Page 75 of House of Blood and Roses: Vol. 1

"I'm sure she's looking forward to it too," I respond. "But aren't you the crown prince? Can't you just get a dog if you want one?"

"You'd have thought, but Mother would never let me have one."

"Hopefully, she won't make me get rid of Pip."

"She won't have a say," Marcus replies. "She only gets a say in what I do because I'm her son. You won't have the same problem."

"I hope you're right about that."

"You'll just have my father to impress," he responds.

"So no pressure then."

Marcus chuckles. "You'll be fine."

I hope he's right. I don't want to go through with the betrothal to someone I don't know, but I also know that there's very little I can do to stop it. Which means that I need to make sure I don't put myself in danger in the process. And that means using my head to actually stay safe rather than letting my emotions guide me and get me killed.

THREE

Pip bounces along beside me as we head back to the House Rothorne apartments for lunch. I'm glad I took the opportunity to walk her when I did because she seems to have boundless energy today. I know the servants will happily take her for a walk, and I suspect some of them enjoy it, but I want to spend time with my dog too.

I push open the double doors engraved with roses and step inside.

"M'lady," Jemima says, dipping into a curtsy.

I smile at my maid and unhook the clasp of my cloak. I hand it to her and unclip the lead from Pip's collar so I can give her that too.

"Lunch is being laid out in the dining room, miss," she says.

"Thank you." I hand over the lead. "Who is dining today?"

"Lord Bastian, Lady Isabella, and Lord Vermouten," she responds.

I nod, already dreading what mood my brother is going to be in. Bastian's displeasure about his upcoming wedding rivals mine, the main difference between us is that he's more likely to spout his unhappiness at everyone who will listen.

I make my way into the dining room, relieved to see he hasn't arrived yet. Bella and Thomas are already seated, but none of the food has been served. The servants are probably waiting for Bastian to appear.

Bella looks up and nods at me.

I return the gesture and take a seat. We've found ourselves in a sort of mutual understanding where I think we like one another, but I know that asking her if that's the case isn't going to go down very well.

"Have you seen your brother?" Bella asks.

"Not since dinner last night," I respond. And I can't say I was paying much attention then. I was too caught up in memories of my almost-kiss with Linc, and the fact Marcus caught us.

She sighs. "He better show up soon, I'm starving."

As if he hears her, he storms into the room, his face like thunder. He stands behind the chair at the head of the table, glaring at all three of us. "You're supposed to stand," he snaps.

"For Lord Fallmartin," I counter. "That's not you."

The corner of Bella's mouth lifts up into an amused smile at my response.

"One day, I will be Lord Fallmartin and then you won't talk back."

"Then it's a good thing I'll be a princess by then and outrank you," I respond.

Bella barely manages to avoid laughing, and Thomas cracks a smile while Bastian seethes.