Chapter 10
Ten
Edwin
I quietly took my own notes all through dinner as Prince James talked to people.
He seemed quite focused on what people said to him.
Sincerely focused, no less, not simply listening for the sake of politeness.
I also saw strange flashes of guilt, which made no sense.
He hadn’t even become prince until only a few days ago, so what did he have to feel guilty about?
Sir Alloways had told the story of Prince James rescuing the little girl’s bear and I’d been surprised—but not.
It somehow seemed completely in character for this man I barely knew.
Of everything I’d seen in my two weeks of serving this man, it was that he cared.
About all of us. He was quite possibly the most empathetic man I’d ever met.
No wonder he succeeded wherever he went. People liked sincere, thoughtful men like him. They were more inclined to be helpful in return. I was certainly no different.
Eventually, the hour grew late enough for people to retire to their beds.
I felt sure Prince James would be one of the first. He appeared lethargic in how he moved, as if his very bones were weary.
I had started to pick up on his tells, I think, and the way he looked said he hadn’t slept well recently.
To my surprise, Prince James lingered, speaking with Hattie, one of the maids who had come along on this trip.
She was urgently telling him about the care her disabled father needed but had no way of getting.
Prince James heard her out, every word, making many a note.
I was well aware of Hattie’s struggle. I’d spoken with her before and offered what resources I knew of.
Somehow, I knew Prince James would give her a proper solution.
“It breaks my heart one of our veterans isn’t being properly cared for after he’s retired,” Prince James said, looking troubled. Also guilty again, for some reason. “I do not like it. I don’t have an immediate solution, Hattie, but I’ll look into possibilities the minute we’re back at the palace.”
Hattie was nearly in tears. “Thank you for hearing me, Your Highness.”
Prince James waved her off. “I’m your arbitrator when things go wrong. It’s my job to hear you out when there’s a problem. One thing that can help me—are you literate?”
“I am not, Your Highness.”
“Hmm. Then sit with Edwin later and write up what a typical day looks like. What routine you follow, what’s missing to make your father truly comfortable and cared for. I need something detailed to present to the council as I look for solutions.”
“I’ll do so,” she promised.
Prince James turned to me. “Edwin, is that all right?”
“Of course. We’ll speak more on the way back.”
“Very good.”
Hattie stood, curtsied, and for the first time ever, she looked like a millstone no longer hung about her neck. “Thank you so much, Your Highness. Good night.”
“Good night, Hattie.”
Prince James waited until she was at the stairs before speaking again.
“The very second we’re back, I’m commandeering a hospital.
I’ll pay for it out of pocket, but I want a veteran’s hospital put together as soon as we can manage it.
I’m appalled that a decorated knight, who was acknowledged for exemplary service, is being left to rot. ”
He was kind, too. There wasn’t a greedy bone in this man’s body. We both knew he’d spend thousands of gold on this, at the very least. He didn’t seem to care.
“I know of a possibility.”
“Oh? Which one?”
“Sea Cross Hospital.”
His expression lit up. “Ah, yes, the one between the wharf and the market district. Good call. It’s a nice, central place. Everyone knows where that hospital is.”
I made a note. “Upon our return, I’ll send word to the hospital director of your wish for a meeting.”
“Thank you. You know, it occurs to me, you’re the only person at the table who didn’t request something. Isn’t there anything you want for your future country, Edwin?”
He seemed to expect something from me. In truth, every suggestion I had for improving the country, someone else had already pointed out.
I had nothing else to suggest, except…well, I was curious.
Every time I thought I had Prince James’s measure, he did something else surprising.
He was a far more complex man than the shallow humans I’d spent the better part of my life serving.
“I want to know something.”
He made a go-ahead motion with his fingers.
“What do you want?”
Prince James looked surprised. “What do I want? Huh. Do you know, I think you’re the first person to ask me that.”
He seemed a bit caught out, not sure how to answer me. I waited, needing this answer. To understand him better, if nothing else.
“I want peace,” he said slowly, framing his answer one word at a time. “I want to live a safe, peaceful life. I want to marry the man I love beyond measure, perhaps adopt a few children to raise as my own, and retire in a villa knowing I have done my very best in this life.”
How eloquently pure. Didn’t we all wish for that?
A peaceful life, surrounded by people we loved.
My own heart echoed his wish, and for a moment, I didn’t see him as Prince James.
I saw him as James, the man. I’d thought him a bit weird since our first meeting, but he wasn’t.
Well, all right, still a little weird, but a good weird.
Frankly, he was the kind of weird this world needed the most.
“What do you want, Edwin?”
His eyes were warm with affection, which seemed strange to me.
He liked me this much already, after only two weeks?
Still, I could feel his sincerity emanating from him.
He had a horrible habit of flirting as a way of communicating, which gave me ideas I shouldn’t have, as there was definitely no future between me and a prince.
Still, I believed him to be a good person and truly interested in what I had to say.
It pried open my mouth as nothing else would have.
“A simple life with a man who loves me at my side is all I really want as well. It’s such a simplistic wish, but for some reason seems very hard to manage.”
Prince James groaned, head dropping heavily forward for a moment. “Truth. Oh gods, the truth of that just pierced my soul. Why is it so hard? I’m not asking for the moon and stars. It shouldn’t be this hard.”
“It just got harder for you, now that you’re a prince.” Why the hell did that teasing line just pop out of my mouth? Mouth, for shame, you know better.
Prince James didn’t take the least bit offense. He groaned again, this time looking pitiful. “You’re right. Well, hopefully you’re wrong. I put that clause in my adoption paperwork for a reason, you know. No political marriages for me.”
My eyes narrowed, speculation whirring inside my mind. “You told Queen Beatrice it was to quiet the naysayers. To make it clear you couldn’t marry Princess Helena.”
“I told her that because I knew she’d not argue the point. That had nothing to do with why I put the clause in there.” A hint of mischief sparkled in his eyes. “I can lie when the occasion demands it.”
This actually relieved me, because politically speaking, we’d all be doomed otherwise.
“So you put the clause in there just to avoid political marriages?”
“Ninety percent of the reason. Other ten percent because my queenly mother might like matchmaking, but it’s quite obvious she sucks at it.”
A startled laugh erupted from my mouth before I could cage it. Mouth, seriously, behave before you get us in trouble! What was it about this man that made me lose control of myself? He was far too good at lowering my guard.
Prince James grinned back at me. “You’ve seen it yourself, of course. That disastrous almost-engagement for Royce is a good example. The rather horribly mismatched pairing of Helena and Lord Gillespie cements it. She’s not good at it. She can’t seem to learn from her mistakes, either.”
“We actually all feel very bad for Princess Helena,” I admitted without qualm. Clearly Prince James wouldn’t scold me for having an opinion. “She’s obviously trying to put a good face on but he’s just so…”
“Lacking, I think, is the most generous term we can describe him with. I don’t think the man’s even capable of tying his shoelaces.”
“He’s not,” I confirmed with a long sigh. “The staff whispers about what all he’s not capable of doing. Frankly, their engagement feels more like a punishment for the princess.”
“I agree with you. It’s part of why I’m going to break the engagement for her.”
Intriguing. Prince James was obviously the type to meddle—for the better, fortunately. “Did she ask you for help?”
“Hmm, no, not yet. She doesn’t know me well enough yet to confide such things.
But”—he held up a finger—“she’s my sister.
I’ll look out for her. Gillespie marrying into the royal family will be a disaster.
It’ll give him power he’s not suited to wield.
He can do quite a bit of damage without any ill intentions. ”
Relief swept through me. Yes, precisely the problem. I was glad Prince James was already aware of it. “I will aid you in whatever way I can.”
“I need more information.” His response was immediate, confident. “You said the staff talks about how incompetent he is. Give me more details.”
That seemed easy enough. “He has no concept of a budget. His retainer despairs of him, as he’s constantly going over budget and then whining like a child when he can’t impulse buy something.
He’s completely incapable of dressing himself, even to the smallest degree.
He’s banned from hunting because he can neither control a horse nor reliably handle a weapon without hurting himself or someone else in the process.
Right before we left, he threw a complete tantrum because he wanted to get on a sailboat by himself.
He’s never been on a boat in his life and has no idea how to sail or swim. ”
Prince James stared at me for a second longer before making a disparaging noise. “I knew it was bad, but…are eating and shitting the only things this man is capable of doing?”
“I truly wish I could disagree but…well…yes?”
“Haaaaaa.” He listed sideways against the chair, eyes closed. “By Vuheia, how could anyone view him as a good marriage partner? What, does the Gillespie family have some kind of leverage against the queen?”
“Marchioness Gillespie and the queen are childhood friends.” My tone was desert dry.
“Oh. Yeah. That explains it. They’ve probably schemed about marrying their children together for decades.
It’s poor Helena who’s stuck with the schmuck, though.
” Shaking his head, he straightened once more.
“Now I’m extremely determined to get her free of the man. Not quite sure how I’ll go about it.”
I felt rather stumped myself. I also found his investment in the situation a little…
off. Well, no, his reaction was off. He didn’t seem surprised by how incompetent Gillespie was.
So why was he asking? I mentally shook the thought away.
“I think you should tell Princess Helena your intentions. She’ll be heartily glad someone is on her side.
If I’m not mistaken, she’s been trying to subtly wrench herself free of this engagement for the past two years. ”
“Hmm, yes, I’ll start there. Maybe she has an idea and just needs some support to pull it off.”
This man really intended to help his newly adopted sister.
He had some political reasons for motivation, granted, but he was concerned for her as well.
Prince James might well be one worth following.
I’d sometimes questioned why I worked in the palace, but I stayed because of the excellent pay.
Even if the people I served were lacking in many aspects.
But Prince James saw people. At least, he acted as if he did.
I felt compelled to give him a mini test. Just to learn him a touch more before deciding if he got my loyalty or not.
“What of yourself, Your Highness?”
“Hmm? In regard to what?”
“You said you want a husband. What qualities does this man need to have?”
His eyes crinkled up in the corners as if the question amused him thoroughly. “Are you going to play matchmaker for me, then?”
“I can at least point you to possible good candidates.”
“Well, I don’t mind answering the question.
” He leaned in, his voice unhurried, warm, and his eyes…
his green eyes pulled me in. The moment became strangely intimate as he answered.
“He must be kind of heart, intelligent, capable. Someone I can absolutely trust. He doesn’t need to be societally handsome or anything of the sort.
Beauty is transitory and I put no stock in it. ”
I felt as if he were describing someone he already knew. This wasn’t a hypothetical wish but something he based on reality. I felt strangely trapped in his gaze and couldn’t explain why my own heart skipped a beat, why my face flushed.
He eased back in the chair, straightening, and the tension faded a notch. I was almost thankful for it.
Tapping a finger to his chin, Prince James tacked on, “Someone crazy enough to put up with me. I think that last part is the most challenging.”
Not once did he mention status or money. “Would you welcome any man who fit the criteria, no matter his birth?”
“Of course.” He snorted, like I’d said something silly. “I’m a bastard child. I can’t throw stones at that glass house.”
“You’re a prince,” I argued. “You can.”
“Now, Edwin, don’t paint me with that brush. Birthright is all stuff and nonsense, we both know that—purely luck of the draw. Being born nobility doesn’t mean you’re capable or worthy of the power you wield. Gillespie is a prime example. No, my only benchmark is I want a good man as a husband.”
I was right. He was a man completely worth following, not one to let traditions dictate what should be done. Nor was he stupid enough to buy into the notion of pure blood.
“I’ll keep it in mind,” I promised him. “On that note, shall we go to bed?”
“We probably should. It’s late, and we leave early in the morning.” Prince James stood, stretched with arms high overhead, and groaned. “I’ve been sitting here too long, clearly. Good night, Edwin.”
For once, the smile on my face was genuine and not politely forced. “Good night, Your Highness.”