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“I understand it is terribly crowded. But I thought perhaps now that your calendar has opened up to a bit of sunlight this morning, as Lord Douglas has brought your sister to you, that you might enjoy the air.”
Amelia looked up from her plate. “What is she talking about?”
“Her Royal Highness was just on her way out to fetch you, but Lord Douglas has saved her the trouble.”
“I’m nottrouble.” At least Amelia had the decency to sound a little uncertain.
Justine stared at the smiling Lady Aleksander, who seemed completely at ease rearranging Justine’s day. Not that there was truly much to be rearranged, but nevertheless, Justine had the sense that the lady enjoyed doing it. And Bardaline, who had returned to the room, did not seem to mind that she did any rearranging, for he remained silent. The very same man who had held such tight control of her daily schedule, it was a wonder that he could unclamp his fingers from the leather-bound calendar every night. She wondered what these two were up to, what plots and schemes they’d hatched.
“It is a bonny day,” William mused.
Justine glared at him. “This?” she said, gesturing between herself and Lady Aleksander, “is precisely the sort of thing I told you was not your affair.”
“Then I beg forgiveness,” he said easily. “Perhaps you and Lady Aleksander can go one way, and I can go the other and we all might take our private air.”
“Nonsense! We’ll go together!” Lady Aleksander piped up.
What was Justine supposed to say? Should she announce to all assembled that she was the crown princess and would decide what they did? Decline altogether because she didn’t like yielding to the matchmaker, and if she started yielding with something as inconsequential as a walk, the next thing would be a match?
But it seemed unduly petulant to stomp her foot and refuse to walk. In truth, shelikedto walk—she just didn’t like feeling trapped into it. Was this the sort of thing she should expect when she was queen? People maneuvering her into whatever corner they liked all because she couldn’t quickly think what to say?
Even now they were all looking at her, awaiting her decree, as she tried valiantly to sort through her many feelings on the subject.“Auugh,”she said heavenward. “Fine, all right! But a veryshortwalk. I have my business, after all.” She looked at Bardaline.
He was studying a spot on the carpet and didn’t pick up her not so subtle suggestion immediately. “Oh.Je,Your Royal Highness. The business of the crown, certainly. Quite a lot of it. Meetings and such.”
“What business?” Amelia demanded from the table. “Why has no one ever any business for me?”
Justine started for the door. She could feel Lady Aleksander on her heels before she reached it.
“Wait for me,” Amelia cried, and her poor, aching feet forgotten, bounced up from the table, hurrying past Bardaline to join the others.
Justine kept walking purposefully down the long hall to the terrace, brushing past pots of flowers. Footmen hurried ahead of them to open the doors; to remove any stray leaf that might have fallen carelessly onto the terrace; to tell the groundskeepers to put themselves out of sight; to push the pots and stands of flowers aside so by the time Justine walked out onto the terrace, there was nothing but a serene and stunning view of gardens bursting with color below her, and the sweet scent of the floral bouquets that now littered the terrace.
“Allof these flowers are for Justine?” Amelia asked. “Who has sent them? Why are there so many?”
Justine didn’t care who they were from. She paused at the top of the steps and drew a breath as she took in the gardens.
William paused, too.
She looked at him. He looked at her. She felt herself on the verge of a smile he did not deserve, or a pithy remark on the tip of her tongue she was not known for making, but before any smile or words could come forth, Lady Aleksander suddenly appeared between them, her hand on her belly. “This walk is sorely needed, on my word! I must have eaten my weight at breakfast. There is something about sea travel that always whets my appetite.”
Justine turned her gaze back to the gardens and suppressed the same sigh she’d been suppressing for a few weeks now.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WASTHERENOONEelse who saw what Lila saw so plainly before her?
She glanced at Princess Amelia, but that one had not stopped talking, recalling every moment of her grand time at Stafford House. She strolled alongside Lila, her fingers trailing over bushes and vines, so lost in her own little world that she scarcely even looked up to see if Lila was listening, much less to notice her sister and the marquess in front of them.
Lila was certain Bardaline had failed to see it, judging by how dismissive of Douglas he’d been when she’d inquired yesterday.
Well,she’dnoticed that something was brewing between the princess and the marquess. She did not miss how their fingers accidentally brushed together when they paused so that he might toss a coin into the fountain. He said he wished she would find a match as quickly as possible. She said his wish was better spent on a match for himself.
Nor did Lila miss the way the princess kept looking at the marquess from the corner of her eye, a charmingly pert smile on her lips. Of the way he looked at her—utterly attentive and striving not to appear enchanted.
Lila wondered if the two of them had even noticed. It was her experience that mutual regard is not always mutually recognized. When it came to affairs of the heart, the heart had a way of making a person question everything he or she thought they knew, confusing even the most pragmatic outlook on life.
She decided to test them. She quickened her step to catch up to them. Princess Amelia, sensing she was about to lose her captive audience, hurried to catch up, too.
