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Love was a choice. But it was also a deep companionship. A sacrifice. A moving emotion far less fleeting than a mere feeling. And it was choosing again and again to focus on the companionship and love rather than whatever anger or annoyance that arose between two people stuck together for any length of time.
And, perhaps, because love was all those things, that’s what made it so complicated and hard at times.
With him looking at her like that, it took all of her will power to straighten and smile her most oblivious, perky smile. Picking up his crown from the end of her dressing table, she set it on his hair. “Well, then. I guess we’d better go.”
He glided to his feet and held out his arm. Instead of resting her hand on his forearm in the elven style, Essie tucked her hand around his upper arm, her fingers against his bicep. Honestly, the reason for the elven style was making much more sense. It was much easier to concentrate on walking with her hand lightly on his forearm rather than pressed against his muscle. Seriously distracting.
“Here.” Essie nudged his elbow so that he didn’t hold his arm out so far. “You can relax your arm. Let it stay almost loose at your side. That’s it.”
With his arm relaxed instead of tensed, the feel of his muscles beneath his shirt and tailcoat were much less distracting.
He took a step toward the door, but she halted him. She had one last thing she needed to say before they stepped out of the safety of this room and faced the front lines that was Escarland’s court. When he glanced back at her, she touched his cheek. “Before my elven wedding to you, Jalissa told me to hold my head high and never let them make me feel ashamed for being human. The same goes for you now. Hold your head high tonight and please don’t let anyone make you feel ashamed for being an elf.”
Farrendel tipped his head in a nod. Then, together, they left their room and took the staircase down to the main foyer.
Jalissa already waited there in a green dress a few shades lighter than Essie’s. Her guard waited a few paces behind her, hands clasped behind her back. Essie had yet to convince the elf guard to say a single word to her.
At Essie and Farrendel’s approach, Jalissa cocked an eyebrow. “You are late.”
Essie patted Farrendel’s arm. “I was distracting him.”
When she glanced up at him, the tips of his ears were flushing pink, something that was rather noticeable with his hair tied back.
Jalissa gave a ladylike sigh that was the elven equivalent of a snort and a roll of her eyes. With a tip of her head, Jalissa swept toward the back doors. Her guard fell into step behind her.
Farrendel and Essie followed out the double doors to the garden, then along the path that led from Buckmore Cottage to the garden of Winstead Palace. From the garden, they entered the double doors at the end of the family wing and found her family gathering there.
Her family turned as they entered. Edmund strode forward and gave Farrendel a slap on the back that had him stumbling a step. “Looking good, little brother.”
That was the moment Essie noticed all three of her brothers were dressed identically to Farrendel in gray breeches, gray waistcoat, black tailcoat, white shirt, and white neckcloth. Granted, it was a standard ballroom clothing, but the fact that they were all matching wasn’t a coincidence.
It melted a part of her to know her brothers were willing to work this hard to make sure Farrendel felt included in the family. From the moment they’d decided to accept him as one of their own, they hadn’t held back.
Mother and Paige were both dressed in flowing elven dresses made from the fabric Farrendel brought for them with diamond-studded tiaras in their hair.
Whatever political statement the royal family was making tonight about this marriage alliance and what it meant for broader political relations between Escarland and Tarenhiel, they were making it together as a united front.
If she hadn’t been all done up for a ball, Essie would’ve hugged all of them.
This was what she’d wanted from her marriage when she’d agreed to it. A peaceful alliance between their kingdoms. To have gotten it and fallen in love with her elf prince was a dream beyond what she could’ve imagined.
Averett’s mouth tightened into a line, his eyes serious as he glanced between them. “Do you all have your weapons?”
Essie patted her upper calf. Her derringer was strapped to the inside of her leg just below her knee, the only place she could think of where it wouldn’t show even while she was dancing while still being somewhat easy to grab without hiking her skirt to her waist. Mother and Paige both patted their calves.
Julien and Edmund nodded, though Essie wasn’t sure where they could have hidden guns or knives or whatever weapons they were carrying. Their tight, finely tailored clothes didn’t have any more hiding places than her flowing dress did.
“Do you have the extra knives I sent over?” Julien glanced at Farrendel. “I figured a few extra wouldn’t hurt. And you did conveniently gift us with a few elven daggers, so we had spares.”
“Yes.” Farrendel tipped his head in his slight nod, though he didn’t give any indication of where he might have hidden the knives.
“Now that we are fashionably on time, let’s make our grand entrance.” Paige smiled in her practiced, queenly way as she wrapped her hand around Averett’s elbow.
Julien escorted Mother, and Edmund looked cat-with-cream happy over holding out his elbow for Jalissa, even if her guard fell into step behind them looking like she was prepared to behead Edmund on the spot if necessary.
Essie took Farrendel’s elbow once again, pasting on her practiced smile. “Ready?”
His expression hardened into an impassive mask before his mouth twisted. An attempt to remember to appear friendly. Well, stoically friendly wasn’t exactly working.
