Page 17

Chapter 17

Julius

J ulius stood outside Olivia’s sitting room door and drew a breath. He’d arrived a little later in the morning this time, but he didn’t want to arrive too late. She might be annoyed at him for making her wait.

But when he knocked, there was no answer. He frowned and knocked again, this time louder. Was she still in bed? It didn’t seem likely. But perhaps she was in her bedchamber and couldn’t hear the knock on the sitting room door.

He tried the handle, pushing the door open when he found it unlatched. On the other side of the door, he discovered an empty room, save for the tray of breakfast—long since consumed from the look of the leftovers.

His eyes strayed toward the door that led to her bedchamber. If she didn’t answer a knock on that door, he would have to find a maid to go in and check on her. If she was still in bed after all her plans for the day, she might be ill.

But the door stood wide open, allowing him a clear view of the equally empty room beyond. Olivia wasn’t asleep—she was gone.

Julius’s mind went blank for a moment. Where was she? She couldn’t be in lessons. His mother had specifically given them both the morning off so he could escort her to her old home, as Olivia had requested. Was she wandering the corridors trying to find his suite?

He hurried back out, prowling through the wing that held both their suites. But he could find no sign of her. And the servants he passed claimed not to have seen her either. Had she wandered into a different section of the palace by accident?

When he stopped yet another servant to ask after her, he was finally met with something other than a blank stare.

“Lady Olivia? Oh yes, I saw her leaving the palace first thing this morning.”

“Leaving?” Julius asked with a sense of foreboding.

The servant shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I can’t say for sure, of course, Your Highness. I didn’t follow her or anything.” The man threw him an uncertain look. “Should I have done so? She didn’t look lost.”

“No, no, I’m sure she would have asked for assistance if she needed it.” He hesitated. “She will have been on her way to her aunt’s house. She had business there this morning.”

The man’s face cleared. “Aye, that makes sense, Your Highness, since she was headed outside.”

Julius produced a smile—the court smile that he had long ago learned to manufacture regardless of his mood.

“Thank you.”

His thoughts spun as he hurried toward the stables. Olivia had left the palace without him—without even leaving him word of her departure. If she was impatient and thought he was taking too long, she could have sent for him, or at the very least left a note. Then he wouldn’t have spent so long searching for her and worrying.

When he called for the stable master, the grizzled older man appeared promptly, bowing before the prince and grinning from beneath bushy eyebrows. But when Julius asked whether Olivia had requested a horse or a carriage, he frowned.

“She hasn’t been here this morning, Master Julius,” he said, using an informality that was permitted him as the man who had taught a young and eager princeling how to ride. “We’re ready when she does come, though. I’ve picked out the perfect mare for her. I got a good look at her seat when you brought her to the palace, and I think this mount will be a perfect fit.”

“That’s very good of you,” Julius said, trying to hide his dismay.

Had she walked into the city?

He extricated himself as quickly as possible, hurrying from the palace grounds using the same route he had taken on the day of his first meeting with Olivia. Had she also taken the back way, or had she walked through the city streets? She was used to being an anonymous face in the capital, but that had all changed now. She might be accosted by a crowd and?—

His steps quickened.

His path took him to the hill behind Manor Row, but he was too agitated to care whether he arrived at the front or back of Olivia’s old home. He just wanted to be free to move quickly—he was almost as likely to draw attention on the streets as Olivia given all the current excitement about their recent betrothal.

But as he hurried along the grassy hill, his eyes found two people instead of the manor he sought. They were engaged in an intense conversation, and even from a distance, he easily recognized them—Olivia and Cade.

Neither of them had noticed his approach, and as he watched, Olivia leaned toward Cade, placing a familiar hand on his arm. A knot formed in Julius’s gut, and he strode faster.

Olivia’s words reached his ears. “Surely together we can convince Julius to?—”

“To what?” he asked, his voice sounding harsh in his own ears. “I’m here, so you can ask me directly.”

He wasn’t sure he actually wanted her to answer, though. Everything about the scene made him deeply uncomfortable, and he had no desire to help with whatever plan they were hatching. He knew his mother intended to find a man of the court for Olivia to marry instead of him, but Julius found the whole concept increasingly distasteful, and the idea of that man being Cade was unthinkable. Even if Cade knew the truth of Julius’s engagement to Olivia, it would still be a betrayal of friendship and loyalty for him to court her while she was Julius’s betrothed. If Cade thought he could win Julius’s blessing, he was sorely mistaken.

Olivia turned startled eyes on him, but her face showed no guilt. She did, however, throw a quick look at Cade. Something significant and unspoken passed between them, and Julius’s stomach clenched again.

“I suppose this is why you didn’t wait for me,” he said, stopping in front of the two of them but looking only at Olivia. “You already had an escort.”

Olivia tipped her head to the side, looking confused. “What do you mean? Did you want me to wait for you? I didn’t know you were coming this way.”

“You didn’t know I was…” Words failed him, and he ran a hand through his hair, needing some outlet for the frustration boiling inside him.

Olivia exchanged another look with Cade, this time one of obvious bewilderment.

“I always stand ready to escort Lady Olivia anywhere she needs to go.” Cade gave Olivia a warm smile that seemed to carry a wealth of meaning. “But on this occasion, we met by chance, here on Manor Row.”

Julius frowned, his understanding of the situation only growing more tangled.

“If you didn’t have an alternative escort,” he asked Olivia, “then why did you leave without me?”

Olivia shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Were you expecting me to go somewhere with you this morning? I’d made plans to visit my aunt’s house, remember?” She gestured at a small bag by her feet.

“Of course I remember. That’s why I’m here.” He ran his hand through his hair again, wondering if they were speaking a different language. “I especially asked my mother to give us both the morning off so that I could take you to your aunt and uncle’s.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “You asked for the morning off as well? You were planning to accompany me?”

“Of course! That’s what we discussed.”

Olivia shook her head, a stubborn light coming into her eyes. “You never said anything like that. I’m sure I would have remembered.”

Julius’s brows drew together. “But I said…” His words trailed off as he tried to remember exactly what he’d said. Now that she was asking, he couldn’t remember actually saying the words.

Cade cleared his throat with what sounded suspiciously like a suppressed chuckle. “You’ll have to excuse him, Lady Olivia.” He leaned closer, talking in an exaggerated whisper that easily reached Julius’s ears. “You have a way of disabling his usual eloquence.”

Julius’s brows snapped together, but he couldn’t deny it. Would he never stop misstepping when it came to Olivia? How could he ever succeed as future king if he was so easily thrown off balance?

He turned to Cade, trying to mask his discomfort. “What about you, then? What are you doing here?”

“Pure chance,” Cade said cheerfully, seeming amused by Julius’s discomfort. “Lady Olivia and I ran into each other on Manor Row, and she was kind enough to show me this spot.” He glanced across the hill. “She was trying to enlist my help because she knows I have your ear.” He grinned broadly at Julius who glowered back.

“It’s about Marigold,” Olivia jumped in quickly, and Julius groaned. Marigold again. Was the dratted girl going to plague him forever?

Olivia ignored him and continued, her eyes urgent. “I’m worried about Marigold, but her family are convinced she’s run away and are too angry to look for her. I think she’s been abducted, and I have to try to find her. You will help me, won’t you?”

Julius was silent, not wanting to commit himself, but not wanting to reject her earnest plea either.

“I think Lady Olivia might exaggerate my influence,” Cade said dryly, his eyes on Julius’s face. “But of course I’ll lend my voice to hers.” He bowed in her direction. “Anything to assist my future queen.”

Julius sighed. Olivia was his betrothed, and he could hardly offer her less assistance than Cade—even if he didn’t think they owed Marigold anything.

“If it’s so important to you, of course I’ll help.” He drew a deep breath. “And my apologies for the misunderstanding. I should have clarified our plans more clearly. But please don’t go off alone again.”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed, so he continued quickly, not wanting yet another misunderstanding. “I know you’re used to moving around the city alone, but your status has changed. Our betrothal has generated a great deal of interest, and half the population now knows your face, so it isn’t safe. That doesn’t mean you can’t leave, just that you should take an escort with you. If I’m not available, there will always be grooms and guards who you can call on.”

The indignant light in Olivia’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I wanted to stretch my legs and didn’t want to cause a fuss. It didn’t occur to me that you might be worried as a result. I’ll make sure I don’t leave without an escort in future.”

“Don’t forget I stand ready to assist you if Julius isn’t available,” Cade said in his usual good-natured way.

But on this occasion, Julius wished he was a little less helpful and friendly. Julius wanted to be Olivia’s escort himself. But he said nothing aloud. He could hardly complain when he had just told her to find a replacement when he wasn’t available. As prince, his time was rarely his own, so there would be many times when he wasn’t available.

But he was there now. He looked at Cade. “I can escort Olivia back to the palace myself on this occasion.”

Cade laughed. “I can recognize a dismissal when I hear one.” He turned to Olivia. “Consider me always at your disposal, my lady.”

Julius watched his friend stroll away with a frown. Julius had told Cade he wasn’t in love with Olivia, but surely his friend couldn’t be developing feelings of his own for her so quickly. Julius wasn’t sure what he was going to do if Cade was.

When Cade disappeared from view, Julius turned to Olivia. “Did you get everything you wanted?” He peered at her small bag. She couldn’t have collected much.

“Actually…” Olivia gave a grin that filled him with foreboding. “There’s one more thing.” Her smile somehow grew broader. “Something you’ve already agreed I can bring to the palace.”

She turned and called loudly across the hill. “Mildred. Mildred!”

Julius looked around in bewilderment. Wasn’t her cousin called Delilah, or Daphne, or something like that? And what was she doing hiding on the hill behind Manor Row? She shouldn’t even have been in Sovar yet.

A loud squeaking sounded across the grass, and a mouse the size of a miniature pony scurried into view. Julius gave an undignified exclamation and instinctively leaped backward. The palace had too much Legacy power for mice of any kind to be tolerated there, and he’d only seen one a couple of times. He’d certainly never seen one so large.

“What is that?” he breathed.

The creature raced over to Olivia and leaned against her, nearly knocking Olivia over.

“This is Mildred,” Olivia said, still grinning. “And if you remember, you told me I could keep her with me at the palace. I’ve been terribly worried about her.”

“I thought you meant a cat!”

“Well, you didn’t specify in your agreement, so you can’t take it back now.” Olivia sounded smug, but the eyes she turned on him were pleading. “I won’t be able to rest easy if I have to leave her out here. She’s too big to hide herself now, and it’s all my fault.”

With a sigh, Julius accepted the inevitable. The Sovaran palace was about to acquire a horse-sized mouse.

He watched Olivia gently pat the soft fur of the enormous creature, remembering her words at the ball about feeling her own sense of responsibility. Whether it was working hard at her lessons, rescuing Marigold, or saving a mouse, Olivia had already proven the truth of her words. She might not have the connections expected of a royal bride, but Olivia clearly had the necessary character—more so than plenty of the girls at court.

But that didn’t mean he wanted to marry her. She was still almost a stranger, and one neither he nor his parents had chosen.