pushed my way to the wall, and sighed. The crumbling stone had fallen into disrepair and there were areas where it was very clear anyone who wanted to get onto the palace grounds could just walk right in, no need to bother with gates, no requirement to even walk past a guard.
I lifted stones back into position here and there, the rough surfaces scraping my hands. For the remaining gaps, I made a mental note to let my guards know specific areas that required greater observation.
Perhaps Dahlia, even with all her knowledge and spy connections had been wrong. This palace didn’t seem an ideal place to guard Lily. I couldn’t guarantee I could keep her safe when they were so many points of access on the ground, or when there was going to be seven essentially unknown men around her at all times of day.
Sun and Moon. I looked up at the sky, hoping for the strength to get me through this. My life revolved around protecting Lily, even while she was meeting men who were all equally destined to be her husband. That hurt, but I loved her enough to put myself through it. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but by her side.
Other than general disrepair, the grounds and wall looked untouched. I peered over the wall, and there was good visibility in all directions. Maybe the state of the walls wasn’t such an issue if we could see so much of the land beyond. Then I looked back toward the castle and spotted possibly the only tree thriving in the entire grounds, an apple tree, its branches heavy with shiny, red fruit.
I relaxed a little, my breathing suddenly calm, my thoughts easier. I walked back to the front doors of the palace, listening closely to the crunch of gravel under my feet and the switch of long undergrowth. The noise on these grounds alone would alert us to anyone sneaking about. I reached for the hilt of my sword as I turned about to check on Lily out of habit.
But she wasn’t there, and her absence hit me like a physical blow. I hurried up the steps and toward the wooden door someone had recently polished. Even the brass fittings gleamed. The housekeeper was obviously doing her best to welcome so many royal and noble guests properly, but it was a lot of work for a small staff.
Inside, everything smelled musty, like it hadn’t been aired for a long time, but that made sense, given no one lived here. Whole rooms were probably closed up for months. I peered into open doorways—each room was a time capsule from years ago, even more so than Winton where the furnishings were still traditional. The lack of care here added an element of age that was more than simply antique. Scratches and dents showed under the dust, and soft furnishings had tears and frays. Oddly, there were mirrors hanging in every room with the same silver filigree, and though they looked old, they were cleaner than anything else. I supposed nobles felt the need to look at themselves as often as possible to be sure their hair and clothes were proper, I thought with a snort.
I took the steps two at a time, my footfalls thudding and sending dust in soft puffs into the air. I paused at the top of the stairs, listening. I didn’t know where Lily’s bedroom was. As I waited, Iris’s giggle floated along the west corridor, and I followed the sound. Lily wouldn’t leave her sister alone so quickly after arriving.
I glanced into the open doorway, and Iris looked up at my movement at her door. “Oh, Keane,” she said. “Lily is in the next room along. Do you know Grimelda?” She indicated an older lady helping a maid t
o unpack her trunk.
“I don’t believe I have. Pleased to meet you.”
She turned to me and smiled. “And you, Captain Keane.”
I nodded in acknowledgement and continued to Lily’s room. So much of this castle was familiar. The white stone was the same as Winton, the style and positions of the portraits was eerily similar. The mirrors everywhere were a bit unnerving, but I was used to the eccentricities of royals.
I breathed a long exhale of relief as I took up my usual pose against the wall outside Lily’s door. Any of my other guards could do this, and I trusted all of them, but I was the best man for this job, every time.
I stared at the wall in front of me, trying not to think about what the next few days would bring. My insistence on guarding Lily didn’t seem so wise anymore, but I couldn’t step away.
I glanced up at a movement to my right. Grimelda was watching me, her eyes curious. “Oh, soldier. You have your sword at hip and your heart on your sleeve.”
I tensed my jaw as she walked away. Was it that obvious?
Twelve
Lily
I straightened my crown on my head as I looked in the mirror. It was a delicate silver work of art with beautiful stylized glinting icicles tiny crystals like snowflakes that shimmered when they caught the light. My new lady’s maid had outdone herself with my hair, and it was artfully coiled with ringlets that were soft against my face.
I almost didn’t believe it was me, but my blue eyes were cold and hesitant as they peered back, so there really was no doubt. I frowned as I looked at myself—the most uncertain royal in any of the kingdoms. Perhaps Dahlia was right, and I needed a king to strengthen and support my rule, no matter how much the idea sickened me.
I glanced over my shoulder at a knock on my door, but I didn’t even have time to answer before the person was pushing the door open, and Grimelda’s face appeared, her gray hair a little more wayward than was becoming. “They’re ready for you in the ballroom, Princess Lily.”
I hid my surprise at her forwardness. My staff generally waited for permission to enter my rooms before opening the door. “Thank you, Grimelda.”
“Your guard is here to escort you.” She nodded to the side of her, and calm radiated through my chest at the thought of Keane by my side, protecting me.
“You look beautiful.” She smiled approvingly. “The men down there won’t know what hit them.”
I caught my breath again as her words drew anxiety into my heart once more. “I’ll be right down.”
She withdrew from the door and I returned my attention to the mirror. It was a smaller twin of the one in the entryway with ornate silver filigree that could use a polish, but the reflection it presented was a pleasing one. I wore an ice-blue dress with tiny little crystals all over it, which clung to my frame before flaring out at the waist. I straightened my crown one last time.
When I opened the door, Keane looked at me before falling into step behind me as always. There was something comforting about his familiar footfalls.
We reached the ballroom, and I paused at the open door. A footman blew a fanfare, and the butler cleared his throat before announcing my name in a deep baritone that echoed from the high, white ceiling.
Grimelda walked toward me. “This way, your Majesty. Allow me to introduce you to your prospective suitors.”
I swallowed hard. Everything about this felt wrong. Maybe not the arranged marriage part, although I’d always imagined I’d marry for true love, but the idea I got to select from a seven-man line-up. Still, it wasn’t dissimilar to King Raith choosing Rose from a line of my sisters and me, and that had worked out well. I clung to that thought.
Grimelda led me to a line of suitors, all striking in their differences. They’d been gathered from all six kingdoms, one from each of the others and two from Talador. As well as strengthening my reign, it seemed Dahlia also hoped to strengthen ties with the other kingdoms. It left me with quite the conundrum though, because I didn’t want to cause any political disputes if one or the other of the kingdoms believed I had rejected their best offer.
“May I present Lord Danzin of Rodor.” Grimelda held out her to indicate a dark-skinned man with glasses and a well-kept, short black beard.
I nodded in greeting as he offered me a perfect bow. Grimelda shuffled me along the row and introduced Lord Theund of Mesner. I nodded to him as well and tried to hide my surprise. Dahlia had selected an older nobleman from Mesner, perhaps more than double my age. His beard was bushier, verging on unkempt, and gray like his hair. His eyebrows were busy and seemed drawn into a scowl. A permanent one, judging from the creases in his forehead. A sword hung at his side, and it looked more practical than ornamental.
We moved along the line again, to Lord Covack of Korelan. I took in the strikingly handsome man, his ginger hair perfectly styled, his jaw square and strong, but I didn’t bother nodding. He wasn’t even looking in my direction. Instead, his attention was on the crowd at the edge of the dancefloor, and as I watched him, he yawned, sucking in a long breath through his gaping mouth. Perfect.
Lord Vasso of Andaria was next. I looked him over, noting his broad shoulders, perfect olive skin, and chiseled face, and he grinned before falling into a clumsy bow. His hard muscles bunched and flexed with the movement, but something in his dark eyes looked a little vacant. His clothes and sparkling jewels screamed of wealth and riches, and his handsome looks and strong body didn’t hurt either. A wry smile tweaked at the corners of my lips. Well-played, Aunt Dahlia. A young, rich man who she probably thought would be easy to control. Or at least very easy on the eyes.
“Lord Gusten of Talador.” Grimelda nudged his foot with hers. “Look at your Queen when you’re being introduced to her.”
“My apologies,” the man before me murmured as he met my gaze briefly, his cheeks burning a bright red before he folded into an awkward bow. He was cute, with short sandy hair and an attractive face, but he seemed so young and out of place here, his blue eyes wide as he took it all in. He looked more like he needed a hug from his mother than he wanted a new wife. I knew of his family though, and they were among the wealthiest and most prominent nobles in our kingdom, which is no doubt why Dahlia had included him.
Grimelda cleared her throat and I returned my attention to her. “Lord Lasloe of Talador.”
“Your Majesty.” He smiled wide, his eyes alight with laughter, and I found myself smiling back at him. He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back as he bent over into his bow. Everything about him was charming, from his perfectly tousled dark brown hair, to his alluring brown eyes, and I had no doubt he had many admirers.
“Lastly.” Grimelda had already moved on and seemed almost to be tapping her foot as she waited for me to catch up. “Lord Hirth of Ilidan.”
I greeted him with the same pleasantness as the others but discounted him almost immediately. He sneezed as he looked at me, then wiped his nose on an oversized handkerchief that he drew from his pocket. It was a good thing Rose had already secured an alliance with Ilidan.
There were too many names to remember, and I glanced back through the line. The man from Ilidan sneezed again, and I stepped out of the line of his spray. So, I had Sneezy, Happy—I looked at the grinning lord again—yes, definitely Happy, and who else? I looked at the little guy next to him, so cute and embarrassed to even be here. Bashful. I quickly reeled off names in my head for the remaining men. Dopey, Sleepy—that man from Korelan would not quit yawning—Grumpy, and lastly Doc, because he kind of reminded me of the Winton physician with the way he nudged his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.
“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” I said, even as I was busily striking some of them from my mental list.
They were all attractive, some of them more than others. Dahlia wouldn’t have selected any men with deep character flaws, so I was safe in that respect, but how did she expect me to choose the man to have at my side for life during my time here? The more I studied the
men, the harder the task seemed.
None of them had any physical effect on me. None of them had piqued my interest at all, in fact. I wasn’t sure I could marry any man who didn’t at least lift my heart a little. I wanted the sort of chemistry I’d always dreamed of, but perhaps my station in life had robbed me of that luxury.
“Princess Lily, may I offer you a drink?” Doc gestured to a passing server, and I nodded my agreement.
“Yes, please.”
He reached and plucked off a tall flute with a slender stem. Bubbles clung to the sides of the glass. “It’s my honor to serve you.”
“Thank you.” Disappointment coursed through me. They were all perfectly pleasant to look at, and possibly each as kind as Doc. I needed to give them a chance—I owed it to my kingdom and to Dahlia for the trouble she’d gone to in arranging all of this.
Besides, I was probably simply distracted by the recent attacks. Once I settled into life here at the summer palace and felt sure Iris was also safe, I would probably see all of this very differently. Currently too many of my thoughts were given over to the danger that might be lurking at either of my castle gates and the person who seemed to want to take my life. Was it Queen Riala?
I smiled again, the gesture taking less effort as I deliberately pushed my worry aside. I could manage that for tonight.
“Your Majesty, may I have the first dance?” Happy stepped forward, his hand out to receive mine, and I nodded, but as I did so, my gaze slid over the crowd, searching for Keane, the keeper of my worries this evening, the man who would protect from all danger.
I found him, and my heart beat a little faster as I took him in, his stance familiar and reassuring. As Happy led me to the dancefloor and we greeted each other with a formal bow and curtsey, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to feel Keane’s strong arms around me, his large hands at my waist. My breathing picked up at the thought, even though I knew it could never happen.
Kiss Of Snow (Royal Hearts Book 2) Page 6
