She squeezes my hand before Julian drags her toward another group, already shouting greetings. She looks back once, giving me a small nod of encouragement.
“She’s nice,” I say to Wells.
“She’s perfect for him. Grounds him.” He snags two glasses of champagne from a passing tray, handing me one. “Julian’s the favorite. The charming one. I’m the...” He searches for the word.
“The brooding heir?” I suggest.
“Something like that.”
I sip my champagne, scanning the room. And there she is again—Cordelia, laughing at something an older man says, but her eyes flick to me, to Wells, to his hand on my waist. The smile never drops, but her eyes tell a different story. She’s pissed.
But I’m not confrontational. I never have been. So I look away, focus on my drink, and let Wells pull me into conversation with a diplomat from somewhere I don’t catch. Besides, what could I say to her?Stop giving me angry eyes?I’d sound crazy, and Wells talks kindly about her. Maybe I’m in my own head and I’m misreading her. There’s just something about her that doesn’t sit right with me. It’s not coming from a place of jealousy, either.
I suddenly see someone I know.
“Lily?”
The blond head turns, and I recognize her immediately. Lily Harrington. We went to prep school together—not friends exactly but friendly. Our mothers had been close.
“Mable?” She crosses the room in quick strides, already grinning. “Oh my God, I thought that was you! What are you doing here?”
“Date,” I say, glancing at Wells. That sounds strange to say. I’m on a date with a prince. Totally normal. “You?”
“Family friends. My cousin married a VanCleef.” She follows my gaze, and her eyebrows lift. “Wait. Caldwell? As in...”
“Yeah.”
“Holy shit.” She grabs my arm, pulling me slightly away. “We need to talk. Girl talk. Now.”
I look at Wells, who has gone still beside me. His hand tightens on my waist.
“Just for a minute,” I say.
“I don’t...” He trails off, jaw tight. I can see him calculating the risk of me going off alone, what I might hear, and what I might believe. I’m not sure how to feel about that.
“I’ll be right over there.” I point to a group of chairs near the terrace doors. “I can see you from there.”
He exhales through his nose, clearly unhappy. But he nods. I have to fight not to laugh. “Ten minutes. Then I come find you.”
“Deal.”
I follow Lily to the chairs, feeling his eyes on my back the whole way. And hers. Cordelia’s.
“Girl, he’s intense and possessive of you,” Lily says, dropping into a seat and pulling me down with her. “Spill. How did you land the prince of Solaria?”
“It’s a long story.” But is it?
“Oh, trust me, I’m making the time.” She leans in, lowering her voice. “But first—you get to meet Cordelia VanCleef yet?”
My stomach sinks, sensing where this is going. “Yeah. Why?” Lily is giving offGirl I gotta tell you somethingvibes. “Because she’s been telling everyone since they were in diapers that she’s going to marry him. And…” She drops her voice. “I saw the way she looked at you just now.” She squeezes my hand. “Be careful, Mable. She’s not as nice as she pretends to be, and trust me, she has claws.”
I look across the room at Cordelia, who is now laughing at something Wells said, her hand on his arm like she has every right to be there. It didn’t take her long to make her way over in my absence. The man doesn’t want me ten feet from him, but he can let her touch all over him. Okay, not all over but whatever. I don’t like it.
“I know,” I say quietly. And I do. But knowing doesn’t make it easier to watch.
Wells appears exactly ten minutes later, like he set a timer. His hand finds my waist immediately, pulling me back against him. “Time’s up.” The charming smile he gives me has me sinking more into him.
“You’re ridiculous.” I shake my head up at him teasingly.
