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“Please,” Justine said, indicating the woman should rise.
Lady Constance smiled graciously. “We are so very honored.” She was dark haired and quite small, and looked a few years younger than Justine and Amelia.
“My daughter should verymuchlike to show Princess Ameliainside, if you please,” Sutherland said, swaying at Justine again. She couldn’t help it—she leaned to one side and bumped against William. “Many of her friends have gathered and we thought HerHighnessmight enjoy making theiracquaintance.” He smiled expectantly, waiting for Justine to agree.
Amelia hopped forward. “I’d be delighted.”
“Wonderful!”Sutherland said, his gaze still on Justine. “Constance?” He gestured in the air for his daughter, and just like that, Amelia and Lady Constance were walking up the steps. Justine watched them be swallowed up by Sutherland’s crowd. It made her feel strangely hot not to be able to see Amelia. Knowing her sister was close by helped her keep her nerve, and without her, that same nerve seemed to flare.
Sutherland suddenly surged back into Justine’s line of sight, his eyes shining with eagerness. It had been her experience that anyonesoeager should probably be avoided, because eagerness often made a person rather suffocating. “If you will allow, Your Royal Highness, I’ll escort you inside. You’ll find a bit of a throng, I’m afraid—there is muchcuriosityabout the crown princess of Wesloria.”
“What?” Justine’s heart began to pound. “Not athrong.” It was more a plea than anything else, but Sutherland laughed as if he thought she was jesting.
She was not jesting.
“You are an esteemed guest, to be sure,” he said jovially. “I had the whole of London requesting aninvitation.” He laughed again, as if they should all be gaily amused by how many people wanted an invitation to gawk at her.
Justine wished the gentleman would have ignored those requests if for no other reason than the comfort of his esteemed guest. But as these things so often went for her, the more, the merrier for everyone but her. “I...”
“Yes?”he asked, swaying at her, eager to hear what she might have to say.
“I wonder if you might have some wine or champagne.” She practically blurted the words.
“Indeed!”
She was alarmed when he moved as if he meant to displace William and offer his arm, but thankfully, William parried. “If you donna mind, old friend, I’ll see the princess in, aye?”
This time when William held out his arm to her, she took it without hesitation. If she couldn’t have Amelia, he was the next best thing.
Sutherland was not deterred. He simply moved to her other side and walked beside her as they began to climb the steps, nattering about the house and grounds, his arms making sweeping gestures as he pointed at this or that. One of those sweeping arms came so dangerously close to the brim of her bonnet that she instinctively ducked her head and in doing so, knocked into William’s shoulder.
When they reached the top of the steps, Sutherland jogged ahead to the door to clear some of the people from it. “Make room, make room!” he shouted at them.
William leaned in and murmured, “Should I interpret that bump as a wee bit of flirtation, or a signal of distress? I should like to know the difference in case it happens again.”
“Flirtation?Why did God give all gentlemen the confidence of fools and goats?” she whispered back. “That man may very well blacken my eye before the afternoon is done.”
William chuckled, and she found the sound of it oddly comforting. She didn’t want to feel any affinity for him, entirely on principle. But when she glanced at him and his strong profile, she couldn’t help but feel a little affinity. And the tiniest bit safe. Perhaps more than a tiny bit. How the devil had it come to this? “Thank you,” she made herself say.
“Pardon?”
“I saidthankyou.”
“I did no’ quite—”
She managed to pinch his arm through the fabric of his frock coat. He put his hand on hers and squeezed it. “You are welcome,” he said and removed his hand from hers. “I should have warned you.”
“This way!” Sutherland said eagerly, gesturing them forward.
William guided her toward the door.
“Why didn’t you warn me?” she murmured.
“Oh, I donna know, really. I do enjoy watching the countless expressions that sail across your face.”
“Here, madam,thisway,” Sutherland said eagerly and turned down a wide corridor.
Justine and Douglas followed him. “Impossible,” Justine whispered. “I don’t allow my feelings to be seen. I’ve been trained to be a sovereign, William. One must keep one’s emotions from showing at all times.”
