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But now was not the time for a confrontation of this nature. “Mother, please see that June is all right. Orik, take me to this witch.”
18
June was shoveling something like an éclair into her mouth when Edel and Leanora entered from the balcony, followed by Edel’s guard Belinda. She suddenly felt cornered by people who didn’t want her here. Edel might be her only ally, but even that was iffy since June had basically been caught philandering with her son and had broken some sacred law by riding on his back. If it was so bad, why had Tristan led her to do it?
Next to her, Thaddeus was gorging himself. June wondered when he last ate a good solid meal. Perhaps he should have something more substantial in his belly than sweets and cakes.
Leanora curled her lip. “Manners, child.”
Indignant on his behalf, June knelt down in front of Thaddeus and made a show of shoving another pasty in her mouth. He covered a laugh with his mouth.
“June, dear,” Edel said. “Are you well?” She wasn’t sure if Edel was concerned for her emotional state or subtly inquiring if she was crazy for mocking the princess.
“I’m perfect, thank you. Are you hungry? I’m going to order something for Thaddeus from the kitchen.”
“No, thank you,” replied Edel. June didn’t bother asking Leanora.
Using the intercom, June ordered an array of entrees for Thaddeus. Then she herded him away from the sweets so he didn’t ruin his dinner, though she might have been too late by the looks of his sugarcoated face.
Dabbing a napkin in some water, she did what she could to clean off the child’s face and hands. Her own hands were grimy as well, and she wondered what the rest of her looked like. Finishing with Thaddeus, she excused herself to the bathroom where she caught sight of herself. Hot mess definition updated thusly: June Jacobs after a wild ride on a dragon, curling up in a damp cavern, and racing through a storm only to meet her lover’s fiancé.
Her dress was still damp, there were smudges of dirt on her arms and face, and was that a twig in her hair? Just fucking perfect.
She plucked it away and tossed it in a bin, then took a quick towel bath. The dress wasn’t too bad off. She brushed some debris from her backside until you couldn’t tell she’d spent an evening getting plowed before shivering on the floor of a cave. Her heels just needed a little attention as well before they were back to pristine.
After one last assessing look at herself—it’s the best I can do—she returned to the living room to join Thaddeus on the couch. His eyes were growing heavy and he scooted closer to lean against her.
Edel sat across from her, watchful. Leanora took a turn about the room as if hunting for something to judge. “I remember this apartment seeming grander when I stayed here.”
The intention of her words hit home:I was here first.
Leanora sighed. “I suppose everything loses its luster after a while. What’s shiny and new quickly dulls, don’t you think, Jen?”
“It’s June.”
“I believe I will redecorate once it’s vacant again.”
June eyed her gorgeous rival, wondering what Tristan saw in her aside from her looks. Maybe that was enough, but she seemed snobby and arrogant. Perhaps that was because June had never known a life of privilege, whereas privilege was all Leanora knew. She got what she wanted, when she wanted it. It must be eating her up that June had seduced her man behind her back. June still wasn’t happy about it—in fact, every moment she battled the misery that threatened to crush her—but it was a small consolation that Tristan had been hers for a time when he had such a physically glorious creature at his fingertips.
“Once we’re married, that is.”
Dig that knife in. June cringed. To comfort herself, she ran her fingers through Thaddeus’s scruffy hair. He laid his little body down to rest his head in her lap and closed his eyes.
“I do believe my son is still debating his options,” inserted Edel. The offhanded comment surprised both ladies.
“Oh,” Leanora replied, feigning disinterest. “Has anyone else of importance propositioned him? He’d be hard-pressed to find a more suitable match than myself. I’m descended form a prestigious and powerful royal family, same as he.”
“True. You come from a strong family.” Edel caught June’s gaze with an intensity she didn’t understand. “And Tristan will need a strong queen.”
June wasn’t sure if Edel meant to telegraph her utter deficiency as a match for her son, that she was week and inadequate, or if she hinted at something else. Maybe to step up and bring this bitch down a peg. That probably wasn’t it, but June could give as good as she got.
“So, Leanor, is it?” June said, spitefully forgetting the last syllable off her name.
“Princess Leanora,” she corrected, only sounding mildly annoyed.
“I have to admit, it was a surprise to meet you. Thewholetime we were together, Tristan didn’t mention a word about you. Not a peep.” She feigned a modest blush. “Of course, I did keep him pretty busy with other things.”
Leanora was good at concealing her emotions, but a bit of anger cracked through her statuesque features. “I’m sure he just didn’t want to upset you. You don’t want to break a toy before you’re finished playing with it.”
