Chapter 40
Sick
Evelyn could still feel the sticky wetness Haydn had left between her legs.
Gods forgive me before this damned kingdom declares me a queen.
She heaved into her toilet, wishing she could expel the guilt from her body as easily as last night’s dinner.
How did this happen? I only agreed to be with Haydn because Leo was absolutely not mine anymore.
She wiped her mouth and sat on the edge of the tub.
I had to make the Bargain. I don’t want to lie to Leo, but he would hate me if he knew the truth.
Her hands were shaking. She shut her eyes tight to keep the tears from falling.
I didn’t do anything wrong last night, but everything is so very wrong this morning.
She went to the sink and ran cool water over her wrists. Rowan taught her that trick to calm herself down.
It’s going to be fine. The only way this mess would even come up again is if I were…
Pregnant.
“Shit!”
Evelyn tore open every cabinet and drawer in the bathroom, but the Ducasses apparently didn’t leave fertility suppressant potions in guest suites.
No no no no no.
Evelyn pulled on her hair until it hurt. She forced herself to breathe through her nose and think logically.
This is not an emergency. If I get to a Healer today, everything will be fine. Calm the fuck down.
She opened her door, forcing the best smile she could manage. “I’d like to see a Healer.”
“Are you hurt?” Simon asked.
“No, I’m fine, I just need to speak with a Healer.”
Rory and Simon exchanged a look that Evelyn didn’t appreciate.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
“No, Princess, I’ll get to work on that now,” Rory said.
She retreated into her room and paced.
Everything is under control. Haydn is headed back to Lochmatten. I’m marrying Leo in two days. This is… good.
Five minutes later, an angry Damien stood in her doorway.
Shit. I should’ve known my own guards don’t report to me.
“I didn’t send for you,” Evelyn said.
“Why do you need a Healer?” Damien asked impatiently.
“That’s none of your business.”
He pushed his way into the room and closed the door behind him.
“Make yourself at home, I guess,” Evelyn mumbled.
“Why do you need a Healer?”
“I just do.”
Wow, I’m totally winning this argument.
“Are you injured? Or sick?” Damien asked.
“That’s something I would discuss with a Healer, which you are not.”
“This isn’t me invading your privacy, Princess. If I request a Healer, they need some idea of what’s wrong to know which supplies to bring.”
Ah. That’s a good point.
Evelyn tried to speak but couldn’t get the words out.
Damien’s expression softened as he watched her struggle. “Please tell me if you are hurt.”
“I’m not.”
“But you won’t tell me what’s wrong?”
She shook her head and hugged her arms around herself.
“I can take you to the army hospital,” Damien offered.
I don’t think I have much of a choice here.
“Evelyn?” he prompted. “Do you want to go?”
She nodded. Damien took a tentative step closer.
“You look terrified, Princess,” he whispered. “That’s why Rory came to me.”
Evelyn stared at the floor and bit down on her tongue.
“I can respect that you don’t want to talk about whatever is happening right now,” Damien continued, “but I don’t know how to get you out of the palace without raising the alarm while you look like you’re having a panic attack.”
She took a deep breath and met his gaze. “Stand up straight and smile?”
“You do listen to me!” He grinned. “Can you pretend to be a princess for a couple hours?”
“I can try. It would be a lot easier if I were a princess.”
“Ha! Wouldn’t that solve all of our problems?” Damien kissed her forehead. “Come on.”
Rory and Simon were waiting in the hall, but Damien waved them off. “You two can relax for a while. The princess will stay with me.”
The guards bowed and left. Damien and Evelyn walked downstairs and were nearly at the front door when they heard King Tristan’s voice.
“Where are you off to?” the king asked curiously.
“We’re going to the city,” Damien explained. “Evelyn wants to pick out a wedding present for Alexander.”
“Just be careful.”
“I will keep her safe, Your Majesty,” Damien said with a bow.
They left for the stables.
“How are you so good at lying?” Evelyn asked.
“My mother taught me,” Damien said.
“Your mother taught you how to lie?”
“Not all bruises can be hidden. Sometimes you need a story.”
“Damien—”
“When we get to the hospital, we’ll say you’ve been having headaches. Once you’re in a room with a Healer, you can tell them the truth.”
He doesn’t want to talk about it.
“Okay.”
A friendly blonde woman sat at the front desk of the army hospital and smiled when they entered. “Good morning! How can I help you, Captain Fontaine?”
Damien leaned on the desk and let his charm flood the room. “I’m so glad you are on duty today, Celeste. My friend here keeps getting headaches and wants to see a Healer. Are we in the right place?”
Celeste giggled. “Yes, Damien. We still have Healers in the hospital.”
“Oh good, I would hate to have to leave you to go somewhere else.”
“What is your friend’s name?” she asked, picking up a pen.
“Evelyn Connolly.”
Celeste really looked at Evelyn for the first time. Her voice dropped in pitch. “Like the princess?”
“Indeed,” Damien said. “The first princess ever raised in a barn.”
“My father was a lord!” Evelyn snapped. “We had an estate!”
“She wanders outside a lot and sets the garden on fire.”
“I do not!”
Celeste rose from her chair. “It’s no trouble to find a Healer, Your Highness. I’ll be right back.” She scurried down the hallway.
“Why are you being a brat?” Evelyn asked Damien.
“Because I’m still mad about the crap you pulled last night.”
She froze. “I’m sorry—”
“We’ll talk about it later.”
Celeste returned with a tall, dark-haired woman.
“Good morning, Princess Evelyn,” she said. “My name is Margot. I was your Healer after the incident last week.”
“I recognize your voice!” Evelyn remembered. “You were speaking with my father while I was waking up.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve gained your strength back. Let’s get you to a room to discuss your headaches.”
Evelyn glanced at Damien, but he was already flirting with Celeste.
Margot led her to an exam room, and Evelyn confessed as soon as the Healer closed the door. “I’m not really having headaches.”
“Oh?” Margot didn’t sound the least bit surprised.
“I need the fertility suppressant potion.” Evelyn blushed, then felt more embarrassed that she was blushing as an adult asking for a normal adult thing.
“Well, that’s easy enough.” Margot smiled warmly. “Do you want me to start sending weekly doses to the palace?”
“Yes, actually, that would be really helpful. But I also need to take it today.”
“No problem at all. I’ll get the potion for you now.”
The Healer left the room, and Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief.
See? Everything is okay. This was not a big deal. Haydn can be my secret.
Evelyn and Damien returned to the palace. They made it back to her room before he rounded on her. “Why did you lie to me last night?”
She had to look away from the hurt in Damien’s green eyes. But she knew that Haydn’s Bargain magic would limit what she could say. “Haydn asked me to keep our conversations between us.”
Damien’s brows flew up. “He asked you to lie to me?”
“No, he never said that. I just promised to keep some things private.”
“Why?”
“He doesn’t want the whole kingdom to know every little thing about him.”
“I need to know things that put you in danger!”
“I wasn’t in danger!”
Damien groaned. “Why did you even go with him in the first place?”
Evelyn retrieved the emerald ring from the nightstand and handed it to Damien.
“What is this?” he asked.
“The ring Haydn gave me when he proposed.”
Damien held the ring away from his body like it might bite him. “What did you tell him?”
Evelyn bit her lip. “I didn’t give him an answer last night, and then everything was different this morning.”
“Would you have said yes today?”
“I thought Leo was marrying Hannah!”
“That doesn’t mean Ritter was your only other option!”
“I know that! Just… please don’t tell Leo.”
Damien sighed. “I won’t, Princess. But you can’t keep lying to me. I can’t protect you if you shut me out.”
“I’m sorry,” Evelyn murmured.
He put the ring back in the nightstand and closed it before the emerald could jump out and attack him. “You and Leo are really getting married.”
Even with all the other shit happening, Evelyn couldn’t help but smile at that. “I still can’t believe it!”
Damien let out a short laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Evelyn asked.
“You know Gabrielle has to make your wedding dress, right?”
Oh… I might not survive this, after all.