Page 11 of The Prince Falls First
“She may have left with her friend, Miss Kaur. Also, Miss Kaur’s family are hosting a dinner. I believe we may have initially declined, but I think I’ll attend. Make the arrangements.”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll take care of it. I believe Princess Agnes also received an invitation, though I don’t know if she’s attending. I’llconfirm with her office tomorrow. Let me check on Miss Ruffin for you.”
While Gabriel waited for Corrado’s return, he caught sight of his father speaking with a Council member in a corner of the ballroom. The Council were always up to something, and he had a feeling he’d find out what soon.
When Corrado returned and confirmed she and Miss Kaur had left, he merely nodded and thanked him.
For the rest of the night, his mind kept going back to Genevieve, and the feeling of her in his arms, and the sadness and resolve in her eyes.
Would she welcome the sight of him at the Kaur’s banquet? Or would she glare at him with disdain? He couldn’t wait to find out.
GENEVIEVE
Gen had barely openedthe front door when her mother’s heels came clicking down the hallway at a furious speed.
“Where have you been?”
Gen was exhausted, her feet hurt, and all she wanted was a bath and a long sleep. Still, she managed to keep her features neutral under her mother’s critical glare. “I was at the ball, mother.”
“Balls do not last this long. Now where were you? And who took you? I didn’t give you leave to use my vehicle. Nor did I approve what you wore.” She gave Gen a sneering look over. “That dress is not at all appropriate for such an event. What must people have said?”
To keep from yelling, Gen counted to three before responding. “To answer your questions, the dress was actually well received and there were several ladies there in similar styles, as I’m sure you’ll see when they report on the event in the news tomorrow. Regarding the length of the ball, it was still going when I left. Even the king was still in attendance, as were some of his children.”
Her mother grabbed her arm with such force that Gen was sure it would leave a bruise on her pale skin. “Did you dance with him?”
“The king did not dance with anyone but his wife and daughter.”
“Oh!” Her mother shook her, making her unsteady on her heels. “Who cares about him? No, the prince.Anyprince. Did you dance with one?”
“I danced with several men, and Prince Gabriel was one of them.”
“Yes! Of course he would dance with you, dressed as you are. It was a good idea to wear that dress. I’m glad I suggested it.”
And that, in a nutshell, was her mother. Everything Gen did was atrocious, unless it suited her mother, in which case it was her mother’s brilliant idea in the first place.
“And when do you see him again?”
“I don’t, mother. We danced once. He danced with several other ladies once as well. It was nothing significant.” She fibbed a little here, for her own sake as well as her mother’s. “He made it clear during our dance that this wasonlya dance and that he was interested in another woman. In fact, he only danced with me because he was interested in Miss Kaur and wanted more information about her.”
Sorry, Sam!Gen knew Sam would forgive her. Any chance to mess with her mother was one worth taking, according to Sam, but Gen still felt guilty about it.
“Oh! That dreadful girl! What could he possibly see in her? She’s no queen, I’ll tell you that much. You aren’t either, but I could at least help you in that role.”
Control me, you mean.No, thank you!
“May I go to bed now, mother? I am awfully tired.”
“No, you may not! If the prince really is interested in her, then you’ll need to find another prince. Being a lesser princess isn’t what I need from you, but it would still be better than nothing.” Her mother grabbed her arm again, this time dragging her towards the sitting room. “Now, sit down and tell me everything that happened at the ball and every person you danced with.”
Another kind of exhaustion settled over Gen, the kind that never seemed to go away, and that only seemed to get worse when her mother appeared.
Once they sat, her mother suddenly stood up again. “Wait, aren’t the Kaurs hosting a party soon? One the prince has been invited to?”
Gen adjusted her dress on the seat and nodded. “Yes. You’re going with Henrietta. Though there’s no guarantee he’ll attend. Royals are often invited but rarely make an appearance at events such as these.”
After a bit of pacing, her mother stopped and turned to her. “But there’s still a possibility. No, you’ll go with me instead. If he attends, I’m sure I can convince the prince you’ll be a better queen than that other girl. If only you’d done your job right the first time.”
For fuck’s sake. Her mother had a one-track mind, and it never stopped to consider what Gen wanted. Maybe she could convince her she shouldn’t go. “I can’t go! Henrietta was so angry I went tonight. The next event isherturn.”
