Authors: Lisa Manifold
Hadden found that he was once again nervous, jittery, and unable to stay still. With the end of the third night, knowing that he had the answer, there was only one conclusion. That today, on the fourth day, he would tell the king about the underground castle. He would let him know of the princes there. Of all the things that he’d seen, that was one that bothered him the most. That there were twelve men trapped somehow below, and he hadn’t found a way to release them.
Before that, however, before he made his grand gesture to the king, he needed to talk to Thea. Had it been less than a week that he’d been here? How did one feel so strongly for another person with less than seven days acquaintance? It made no sense to him, allowed for no reasonable answer. Nevertheless, it was there. When he was around her, he felt drawn to her in a manner that he had never felt for another.
Roysten thought him mad. It was a fair concern. To Roysten, to everyone else, she was a cold fish. Wrapped in her ideas of duty, of what was right and what one was supposed to do—it made her a cold and lonely young woman.
Not with him, though. She was like the sun, so bright and blazing that he thought he might catch flame. She cared for him, or at least found him attractive. Would it be enough?
He took a deep breath. Grabbed the handle to his door, and before he lost his nerve, pushed himself out of his room and into the solarium.
As he’d hoped, Thea was sitting, alone, in one of the settees near the window. He glanced around. He didn’t hear a lot of noise, so perhaps the other princesses were still abed. It didn’t matter. He needed to talk to her before he met with the king.
He took a few steps closer to her and she whirled around. Her face was red, and her hair was disheveled. She’d been crying.
“My lady,” he said quietly. “May I be of assistance? What is wrong?”
She didn’t answer, only sniffled. Tears leaked from her eyes, and she wiped her face with a handkerchief that looked as though it had been in service for some time.
He hurriedly crossed the solarium to her. Knelt down near her. “My lady, please, what can I do to help you?”
“There’s…there’s nothing…you can do, Sir Hadden,” she said. More tears, which she wiped. “I thank…thank you for your concern.” She looked away and out the window again.
He was being dismissed, but he ignored it. “My lady, is this because today is the day I must speak to your father? Could it be you are concerned for me?”
That made her sob harder, but she didn’t answer.
It’s now or never
, he thought. He took her hand. She tried to pull it away, but he held on.
“My lady, I am going to tell him where you go at night. I have discovered the secret. We shall help the men below be free.”
Her eyes went wide, and her breath caught. She gasped, and then again. And again. Then she burst into noisy sobs, covering her face with that poor handkerchief.
He let her cry for a moment. He knew that she needed to release this. After last night, after hearing her speak to Roderick, he knew that she felt overwhelmingly guilty and carried it like a millstone around her neck.
Then she looked up at him, fear on her face. She looked around the solarium, and there was a tinge of wildness and desperation in her gaze. He looked around with her, unsure of what she was seeking.
He did not wish to attract anyone else to them, so after that moment, he took her hands from her face. “I know that you need to take all this in, but there is more I must speak to you about.”
Her face showed she had no idea what he might want, but she nodded slowly and calmed herself.
Hadden took a breath. “I must choose a wife from the twelve of you. I cannot explain why, but I wish to choose you. My question is can you accept that? Will you accept me? I would prefer to be happy, and I feel I have that chance with you.” He looked at her, unwilling to break eye contact.
Thea’s mouth had fallen open, and Hadden thought, somewhat irrationally, that she really looked very charming.
She also took a few breaths, and looked down. It looked as though she was gathering courage. He braced himself for her refusal.
She looked back up, and spoke. “I will accept you, Sir Hadden. I believe you are a good man. The sort of man that…” she looked out the window. It was obvious that she was struggling. She was no coward, though. He knew this about her, and knew she would tell him the truth. So he waited for her to continue.
“You are the sort of man I could fall in love with, provided I had not given my heart to another. I could have, in time, offered my heart to you, but the fact remains that I have given my heart to another. He is gone, and the part of me that was there to give is gone also. I cannot love you the way you wish, the way you deserve. I wish that I could!” She looked earnest now. “You deserve it. You are one of the best men I’ve ever met.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked down at her lap. “But I gave my heart to Casimir. I cannot love another as I did him.” She raised her eyes. “I am sorry. I will understand if you wish to choose another.”
He rocked back on his heels. This was not what he’d been expecting. Reluctance due to his birth, to his current station, he was prepared for. But how did one compete with a dead man?
He opened his mouth, and then shut it. He wasn’t sure what to say. “I am grateful for your honesty. To say that I am surprised is not enough. I hadn’t thought that would be your objection.”
“Do you think me fickle?” She asked sadly.
“No, my lady. Not at all. It was just not a scenario I’d considered. That’s all. You are fair in telling me this. I do not know if I love you, Thea.” He deliberately chose to use her name, rather than ‘my lady.’ “I cannot tell as of yet if this is love. What I do know is that I prefer to think on marriage with you over anyone else, and you are blessed with a lot of fine sisters.” He grinned at her. “We both know that marriage without love as a basis is a gift that is not offered to all. We like one another, and I hope respect one another. I feel that would be a good foundation for marriage. I also think that the Prince Casimir must have been a fine man to earn your love.” He took her hand in his own. “Can you care for me at all? I ask you this in hopes of complete honesty.”
She did not look away, but met his gaze directly. “I already do. I think I will be able to care for you a great deal. But I find that I am someone who loves deeply, and I have given that away. If that will be enough, I think we could have a good marriage, and a good life together.”
Her speech was not polished, and he could tell she wasn’t happy about having to say it, but he was glad she’d done so.
He kissed her hand, the first time he’d kissed her since he’d found her two days ago near his room door. “Then I will be happy to ask your father for your hand. And Thea?”
Her brows raised.
“We will name our first son Casimir.”
Her eyes widened. She began to weep, and he pulled her to him, allowing her to lean on him.
Her crying subsided, and she sat up. “Hadden, there is still the issue of Sebastian. He did not take Casimir’s statements well, and I fear he will be even less chivalrous in regards to you.”
Hadden laughed. “My dear, will you believe me when I tell you that I have sorted Sebastian? He will not object.”
“How did you manage that?” Her voice was a whisper.
He wondered again if she knew that Sebastian and Adelaide had feelings for one another. He chose his words carefully. “I believe he will be relieved to know that he is free to marry where he loves. While he might have regret, real regret over what he has lost, he will gain greater happiness in what he is now free to pursue.”
Tears fell again, but they fell on a smile. “Oh, that makes me very happy! He and Adelaide—” He held up a hand. It was good to know that this didn’t come as a surprise to her.
“I am happy to be released from a connection that would bring more sorrow than happiness,” she said. “Thank you, on behalf of myself, and…of others.” She smiled, and it was a genuine smile of happiness.
His heart lightened. While he hadn’t articulated such, he had hoped they would be able to love one another in time. Hearing her declare her love dead with Casimir was crushing. But watching her be happy for her sister—his hope rose. They would not be what she and Casimir were to one another. Perhaps, however, they could be something else. Something different, but just as fulfilling.
He’d never thought about love before, never considered marriage. Here, kneeling with this woman, such thoughts overwhelmed him.
“It is indeed my pleasure…Thea.” He smiled when he said her name, wanting her to hear the joy he took in it.
She offered him a small smile in return, and he reminded himself it was going to take time for them to build something of their own.
He kissed her hand, and then stood, still holding it. “I must go. I must prepare to meet with your father. I am going to ask to speak in front of the entire court. Will that be agreeable to you?”
She nodded. While her face was still red, there was a happiness there that hadn’t been there before, and he knew he was responsible for that. It was a start, something they could grow on.
“Then I take my leave. May I ask a favor, my lady?” His honorific had a caress to it, one that he couldn’t help.”
“Of course.”
“May I ask that you not tell your sisters? I wish to give specific details of what I have seen, what I have learned. It will bolster my statement if your sisters are surprised.”
To his surprise, she laughed. “You are very much the tactician, aren’t you? I shall have to keep my wits about me, it seems.”
He smiled.
“I will be happy to keep my silence. But once you have openly proclaimed the end of the mystery, I make no such promises.”
There was an odd fire in her eyes, but he let it go for the moment. “Very well, then. I shall see you later.” He bowed, and went back to his room.
Once he closed the door behind him, he sagged against it. He felt he’d just won a very long, hot, and sweaty battle. In truth, he wasn’t sure what he’d won. A wife, yes, but would they be able to move beyond her past?
It didn’t matter now. He’d committed himself, and a knight, a good man, did not renege on his word. Besides, he felt more connected to her than any of the other princesses.
He pushed off the door just as Roysten came back in.
“What are you doing?” Roysten asked. In their rooms, he’d continued to be as informal as they’d always been. Hadden preferred it that way. It allowed him some normalcy in a situation that was anything but.
“I just spoke to my future bride,” he said solemnly, and then broke into a grin.
“So she accepted? Well, perhaps she may be worthy of you,” Roysten replied.
“She is very worthy. She conducted herself in a manner in which even you would be proud.”
“How so?”
Hadden shook his head. “It’s not my story to tell. Suffice to say, she is worthy. Perhaps you’ll both unbend one day to the point that it can be shared.”
Roysten frowned. “That makes me concerned for you.”
Hadden laughed. “Stop looking for reasons to dismiss her. Help me get ready. I need you to go to the king and ask him to allow me an audience in front of the entire court.”
“Are you mad? You want to expose yourself in front of all of them? What if something goes wrong?”
“Then there will be plenty of people to see it.” Hadden shrugged. “I do want this done in front of all. The more people who see what happens, the more the truth is spread. What are you worried about? I know where they go. I have proof of where they go. I can find the entrance to the underground. All will be well.”
“I hope you’re right. It’ll go to pot quickly if you’re not.”
Hadden clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re worse than Maddox, but on this one, I’ve got it together. It’s going to be fine. How’d you like to be valet to a prince?”
Roysten rolled his eyes and went to the wardrobe to put out one of the nicer outfits the king had provided. He came back to Hadden, and helped him to dress, and then stared critically at him for a long while.
“Enough!” Hadden moved away. “I’m not going to get better by you glaring at me! Please go and ask the king to call together the court, and then come back. I promise to stay put and not muss my hair!”
Roysten didn’t say anything, just nodded and left the room. Hadden wondered if he’d been too harsh. Perhaps. He’d need to apologize to Roys when he returned. There was no sense in putting things off. He’d agreed to this meeting the night he’d arrived here and taken up the challenge.
Roysten returned more quickly than he’d thought, and he spoke the moment the door was closed.
“The king is a little surprised, to say the least, but says he’s happy to accede to your request.”
“Why? Doesn’t he look happy?”
Roys shook his head. “Not at all. He looks bothered and worried, but he said to be in the great hall in one hour and you shall have your audience. Now, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to lay down for part of that hour. You’re going to get me up and make sure I’m still presentable, and then we’ll go down there together.”