Chapter 9: Premonition
991 Words
She rushed down the hall, shaking out her arms and trying to get her focus back. By the time she got to her chambers, she still felt like her brain was in a fog. Thomas took up his post outside her door, but she didn’t even look at him as she walked inside.
Annabelle and Teresa were waiting for her. Annabelle perched anxiously on the chaise lounge, and jumped up as soon as Eiley came in.
“So, how was he?” she asked.
“Anna, let her sit down before you interrogate her,” Teresa said. Her focus was trained on the fire and she didn’t look away from it when Eiley arrived.
“It was so weird,” Eiley said, sitting down in a chair by the fire.
“Here, this will help.” Teresa tried to hand her a glass of wine, but Eiley waved her off.
“I feel like I need a cup of tea instead,” Eiley said with a sigh. She let her shoulders slump against the back of the chair. “That was incredibly draining.”
Teresa reached over and pulled on a call bell. It was a simple system rigged up to the kitchen that would tell them to bring up tea. Eiley couldn’t imagine finding the energy to verbally make the request right now.
“Maybe it’s just the pressure of the first meeting?” Annabelle offered helpfully. “I know the King is invested in making this work, and I’m sure that Prince Warren has heard similar sentiments from his family.”
“God, don’t remind me!” Eiley said, sinking further into her chair. “This week is going to be hard enough without the reminder that I’m supposed to be trying to get a man I don’t want to marry to fall in love with me.”
“It doesn’t have to be love, you know,” Teresa said.
Annabelle looked shocked at the suggestion.
“I know, but wouldn’t it be better if it were?”
“You shouldn’t have to marry someone you don’t love,” Annabelle said.
“I’m a princess of Saint Galame,” Eiley said sadly. “‘Shouldn’t’ doesn’t really factor in for me.”
“Is that why you’re always dragging us into trouble?” Teresa asked, finally looking at her friends.
“I’d hardly call it dragging,” Eiley said, finally smiling. “But all of that is just for fun!”
Eiley and her friends had already finished a carafe of wine by the time they made it to dinner. Her father frowned when he saw them walk into the dinning hall, but Eiley ignored him entirely and picked up a glass of wine for herself.
Prince Ronan met the trio near the door and said, “There you three are.”
Eiley took his arm and said, “So we’re really going through with this?”
“Eiley, please,” Ronan said, with a smile.
“Can’t we just have fun tonight?” she whined, looking up at him through her eyelashes.
Ronan laughed. “That little trick of yours won’t work on me.”
“Fine!” she said with a laugh. “But you will join us for games tonight after dinner?”
Annabelle leaned forward to hear Ronan’s answer.
“Have you invited your fiance?” Ronan asked.
Eiley rolled her eyes. “He’s hardly my fiance just yet!”
“Eiley, will you invite Prince Warren? Please? For me?”
“Fine,” Eiley said with a sigh. “But only if he behaves during this dinner.”
“Don’t play that. I know you! He should be worried about you behaving during dinner.”
Eiley laughed, throwing her head back in a way that she knew made her look pretty. “Okay, okay. I’ll invite him!”
“Good girl!” he said.
She scowled at him, but he darted away with a mischievous grin.
Eiley sat down at the table and Teresa and Annabelle sat across from her. It was as they’d planned it. Eiley wasn’t sure that she could get through another conversation with the Prince without the supportive presence of her friends.
“What are we eating tonight?” Annabelle asked, looking around as if she could find the food already being served. Eiley was under strict instructions to arrive early, so dinner wouldn’t come for a while yet. She’d normally be defiant for the sake of it, but given her week’s itinerary, she had decided to pick her battles.
“I think we’re having a beef and potato stew,” Eiley said. She started nervously watching the door for Prince Warren’s arrival.
“How do you know that?”Annabelle asked. “You usually don’t care at all about dinner options.”
“I…I just have a feeling…” Eiley trailed off, visibly confused. She shook her head, and her smile recovered. “Maybe it’s just a craving.”
“Well, I hope you’re right,” Teresa said. “That’s my favorite.”
Eiley fidgeted with the edge of the table cloth. There was a noise near the door, but Eiley didn’t even bother to look. She was sure it wasn’t Warren’s arrival, and she was gratified when her father greeted Lord Carys.
There wasn’t any indicator, but she was somehow sure Warren had just walked in. She focused on her friends, trying to appear unbothered, but, under the table, her hands were shaking.
“Good evening, ladies,” Prince Warren said when he waked up behind Eiley.
She pretended to laugh at whatever Annabelle had been saying, then turned to Warren.
“Prince Warren, thank you for joining us.” She forced her smile to brighten. “I’m glad to see you.” She stood quickly, nearly knocking over her chair, and curtsied in front of her.
Warren returned her bow, then said, “May I sit?”
- Writer
