Page 46 of Second Chance Prince
The king was drinking brandy now, his face getting redder with each sip. Freddie had returned to Matilda’s side and was engaged in a quiet conversation. Once again, the king’s attendant murmured in his ear, but the monarch shrugged him off with a mulish set to his mouth. Niki wondered if the people of Holtswig would put up with him ifheacted like that. Holtswig was known for its moderation. He remembered the chamberlain’s words to that effect, that he should not follow in the steps of his father and grandfather, and that the people were tired of excess.
What would they think if he married Roberta? Would they turn against him, or would they grow to love and admire her? If she was allowed to be herself then they could not fail to love her, but would that happen? Would she button down all of her shining brilliance—like clouds over a starry sky—in an attempt to belike everybody else?
“You must tell the king the engagement is off.” Francis was standing beside him and stooping to whisper in his ear. “This is the perfect time. You can solve all your problems.”
Niki stared at him. Yes, he was right. This was the perfect moment, but he couldn’t do it. Before he could reply, Karl, who was seated on his other side, leaned forward. “The engagement is off?” he said loudly—the king wasn’t the only one who had been imbibing freely. “Why is the engagement off?”
“Be quiet!” Niki hissed, but it was too late. Half the guests had heard.
“What’s that? What engagement? Yours, Niki?” The king, who had been slumped sleepily in his chair, straightened up. “Your engagement is off? What do you mean by it? Why wasn’t I told?”
“Your Majesty,” Francis began, while Karl assumed an innocent look, but Niki knew he was happy to have caused trouble for his brother.
Niki stood up. He needed to be on his feet. “My engagement has not been called off, Your Majesty,” he said. “In fact, we are marrying quite soon. A week on…Saturday.”
The words just came out of his mouth, and he had no idea why he was saying them, but Saturday sounded like as good a day as any, and he was damned if he was going to lose Roberta now. Not without a fight.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Roberta’s mouth was open. She closed it and looked at Antonia, who appeared equally astonished. “A week on Saturday? You never said—”
“I didn’t know!” Roberta whispered furiously.
The king looked as flabbergasted as the rest of them. “What do you meanSaturday?” he demanded, waving his glass and sloshing its contents about him. “I thought you were having a proper wedding, and this sounds like a hole-in-the-wall affair. Explain what you mean, Niki!”
Niki had gone pale. His eyes slid to Roberta’s and away again. He looked like a trapped man, but there was something else in his expression. Determination.
“I mean a week from this Saturday, Your Majesty. As you know, I will have to return to Holtswig by the end of the month, and Lady Roberta wanted to be married with her family present. At—at her family home. We will, of course, have another service in Holtswig, but it seemed sensible and practical to tie the knot here first.”
The king stared at him in silence, as though his brain was struggling to make sense of the words, and everyone held their breath and waited. Would he rage at Niki? Would he stomp out of the room, of the house? He did neither. He gave a roar of laughter. “You dog!” he shouted. “You have brought the date forward because you have anticipated your vows. That’s it, isn’t it?You and your brother are quite the pair, aren’t you?” He winked at Karl. “Well, let it not be said I stood in the way. I am very happy for you. Am I invited?”
Niki bowed low. For a moment Roberta thought he was going to fall over, but when he straightened, some of the color had returned to his face. “You are indeed invited, Your Majesty. And I thank you for your understanding of the situation.”
The king snorted and knocked his shoulder in a companionable way. “My pleasure. Or yours, eh? Eh?”
Matters were rapidly deteriorating. Freddie had a worried frown, and Countess Matilda, her eyes wide and her cheeks pink, clapped her hands to bring the attention back to her. “Your Majesty, Prince Nikolai…What truly wonderful news. Shall we drink a toast to the happy couple?” She shot a desperate look around the table.
Roberta felt as if she was being carried, helplessly, down this ridiculous road Niki had constructed. Why had he said such a thing? What on earth had possessed him?
Across the table from her, Tomas cleared his throat. “Pardon my ignorance, Cousin Niki, but are you sure therewillbe a wedding? I heard that your engagement was a complete sham. Sir.”
Tomas was smirking at her, the wretch, before he changed his expression to innocence and turned questioningly to where Niki was standing.
“You rotten beast,” Antonia whispered, loud enough for Tomas to hear. Ernest was frowning as if he couldn’t believe the boy could say something so meddlesome.
Niki was wearing an identical frown. “Where did you hear that?” he said sharply, glaring. “Listening to servants’ gossip?You silly boy, I won’t stoop to answer such a question.”
Tomas flushed with anger, but he did not back down. He straightened in his chair and appeared all the more determined to carry on. “I did not hear it from servants. I heard it from the lady herself.” He turned to Roberta. “Did I mishear, Lady Roberta?”
Roberta looked into the boy’s dark eyes, so much like Niki’s, and time seemed to slow. This was her chance to escape. Tomas might be a mischief-maker, but he had given her the opportunity to speak the truth. She cast a look about and could see that everyone was awaiting her answer. The table was deathly silent, and even the king was giving her his full attention. Beneath the table, Antonia’s hand clasped hers, squeezing painfully hard, giving her courage.
Roberta lifted her gaze to Niki, who still stood as if at attention, a condemned man awaiting his fate.
She tried to read the emotion in his eyes, in his expression. Uppermost seemed to be trepidation. Was he expecting her to repudiate him? Perhaps he wanted her to do so, to give him a way out of his own lie. Or was he hoping she would back him up so that he would not lose face before the king?
If this had happened before the situation with Karl and Estelle, she would have had no trouble agreeing. Whether this was another lie or the truth, Niki needed her support. She had thrown herself into the engagement in the main for his sake, and now he needed her help again. But, after the mess Karl had made for Estelle, and her disappointment when Niki did not champion her friend…And then her acknowledgement that she was in love with him…
“Lady Roberta, we are waiting,” the king informed her, sounding very imperial.
