Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
ELENA
E lena stomped up the stairs to her apartment, her thoughts racing. Despite the encounter with Nate, the previous one with her cousin, Julian, still stuck in her mind, tightening her chest.
He hadn’t admitted it, but he had been the one doing this to her. His denials, so smooth and unyielding, clashed with her own certainty. She knew him, she knew his games.
She pushed through the door of her apartment with a suppressed groan.
“I take it the meeting did not go well,” Caroline asked from the kitchen.
Elena plopped onto the stool, her features pulled into a frown. “In a word, no.”
Caroline slid warm biscuits from a baking sheet onto a plate and set them in front of Elena. She glanced down at them before she shook her head .
“Oh, dear, it is quite serious if oatmeal raisin cannot cheer you.”
Elena pouted before she slid one from the plate and bit into it, allowing the warm sweetness to explode on her tongue. She slid her eyes closed, allowing the flavor to melt away her concerns for a fraction of a second.
“You know, Julian is quite frustrating.”
“Did he admit it?” Caroline asked as she poured a glass of milk for her.
“Of course not. Did you think he would? He played innocent, as usual. But I know it is him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t send them to my father.”
“To what end? Julian usually has something in it for himself,” Caroline answered.
“To ruin my time.” She pouted again before she shook her head. “Though you are correct. He’ll likely try something more beneficial to himself.”
“Like blackmailing you.”
Elena sucked in a breath. “Abdicate.”
“You wouldn’t, would you?”
Elena lifted her gaze to her ladies’ maid, her features twisting as a mix of confusion and upset swirled inside of her.
“Oh, dear, this is serious.”
Elena’s shoulders drooped. “Oh, Caroline. I don’t know. I don’t wish to, but…”
She stopped shy of saying more. “It doesn’t matter. Perhaps this will all come crashing down around me before it matters.”
Caroline eased onto the stool next to her. “You are quite enamored with him, aren’t you?”
Elena shot her an apologetic glance as she nodded. “I am. He is…wonderful. Smart, funny, caring, kind.”
“And most of all, he is not Prince Eric. ”
Elena bit into another cookie, snapping her gaze to her ladies’ maid. “That’s not true. I mean, it is true that he is not Prince Eric, but that is not the only reason I’m drawn to him. He is…tender and sweet.”
“Your Highness, he also has a history. Will he be able to handle the pressures of royal life?”
Elena let her hand thud against the counter with a sigh. “Please stop making sense, Caroline. I am not ready for this to end.”
Caroline tucked a lock of Elena’s hair behind her ear. “Oh, darling, I know. I just worry that when it must end, it will be even more difficult.”
A tear slid down Elena’s cheek. “You may be correct.”
She collapsed against Caroline and sobbed.
“Oh, Your Highness,” Caroline soothed, stroking her hair, “perhaps it will not be as bad as all that.”
Elena pulled back, wiping at the tears staining her face. “Yes, you are correct. Perhaps…it will be fine. Father will accept him. And Nathan will love royal life. He always tells me he hasn’t any money for nice things, but we shall have no need of his money. And we can still have nice things.”
Elena rose from her stool and paced the floor while wringing her hands. “Yes, it could work. It could be fine.”
She twisted to face Caroline who offered her a fleeting smile.
“You do not agree,” Elena said.
“I do not think one way or the other. But I know he means a great deal to you, so you should follow your heart.”
Elena let her gaze fall to the floor. “And what if it leads me astray? What if it betrays me?”
“Then you will have learned a lesson. And you will be better for it.”
Elena heaved a tired sigh. “I have no desire to be better for it, but I suppose I’ve done this to myself.”
“We all have done it at some point in our lives,” Caroline said as Elena collapsed onto the stool again.
“Have you?”
“Oh, yes,” Caroline said with a nod. “His name was Henry. And I thought him so suave, so gallant.”
“What happened?”
“He was suave and gallant with several ladies. I learned a hard lesson.”
Elena tugged her lips back in a wince. “Did it hurt terribly?”
“For a time,” Caroline said, “but I moved on. And I found a lovely little girl to take care of who made me smile. And I realized Henry was the biggest loser in the situation.”
“And I was the biggest winner,” Elena said with a grin.
“Perhaps the second biggest next to me.” Caroline wiped a tear away from Elena’s cheek with her thumb. “When do you see your young man next.”
“Tomorrow. He has a work event tonight.”
“I see. Well, then we have some time to go shopping or explore the city to keep your mind at ease.”
Elena perked up at the idea. “Yes, we do.”
She spent the rest of her day meandering around the city with her ladies’ maid.
Anticipation filled her when she awoke the next morning. She rolled over in her bed and grabbed her phone, sending a message to ask about Nate’s evening.
She filled her hours with reading before she readied to meet her paramour in the late afternoon.
“Have fun, darling,” Caroline called after her as she flitted from the apartment with a wide grin.
Each step toward the fairgrounds filled her with excitement. She seemed to float on air as she threaded through the streets, the warmth of the sun on her skin.
As she approached the entrance stalls, she spotted Nate, a grin spreading over her face. He smiled as she approached, reaching for her hand.
“Hello,” he said before he kissed her cheek.
“Hello. How was your day?”
“It was all right. It’s better now. Ready to head in?” He nodded toward the fairgrounds.
“Yes, once we buy tickets.”
“I’ve already done that. I beat you to it so you didn’t buy them.”
She chuckled as he dug them from his pocket and produced them for the attendant. “That really bothered you.”
“It did,” he answered as he slid his arm around her shoulders. “So much so that I am going to prove my masculinity by winning you a stuffed animal and making you carry it around the entire fair.”
“Are you? That’ll teach me.”
He kissed the top of her head before he stopped at a baseball toss. “Which one do you like?”
“Of the plushies? The bear with the heart.”
“This one?” he asked as he poked at a dark brown bear clutching a red heart between its paws.
“Uh-huh, that’s the one.”
With a wink, he dug a few bills from his pocket and shoved them toward the man working the booth.
“You gotta knock down all three sets if the lady wants the bear,” he said.
Elena offered him a wide-eyed, but amused glance.
“I can do it,” he promised. He stretched his neck before he grabbed one of the baseballs and tossed it at the milk jugs. They toppled to the ground with a thud.
He shot Elena a triumphant glance before he tossed the next ball, knocking over the second stack.
She bit her lower lip, clasping her hands under her chin as she offered him a smile. He tossed the last ball, downing all of the milk bottles.
Elena hopped in the air. “You did it!”
“Did you doubt me?” he asked as the man pulled the bear from its spot and handed it to Nate.
“Of course not,” she said as she accepted the bear from him, hugging it tightly to her chest. “And how is your masculinity? All patched up?”
“Yes,” he answered with a satisfied grin. “All better now.”
She smiled, admiring how the glow of the fair’s lights danced in Nate’s eyes. His laugh, carefree and genuine, coupled with the warmth of his hand, drew her to him. The feeling of belonging with him overwhelmed her, making her realize how deeply she’d fallen.
“Oh, I am so glad,” she said before he stole a kiss. “Now, what shall we do first? Is there a carousel?”
They meandered through the park, riding several of the rides. As they waited in line at the roller coaster, Nate tugged his phone from his pocket, his features pinching before he tapped on it and tucked it away.
“Everything okay?’
“Yeah,” he said with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Just fine.”
She leaned against him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her as they shuffled forward. They came off the coaster in a cloud of laughter before they moved on to a haunted house.
Elena wrinkled her nose at it. “Do you want to go inside?”
“Yes, why not?”
“It could be frightening. Look, the sign says it right here.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “You’re not scared, are you?”
“Maybe a little. I’m a ‘fraidy cat, you know? ”
“Are you?” He chuckled as he wrapped a protective arm around her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Do you promise?” she asked as she allowed him to guide her to the line.
“I do. Stay close to me. I’ll make sure you’re okay.”
She tugged the bear tighter to her chest as she stared at the blood red lights decorating the outside and casting elongated shadows across the twilight. She lifted her shoulders higher as she bit her lower lip.
“If you’re really scared, we don’t have to go in, Ellie,” Nate said as he rubbed her arm.
She flicked her gaze from him back to the dark hole beckoning them to enter. “No, it’s okay.”
They stepped into the shadowy entrance, the world outside fading away, leaving them enveloped in a realm of whispering darkness and unseen threats.
The air was thick with anticipation. Each twist and turn of the narrow passageways brought them face to face with specters and scares that leapt from the shadows.
The disorienting halls made her head spin. She found his hand in the darkness, her grip tightening as shrieks filled the air around them.
He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. “I’ve got you. You’re okay.”
Before she could answer, a werewolf leapt out at them, causing her to scream before she rolled her eyes at herself. “Sorry,” she said as they hurried away from it toward the promise of the exit.
“It’s okay, almost out.”
They emerged into the night, the clamor of the fair greeting them again as the haunted house loomed behind them.
Elena blew out a shaky breath. The sense of being off-balance faded, and her heart returned to normal speed. She glanced over her shoulder again at the building. The ghosts hidden in the shadows reminded her of the secrets she kept.
Would she be able to push past them and find the cool night air again or would she remain trapped in the haunted house forever?
Before she could answer her own question, Nate tugged her toward the Ferris wheel.
As they joined the line, Nate glanced at his phone again, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
“Nathan? Are you certain you’re all right?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Just…family stuff.”
“Oh. Something that requires your attention? If you need to go…”
“No, no, I just…” They shuffled forward to the front of the line. Nate never finished his statement, and Elena furrowed her brow, but before she could ask about it, the attendant waved them forward.
They climbed into the bubble-like car, and the door slid shut. The car bobbled around as the ride advanced forward before grinding to a halt to load the next passengers.
Nate settled into the seat across from her, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees.
“You seem a bit distracted. Do you hate Ferris wheels?”
“No,” he said with a slight chuckle. “But I am distracted. I…uh…there’s something I need to tell you, Ellie, and I’m afraid it’s going to make you hate me.”
Elena’s stomach didn’t just drop, it plummeted. The words made her chest tighten as she stared at him, a lump forming in her throat. “All right,” she said her voice a whisper.
Her mind raced ahead, wondering what it could be. Was he breaking up with her? Was her world about to crash down?