Page 4

Chapter

Four

F lora tried to steady her breathing as she held the prince’s gaze with what she hoped was a semblance of calm. The look on his face would have been comical if she’d been in a different situation.

Meaning, a situation other than being forced by a magical tether to occupy the same bedchamber as a handsome foreign prince.

Because Prince Cassius certainly was handsome. His hair, a deeper shade of brown than hers, reached his shoulders in a style that was customary in Carrack but not favored in Siqual. It suited him, though. It gave the slightest rugged edge to a bearing that was otherwise commanding and polished. His richly embroidered jacket sat well on him, and he moved with a casual grace that she found much more appealing than the stiffness of Prince Theodore’s gait, or the hint of vanity that accompanied Prince Xavier’s lope.

He’d also shown much more kindness than she would have expected given their unfortunate circumstances, and although he had the inevitable pride of a prince, in private conversation, he didn’t seem full of his own importance.

In short, he would likely do very well for Mim. The marriage of alliance was looking much more promising than it had a day before.

Or at least, it would be if someone hadn’t tried to kill Miriam and someone else hadn’t caught Flora off guard and hit her with an overpowered enchantment, landing her in this thoroughly humiliating situation.

Handsome prince, bedchamber, both trapped. That situation.

“You’re…” Prince Cassius trailed off, his pale blue eyes—another excellent feature of his—showing something akin to panic as he stared at her. He tried again. “You’re a…”

“A woman,” Flora finished, taking pity on him when he again failed to say it aloud. “Yes, I am, in fact…that. Yes.”

“But this…this is…”

“So very much worse than how incredibly awful it already seemed.” Flora nodded. “Again, you are correct.”

Prince Cassius stared at her for another dumbfounded moment before squeezing his eyes shut and lowering his head into his hand. The food sat abandoned in front of him, the smell making Flora’s stomach ache in spite of everything.

It was the prince who broke the silence, his voice muffled from behind his hand. “What in the world am I going to do?”

Flora straightened her back. For some perverse reason, his consternation was making her feel more confident. She supposed they couldn’t both fall apart, at least not at the same time. They would have to take turns, or their tethered existence would become a hopeless mess .

“Let me put this hood back on and stand guard outside?” she asked, a hopeful lilt to her voice.

Prince Cassius lowered his hand, studying her with a pained expression. “No,” he said at last, shaking his head. “That’s…that’s not really any better, is it?”

“That depends on your guards, I suppose,” Flora said reasonably.

The prince let out a breath that had the hint of a groan in it. “I can vouch for all of them in terms of loyalty to Carrack. In terms of how they’d respond to…” he waved a hand in her general direction, “this?” He shrugged helplessly.

Flora nodded. It was a fair response. Her time among the royal guards in Sindon had exposed her to plenty of comments and behavior that she could have done without. And that was in a situation where everyone was used to her role as the princess’s bodyguard, and the other guards were all aware that she was a woman underneath her intentionally vague attire. The shock of it would likely make it worse this time.

“What about you?” she asked boldly.

The prince seemed confused. “Me?”

Flora cleared her throat. “Can you vouch for yourself?”

Prince Cassius stared at her a moment longer before comprehension crossed his features. Before her eyes, his expression softened. The alarm ebbed, and something else took its place. Something which, fool that she was, made Flora’s heart flutter slightly.

“As for me,” the prince said steadily, “you will never need the restrictions of the tether to protect you.”

Flora nodded, some of her tension easing. Perhaps she was naive, but she didn’t doubt him .

“In that case, do you mind if I sit, Your Highness?” she asked, holding her knees steady with an effort.

“Of course.” The prince sprang out of the chair—the only one the room boasted—and offered it to her with a courteous gesture.

“No, no, you don’t need to get up,” Flora protested. “I can sit on the edge of the bed.”

“I insist,” said Prince Cassius firmly. “I don’t feel as though I can sit still another moment, anyway.”

“I understand what you mean,” Flora said, accepting defeat and lowering herself into the chair. “I’m in a sorry state myself.” She grimaced.

Something in her tone made Prince Cassius frown, his eyes raking over her before quickly flitting away. “Are you well? Were you injured during the attack?”

“I wasn’t,” Flora said. “I’m weary from the use of magical energy, but I didn’t mean to comment on my physical state.”

“What did you mean to comment on?” the prince pressed, far too interested in her idle remark.

“Nothing.” Flora ran a hand over her brow and wondered how her simple comment had managed to be so revealing. He was reading her too clearly. “I’m well.”

Prince Cassius’s frown deepened then, abruptly, he lowered himself into a sitting position on the bed. The room wasn’t large, and the movement put them face to face, his pale eyes searching hers with unsettling perception.

“I think you should tell me what’s concerning you,” he said, his voice deep and earnest. “We’re tethered together—literally—so you must admit I have some reason to think it might affect me.”

Flora wished she’d kept her mouth shut. Her first instinct was to assure the prince that her issue wouldn’t affect him, but she paused. Was that true?

“It’s just…the man in the tree.” She swallowed, feeling vulnerable and hating it.

The prince’s expression softened. “A near miss like that can rattle even experienced guards,” he started.

She shook her head again. “It’s not that. I’m not distressed out of fear for my own life, or even the princess’s safety. The trouble is that I’m not an experienced guard. I’ve trained with the royal guard, and I’ve been acting as the princess’s bodyguard for over a year, but most of the time I don’t have to do much physical guarding. Her other guards are supposed to have it covered. I use my magic to protect her in whatever ways are needed.”

“I don’t understand what your point is.” The prince’s gentle tone prevented the question from feeling critical.

Flora steeled herself. “That’s the first time I’ve killed someone. And I confess it’s affecting me more than I thought it would.” She drew a deep breath. “I’m telling you because as a guard duty-bound to protect you, I feel I have an obligation to notify you if I’m in a condition that might reduce my ability to perform my role.”

The prince’s gaze was intense enough to make Flora drop her eyes from his face. She watched silently as he clasped and unclasped his hands twice.

“First of all,” he said, his voice still much kinder than he had any call to be, “you should not carry any guilt or regret for what you did. That man would have killed Princess Miriam had you not killed him.”

“I know,” Flora assured him. “I don’t regret my actions. I believe it was justified, even the right thing to do. But for some curious reason, that doesn’t seem to help me stop my legs from shaking whenever I remember the sound of his body hitting the ground.”

Prince Cassius was silent for long enough that she let her eyes flick back up in spite of herself. He was regarding her silently, biting his lip in a thoughtful gesture. Flora felt her heart warm at the realization of how seriously he was taking her.

“He may not have been killed by the stone from your sling,” he pointed out. “Maybe it was the fall that killed him.”

Flora shrugged. “Maybe. But I caused him to fall, so I don’t see how that makes any difference. There’s no use dwelling on it. But it plays on my mind that we don’t know who he was or where he came from. Or his motive for attacking the princess.”

“That aspect plays on my mind as well,” the prince agreed heavily. His eyes searched hers one more time. “As for the rest of it…I wish I knew the recipe to resolve your distress, but I’m afraid I don’t.”

She nodded briskly. “Of course not. I wouldn’t expect it. I just thought you should be aware. I’m hopeful that in another crisis I would act instinctively as I did today, and wouldn’t be impaired. But I am not experienced enough to guarantee it.”

“You need guarantee nothing,” he said quickly. “That’s my other response to what you’ve confided in me. You are not duty-bound to protect me as you claimed. To speak freely, I’m enraged by the conduct of Lord Armand in tethering you to me. It was out of line, and I will be doing my utmost to persuade my father to sanction him severely.” He paused, a shadow crossing his brow before he continued. “And it was unnecessary. I have confidence in my guards to protect me, and I don’t consider you under any obligation to serve as my bodyguard.”

Flora gave a twisted smile. “We can agree to disagree on that point, Your Highness.”

His frown deepened. “But why? Why would you undertake a role as my guard when you don’t have to?”

“For a few reasons,” she told him.

When she fell silent, he raised his eyebrows in a silent prompt, and she continued with some reluctance.

“The first reason is that I wish for peace and good relationship between Siqual and Carrack. Surely an alliance could only benefit the whole Peninsula. What if someone orchestrated the attack so as to prevent the alliance, maybe even incite war between the kingdoms? I would stand in the way of that if I could, and I think an official guard of Siqual working to keep the Carrackian crown prince safe is a strong statement of goodwill.”

“True,” said the prince slowly. “What are your other reasons?”

A dry note entered Flora’s voice. “You seem to forget very readily that any harm that befalls you will befall me with double strength, Your Highness. I confess I personally find it difficult to forget.”

The expression that crossed Prince Cassius’s face could almost be described as horror. “That requirement was monstrous even before,” he groaned, running a hand through the disheveled waves of his hair. “It’s heinous now.”

Flora shrugged. “I have no doubt that Lord Armand considered it necessary to give me incentive to apply myself to your protection. It’s an effective strategy.”

The prince was silent for a moment, his expression showing how much he disliked the prospect. She thought he would say more on that topic, so she was surprised by his next words.

“You said you had a few reasons. Is there a third, or only those?”

“Oh.” To her intense annoyance, Flora felt her face heating. “I suppose the other reason is that you…well, you’ve shown me much more kindness than I had any right to anticipate,” she said in a rush. “None of us knew what to expect of you, and you’ve made a favorable impression. I don’t wish to see harm befall you.” Her voice grew stronger. “As I said, I think the alliance would be a good thing for the Peninsula, and now that I’ve seen something of you, I think it would be a good thing for the princess as well. So I’m committed to keeping you in one piece until the marriage alliance can be sealed.”

Prince Cassius said nothing, apparently unsure how to respond to this declaration. He still looked unconvinced, and after a moment, Flora found herself smiling.

“You’re stuck with me regardless, so I may as well try to keep you safe,” she told him. “I know I don’t look strong, but my training in magic allows me to provide protection in ways traditionally trained guards might not. I can understand your reluctance. I don’t think you’d be the only man whose pride might be bruised by having a young woman as his bodyguard.”

“It’s not that,” Prince Cassius said austerely.

She gave him a skeptical look, and his face softened ever so slightly, the hint of a smile transforming his features.

“It’s not only that,” he amended.

Flora laughed, the sound light and releasing. She was still intensely aware of how much of a mess she was in, but she felt less distressed about it now that she didn’t have to hide her face or disguise her voice.

The prince reluctantly chuckled as well. “I suppose we all have our pride,” he said. “Although I try not to let mine rule me.”

There was a heaviness behind the words that she couldn’t interpret. Not that she tried very hard. She had enough troubles of her own to think about.

“Why do you pretend to be a man?” the prince asked her abruptly.

“I don’t precisely pretend to be a man,” Flora corrected. “I just don’t correct people’s assumptions that the princess would only have a male bodyguard. And yes,” she acknowledged, “I do make use of those assumptions when they suit me.”

“Well, it’s an effective illusion,” said the prince. “Especially with your hair and most of your face hidden. I confess I would never have guessed you to be as old as twenty.”

He fussed with some non-existent dirt on his jacket, giving Flora the sense that he was trying very hard not to look at her.

“If you’re referring to my shape,” she said matter-of-factly, “I’m wearing bindings. It’s just convenient.”

To her amusement, she could have sworn she saw heat rising up his neck.

“Convenient,” she went on, “but not at all comfortable. To tell the truth, I would be very glad to get out of my uniform and into clothes more conducive to sleep, but that’s clearly not going to happen.”

“Yes.” Prince Cassius cleared his throat. “Attaining privacy will be challenging in our particular circumstances. But we will have to find ways to manage.”

“Privacy wouldn’t help me on this occasion,” Flora pointed out. “I have no idea where my belongings are. I know they were retrieved from the carriage back in Siqual, but I was too distracted by the accommodation arrangements to think to ask for them when we arrived here. I suspect they’ve gone to the camp with the rest of the guards. I’m going to have to attempt to sleep in this.”

Prince Cassius looked her over, seeming relieved for an excuse to examine her form. “That won’t be very comfortable.”

Flora chuckled. “I don’t think any clothes would make the floor comfortable, Your Highness. But I’ll manage.”

“The floor?” he repeated, as if she’d expressed a desire to sleep on the open ocean. “You’re not sleeping on the floor. You’re sleeping in the bed.”

Flora hesitated, a fresh flush rising up her neck. “Your Highness…I have committed myself to protect you from harm to the best of my ability, but I really don’t think that task requires such proximity as sharing the same bed.”

“No, no, you misunderstand!” The prince tried to laugh, but the sound came out strangled. “I meant, of course, that I would sleep on the floor.”

“Your Highness!” Flora protested. “I cannot allow that.”

“You can’t prevent it,” Prince Cassius contradicted. “I’m a prince, remember. I’m very used to getting my way.”

He said it with a casual, even amicable air, but something in his face made Flora pause. She had a feeling it wasn’t entirely true. But that was neither here nor there in the current dilemma.

“I suppose I can’t prevent you sleeping wherever you choose, Your Highness,” she said. “But I can refuse to sleep in the bed that’s been expressly secured for your comfort.”

“Well, that would be a pointless sacrifice, since I won’t be sleeping in it,” Prince Cassius pointed out.

“That’s up to you,” said Flora stubbornly. “All I know is I certainly won’t.”

The prince made an impatient gesture. “This is ridiculous. Just take the bed.”

“No.” For a moment she forgot she was talking to a foreign prince, her eyes narrowing in defiance like they might if she was bantering with either of Miriam’s brothers. “If it’s ridiculous of me, it’s no less ridiculous of you. Give me one good reason why you shouldn’t sleep in the bed your delegation secured for you.”

“Because me doing so would leave a woman to sleep on the floor!” the prince said, matching her tone.

“Don’t think of me as a woman,” Flora suggested. “Think of me as a guard.”

His expression was incredulous. “Since you went to such pains to dramatically reveal to me that you are, in fact, a woman, I’m finding it a little hard to think of you as anything else.”

For some inscrutable reason, Flora’s cheeks were feeling warm. “I didn’t do it dramatically.”

“You did,” Prince Cassius contradicted. “The way you released your hair, with that big sweeping flick?” He mimed it with his arm, increasing Flora’s embarrassment.

“That’s just what my hair does when it’s released from its bonds!” Flora protested.

“Well, when combined with a shocking revelation, the gesture is inherently dramatic,” Prince Cassius said with maddening poise. “And believe me, it had all the dramatic effect you could wish. I am well aware of the dilemma we find ourselves in.”

Flora sighed. “I have no argument against that, Your Highness.”

“So you’ll take the bed, then?” the prince asked optimistically.

Flora just sighed. “This is a fruitless conversation, Your Highness. The sooner we stop arguing, the sooner we can both sleep.”

The prince stood. “Very true. I’ll step outside for a minute, to give you some privacy. I’d like a word with my guards, anyway.”

Flora hesitated, on the verge of asking him whether he intended to reveal her identity to the guards. But she decided she didn’t want to know. The moment the prince stepped out of the room, she released a gusty breath and let her head hang forward.

What a mess.

But she couldn’t afford to wallow in her discomfort. Solitude was likely to be rare for the next little while. She’d be wise to make the most of the respite she’d been given to prepare herself for sleep. She was exhausted enough she thought she might actually be able to drift off on the floor. She sent the lightest of scowls toward the comfortable-looking bed. If she and the prince were to be tethered together, he may as well get her measure sooner rather than later.

He’d quickly learn that she was as stubborn as her word.