Kale seemed to be here to stay, but I didn’t know how that would play out as the competition for Prince Byron progressed. I knew he was seeing the other girls, though he never asked about them. He seemed to have eyes for no one but me.
“So, who’s the guy you’ve been talking to?” Bethany asked.
She was with Piper and they’d found me reading in the library—my home during the downtime, of which there’d been a lot throughout the week. When I wasn’t reading, I went out to the stables and visited Misty; I wasn’t ready to ride her yet, though my bruises were steadily healing every day.
“Just a guy,” I said, looking up from Northanger Abbey.
“He seems to have taken a real liking to you,” Piper said.
“Yeah,” I said. “I try not to encourage him. I’m just waiting for my first one-on-one with the Prince.”
“You haven’t gotten yours yet?” Bethany asked. “The week’s almost over.”
“Danielle’s out with him right now and he definitely doesn’t seem that into her,” Piper said.
“Have you both had one?” I asked.
Both girls nodded and took a seat on the couch across from me.
“I had mine on Monday,” Bethany said.
“Wednesday,” Piper said.
“Am I the last?”
“Has Constance had one yet?” Piper asked Bethany.
Bethany thought for a moment. “I think so. Umm… I’m not sure.”
“That’s perfect,” I said. “I most likely am the last.”
“He seemed to really have eyes for you on the first day,” Piper said.
Probably, before I turned him down, I thought. I didn’t want to say that aloud, so I deflected the focus from me. “What did you guys do?”
Piper was the first to answer. “We took a helicopter and flew over all the bordering wards, then landed atop the tallest building in Capital City, where we dined privately over the city lights and under the stars. It was amazing.”
“Sounds it,” I said. “What about you, Bethany?”
“He took me horseback riding on the beach. We splashed in the waves. There was no one along the entire stretch where we rode. Then he set up a picnic in the sand and watched the sun set.” Bethany spoke mostly with her eyes closed as if reliving each detail as she described it. “And I’d never even ridden a horse before, never cared to learn before, but now… I’ve already requested lessons.”
I couldn’t help but be jealous of Bethany as she talked about her date with Prince Byron. Piper’s date sounded wonderful too, but Bethany’s was my dream date. I didn’t know if I could have handled it earlier in the week, but I wouldn’t have let my pain stop me going on a dream date like that. Riding could have been agony, but I still would have loved every second of it.
“Did he kiss you?” I asked Bethany.
“Are you keeping score?” Piper asked.
“No… I just…” I shut up.
“I’m sure you’ll get your invitation tonight,” Bethany said.
“Isn’t there a mixer this evening?” Piper asked.
“Yes,” I said. But a mixer definitely wasn’t the same.
After dinner, we went to the Garden Room for the mixer. There was dessert and more champagne. Most of the girls went sparingly on the decadent puddings, but not the champagne.
Constance was absolutely glowing as she talked with Danielle and Jane. So, she’d just come back from her one-on-one date with the Prince, and here she was with the opportunity to spend more time with him. Prince Byron had taken Eleanor aside, but Constance was positioned to pounce as soon as they were done.
“You should get in there,” Bethany said.
We were standing by one of the dessert tables, half a room away from the Prince.
“I’m not going to fight for his attention, especially not with all those vultures circling,” I said. “If he wishes to talk to me, then he’s welcome to at any time.”
“There’s no shame in fighting. We all need to fight for our time.”
“So why don’t you go over? Why are you hanging back with me?”
“I will,” she said. “I’m confident in our relationship and I’ll get some alone time with him tonight. I just wanted to check on you. You’re my friend.”
“Thanks for the encouragement, but I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Bethany said, put down her empty champagne flute, and strolled over to where Prince Byron was seated with Eleanor. A moment later, Eleanor was out and Bethany was in.
I snatched a chocolate pastry to make myself feel better about standing alone. The champagne was making me lightheaded and more anxious, so I set my still half-filled flute down, with the empty ones.
After Bethany, Constance finally swooped in. Bethany returned to me, scolding me more for not interrupting her and allowing Constance an entrance.
I then went to the Prince, partially to shut Bethany up and partially to piss off Constance; it worked on both counts. Constance left, but not without a scowl and a snide comment. Prince Byron didn’t seem to appreciate the agitating behavior, nor did he seem particularly happy to see me.
“How’s your week been?” he asked, sounding formal and distant.
“Long,” I said. “Lonely. I’ve heard stories of a lot of amazing dates the other girls have gone on with you.”
“Yes. It’s been quite a week,” he said, his stiff features softening.
There was a pause as we sat there facing each other, not touching like a barrier was wedged between us. He seemed to be waiting for me to speak.
“What about me?” I finally asked.
“What about you?” Prince Byron countered. “I got the feeling you didn’t care. Actually, I’m not quite sure why you’re still here.”
“What are you talking about?” Now I was offended. “You said you respected that I needed to move a little slower than some of the other girls, but then you spent the rest of the week practically ignoring me.”
“Maybe you don’t need to go slow. Maybe it’s me.”
“I’m still not following,” I said, but I was starting to get a hunch as to where this conversation was going.
“I saw you kiss him on the dance floor,” he spat at me, trying to keep his voice down and his burst of rage in check.
“He kissed me. It meant nothing.”
“No, no, no! Don’t lie to me! It was not one-sided. You quite voluntarily kissed him.”
I could feel more than a few sets of eyes on us now but had to remain focused on us.
“I don’t know what you think you saw. But it was one kiss,” I said, pleading now. “I didn’t initiate it and I stopped it. I acted as swiftly as I could.”
“Well, that’s not all,” Prince Byron said. “Not only was there the man from the party, now you’re getting friendly with one of the palace staff members. I first heard about it from a few of the other girls. I didn’t want to believe it after what I’d seen at the ball but then saw it with my own eyes. I could have him thrown out of here. I could have him arrested—put to a firing squad for treason!”
“You wouldn’t!” I cried. I didn’t want to find out what he might do if he found out the guy from the party and the one from the palace staff were actually the same person.
“If you want to run away with him or the man from the party, or both of them for all I care, go ahead. I won’t stop you. But stop wasting my time.” The Prince went from raging to deflated in the span of a few sentences. “This is important to me. I’m here to find the love of my life, and you’re toying with me.”
“No, my Prince,” I said. “I’m doing nothing of the sort. I apologize for the kiss at the masquerade ball, but I won’t apologize for talking with another man while I sat here all week waiting for you. It’s hard seeing all these girls going on dates with you and then waiting, wondering if I’m going to be next. Then I hear about how wonderful and romantic the dates are. And it hurts, you know?”
“You haven’t gone out of your way to talk to me. We’ve
been in several group settings. There have been ample opportunities. You’ve had all week.”
“So have you,” I countered. “You seemed upset with me. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.”
“I was upset with you—I am upset with you.” Prince Byron let out a long breath and laid a hand on my knee. “You say you’ve been waiting for me. Tell me now—promise me you’re not playing me for a fool,” he said.
“I’m not playing you for a fool,” I said, very aware of his hand on me. I made it a point not to pull away again. “I’m just waiting for you to ask me out. And I hope you still desire to.”
Prince Byron removed his hand from my knee and reached into his suit coat. After some difficulty, he revealed an envelope with my name on it. “I had originally planned to give this to you Sunday evening for Monday’s date, but with everything that’d happened… I held off. I hope you’re still here for me and I hope you’ll accept.”
“Of course, I will,” I said, taking the envelope. “Should I read it now?”
“If you want,” he said and returned his hand to my knee, caressing the skin under the hem of my dress.
I hastily ripped open the envelope and removed the card. “Let’s ride into the sunset together,” I read and then gazed up at him. “Yes. Let’s do that.”
CHAPTER 28
I went down to breakfast early Saturday morning. Many of the girls ordered room service, but I liked getting out of my room whenever I could, even though it was pretty spectacular.
I couldn’t get much sleep thinking of the next day’s one-on-one date with Prince Byron. When I’d received the invitation, I originally thought the date would be that night, but the Prince had business to attend to, so it was set for Sunday, starting the week off right.
In the dining room, I found the Queen seated with Constance and Danielle; they were all well into their meals so I was about to turn around and leave when the Queen noticed me.
“Good morning, Victoria,” she said. “The best among us get our days started early. Come sit with us, my dear.”
I reluctantly approached the table and chose a seat across from the other two girls. The Queen sat at the head of the table.
“May I bring you any coffee or tea?” one of the kitchen staff members asked from behind me.
“Lemon chamomile tea please,” I said, making eye contact with the staff member, only to find Kale gazing down at me. Oh God, not now.
“Right away, m’lady,” he said, disappearing into the kitchen.
“I used to read the bios of all my staff members, but my staff has grown so considerably over the years that it just became too cumbersome,” the Queen said, finishing her oatmeal and moving on to a small bowl of mixed fruit. “I had to put more trust in my management team to ensure everyone employed at the Château was carefully vetted and controlled. I’ve only seen that boy serving us for about a week but I really like him. He’s very proper and attentive. Don’t you agree, ladies?”
Both Constance and Danielle concurred, maybe a little too emphatically for my taste.
“He’s not hard on the eyes either,” Constance said, glancing over at me.
Then they were all looking at me.
“I guess I hadn’t really noticed,” I said.
Kale burst back into the room with a teapot for me, along with the porcelain cup and saucer. Kale poured my first cup of steaming tea and set the cup and saucer before me.
“Your meal will be out shortly,” he said. “Is there anything else I can get for you in the meantime?” When I shook my head, he turned his attention to the others at the table. “May I take your empty dishes? Was everything to your liking?”
“Everything was wonderful,” the Queen said. “I haven’t had the pleasure of your name.”
“Jimmy, Your Highness,” Kale said with a bow.
“Well, Jimmy, I will speak with the dining supervisor to commend you on what a superb job you’re doing.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Kale said while stacking the empty plates on one outstretched arm and returning to the kitchen.
Constance and Danielle rose from the table and excused themselves as well. For the most part, Constance behaved herself in the Queen’s presence.
The Queen was also finished with her breakfast except for her coffee, and sat back in her chair, sipping the drink noisily.
“You don’t have to wait for me,” I said.
“How are you handling all this?” the Queen asked.
“I was expecting to spend more time with you—get to know you since you are my real mother… well, technically the real mother to all of us.”
“A lot of work goes into running a kingdom. There isn’t much downtime. I rarely have time to myself. I try to enjoy the few quiet moments I do get.”
“Why is all of this happening now?” I asked. “You had eighteen years to contact us. We could have met our older sister.”
“Princess Amelia,” the Queen corrected.
“Yes. Princess Amelia. If we—since we were cloned from her, it would have been such an honor to meet her.”
Kale returned with an omelet and oatmeal and placed the dishes before me. He then took my napkin and draped it gently across my lap.
“Anything else?” he asked.
“No, thank you. This looks delicious.”
Kale bowed to each of us as he exited the dining room again.
“I didn’t want to disrupt your development,” the Queen said, returning to our conversation. “It was safer to separate all of you and monitor you each individually. The Kingdom can’t know about this experiment; you are a beautiful and healthy young woman—a successful experiment—but still an experiment, nevertheless. There were risks, which I struggled with early on. But ultimately, I agreed with the doctors to move forward. And here you are, eighteen years later, sitting at my table. You all look like her, but you remind me of her the most. Your disposition. The way you hold yourself. Every time I see you, I forget for a moment that my Amelia is really gone.”
“We must seem like ghosts to you,” I said.
“More like visiting angels,” she said. “How are you taking to Prince Byron?”
“I have a date with him tomorrow evening. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
“The time is going by fast. And all of you girls have been beyond my expectations. I’m sure his choice, in the end, will be difficult.”
“What will happen to those of us not chosen?” I asked.
“Those arrangements will be discussed soon, but it needs to be with the whole group. For now, keep your focus on the Prince.” The Queen took her last sip of coffee and slid back her chair. “Delicious breakfast and pleasant conversation. This has been a good start to the day, wouldn’t you say?”
“It has, Your Highness.”
“Duty calls,” she said as she rose. “Enjoy your date tomorrow, Victoria. Make every moment count. We never know how many we have left.”
No one else came in while I finished my food. I sat at the long table alone.
Kale returned a few minutes later. “May I take your plate, Lady Victoria?”
“Stop calling me that,” I said, rolling my eyes.
He placed a hand on the nape of my neck and lightly rubbed it.
I jerked away from his touch, alarm always seeming to be my first reaction.
Kale took a step back. “I’m sorry.”
“We need to be careful,” I said. “We need to distance ourselves. The palace has eyes… everywhere,” I said.
“Then let me steal you away from here. I have a place we can go, people we can stay with who will keep you safe. Neither the Queen nor the Ramseys will be able to find you. It’s like we talked about before—before they stole your memories from you.”
I turned in my chair to face him. “I can’t,” I said. “If I can win the Prince’s favor and gain status here, I can save Mina, Johanna and Lady Ramsey from the monster they live with. It’s a great opportunity for me. I have to see it through.
It’s only a few more weeks.”
“And if you win, then you’re gone—I’ve lost you.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how I feel about him yet. I also don’t know about us. Everything you’ve told me about us, I have no memory of. I feel you’re being sincere, but I’m not in the same place you are.” I remembered the familiarity of his kiss, but it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t about to just run away with him—I no longer knew the girl who was.
“I know what we had,” Kale said, kneeling before me. “There is no question for me.”
“There’s a good chance I won’t win. He’s seen us together. He’s watching us. That is why we need to be more careful.”
“So, if you lose, then I’ll be your consolation prize?”
“This opportunity is so much more than just him and you,” I said, directly meeting his gaze. “It could be a new life where I could make a real difference.”
Kale sighed and stood. “I’d better get back to work,” he said, collecting my used dishes and silverware. “We have to be careful, right?”
He stormed back into the kitchen, leaving me alone at the table again.
How could he just expect me to leave with him? Even though we had some romantic, yet forgotten past, I currently didn’t know him any better than the Prince. I didn’t know who I could trust; all I could do was listen to my gut, and it was telling me not to commit to anything too early. I hoped Kale would come to understand.
After breakfast, I ventured out to the stables to visit Misty. Not knowing what the Prince had in store for me the next day, I figured I’d better get a little riding in to see how much pain it’d cause me. But once I had Misty at a full gallop across the open field, I found my injuries didn’t bother me half as much as anticipated. I embraced my four-legged friend, the sweet air, and the sunshine peeking through the clouds. I spent an hour riding and another with Misty in the stable, cleaning and feeding her. The stable boy tried to take the tasks away from me, but just like back at the Ramsey estate, I didn’t consider these chores.
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