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“I still think you’re giving up too easily,” Eloise observed.
He turned to face Eloise, a frown etching lines of worry across his brow. “These assassination attempts... How can I pursue this relationship and put her in danger? It’s what I need, and all I want, but keeping her safe has to be more important.”
“Your heart speaks with conviction, Theodore,” Eloise said softly. “And yet, you don’t listen to it, preferring the familiar chains of duty.”
He nodded. “I am torn. Between the prince I must be and the man I wish to become. I want to tear myself in half, so at least half of me can live the life I choose.”
“Perhaps the pieces of you aren’t as different as you believe,” she murmured. “Love is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Is it enough to shield those I hold dear?” Theodore asked.
“Only time will reveal that truth,” Eloise replied. “But to deny one’s heart is to walk half in shadow. You need to grab hold of your love and never let go.”
Theodore met her gaze. “Then I shall seek the light, even amidst these shadows,” he declared. “But will Nicole forgive me for sending her away from the hospital?”
“I’m sure she will. I saw how she looked at you,” Eloise said with a smile. “Now, let’s consider what we can do to make your relationship with her easier.”
Theodore simply paced, thinking about when he should approach Nicole. But to put her in danger...it seemed so wrong.
“Please, sit,” Eloise said. “You will wear a trench into the floor.”
He acquiesced, sinking into the plush fabric of an armchair, but he found no comfort in its embrace. The fear for Nicole and his family gnawed at him. It threatened to consume the very essence of who he was—Prince Theodore of Theron, the elusive painter.
“Tell me what troubles you so deeply,” Eloise coaxed.
“I feel like this all rests on me. Between Father’s heart attack, and now James being shot, and Amanda injured...I would be next in line to be king, and I have no desire to get anywhere close to the throne.”
“Father is better,” Eloise reminded him. “And James is stable. You must stop borrowing trouble.”
“Yet how does one choose the right path?” he asked.
“Trust your heart. You always do what you should for the kingdom, but it’s time to do what your heart is begging for,” she replied. “You painted Nicole for a reason, and you must not ignore the pull of being with her. You need her.”
“You’re right,” he admitted. “But is it right to put my needs above hers?”
“I met her. She feels the same as you do,” Eloise said, moving to the window to peer out onto the palace gardens below. “If you need my help through any of this, you just tell me. I have a feeling I would be able to convince her, simply because I better understand where you’re coming from.”
“Thank you,” he murmured, following her gaze to where the roses bloomed.
“Remember,” Eloise turned back to him, “If she truly cares, then she will be amenable to the dangers being with you involves.”
Theodore exhaled slowly, allowing the truth in her words to settle within him.
“I think the real answer with Nicole is to have a clandestine relationship until the danger passes,” she said. “Consider the secret courtships of old, the stolen moments beneath moonlit balconies. There is a certain charm in secret affections.”
Theodore’s lips quirked upward in a half-smile, imagining himself a hero from the pages of a romance novel. “A hidden rendezvous, you say?” he mused aloud, allowing the whimsical thought to dance through his mind.
“Exactly,” Eloise affirmed. “A love cherished in secret can be all the sweeter for its privacy. Discretion may just shield you both until we resolve these darker matters.”
“Wouldn’t that be deceitful?” Theodore asked.
“Sometimes, the greatest truths are those unspoken,” Eloise replied. “You’d be protecting her heart. Didn’t you say she had no desire to be in the limelight anyway?”
He nodded slowly. “I did. I’ll talk to her tonight, and we’ll see what she thinks of the idea.” Theodore nodded. “Nicole should have a say in this.”
“Let love be your light,” she said simply.
“Love is my light...” he repeated softly, the idea settling into him.
