Leopold: Part Five

by Ember Casey

  My father’s lips have flattened into a hard line, and even my mother looks slightly shocked by my words.

  “No,” my father says after a moment. “I gave him no such orders.” His eyes slide over my shoulder to Stephan. “Is this true?”

  “Not as he said it, Your Majesty,” Stephan says. “It is true I arranged a car for Miss Parker, but only because she asked me to. She said she’d changed her mind about being here and wished to return home.”

  “That’s a lie,” I say, spinning toward him. “You insulted her and tried to force her to go.”

  “I would never insult a guest of His Majesty,” Stephan says.

  “You did,” I say, growing angrier by the second. “You’re just trying to cover your ass.” I spin back toward my parents. “He’s lying to you. Ask Andrew. Ask Sophia. They know. And talk to Elle—she’ll tell you everything.”

  “I assure you, Your Majesty,” Stephan says, stepping forward and bowing his head to my father, “I only did as she asked me to do. If she says differently now, it’s only because His Highness, Prince Leopold has asked her to.”

  “You have some audacity to stand here and accuse me of lying to my own father,” I say. “Why would Elle ask to leave when we fought so hard for the opportunity for her to stay?”

  “Forgive me, Your Highness, but I would not know,” Stephan says. “I simply assumed she was overwhelmed and realized she had no place here. I sought only to serve her wishes. She is a guest here, after all.”

  I’m going to strangle the weasel, I think. He’s worse than a cockroach. I can’t believe he’s pulling this shit—but on the other hand, I shouldn’t be surprised. It is Stephan, after all.

  My father is rubbing his forehead.

  “We’ll address this later,” he says. “I don’t have the patience for this tonight.”

  “Speak with Andrew,” I say. Please let my brother have my back.

  “We can continue this discussion in the morning,” my mother says, rising. “I think it’s time for us all to retire for the night.” She comes toward me and gives me a peck on the cheek. “Goodnight, Leopold.”

  “Goodnight, Mother. Father.” I want to stay here and see this through—I can only imagine what Stephan will tell my father the moment I’m out of the room—but I think better of it. Losing my temper will not help my case—or Elle’s. I can only pray my parents see through Stephan’s bullshit.

  As I turn toward the door, I give the valet a look to let him know this isn’t over. To insult Elle and convince her to leave is one thing, but to lie about it… I will be keeping a very close eye on the man—that is certain.

  Stephan sneers at me as I stride toward the door.

  Don’t punch him, I tell myself. Don’t punch him, don’t punch him, don’t punch him. Still, my fingers curl into fists at my sides.

  As I march back across the palace toward my room, I try to talk myself down. You caught a break, I remind myself. Your father is giving you another chance. Don’t let your temper spoil it. But it’s hard to do. I almost lost Elle. And now I know there’s someone in the palace actively trying to drive her away. We haven’t seen the end of this, that much is certain.

  My fists are clenched so tightly that by the time I reach Elle’s room, my hands are aching. I’m just reaching up to knock when my mobile buzzes in my pocket. With a deep breath, I pull it out and look down at the screen, expecting Andrew to be calling with another riveting lecture. By now I’m sure he’s heard all about the settee. Instead, it’s a number my phone doesn’t recognize.

  I frown—until I remember how many women’s numbers I’ve deleted in the past month. It’s probably an old lover of mine hoping for another hot weekend in Ibiza—and judging by the number’s code, I bet it’s none other than Lady Karina calling me again.

  I shake my head as I reject the call and shove the phone back into my pocket. After the way things ended the last time I saw her, I’m surprised she’s so persistent, especially considering I ignored her call last week. Some women just can’t get the hint.

  Still, the little interruption has calmed me slightly, and I take another deep breath before giving a quiet knock on Elle’s door.

  She opens the door a moment later, her smile turning into a look of concern as her gaze sweeps over my face.

  “What happened?” she asks, stepping aside to let me come in. “What did your father say?”

  I let out another breath as I stride into the room. “My father isn’t the issue. I mean—yes, he’s an issue, but my mother managed to calm him tonight. You’re still welcome here and our arrangement is still in place, but we’ll need to be more careful from now on.”

  “You mean by not having sex on antique furniture,” she says. “In rooms where anyone could walk in and see us.” Her cheeks turn that most delightful shade of pink, and my hands uncurl as I think of how much I want to reach out and touch that flush of color.

  “Yes, we need to be discreet,” I say. “But my father isn’t the problem, Stephan is. He flat-out lied to my parents about what happened. He said you asked him to arrange for a way to leave.”

  Her eyes widen slightly. “I didn’t. He came here and—”

  “I know,” I say, though relief rushes through me at her words. Part of me—a small, weak part—was afraid Stephan was telling the truth, that Elle really did ask to go. I don’t know what I would have done if that were the case.

  “He’s trying to cover his own ass,” I say. “And while I hope my father sees through his lies, Stephan is clever. He’ll wriggle his way out of this either way.” I move closer to her and cup her face in my hands. “And I suspect he won’t stop trying to drive you away, Elle. If his first tactic didn’t work, he’ll try another.” My eyes search hers. “You do want to be here, don’t you?”

  She nods. “Of course.”

  “You almost left me once tonight.”

  Emotions flicker in her eyes. “I thought about leaving, but I didn’t. The car was waiting for me, but I couldn’t make myself get in.”

  “But you thought about it. His plan nearly worked.” I release her face and take a step back. “He’ll try again. He’ll say whatever he thinks will convince you to go. I don’t want you speaking with him again.”

  She crosses her arms. “I’ve already told you that I would stay. You don’t need to order me not to talk to him.”

  I run my hand through my hair. “Maybe I do. You already fell for his lies once, and I don’t want to worry every time we’re apart that you’ll find some other excuse to walk away again.” My frustration is boiling up, but I’m not sure what to do with it.

  She’s silent for a long moment. Then she says, quietly, “What would you do if I left?”

  “I’d come after you,” I say without even having to think. “No matter where you went, I’d find you again. We belong together. And God help me, even if I had to track you to the ends of the earth, I’d do it.”

  Her eyes have gone wide again.

  “Does that scare you?” I ask, stepping toward her once more.

  She looks up at me. “I… I don’t know.”

  She scares me. All of this—the things she does to me, the way I feel around her—is terrifying in a way I’ve never experienced before. But I’ve never been certain of anything like I am about this.

  “You’re mine,” I tell her, dropping my face toward hers. “And I don’t intend to let Stephan or my father or anyone else say otherwise.” Then I kiss her.

  She seems uncertain at first, but she warms to the kiss quickly. No wonder—we both left some things unresolved during our last encounter. Without breaking our kiss, I lift her and carry her toward the bedroom, ready to put things right between us again.

  Damn it, I forgot to grab the condoms again, I think as I lower her to the bed. Tomorrow, I’ll have Matthias deliver a year’s supply to this room. I want to be able to finish inside her, to give myself fully to her again. Tonight, though, I just want to drown in her body one more time.

 
; Afterward, as we lay tangled up in each other, I finally find a quiet sort of calm. She’s already fallen asleep against me, and I look down at her as I trail my fingers up her back. Her skin is damp with perspiration, and her hair is a mess of waves across my chest.

  One day at a time, I think to myself. We can do this. Tomorrow, perhaps, I’ll give her a tour of the city. Or maybe give her a few quick lessons in our customs and etiquette. There’s so much she’ll need to learn if she stays here, so much I want to share with her.

  Hope begins to swell in my chest again. This is my chance to show her my world—to show her what made me as I am. This is my chance to win her full heart, not just the pieces that slip around the wall she’s built up.

  And if there’s still a tiny ball of uncertainty—of fear—deep inside of me, it’s easy enough to ignore for tonight.

  Elle

  In Leo’s arms, I sleep more soundly than I have in months—at least for a few hours. I don’t want to admit it out loud, but I really have missed having him hold me. My life hasn’t been right without him—not that there was much right about it before him. And come to think of it, the time we have spent together hasn’t been all that great, either—at least not while we’re out of bed.

  That doesn’t make for much of a relationship.

  Maybe we are confusing lust for love. But there is definitely something about the way Leo seems to need me that has nothing to do with lust. The something I wasn’t able to put my finger on last night. Vulnerability. I suppose I hadn’t thought about it before now—that the way he’s opened himself up to me has left him vulnerable to heartbreak. Even more than before. He tells me he loves me every chance he gets—too often, really. And I’m not sure either of us knows enough about love to believe this is real. I’m not sure I do, anyway.

  I almost hurt him again tonight, even though I hadn’t thought I had much of a choice in the matter. There’s something about the possibility of me leaving that has him on edge—and I’ve already been thinking about how he only made me promise him to stay here one more day.

  I’m not sure I have the courage to go to tea alone with his mother today, and leaving this country is the only thing I can think of to get out of it. I suppose I could fake an illness, but that would only get everyone in the palace riled up. Doctors would be called. And I would be outed as a liar. I think I’d much rather be known as the girl who ran away than a liar.

  I slip out of his arms and he only barely shifts. I walk over to the enormous closet and edge myself through the doorway, careful not to let too much of the glaring light from inside illuminate the bedroom.

  I pull on the pajamas that Matthias brought to the airplane last night before I look at the dresses again. The gowns Leo had designed for me—ridiculous as they are—are fucking gorgeous. More beautiful than anything I’ve ever allowed myself to own. The silver beaded one in particular—I love it almost as much as I hate the idea of wearing it. There’s just something about knowing he chose it for me… I don’t know why. I guess I’m just being stupid.

  What I really need—and the only reason I came in here at this hour—is to see if there is something appropriate for me to wear to an afternoon tea today. I honestly have no idea what a woman would wear to tea—I guess I picture some sort of dress, but I’m not sure. And I don’t know what a Montovian tea service is like, anyway.

  What the hell am I doing here at all?

  I paw through the hanging garments, certain there is nothing appropriate. The pieces here look like things I would wear to work. Not to tea. I finally find a plain black skirt, and I suppose I can pair it with one of the white blouses and maybe the black shoes I wore to dinner the other night. The queen seemed like an understanding sort of woman. Maybe she won’t care that I have no fucking clue about what I’m supposed to wear or that I have no table manners to speak of.

  But it’s just tea, right? It isn’t like there are going to be fourteen different types of spoons on the table. Maybe there will only be…tea.

  I am so fucking deluded.

  I rub my forehead and look at the new clothes one more time, hoping I missed something or that they’ll be magically labeled for their appropriate use this time.

  I don’t get through half of them before I hear Leo’s voice behind me. “What are you doing?”

  Startled, I spin to face him. “I…” Oh, hell, I don’t know how to explain to him that I’m up in the middle of the night because I’m worried about what I’m going to wear to tea with his mother in twelve hours.

  He frowns and lifts a brow.

  “I’m not planning my escape, if that’s what you’re thinking.” I’m only considering it as one of my limited number of options…

  “Yet, you bring up the possibility again.” He sighs. “What must I do to convince you to stay with me, Elle? Name it—whatever it is.”

  “You’ve already done too much, Leo. I don’t need anything. I don’t actually want anything—”

  “We all want something.” He tilts his head. “There must be something. I truly mean it. Tell me whatever it is you desire that will convince you to stay here. There is nothing in the world—”

  “What is it you want, Your Highness?” I shake my head. “You spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I want when I’m not really sure myself. Maybe you should let me give you something.”

  He chuckles. “The mistake in your logic, darling Elle, is that I already have what I want.” He waves his hand at me. “You’re here. That is the only thing I require in life.”

  “But that makes no sense, Leo, and we both know it.” I sigh and lean against one of the empty shoe shelves. “There’s something else going on here. You haven’t told me the whole story.”

  He rubs his jaw. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’ve told you everything concerning the circumstances that brought you here—”

  “No, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about. You say you didn’t want to interrupt my job or whatever, but you have no problem with having me bail on an interview. I suspect that you of all people wouldn’t have had a problem with me walking out on a job, either. So, you know, it all seems well and good that you wanted to wait, but—”

  He interrupts with a shake of his head. “You’re overanalyzing the situation, Elle.”

  “Maybe. But you left me three months ago, Leo. It’s been a long time. You could have sent a note. You could have figured out a way—”

  He crosses the room in a few steps. He places his hands on either side of my face and kisses me—hard—and I have no choice but to stop talking.

  But I pull away, twisting out of his arms. “Leo, you can’t just kiss me when the conversation turns uncomfortable—”

  “I most certainly can. In fact…” He motions toward the door. “We should return to bed. I believe I know of a few more ways I can convince you without words that we are meant to be together.”

  I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. “Leo, I appreciate the effort. I do, but—”

  “But nothing. Come to bed.” His tone is quite clearly demanding.

  I shake my head. “No.”

  He lets out an exasperated breath. “Elle, this is growing tiresome. What more do I need to do to prove—?”

  “Nothing. You don’t need to do anything or prove anything. You’ve said you love me—”

  “I do love you.”

  I nod. “I know. I’ve heard you say it several times now. But something had to have happened. I mean, you don’t just show up on someone’s doorstep after three months and profess your undying love for them. I wouldn’t have done that for you—”

  He narrows his gaze and tilts his head. “But I did it for you. Can’t that be enough?”

  I shake my head. “It has nothing to do with it being enough or not enough. It has to do with it not making any sense.”

  He stares at me for a moment, crossing his arms over his bare chest before leaning against the wall opposite me. “Fine. Ask me whatever you wish.
”

  “You’re only going to tell me what you think I want to hear. That you didn’t want to interrupt my work—”

  “I didn’t want to interrupt your work.” He lets out a short breath. “Elle, I watched you in Rio de Campo. I was mesmerized by the work you did there. Can’t you understand that? That that was part of the reason I fell in love with you?”

  “No.” I shake my head. “Because I wasn’t in Rio de Campo. I was in Arizona. I think you could have sent a letter. An email. Made a call.”

  He nods. “I could have done all those things. And if I had?”

  I stare at him. “I would have…” My heart sinks into my stomach as I realize he’s right. Fuck.

  He nods again. “You would have told me that I had to wait. That you had to honor your commitment. That you intended to finish what you had begun. You may or may not have agreed to see me—to eat what barely passes for a meal with me at a diner in Arizona. But you wouldn’t have agreed to any more than dinner. And you definitely would not have agreed to come here.” He smiles. “Even if I hadn’t ever so slightly coerced you.”

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He’s right. I would have made him wait. Why do I have this blind spot? Why can’t I just believe him?

  “You may ask Sophia if you like. We’ve spoken at great length about my feelings for you, such as they are. She was the one who convinced me that this was the proper course of action. That these…” He motions at the gowns hanging near him. “That these were things you might want. That our circumstances would be better if I were to wait until your commitment in Arizona was finished. That if you love me the way I love you, you would agree to come with me.”