Page 68 of A Queen's Match

“I know she’s here!” he cried out.

Hélène and Violette exchanged a glance in the mirror, and then Hélène shot to her feet, stumbling forward.

She heard a harried footman trying to stop Eddy’s progress. “Your Royal Highness, if you’ll please wait in the parlor, I shall summon mademoiselle. It is quite early.”

It was indeed early; Hélène hadn’t yet dressed for the day, and was only in a chemise and loose dressing gown. She was halfway to the door when it flung open, and Prince Eddy strode into her room.

“I’m sorry, mademoiselle,” the footman stammered, averting his eyes. “I tried to stop him, but he insisted on, well…”

“It’s all right.” Hélène’s gaze was locked on Eddy as she said, “Violette, you may go.”

The lady’s maid hesitated, clearly aware of the impropriety of leaving them alone, and with Hélène half-dressed. Then she curtsied and walked out, muttering something about too many princes showing up unexpectedly these days.

“Eddy. You came.” Hélène’s heart was pounding wildly.

“What did you mean by that telegram?” He took an angry step forward.

Hélène’s dressing room was small, with gilt blue wallpaper and a Louis XVI mirror. The vanity was covered in crystal scent bottles, pots of rouge, the silver-backed hairbrush that Violette had abandoned. There was something discordant about seeing Eddy here, his crackling male energy sucking all the air from the room.

“I meant exactly what I wrote. That I wanted to speak with you,” Hélène said softly.

“So you could torture me some more? Whatever game you’re playing, I want no part in it.”

“I assure you, it’s not a game to me—”

“Then why do you keep playing with my feelings?”

“Because I had no other choice! I love you!”

Eddy’s expression didn’t shift; he might have been staring at Hélène across a battlefield. And in fact, his ancestors had beenherancestors’ enemies five hundred years earlier.

“I love you,” she said again, fiercely. “And I will fight for us with every last breath in my body. That is, if you still wantme.”

“How can I believe anything you say? You gave up on us,” Eddy said accusingly.

“Igave up on us?” she repeated, incredulous. “You’rethe one who went and got engaged! And to May of Teck, of all people!”

“I thought I was engaged toyou!” Eddy broke into a cough for a moment, hand to his mouth. His voice was raspy and hoarse when he spoke again. “Then, without any warning, you decided you couldn’t be with me anymore. I offered togive up the throne for you, and you told me to walk away andforgetyou!”

“It looks like you had no problem taking my advice, given how quickly you moved on!” she shot back.

“As ifyoudidn’t move on to mycousin!” Eddy crossed his arms over his chest. “Were you already sleeping with Nicholas when you ended things with me?”

Hélène drew in a sharp breath. “Nicholas and I were never even formally engaged. It was all just pretend.”

Eddy didn’t seem to have heard her. “I saw you two together, that morning on the yacht! You weren’t exactly subtle about it, Hélène. Embracing right there on the deck, for anyone to see.”

Ohno. Hélène’s heart ached at how fundamentally he had misunderstood. “There was nothing romantic about it, Eddy. Nicholas is my friend, and embraced me because I was crying aboutyou.As I said, we were only pretending to court.”

“Pretending?” Eddy paused, seeming less certain of himself. “But the night before—I thought—you two left the party at Osborne House early. Together.”

“We did leave the party early, but Nicholas and I both snuck back into the house. He went to see Alix, and I snooped through May’s room,” Hélène said softly.

Eddy frowned. “May? As in my May?”

“YourMay?” Hélène repeated testily. Oh, she hated that phrase.

“You know what I meant! May of Teck, the woman I’m supposed to marry! What does she have to do with anything?”