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“Please, no.” I shook my head. “You don’t have to try to convince me you weren’t treated horribly. I know you were. And there’s no need for all that my lady business. I’m just Vienne.”
Huffing out an amused sound, he smiled reluctantly. “I don’t think you could ever be just Vienne to me.”
My hands turned ice cold and began to shake. I clasped them together at my waist and looked at my feet. “I should go check on my baby.”
He said nothing, so I began to turn away, only to stop and swing back.
“Look, I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through or how you can feel, well, whatever it is you feel. But I believe that you really do feel it and you’re unable to stop. So I swear to help you find a way to resolve this so you can finally be free of it. Of me.”
Curiosity entered his gaze. Stepping toward me, he tipped his head and eyed me as if I were a mystery. Then he said, “And what if I don’t wish to be free of you?”
What?
I blinked once and then blurted out an incredulous laugh. “Why in heaven’s name would you want to torture yourself by fixating on someone you don’t even know and could never have? Someone you didn’t even choose yourself.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know yet.” I opened my mouth to drive home my point, but he continued, “But someday I will know, and on that day when it all becomes clear to me why you’re the one, then I’ll be glad I never wished to be free of you.”
I could only scowl at him, unable to believe he didn’t want to escape this, even as my heart pounded with delight. “Then you’re crazy,” I said, spinning away. “Good night, sir.”
As I stalked away, I heard the amusement in his voice as he replied, “Good night, my lady. Sleep well.”
Chapter 22
Vienne
But I didn’t sleep well that night. And it was all a certain irritating prince’s fault.
Why had he needed to be so nice and understanding? And why had he wanted to stay bound to me? Honestly. His behavior had helped absolutely nothing.
He should’ve felt betrayed because I’d asked his sister to have him keep his distance after he’d saved my life. He should’ve been hurt that I hadn’t thanked him in person before tonight for all he’d done. He should’ve been livid that my entire family had treated him like dirt and then beaten him for his actions. He should’ve wanted freedom from me.
Yet his first thought was that I not be scared of him, and his last words were meant to reassure me that no matter how awful I treated him, he’d continue to be faithful and devoted.
What man did that?
It’d done nothing but make me like him and start to feel all soft and tender toward him, which caused the entire situation to grow even more complicated.
Because as soon as I checked on Anniston and then lay down myself, visions of our conversation in the hall kept haunting me. And then when I finally did fall into a deep slumber, he took over my dreams.
This time, I was sitting alone at the wedding reception after the maid had taken Anniston away, and he suddenly appeared before me.
Without saying a word, he held out a hand as my favorite song began to play.
I blinked at him before asking, “How did you know?”
He merely smiled. “That this was your favorite song? The mark told me.”
Reaching forward even more, he took my fingers and drew me from my seat. Then he led me out onto the dance floor where everyone paused to watch us together. Yasmin stopped chatting with her ladies in waiting, and Soren turned from his discussion with the council members. Neither of them seemed upset to find me in the arms of the man they both had warned me away from. They simply watched as Prince Urban swung me around, capturing all my attention.
He was an agile, graceful dancer. When he dipped me into a low swoon, grinning all the while, I merely shook my head and laughed. We didn’t speak, there didn’t seem to be a need for words, and as the song drew to a close, his eyes fixated with intent upon my lips. Feeling the need for a kiss, I rose up to meet him just as he leaned in.
But of course Anniston’s cry woke me before our lips touched.
I grumbled as I crawled out of bed to get to her, except I’m not sure if I was upset because I’d had another one of those disturbing dreams about him or because my child had woken me before the best part of it.
It didn’t matter. I’d figure out a way to stop the dreams, because they were pure ridiculousness. Just as I’d figure out how to sever Prince Urban’s bond to me.
“The marks don’t even tell a person what their one true love’s favorites are, anyway,” I muttered aloud. The prince had told me as much last night. So, yeah… The dream had been pure ridiculousness.
