When he came to the stairs leading down into the large entrance hall, she was walking through the front door, surrounded by her ladies and Lady Lilliale, a flurry of curls and spring-colored gowns. He wanted to droop just looking at them. He was tempted to turn back around and go hide. He walked down the stairs instead.
“Hello, Amory,” Elodie called out as soon as she saw him, with a delighted laugh and a clap of her hands.
“Hello, Elodie. What are you doing here? Where’s Philip?” He looked around as he descended the last few steps, but his husband wasn’t in sight.
“I came to visit you, silly. Philip was still at the palace when we left, but I’m sure he’ll be along later.”
“You came alone?” Amory was shocked nearly speechless. “Does he know?”
“No. I wanted to surprise you, and he didn’t want to bring me.” Elodie shook her head. “And I didn’t come alone, so no need to worry. Lilliale is here, and three of her brothers escorted us.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond to Elodie’s pronouncement. He wasn’t happy. He could have accepted Elodie’s presence if she’d come alone, but he wasn’t all right with her bringing so many people with her. And the people she brought. He had no desire to socialize with Lady Lilliale and her brothers, especially Vasco who barely tolerated Amory, when he wasn’t feeling his best. He hoped Vasco wasn’t one of the brothers who accompanied them.
And he didn’t want them to see him when he felt disheveled and vulnerable, with his stomach becoming so much more prominent. Philip kept telling him he was beautiful, but Amory wasn’t comfortable looking so different. He could come to terms with it, and he would, because the changes in his appearance were all for a very good reason, and the baby chose that moment to move around as if to emphasize his thought, but it didn’t mean he wanted Vasco and his siblings to see him when he was feeling so vulnerable.
But that wasn’t his biggest problem with the surprise visit. No one was supposed to come to Alzata. They were keeping Alzata closed and secure so no one could get to Amory, and Elodie brought so many people with her. The only reason they weren’t turned away at the gate was because she was Philip’s sister, and she was on a list of permitted visitors. Elodie and her friends might not be security risks, but Alzata was his retreat. His and Philip’s, his with Philip. He didn’t want a disdainful Vasco spoiling his feeling of comfort and safety.
Elodie was a sweet girl, but sometimes she didn’t think.
He sighed. “It was nice of you to think of me, but you shouldn’t have done this. You should have waited for Philip.”
Elodie’s face darkened with annoyance. “Why? I wanted to cheer you up since my brother said you weren’t feeling well. Besides, this is my family’s house, and I can be here whenever I like. I don’t need Philip’s permission.”
Her tone was half-petulant, half-angry, and Amory was truly weary. “Actually, this is my house. Philip owned it, and he gave it to me.”
Elodie looked as if he’d slapped her. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Meanwhile, Vasco, Faron, and Rayan filed in the front door behind the ladies. They joined their sister in staring at Amory’s stomach, which apparently was more noticeable than he’d thought in his loose shirt.
Weariness dragged at him so much that continuing the conversation seemed like far too much work. Anything more he said would come out harsher than it should, or maybe not. He couldn’t think about it. Let Philip handle his sister. “It was nice of you to want to visit, Elodie, but I’m afraid I’m far too tired today for the type of party you seem to have in mind. I’m going to nap. Why don’t you all enjoy the grounds, and I’ll see you at dinner after my husband returns?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, which he knew was rude, but he didn’t care about his manners at the moment. It was rude, too, to leave his houseguests unattended, but Elodie and her traveling companions had invaded his home uninvited, perhaps against Philip’s express wishes. Amory might own the estate, but Alzata was Philip’s home as much as it was his. It didn’t seem a response was forthcoming anyway. Elodie was stunned silent, something he didn’t think he had ever seen happen to the loquacious princess.
He escaped back up the stairs and to his bedchamber, telling a servant on the way that he didn’t want to be disturbed. Before uninvited guests had descended upon him, he hadn’t planned on taking a nap. He’d been thinking about spending the afternoon on the terrace, sketching or reading, mostly basking in the warmth and the sunshine until Philip returned. He supposed he might have ended up lulled into a nap out there. But his whole plan had changed. If he went out on the terrace, or almost anywhere else in the house, he would be obligated to be a gracious host.
He refused to play host to a bunch of guests he didn’t want. And he didn’t much care how childish that made him.
His bedchamber was the only place he would be safe. No polite person would burst in on him there. As soon as the door was closed and locked behind him, he let out a breath of relief. He knew he was probably being cowardly, but he was going to let Philip deal with their unwanted guests. Philip would have words with Elodie anyway, which was Philip’s responsibility not his. Amory tried to treat her like a sister, but if she’d gone against something Philip specifically told her, Philip needed to discuss it with her.
With little else to do, Amory went to the bed and lay down. Both his book and his sketchbook were in other parts of the house. He could have gone to retrieve them or sent a servant for them so he didn’t have to leave the room. But suddenly he didn’t want to talk to anyone at all, and the idea of a nap was tempting. He closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.
He didn’t think he slept long, but he did sleep well, and he felt revived when he woke, more confident that he could handle the sudden influx of people in his house. People who were even then prowling somewhere around the estate, he was sure, with Elodie, who was probably pouting still. Enough annoyance remained that he wasn’t quite ready to go out and face them. First, he called for a servant and asked for food to be brought up to him, reiterating his wishes to be left undisturbed after they brought it, and then he closed himself into the bathing room.
He soaked in the large tub for a while, letting the hot water and herbal bath oil soothe his aches. His body really wasn’t made for childbearing and it didn’t take easily to it. The baby moved again, quick flutters that never failed to fill him with awe. His baby, his and Philip’s. No, he didn’t regret anything. He wished Philip was with him. Ever since the first time they’d bathed together in the huge tub, he had preferred sharing it with Philip. Perhaps tomorrow Amory could coax Philip into the tub with him. He smiled. Probably wouldn’t take much convincing. He tipped his head back and relaxed into the water.
His mind wandered, musing over why Vasco was there. Amory understood Elodie wanting to come even without Philip’s permission. He understood her bringing all of her ladies and Lady Lilliale. He could see Faron escorting Elodie and Lady Lilliale, since he was Lady Lilliale’s brother and he seemed to care for Elodie. Amory didn’t know the other brother, but it made no sense for Vasco to show up. He had thrown Philip over and ended their friendship, and he didn’t care for Amory at all. Was it to save face in some way or to hide the circumstances of his previous relationship with Philip? Amory would find out sooner or later. After Philip spoke with Vasco, which would probably be right after Philip spoke with Elodie.
Amory let those concerns go for the moment. He didn’t need to borrow trouble. He should have told them to leave as soon as they arrived, but the way he’d been feeling, he hadn’t wanted the unpleasant confrontation. Elodie was behind the visit, and alienating his husband’s sister was a bad idea, even if she did need to learn to think before she acted. Best for Philip to tell her, not Amory.
He lingered in the bath until the water went cold and then dried himself with one of the soft towels laid out near the tub. He would have to dress more formally than he would have if he and Philip didn’t have guests for the evening. Formal dres
s would be a challenge—much of his clothing was getting snug. He would have to do some searching to look presentable. He was mostly annoyed to have the quiet evening with Philip he’d planned snatched out of his hands.
He pulled on his dressing gown and bypassed the dressing room for the moment. The maid should have left his snack in the bedchamber while he was bathing. He would eat and then see what his wardrobe held. He was halfway into the bedchamber before he realized he wasn’t alone.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped out, outraged that Rayan would be so bold as to come into Amory’s bedchamber uninvited.
Then he saw the wicked-looking knife in Rayan’s hand.
PHILIP WAS happy to ride back through the gates of Alzata late in the afternoon. He felt as if he’d been gone for days instead of hours, but he was actually returning earlier than planned. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he missed Amory. He was so used to having Amory with him all the time, talking with him, touching him. Simply having Amory’s presence at his side. It was startling how necessary Amory had become to his life.
He dismounted at the front steps, still surrounded by guards on horseback, and handed his horse off to a waiting servant. Jadis dismounted beside him.
“If it’s all right, I’m going to clean up before I see Amory, Your Highness,” Jadis said as they climbed the steps to the front door. Jadis had accompanied Philip back to Alzata for Amory’s weekly examination. With the pregnancy such an unknown and risky proposition, Jadis had been checking on Amory regularly after their move to Alzata despite the presence of a healer at the estate. The regular examinations eased Philip’s mind. He was still worried for Amory despite the pregnancy going smoothly so far.
“The bedchamber you used last time you visited should have been prepared for you. I’ll let Amory know you’re here,” he said.
“Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll be with you both shortly.” Jadis disappeared up the stairs while Philip stopped in the entry hall, as the housekeeper bustled up to him.
“Welcome back, Your Highness,” she said and curtsied.
“Thank you. Do you know where Prince Amory is?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Prince Amory is in his bedchamber. One of the maids brought food up to him. He asked not to be disturbed so I’ve ordered the staff out of that wing to give him some quiet,” the housekeeper said. “Princess Elodie, her guests, and her ladies are out exploring the grounds. They said they would be back by dinner.”
Distracted by worry about why Amory had closed himself in their bedchamber—Was he feeling worse?—he almost missed the rest of what the housekeeper said. “That’s fi—wait. My sister is here?”
The housekeeper looked startled when he snapped the question out. She stammered slightly when she spoke again. “Yes, Your Highness. Princess Elodie arrived this afternoon with her guests and her ladies.”
He bit back a vicious curse. He told Elodie she couldn’t visit, but she’d defied him and come anyway. Unbelievable. He was going to have quite a talk with his sister. He was tempted to track her down immediately, but he wanted to make certain Amory was all right more than he wanted to have that discussion with Elodie.
“Thank you.” He dismissed the housekeeper with a nod and took the stairs two at a time. He would see Amory to reassure himself he was well, and frankly because he had missed Amory that day. Then he would handle Elodie.
The upstairs corridor was quiet and empty, and Philip strode down it without encountering anyone else. But the servants were well-trained and would obey the housekeeper’s orders. He wondered if Amory was sleeping, if he really was unwell or if he’d gone to their bedchamber to escape their unexpected guests. Hiding wasn’t like Amory, but Philip wouldn’t blame him if he had. There were any number of perfectly valid reasons why Amory wouldn’t want guests at the moment. Philip didn’t even know who was with his sister.
He heard Amory’s voice as he approached the door to their bedchamber, but he couldn’t make out the words. His spirits rose knowing Amory was awake. How much he wanted to talk with Amory all the time, to lay out all the annoyances of his meetings knowing Amory would help him work through them, still shocked Philip. With a smile on his face, Philip pushed open the door to the bedchamber.
“—don’t want to do this,” Amory was saying as the door opened. It took Philip endless seconds to realize what he was seeing. His mind lagged behind his body, which was moving as he took in the scene in the room. Amory backed up toward the bed with one hand out, warding off or trying to reassure, and the other splayed over his stomach in a protective gesture, and Rayan advancing on him with a large knife ready in his hand.
Philip leaped into the room, his only thought to protect Amory. Midleap, he was calling on his Talent, using it to change himself into the powerful cat, and giving himself the advantage of teeth and claws against the knife. The magic rushed through him in a flood, and faster than ever before, he was a cat.
He collided with Rayan, the force carrying them both to the floor. He felt a burning slice of pain in his left side, but he didn’t let it distract him. He heard Amory yell, but he couldn’t concern himself with that either. He had to keep Amory safe.
Rayan hit the ground hard and the knife flew out of his hand, skittering across the wood floor. Philip didn’t see where it went and didn’t care. The man struggled beneath Philip, bucking and heaving, pushing, hitting, but Philip had claws and teeth and the leverage and strength of his sleek cat body. He wasn’t going to let him up. He wasn’t going to let him live. Rayan dared to try to kill Amory, to kill his unborn child with him. Tried to kill the people Philip loved most. He understood what it meant to see red as a mist descended over his vision. He growled. No, the man wasn’t walking out of there alive.
He grappled with the struggling man. Rayan managed to keep Philip from landing a bite, but he swiped at him with claws, sinking them in when he could as Rayan bucked and rolled. Rayan managed to get a kick in with his heavy riding boots and Philip hissed, loosening his grip enough for Rayan to jerk back, but the movement only snapped the back of his head into a table leg. Rayan went slack, and Philip prepared to pounce again, to make certain Rayan would never hurt his family again, but a voice made itself heard, dimly over the rush of blood in his ears and the thundering of rage through his head. He almost didn’t recognize it; then all at once, it resolved itself into Amory’s beloved voice, calling for him.
“Pip! He’s unconscious now. He can’t hurt us. Pip, please come away now.”
He didn’t want to listen. Rayan had tried to kill Amory. He deserved to die. He deserved to have his throat ripped out.
“Please leave him and come to me. Please.”
The desperation in Amory’s voice broke through, and Philip lifted his head. Amory was kneeling on the floor nearby, gripping the knife that had flown from Rayan’s grasp in a steady hand. Amory let out a long breath and put the knife aside when Philip met his eyes. Slowly, Philip moved off of Rayan, leaving the man sprawled on the floor. He was using the magic to change himself back as he walked toward Amory. He studied Amory, searching for injury as Amory’s intense gaze did the same thing to him.
Amory’s eyes widened at the same instant Philip staggered, a sudden pain blooming in his side and with it a wave of weakness. He stumbled into Amory’s arms. Amory’s face was a mask of fear and panic as he urged Philip down to the floor.
“Pip. You’re bleeding. He cut you.” Amory fumbled with the blood-soaked clothes at Philip’s side, and Philip hissed at the pain. He hadn’t felt the pain when he was fighting with Rayan. “Let me see how bad it is.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” But his voice didn’t have the strength he would have liked, certainly not the strength needed to convince Amory. He hissed when Amory’s hands came down on top of the wound.
“I’m sorry, but this is deep. I have to get this bleeding stopped.”
“Wait,” Philip gasped out. “Jadis is here. Get him.”
“I’m not leaving you here bleeding.” Turn
ing his head toward the open door, Amory shouted for Jadis, but he kept his hands pressing hard against the wound in Philip’s side. It hurt, worse than anything Philip had ever felt. And he was starting to feel lightheaded, his vision graying at the edges. He tried to focus on Amory. He hated the fear and worry in Amory’s eyes.
“Where is he?” Amory asked, but Philip was pretty sure the question was rhetorical, and pressed harder against Philip’s side. Philip forced himself not to flinch away. Amory bent and kissed Philip’s forehead before straightening and shouting for Jadis again.
“I’ll be fine.” Philip tried to reassure Amory. “Are you all right?”
Amory let out a laugh with no humor in it. “I’m not hurt. You’re the one who’s bleeding, and you’ll be fine, yes, as soon as I get this bleeding stopped. Then Jadis can fix you up, and you will be fine.”
He managed to concentrate on Amory despite his spinning head, and a jolt of fear went through him at the look on Amory’s face. He knew what Amory was thinking, and it terrified him. “You can’t. You can’t use magic.”
“I have to, a little, to slow the bleeding until Jadis gets here to help you.” Amory looked fierce. “I won’t lose you.”
“You’ll hurt yourself and the baby. You can’t.”
“Just a little to slow the bleeding. It won’t hurt me.”
Philip tried to move away, but Amory was easily able to grab him and catch him close again. It didn’t help Philip that he didn’t want to struggle too much and risk hurting the baby. Or, worryingly, that he didn’t have the strength to struggle. Amory pressed his hand firmly against Philip’s side again, and Philip felt the tingle of magic.
The Prince's Consort (Chronicles of Tournai Book 1) Page 30
