Page 21 of Romancing the Throne
“He is,” I said and tried not to think of butterflies and kisses lest my expression give me away.
“Tell me, have you heard the latest gossip?” he asked Elowin.
“We’ve only just arrived, but I’m sure you’ll fill us in.” Elowin gestured to the empty seat next to him.
Thanafern sat down and leaned forward, a gleam in his eye. “I’ve heard that there’s a new romance.”
Elowin laughed. “That’s hardly news. Thisisthe Marriage Market.”
“But this is between an elf of high standing and a commoner,” he said, “which makes it unusual.”
“Is it?” I asked. Maybe not everything my parents had told me was incorrect after all.
Thanafern nodded. “Usually the noble-born elves stick together, so when they’re seen holding hands and kissing in public, people take notice.”
I thought of the kisses Elowin and I had shared, and my stomach churned with anxiety.
What would Thanafern say if he knew about us?
And then I had a terrifying thought. What if hedidknow about us, and we were the source of the rumor?
It wasn’t impossible. We’d bathed naked in a stream together and shared a bedroll. One of the elves we’d traveled with could easily have misconstrued those things, and I’d already seen how quickly news traveled in Everend.
Oh goddess.
Iwas the noble elf romancing a commoner.
It wasn’t strictly true, of course—I was of genteel birth rather than noble—but what rumors didn’t grow in the telling? Elowin wasn’t a shepherdess either, and that was the version Teon had heard. And it wasn’t that inaccuracy that bothered me. My first reaction was to be vaguely offended on Elowin’s behalf, because he was anything but common. Just because he wasn’t of noble birth, that didn’t make him any less kind or handsome or capable. Besides, he was a royal guard. Surely that gave him some social standing?
My need to defend him made me brave, and I determined that I had to tell the truth. But my voice still shook a little when I said, “I’m afraid we might be the source of your rumor, Thanafern, but it’s quite untrue.”
Thanafern raised his eyebrows, looking between us. “Really?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes. But it’s a misunderstanding. We’re traveling companions, that’s all. And although it’s true I am of genteel birth, Elowin is hardly a commoner!”
“Of course not,” Thanafern said. “He’s?—”
“We’re not the source of the rumor,” Elowin interrupted. “Rowan heard that story three days ago. Now can we get something to eat? I could chew the leg off this table, I’m so hungry.” He shot a pointed look at Thanafern, who shrugged and pushed to his feet. “I’m sure I can find something suitable for your simple tastes,” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smile before he disappeared in the direction of the kitchen.
I watched him go, somehow relieved that Elowin and I weren't the stuff of rumors after all and hurt that he’d been so quick to dismiss the idea of us courting—which was ridiculous. He was obviously just doing his best to ensure the prince didn’t hear any whispers that might cause him to doubt my suitability as a prospective husband. It was actually very kind and noble of him.
I should be happy—Iwashappy—that there weren’t stories about me swirling around the market!
I took a deep breath and straightened my spine, determined to enjoy my evening. And by the time Elowin and I had talked and laughed over a shared dinner of bread and cold meats and cheeses, I’d managed to bury the tiny seed of disappointment that Elowin and I could never be more than friends.
By the time we climbed the stairs that led to our rooms, it was late. Teonand Rowan had joined us after dinner, and Rowan had given me a brown paper parcel that held no less thanfoursets of clothing, all of them as elegant and well-made as the ones I was wearing. When I pulled out my purse to pay her, she shook her head. “It’s been taken care of.”
She didn’t say who had paid, but I wasn’t silly. I knew it had to be Prince Aldian. Hadn’t he sent his own guard to fetch me? So it made sense he would make sure my needs were met. I would be sure to thank him when I finally met him—which, it turned out, wouldn’t be until the day after tomorrow now. A messenger had arrived at the inn letting Thanafern know that the prince had been delayed again.
It felt as though I ought to be more disappointed than I was. OfcourseI wanted to meet Aldian. He was my future husband. But at the same time, once he arrived I wouldn’t be spending as much time with Elowin. And I oughtn’t want to spend as much time with Elowin, what with all the kissing and the butterflies, but Idid, precisely because of all the kissing and the butterflies, and—oh, I just wished Aldian would hurry up and arrive and take the choice away from me!
“Your room is along here,” Elowin said. “Number eight, Thanafern said.”
“Oh,” I said. “Are we not… sharing?”
Elowin raised an eyebrow.
“So you can protect me, I mean,” I said hastily.
