“Well, then,” Megan said, clearing her throat. Quinn giggled a little at her mom’s reaction.
William’s eyes lit up as he stepped toward her. “Wow.”
“I could say the same about you,” she said, taking hold of his outstretched hand.
Thomas playfully wagged his eyebrows at Megan. “I thought you might like an escort downstairs.”
“You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”
“I do my best.”
“Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Megan asked. “I thought I saw you . . .”
“I do. I’m going to come back up here to get her in a little while. She had to finish helping get the younger children dressed and downstairs before she could get herself ready. In the meantime, she says she doesn’t mind my escorting a lovely lady downstairs, so long as I keep my hands to myself. So, will you accept an elbow?”
“It’s a tempting offer,” Megan said, “but I believe there’s a gentleman waiting for me already.” She held her hand out toward Owen, who smiled as he took it.
Thomas sighed dramatically. “Watch out, Owen . . . that one will break your heart. Oh, well, at least Annie won’t let me down, will you Princess?” he said, as Annie and Linnea reappeared.
“And, what? Leave me to fend for myself?” Linnea’s eyes crinkled in laughter.
“I’ve got you covered, Nay.” In one fluid motion, he scooped Annie off the floor and onto one arm, and then held out his other elbow toward Linnea. “Shall we?”
* * *
They approached the dining room just behind Charles and his wife, Thea. Quinn felt herself slowing down, and William looked down at her, squeezing her hand gently. “You can do this.”
“Right.” She nodded. She could do this. This was only the first test of many.
Just inside the door, she was distracted from her tension by the sight of a young couple. Andrew and Natalie Gramble were standing there, chatting animatedly with Charlotte. When they saw Quinn and William, both of them broke into huge smiles.
“Prince William! Lady Quinn! We’ve been so looking forward to seeing you again.”
“It’s good to see you, too,” William said, returning Andrew’s hug.
Quinn smiled at the beautiful baby girl nestled in Natalie’s arms as she greeted the young woman. Natalie was only a year – a cycle? – older than Quinn. “How have you been?”
“Things have been difficult,” Natalie said, “with everything that’s going on. But the three of us have been well. We’ve wondered how you all have been. We never got the chance to properly thank both of you for being so calm and taking care of us that day.”
“Anybody would have done that.”
“No, Quinn. Not many girls who were scared and in the kind of situation you were in would have been able to put that aside and focus on a couple of strangers the way you did.”
“I just wanted everything to be okay for you.” Quinn shifted uncomfortably. “She’s beautiful,” she said, hoping to change the subject. “What did you name her?” Babies in this world weren’t named immediately, and Quinn and William had been headed back to the castle with Thomas long before this child’s naming ceremony.
Natalie’s cheeks turned pink as she exchanged a shy smile with her husband.
“Her name is Quinn,” Andrew said.
William’s mouth fell open just as far as hers did.
“I . . . I don’t know what to say. I’m honored of course,” she stammered.
“Would you like to hold her?”
“Yes, please.” She stretched out her arms to take the baby from Natalie. The tiny girl was soft and warm; Quinn couldn’t help kissing her little head and taking a deep sniff of the sweet baby smell.
“We thought it would be fitting to name her after the kind girl who may turn out to be the queen we’ve all been working so hard to find.”
Quinn had to pay attention to make sure she didn’t lose her grip on the baby who was smiling up from her arms. “You knew?”
“We’d known for a while – Ellen and Henry, the two of us, and a very few other members of the Friends of Philip. What we didn’t know was what you were like, or if we wanted you to know. Ellen hadn’t even told Charles at that point. There are still many who have their concerns, but after that day, Lady Quinn . . . we knew.”
“And now we hear that the news might be even better? That the two of you have an announcement to make?”
“It’s true,” William said, watching in delight as the baby in Quinn’s arms wrapped her tiny hand around one of his index fingers, “I’ve asked her to marry me, and she’s accepted – we’re betrothed.”
Although Quinn was still antsy as they approached the table for the meal, it wasn’t as awkward as she’d been expecting. Ellen and Charles both seemed to have calmed down a bit after their earlier encounter. Maybe they’d been satisfied with her answer.
As the servants started bringing in the salad dishes, William led Quinn over to the table, pulling out chairs for her and her mother. Somehow in the last couple of days, even Owen had become comfortable in the crowd of children who were heading for the smaller table that had been set up just for them.
It wasn’t a large crowd – just William’s family and the guests from Philotheum, so Quinn easily spotted Thomas and Mia as they came through the doors. Mia’s cheeks were flushed, and Thomas . . . well, if he’d looked any smugger, she’d have been checking his cape for feathers. Her eyes immediately went to Mia’s wrist, and she was rewarded with the sight of the little silver bracelet.
She’d been about to sit down, but she straightened back up, and nudged William with her elbow. “Did you know about this?”
“What?”
“That.” She nodded toward Thomas and Mia.
He frowned. “That what? Oh.” He finally saw what she’d seen. “No, I didn’t. I mean, I’d kind of wondered . . .” A grin spread across his face and he took her hand before heading toward them.
“Mia!” Quinn exclaimed as soon as they reached them. “When were you going to tell me about this?”
Mia’s cheeks turned from pink to a deep crimson. “Lady Quinn, I . . .”
“She was worried about upsetting you,” Thomas interrupted. “She didn’t want to take any attention away from your betrothal.”
Mia flashed Thomas a withering look that made Quinn and William both chuckle quietly.
“Don’t be silly, Mia. I couldn’t be happier for you.” She hugged Mia tightly, while William hugged Thomas, and then they traded places.
When they’d finished hugging, Quinn turned around to see that they’d drawn a small crowd. Linnea stood behind them, as well as Charlotte and Maxwell. She realized that she hadn’t seen Stephen yet this evening. Or Simon – although his wife, Evelyn, was already seated at the table.
As soon as Quinn stepped back to let Linnea and Charlotte step in, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and found herself facing Maxwell. “Can I speak with you for a minute?”
Something about his expression made her mouth go dry. “Sure.”
William followed her over to the corner by the door. For a second, Maxwell looked at him with what appeared to be exasperation, but then he closed his eyes, shook his head, and then turned his gaze back to Quinn.
“Earlier today, some of our guards found Jonathan and three of his men camping not far from here.”
Quinn’s heart started beating faster.
“When they confronted him, he asked to be brought here, to meet with my father.”
“Oh?” She didn’t know if this was good news or bad.
“He’s asking to speak with you.”
“Now?” She looked around the room, at the table being laid with food, at her family and William’s.
“He was rather insistent. I’ve already spoken to my mother about taking care of things here.”
“I’m coming, too.” William said.
Max sighed, but nodded. “You might as well.”
* * *
/> Quinn’s stomach was tight as they followed Max down the hall to Stephen’s private office. She was beginning to hate coming to this room; it seemed like she only found herself inside it when there was a crisis. Would her own office be like this when she ruled Philotheum? She shook that thought away – it wasn’t helping her stomach.
The door was closed, but Max didn’t bother to knock, he just opened it, and they followed him inside.
Simon and Stephen were both there, as was Nathaniel, who stood when they entered and came to stand next to Quinn. Jonathan was sitting alone on one of the tall armchairs near the fireplace.
“Max, thank you for bringing her. Please let your mother know I will come and find her as soon as I can.”
Max’s mouth opened partway, but he didn’t say anything. He turned and left, closing the door behind him with a little more force than was strictly necessary.
“Thank you for joining us, Quinn,” Stephen said, after he had gone. “I’m sorry to disrupt your dinner.”
She looked into his clear, gray eyes, seeing immediately the kindness there and the strength, the raw power of a king who would never hesitate to make a sacrifice he felt was necessary.
“It’s your dinner, too, isn’t it? Besides, I have a feeling this is something I need to get used to.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jonathan give a small nod. She turned to face him. “There’s something you need to discuss with me that couldn’t keep until after dinner?”
Jonathan’s eyebrows moved higher on his forehead, and the corners of his mouth quirked up.
She moved closer, so that she was standing a few feet in front of him. “Do I amuse you?”
“Not at all, Princess. You’re just . . . not what I expected, that’s all.”
“What did you expect?”
He shook his head. “It’s really of no consequence to anyone what I expected. What is of consequence, however, is the news I’ve just heard about you and Prince William.”
She glanced up at Stephen, who nodded.
“You know about my betrothal, then?”
“Yes. And while I can’t begin to tell you what hope that news gives me, I asked to speak with you in order to ask you please for the time being, to keep it quiet.”
It felt like someone had poured a glass of ice water down her back. “Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t sound like it makes very much sense.”
“No, it doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“You’re in more danger than you realize. Right now, you’re of mostly passing interest to my half-brother. He wants to know why Stephen’s sons are so interested in you, and he wants to understand your possible connection with a portal to the other world, if one exists. He’s observing you, for those reasons, but not interfering. But if Tolliver were to find out who you really are, and then he found out that you have the very real potential to fulfill the prophecy yourself . . . he would use any means necessary to eliminate you, Quinn.”
She had to remind herself to breathe.
“So what are you suggesting? We can’t keep it quiet forever.”
“I don’t know how much you know about our laws and the situation in the Philothean castle.”
“Practically nothing.”
He chuckled. “That’s very confidence-inspiring, milady.”
“I’m working with what I have. Perhaps you can enlighten me.”
“When my father died, because his heir was not yet of age, all of his power transferred to his wife, my mother, Sophia.”
“But then she remarried.”
“Yes, she married Hector. He was more than happy to step in and take control, to make decisions and to rule the kingdom as Prince Regent.”
She could hear the catch in his tone. “But?”
“But, legally, the power still belongs my mother. It can’t be transferred to a new spouse, only to a successor.”
“Which is why Hector wants so much for Tolliver to take the crown.”
“Yes. But he doesn’t have the power to give it to him, only she does.”
Quinn thought about that for a long moment. “She’s told him no – unless he fulfills the prophecy.”
“I don’t actually know how much my mother believes in the prophecy anymore. But certainly she’s using it as an excuse. You have to understand, Quinn, my mother was broken apart when my father died. She was alone with four children, pregnant with a fifth, and unexpectedly in charge of an entire kingdom. A kingdom that was suddenly having political difficulties with one of its closest neighbors, Dovelnia.
“Hector was the answer to a lot of her problems. Charming, funny, willing to step in as a father to her children and help her take care of them – willing to bear much of the responsibilities of running the kingdom.”
“Magically restore peace between Philotheum and Dovelnia . . .”
“It’s easy to see these things from an outside perspective nearly thirty cycles later, Princess. At the time, there was no reason for her to suspect that he’d had anything to do with my father’s death.”
Her mouth fell open. “You know about that?”
“Yes. As does my mother, although by the time she realized what was really going on, too many things had been set into motion. It wasn’t until after Nathaniel’s so-called betrayal and subsequent…death,” his eyes drifted toward Nathaniel, who was sitting there, very much alive, “that she finally began to understand what had been going on. By then, of course, so much of the damage was already done. She spent many cycles feeling guilty and stupid for having allowed it to happen. And she feels somewhat hopeless, too. She doesn’t want to see Tolliver on the throne, but she doesn’t see another viable option. At least he’s her son, and if he did manage to marry into Stephen’s family . . .”
“Then she would allow him to take the throne.”
“Yes. She’s secretly hoping that he doesn’t manage it – that somehow she’ll be able to hold him off until another heir, Charles’ daughter, perhaps, if we could find her, could step up. She doesn’t know that you exist. That would change everything. And the fact that you’re actually going to fulfill the prophecy . . .”
“I’m surprised Hector hasn’t just killed her.”
“If he did that, the power to appoint a rightful heir to the throne would fall to Charles. Besides, Hector can only have so many people killed before the entire populace would be onto him, and he’d have an uprising. And of course, Hector doesn’t know my mother has everything figured out. She’s still playing the role of obedient, doting wife to him. It’s a very difficult balance right now.”
“And you’re playing the act of obedient son?”
“Of course. Oh, and supportive older brother to Tolliver. I’m quite good at it.”
He smiled with sincere charm. Of course, she thought, he’s a fifth-born. “So what do we do?”
“We need to get you to Philotheum. To my mother. Preferably alive.”
“Preferably.”
“Can’t we just send her a message or something?”
Jonathan chuckled. “No, Princess. It doesn’t work like that. All communications into or out of the castle are strictly monitored. Hector has no idea that my mother has turned against him – or that I have, for that matter. Although that may have changed now . . . I’m sure I can’t even trust all of my own personal guards who came here with me. My every step is noticed; for my whole life it’s been this way. After Ellen and Charles left the castle, things grew even worse.”
“Then how do you expect to get me to see her?”
“Very, very, carefully. I am hoping for help from my siblings,” he looked meaningfully at Nathaniel, “as well as from the Friends of Philip.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
“You don’t. I’m sorry for that. You’re going to have to decide for yourself whether to take my advice or not. In the meantime, I hope you will at least consider what I’ve said, and keep your very presence in the kingdom as quiet as po
ssible – especially your potential to fulfill the prophecy.”
She was trying her best to hold on to her composure, but at his last words, she couldn’t help burying her face in her hands.
“I am sorry, Quinn. And what I’m going to say next is only going to complicate your decision about me.”
She moved her hands long enough to look at him while he spoke.
“I am the one who set the fire. I didn’t intend for it to spread . . . didn’t even realize it could do what it did – I’d never built a fire before. It happened after I set fire to the bridge, hoping to destroy the gate to the other world.”
* * *
Quinn was silent as they followed Stephen and Simon back down the hall to the dinner party. William reached for her hand. She allowed him to take it, but didn’t look up at him. Her hand was cold and clammy; he pulled it closer to him and rubbed it with both of his.
He had not even begun to process what he had heard in that room tonight – didn’t even want to think about it while they still had dinner to get through. He was glad he’d been there only because it meant she wouldn’t have to explain all of it to him later.
Quinn paused when they reached the door, and he watched, amazed, as she pulled herself together. After a few deep breaths, she was standing taller, and her expression had changed from devastated to unaffected. She glanced up at him for a second, and gave him half a smile. “Ready?”
“If you are.”
The meal was halfway over already when they entered the room. Charlotte stood as soon as she saw them and rushed over. Quinn shot her an apologetic look, but left her to talk with Stephen, and William followed her over to the table.
“Sorry about that,” she said, sliding into the seat beside her mother. “Did I miss any good gossip here?”
Confusion flickered in Megan’s eyes for a second, and then it was replaced by a decisive look. “Mia and Thomas were just showing us their courtship bracelets,” she finally said. “And I realized I never even asked you about yours.”
Up until that moment, William’s feelings about Quinn’s mother had been conflicted. He’d felt sort of bad for her, that everything with her daughter seemed to be falling apart, but his bigger concern had been for Quinn. He’d been angry with Megan for lying to her, for not telling her who she really was, or letting her have a relationship with Nathaniel – and angrier still at the way Megan had been treating Quinn, that her petulant reactions were making everything so much harder for the girl he loved.
Blooms of Consequence (Dusk Gate Chronicles - Book Four) Page 17
