33. Chapter 33
Michaela
T he maypole went off without a hitch. Not only did Sadie choreograph a breathtaking display of dancing and color, she managed to involve every one of the children from the hospital who were strong enough to be involved. Even the ones who were in wheelchairs.
Fitz was probably right. She would make a great queen. She had a pulse on the country that I would never have. As Fitz joined the dance, turning on Sadie’s arm as they weaved between the other dancers, I could see it. They would fall in love.
Mission accomplished, wingman. You did it.
“I don’t see it,” Bishop whispered beside me. “I mean the dress is nice, but I think it’s yours, isn’t it?”
I didn’t bother confirming it. He was only being petty.
“Besides, who ever heard of doing a maypole dance in the mud? Look at how soiled the ribbons have become.” He frowned and nudged me. “You ready to dance?”
I scoffed. “I wasn’t invited to join. Always the outsider, remember?”
The children took turns interweaving, creating a delicate pattern on Sadie’s command. Bishop watched quietly, though I knew better than to think he was done.
“I knew there was going to be a chance for rain, but I never expected the darkest cloud to be standing right next to me.” He leaned forward and cocked an eyebrow. “What’s obscured the horizon, milady?”
I watched Fitz pass between Esmerey and Blair, then turn back to Sadie. “He’s sending me home tonight. It’s over.”
The music’s tempo increased as Fitz and Sadie turned in a circle, her laughter bounding out of her like another instrument tuned to perfection. All at once, the music cut and applause sounded all around us. Bishop joined in, but only for show. He leaned closer and dropped his volume for only me to hear.
“Trust me. It’s not over. Not yet.” He took a few steps forward, still clapping. “Wait here for me and be ready to dance.”
Fitz
My heart pounded like it never had before. It’d been ages since I’d taken part in anything like this but hearing the approval all around me for being a part of the festivities, it was everything I’d hoped it would be.
“Very good. Absolutely smashing!” Bishop clapped a hand on my back. “What do you say, Cousin? Should we open the dancing up to everyone else?”
A roar of applause rose from the crowd surrounding us. My instinct was to deny Bishop, but how could I go against the rest of them?
“I don’t know about everyone else,” Bishop’s volume rose to carry over the crowd, “but I have been positively enthralled by the Crown Prince’s journey to find love. What say you, Nolcovia?”
If I thought they were loud before, they became nearly deafening with cheers. Clearly, they were all invested. At least my parents would be happy that the competition had accomplished the desired effect of uniting the kingdom in that.
“You know what?” Bishop faked his brilliant idea, but I knew better. This was a scheme from the start. I braced myself for whatever plan had unknowingly befallen me. “What if we started with the prince and his ladies in a dance? What say you?”
Cheers became intermixed with demands for their favorites, both in dance and competitor.
“Gwendolyn and the Flitterquake!”
“Lady Esmerey!”
“Dagny!”
“Make the American do the Nazzle Reel!”
Bishop pointed directly at the last speaker with excitement. “Yes! That! Let’s!” He waved the women in. “Ladies, please, let’s show our American visitor how to do the Nazzle Reel, yes? Do we have other young men who’d like a chance to dance with our ladies of court? Perhaps we could make it a challenge? The final woman to end up with the prince gets twenty minutes alone with him!”
I felt helpless as he started this three-ring circus at my expense. With a dance like this, the whole thing was based on the idea that the man had to steal his blindfolded partner and try to keep her as long as possible. My stupid cousin was forcing me to choose who I would want to stay with. It was no wonder why the people became nearly rabid in their desire to see it performed. And when I chose the wrong woman, what then? Would we be faced with riots? Once more, Bishop had acted impulsively, and I was forced to pick up his mess.
“Okay, Lady Blair, you fasten Lady Esmerey’s blindfold, and Lady Chantal, you fasten one for Lady Gwendolyn.” Bishop passed out blindfolds as well as directions, all clearly premeditated. “And,” he turned and ran into me, “oh, Your Highness, I suggest you start picking the right woman. You never know who might snatch her out from under you.” He looked past me and brightened. “Lady Michaela, I have your blindfold. We can start out together, I think.”
Jealousy sparked in my chest as he fastened the cloth over her eyes. It was one thing for me to send her away, but to watch her with him, someone well below her worth… I could hardly see straight.
“Your Highness,” Sadie’s soft voice caught my ears, “do you mind?”
I whirled around and cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, what?”
She held out the strip of fabric. “If you don’t mind, milord.”
I took it but felt the cultural weight of the dance on my shoulders. The point was for the woman to give up her will to fate, blindfolded and trusting as partners switched and swapped. In the end, when she removed her eye covering, she was supposed to be with her one true love. Fate in a dance. When I was young, I thought it was romantic, but as I grew older, I thought it was antiquated and outdated. With the fervor of the crowd on Bishop’s side, I didn’t have much choice. I would have to play along.
The women moved to the center of the square, peeking until their hands joined, one arm above their heads. The music began, slow at first. I glanced between the other men gathered with me. Bishop slid in beside me, wicked grin in place.
“Heard you made your choice, Cousin.” Absolute delight gleamed in his eyes. “I do hope that crown keeps you warm at night. I’ve heard Michaela is much better at snuggling.”
My hand curled into a fist. The music picked up speed. She was the last one I should pick under the circumstances, but I couldn’t fathom the idea of him with her either.
“You don’t look so decided anymore, Leo.” Bishop nudged me with his elbow. “Second thoughts?”
He wasn’t worth the words, but yes, safe to say, I was second-guessing everything.
Michaela
Doing the dance in the open with other dancers was a far cry from doing it in an enormous ballroom alone with Bishop. I quickly became entirely aware of my own control issues. I wasn’t willing to let real fate take over, let alone allow any guy to grab my waist and whisk me off. I’d gone to a haunted house once and spent the entire time bracing for some kind of zombie or ghoul to jump out of the darkness. This didn’t feel that much different, though at least the music was lively and less terrifying.
Strength gripped my waist and whirled me away from the others. A squeal burst from my lips as new arms scooped around me and pulled me in another direction. The tempo increased, and with it, the speed of our dance. I clung to my partner, drawing closer so the inertia wouldn’t fling me into the surrounding crowd. My fingers brushed the back of his hair, familiar and—
“Fitz?”
“Coco, I may have—“
New arms pulled me away, spinning the opposite direction. I barely had enough time to catch my breath before I was swapped again.
“Blimey,” Bishop said as we began to turn, “I didn’t think you’d be this popular. I’m fighting off more than your prince.”
“But why are—“ Arms caught my waist and pulled me away again.
My head became light and disconnected, just like when I’d practiced with Bishop. A hand slid across my stomach, but the one I danced with swerved and expertly dodged the steal.
“Are you sick yet?” I recognized Fitz’s voice and relaxed a bit in his arms.
“Queasy,” I admitted. Why was he spending time on me? Was he being protective? Maybe he didn’t want me dancing with strangers? He could leave me with Bishop. I was safe enough with him.
“I can slow down, but as soon as I do—“ As if fulfilling his warning, someone pulled me away.
“There now,” Bishop laughed to himself as we spun in a new direction. “Seems to be working. He’s fit to be tied with jealousy.”
“This is your plan?” Couldn’t he have thought of something with less turning? I felt like I was going to be sick.
Bishop wasn’t listening. As usual. “Three, two, one—wait, no.” Something went wrong in his plan. I felt his hands grab at my hand, but one by one our fingers pulled apart.
Strong arms encircled me, taking me in a new direction.
It wasn’t Bishop.
It wasn’t Fitz.
Panic welled in my heart, worried I’d been taken captive. All at once, the music stopped and with it the dreadful spinning. Hooking my thumb under the blindfold, I peeled it off my eyes.
“Kabir?” I stared up at my bodyguard, confused. “What’s going on?”
“Sorry, milady.” He looked away. “Orders.”
I glanced around, trying to make sense of the world as it continued to spin and stutter. Bishop stood alone, face tight with anger. I spotted Sadie next, graciously talking with a young man she’d danced with. Dagny was the same, though she was still blindfolded and spinning while her partner tried in vain to stop her. Finally, I saw him. Fitz, with Esmerey hanging off his arm, pleased as punch that she’d won the impromptu challenge.
Bishop’s end goal became clear. He wanted a jealous Fitz to get twenty minutes alone with me so that he would rethink his decision to send me home. Noble, yes, but shortsighted. On the perimeter of the crowd, a hooded figure melted backward, but I recognized her pale skin and dark hair instantly.
The queen had decided to attend the festival after all.
Orders. That’s what Kabir had said.
Only two people outranked Fitz’s command for Kabir to keep me safe at all times.
One was sick in bed at the palace, and the other was determined not to let her son, or her kingdom, fall in love with the American.
I glanced at Kabir to confirm it, but he looked away, shaking his head. Bishop had tried to rig the system, but he forgot that in a kingdom like Nolcovia, the system was already rigged from within.
Fitz
Esmerey felt more akin to a leech than a lady of court. She clung to me without letting go. Thunder cracked overhead, but no rain fell. Behind us, cameramen followed closely. I was supposed to put on a good show, but anger twisted my heart.
My fingers were within inches of Michaela when Esmerey had slammed against me. It was only on instinct that I’d tightened my grip on her, and seconds later, the music ended prematurely. When I located Coco again, Kabir was with her. But Kabir wasn’t a part of the dance. One look at Bishop told me that even he was disappointed in the end result.
“Your Highness, do you know that I am the only one who hasn’t had time alone with you?”
“Is that so?”She, like everyone else, neglected to remember Michaela. According to public view, I hadn’t had time either. Something I found myself regretting more with every passing second. I motioned for an overhang with two straw bales beneath it. “How have we managed that?”
It was rhetorical, of course. She was my parents’ choice. Despite her beauty, I had little connection with her. The more I watched her, the more vapid and arrogant she appeared to be. The epitome of noble corruption and the last person I wanted to rule beside me.
“I’m not sure,” her hand slipped over my thigh, “but I’m glad you chose me at the end of the dance.”
I looked away, unable to shield my true feelings on the subject. “Such serendipity.”
“My prince,” her long fingers caught my jaw and drew me back to face her, “am I displeasing? Do you find me ugly?”
Wrinkles furrowed between my brows. “No, not at all. I have to admit, I don’t know you well, but I don’t think you’re—“
Her lips collided with mine. My whole body stiffened as the impromptu kiss shocked me senseless. Bold choice, even for the most conceited. As my senses took hold again, I pressed her away from me, more resolved than ever to send her home.
“I’m sorry, milady. If I gave you the idea that I was the kind of man who would—“
“You kissed Sadie.” Her mouth tightened. “She’s told everyone. I thought I deserved a chance to plead my case as well.”
Words wouldn’t form but instead came out as short bursts of sound and befuddlement. “That’s not how this works.” The cameraman shifted closer, and my discomfort doubled. “I hope we can take time to get to know each other and if—“
“But if you feel it, then you know, right?” She stole my hand and pressed it against her heart. “Don’t you feel it?”
I gulped at her forward nature eager to untangle myself from her grasp. “I don’t know, I—“ How was I supposed to think straight? “For me, it’s an intellectual connection before it’s ever a physical one.”
Her grip released my hand, instantly disappointed. “I see. And you think I’m stupid.”
My eyes widened. “Not at all. I simply haven’t found anything that we have in common, or any redeeming…” I let my voice trail off before I finished. No redeemable qualities would make a great headline. “Maybe we need more time, but I don’t think becoming physical would…”
Twigs cracked in the distance, drawing my attention away from Esmerey. Chantal stepped from behind a nearby building and smiled softly. “I do apologize for interrupting, but I was hoping for a moment with the prince.” She glanced at Esmerey. “Alone.”
I’d reached a new level of desperate if spending time with my ex was preferable to Esmerey. Thankfully, Esme put up no fight and left without another word, obviously hurt by my actions. Chantal’s dainty features twisted with anxiety. Hand on the cameraman’s shoulder, she whispered a few words and he departed as well. Even I struggled with convincing them to leave. How had she done it so easily?
Head bowed, she joined me on the straw bale, fingers twisted together in her lap. I’d seen her manipulation before and I’d seen her contrition. This was the latter, not the former. Something had her feeling regret, and I sensed she needed my absolution.
As if she knew the question before I asked, she said, “I told him Tom wouldn’t want this recorded as it would put him in a bad light.”
My defenses rose quickly. There were only so many reasons for the producer to look bad and I didn’t fancy the idea of any impropriety happening on my watch. But Chantal shook her head as if to silence my fears. “Nothing like that, but he wouldn’t want people to know his secrets.” She inhaled slowly and closed her eyes. The patter of drizzle sprang to life on the awning above us. “I told you from the beginning that I was here for you and that’s the truth. Mostly. But when you assumed that I was one of your parents’ choices, I’m afraid you were mistaken.”
“What?”
“I was asked here by the producers.” She shrugged. “They knew I could drum up trouble and drama. They wanted me to make controversy and I wanted another shot with you.”
What was she saying? She was brought in to play a villain? “I don’t understand.”
“I saw my chance to get you back.” She looked up at me, eyes wide and pleading. “But I can see the writing on the wall, Leo. You’re falling for her, and I don’t want to look like a fool. Because of that, I’m leaving the competition. You can say my parents are ill and I’m concerned. That way you save face, but I won’t stay here knowing your heart belongs to someone else. I had my chance and I lost it.”
I tried to speak but for a moment, I couldn’t find the words. “I know I spent a great deal of time with Sadie this week, but if you think my decision is made—“
“Not Sadie,” she interrupted. The faintest smile tried to bravely spread but failed. “Michaela. You love her. It’s obvious.”
The muscles in my jaw tightened to keep the truth inside, but it was pointless. The drizzle beyond us turned to more of a haze. She’d known me too long to deny anything. But was it obvious to everyone? “How’d you know?”
A slight shrug of her shoulders was all she would give me. “Because you used to look at me that way, and I threw it away. I guess I’m here to warn you not to do the same.” Her small hand covered mine. “Leo, I know it looks hopeless, but don’t give up on love. You may never find it again.”
Michaela
For a brief moment of that entirely confusing and way too circular dance, I actually held out hope that he might have changed his mind, but once my head stopped spinning and I watched him walk away with someone else, I came to my senses.
It was over. Short-lived, exciting while it lasted, but over.
“Well, that went pear-shaped, didn’t it?” Bishop stopped beside me, mouth tight, as he started scheming again. “We can still do the Flitterquake, I know you haven’t practiced, but the time spent with a partner is substantially longer and I think if we could—“
“Stop.” I closed my eyes, and the drizzling rain became sharp against my warm skin. “It’s not going to work.” I opened my eyes to plead with him. “Nothing is going to work.”
“But there was a moment.” He leaned closer, passion increasing with every word. “He felt it. He fought for you and if I could just—“
I set my hand on his arm, wishing I had the words to thank him for all his stupid meddling. “I’m okay with it. I miss home. This will all be…” I glanced around at the open square and the crowd of people who were gathered together in friendship. Strange to think that I’d ever been worried about a revolt. There was no sign of trouble. No doom. Nothing apocalyptic at all. Just citizens coming together to celebrate as one family. “It’ll all be a wonderful dream. Something I can visit when reality gets too hard back in America.”
“Milady,” Bishop started again, more determined than ever, but a tug at my sweater stole my attention away. As I looked, I was surprised to find the two little girls waiting for me.
“Begging your pardon, Lady Michaela, but do you have a moment?”
I sank to their level, incredibly grateful for the distraction they were offering. “Of course, I do. How can I help you ladies?”
Two nurses rushed in behind the small girls. “Leila! Reika! You shouldn’t run off like that. And don’t go bothering Lady Michaela. She has more important things to do than talk with you.”
I shook my head and motioned at the space around me. “On the contrary, I have nothing going on right now and no one needs me, so these two are making me look a lot more popular than I really am.”
“That’s simply not true, milady,” the other nurse piped up. “You’re a favorite around the hospital. We’re all rooting for you to win.” She put her hands on the girl’s shoulders. “Even the daughters of many of our hospital staff.”
It was the kind of thing people said when they wanted to be nice. I smiled kindly and nodded. “Yes, an American on the throne. I’m sure I’m incredibly popular.” I rose to my full height and tried to keep my emotions from overwhelming me. “I know I’m the dark horse in this competition.”
The first nurse nodded as if she agreed. “At first, yes, but then,” she exchanged a look with her companion, “to see how the prince looks at you, the way he seeks you out and protects you, it’s the stuff of the storybooks, innit?”
“Positively swoony,” Leila said as she let out a dreamy sigh.
I couldn’t afford to let my heart believe. “I’m not noble. I don’t think—“
“We’ve had an idea about that,” Reika interjected. From behind her back, she removed a tangle of silver wire and began straightening it. “The nurses always tell the children that they must have to have faith to get well, and we got to thinking, maybe you need a little faith too.”
Leila joined in. “I’m not as sick as the other kids, but some nights I have to stay at the hospital overnight while they fix my blood. Sometimes my hope needs help, and Nurse Natalya gives me a magic teddy bear to help me believe.” She nodded to her sister and Reika extended a untangled mess of silver wire toward me. “We made you a tiara to help you believe that you can become noble, just like one day I can be healed.”
My trembling fingers cradled the makeshift tiara in my hands. They’d twisted the wire to create highs and lows, much like the peaks and valleys on a tiara. Plastic jewels were glued into place, along with a fair amount of glitter that rubbed off on my hands. They must have spent hours putting it together.
Tears blurred my vision. I sank down again, overcome with love and gratitude for the sacrifice they’d made in order to help me keep my head up. “Oh, I couldn’t take this from you girls. You should wear it. You’re both closer to royalty than I ever—“
“Please, milady,” Reika insisted. She stole it from my hands and perched it on my head. “Please don’t give up. We need you.”
The drizzle turned to mist. I blinked back my tears and tried my best to smile. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
“And now,” Leila grinned ear to ear, “you’re a princess fit for your prince!”
For the first time since I’d entered the competition, I felt like I was supposed to be here.