Page 8 of Awakened On Her Royal Wedding Night
When he said, “Bring oatmeal,” she realized he had stopped eating long before she had. How embarrassing.
“No. Thank you,” she insisted. “I missed dinner.” She had missed a lot of meals in the run-up to this pageant, but there was no need to make up for it in one sitting.
She self-consciously sat back only to wince at the various aches and bruises that connected against the quilted seat back.
She finally took a proper look at her surroundings. This terrace was on the ground floor overlooking a courtyard that contained a hedge maze of waist height. A fountain in the center whispered its steady pour of water.
The walls of the courtyard were three stories high and were covered in tangled, verdant vines. She couldn’t see the sea or the collection of islands that made up Nazarine, only a thin layer of wispy clouds in an otherwise blue sky.
She looked at the castle behind her, spotting a number of terraces that probably afforded a view to the horizon.
“I don’t wish us to be seen by any long-range lenses,” Felipe said.
“Why?”
“Because knowledge is power. Right now, I know that you survived your swim, but my brother does not.”
The lethal grit in his voice caused her heart to take a swerve.
He looked so much like his brother it was disconcerting. Aside from that stark white line in his swarthy cheek, he was Francois’s match in height and build. They both had thick, dark brown hair and equally dark brown eyes beneath stern brows. Their long sloping cheeks were clean-shaven, their jawlines chiseled from granite, their mouths...
Here she saw the difference. The shape was the same with a peaked top lip and a thick, blunt line for a bottom one, but Francois’s mouth was softer. He smiled often and quickly and wore a pout when he relaxed.
Felipe’s mouth held the tension of discipline and command. He didn’t need to charm to get what he wanted, she realized with a roll of uncertainty through her abdomen. He spoke and he received.
“I’d like to go back to Stella Vista,” she said.
“You will. In time.”
“My mother expects me to check in every day. She’ll be worried if she doesn’t hear from me soon.” That was an exaggeration. “The organizers will be contacted.”
“I’m counting on it.” His mouth twisted with cruel satisfaction.
Her heart lurched. “Don’t do that to her! She has enough to worry about.”
Stress was the worst thing for her condition.
“We’ll reassure her of your safety through private channels. Is there someone she trusts implicitly? One of these people who drives her to her medical appointments, perhaps?”
“How do you know that about her?” she asked with alarm.
“She thanked her team on social media. The post was set to public,” he added when she recoiled. Warning flashed behind his eyes. “I was only trying to get to know my houseguest, not targeting her for anything.”
A houseguest? Was that what she was? She hadn’t exactly arrived voluntarily, and apparently wasn’t allowed to leave. She searched the walls in the courtyard, spotting a door that led where? To a treacherous descent to the water and another life-threatening swim?
She curled her fingers into fists in her lap.
“Tell me about last night. How did you come to be in the water?”
She stubbornly clamped her mouth shut, not wishing to revisit it, especially not with servants and bodyguards standing around listening.
“Take your time. We can walk in the garden if you like. It’s very relaxing.”
She couldn’t resist glancing at him then, wondering if he ever relaxed. He radiated readiness for action.
“I have never spent much time learning about the pageant.” He casually held out his cup for someone to step forward and refill it. “I expect it’s very competitive?”
“I wasnottrying to get an advantage!” she burst out, insulted. Her eyes immediately grew hot and she cast another annoyed glance at their audience.
