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Not long afterI got off the phone with Saint, there was a knock at the door, and a trio of unknown faeries swooped inside my suite, uninvited, carrying suitcases.
“Uh, hello?” I said, stepping back as they began to set up, but it didn’t take me a minute to understand that this was the seamstress and her team that Jace had warned me about earlier, even though none of them bothered to introduce themselves. The tape measures and sewing machines were a dead giveaway.
“Stand there,” the remarkably tiny leader of the group ordered me, extending a bony finger toward the doorframe. “Don’t move.”
“Okay…”
“Don’t move!” she snapped again. I hadn’t realized I had moved.
“Sorry…”
She had all the mannerisms of a military school warden, and I didn’t even catch her name by the time Jace knocked on the door, half an hour later, when she was packing up.
“Oh, good, you’re still here,” he said, relieved to see the seamstress. “She’s going to need an entire wardrobe—everything from formal gowns to lingerie. Nighties, the works.”
He barely addressed me, but I blushed at the mention of underwear.
“The finest,” he added. “Spare no expense.”
The heated glow grew on my face, but I didn’t want him to see how much his order pleased me. A proud part of me wanted to argue his request, but I managed to keep my mouth shut.
“And you’ll have to work quickly because I’ve just released a formal announcement, and invitations are coming in from all over the place.” He finally set his eyes on me meaningfully. At first, I didn’t hear anything but the fact that he had already released an announcement.
“An announcement?” I repeated. “About our engagement?”
“What else do we have to announce?” he laughed.
“Seriously? Already?” I demanded, although I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. He hadn’t wasted any time with anything else pertaining to this entire scenario. It was like
“Why wait?” Jace replied with a shrug. The seamstress and her team bowed and shuffled out as the king yelled out a reminder that time was of the essence. It was only then that Iclued into the understanding that he had accepted some of these invitations that had come pouring in.
My eyes narrowed. “What invitations are coming in?”
“Alpha King Cade of Ironhelm has invited us to stay a week from Saturday,” Jace informed me without preamble. “I haven’t heard back from King Nyx or King Zen yet, but I’m sure they’ll want to meet you, too.”
Immediately, I stiffened defensively, dizziness washing over me.
It’s not bad enough that I have to deal with one pompous Alpha King; I’m going to have to deal with all four kings of Mystara during this charade.
I turned my wrath on Jace, but before I could snap at him about making decisions without me, he went on. “I thanked him for the extension and told him that I would confer with your schedule to see if we could make it.”
His response startled me. I hadn’t expected that.
“You really said that?” I asked suspiciously, eyebrows fully raised.
Jace shrugged and flopped onto one of the island stools. “Of course. What else was I supposed to say?”
Half a dozen responses popped into my head, but none of them were appropriate. “I don’t know…” My eyes slitted more. “Or are you looking to me to get you out of it?”
Jace appeared annoyed by the suggestion. “First, I don’t need you to make excuses for me. If I don’t want to do something, I don’t. Second, there’s no sense in me agreeing to take you to another kingdom if you’re going to be sullen and uncooperative the entire time. If you don’t want to go, just say so, and I’ll let him and the queen know.”
I studied him curiously, my guard fully lowering. Every point was valid. “Do you know him well? The King of Ironhelm?”
“Well enough.”
“And?”
Jace laughed. “And what? He’s all right. I wouldn’t mind visiting with him, and you could be exposed to some eligible bachelors. It might be good to get you out of Goldhaven, too, if only because of your reputation.”
