Page 45 of Second Chance Prince
Which brought her back to her friend’s dire straits, and her own furious resentment. She shouldn’t have been surprised Niki had chosen to divert the scandal when it came to Holtswig rather than to champion Estelle. As Roberta watched Niki and the king, she was struggling to hold on to that resentment. She didn’t want to be fair-minded, but she could see both sides of the argument, and it did not seem right to blame Niki for what Karl had done, or want him to make some grand gesture just to please her. “Off with his head!” seemed a little extreme, however nice it would have been to see Karl properly punished.
Then again, maybe Niki was right, and he had been. He hadn’t appeared pleased with his bride-to-be, Lady Henrietta von Blasberg, who, Roberta gathered, was older than him and not to his taste. He would be forced to settle down and play a serious role, and maybe that was punishment enough. And now that she gave it some thought, what if Karlhadbeen forced by Niki to marry her friend? Poor Estelle! Karl was a known rake, and Estelle would never be able to trust him. She certainly could not lovehim, not after what had happened. How could there be any joy in their union? Their wedding would have been like a wake.
As much as Roberta did not want to admit it, she was beginning to accept that by removing Karl, Niki had done the right thing after all. Estelle might not agree with that right now, not when she was the subject of such painful gossip and banished to the country, but in time, she would. Now that she had had some time to mull over the situation, Roberta was finding it difficult to hold on to her own anger.
She caught Niki glancing at her several times, as if he was trying to judge her mood. She had also noticed the old man, Chamberlain Francis, observing her. Roberta already knew the chamberlain was not a supporter of her and Niki’s engagement. Perhaps he would use their falling out as a reason to persuade Niki to put an end to it earlier than intended? Indeed, this would be the perfect catalyst for their planned breakup. The scandal around Roberta’s friend, the raised eyebrows as the Ashtons’ misdemeanors were once more laid before the public. Niki could cut ties with her and move on to a more suitable bride.
And yet the very idea of being cast aside on grounds that were not her fault was infuriating. Roberta had done her best, had gone above and beyond what was asked of her. All that kissing, for instance. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed it, because she had. The memories squeezed her heart hard enough to make it ache.
“Your wedding!”
Suddenly, the king roared out the words, startling the guests. He had been imbibing the countess’s red wine at a great rate, and his face was very flushed. He waved his glass around the table. “Niki, where is your intended? Isn’t she here? You haven’t had ato-do, have you?” He leaned in close to the prince. “My advice is to always agree with your beloved, even if you don’t!”
Niki laughed uneasily. “No, not at all, Your Majesty. She is there. See, there beside her sister and my brother.”
The king narrowed his eyes in Roberta’s direction but shook his head. “My eyesight is not what it was, I am afraid. She will have to come to me.”
“Oh God,” Roberta murmured.
“Go on,” Antonia murmured back. “Just go over there and curtsy and giggle as if you are overwhelmed by his presence, and then it will be over.”
“Iamoverwhelmed,” Roberta said, but she did as she was told, curtsying low and trying not to let her knees shake. The king took her hand and raised her up. He was still seated at the table and looked as if he would be happy to stay all night.
His gaze slid over her in a knowledgeable way. “Good heavens, she is a pretty one, Niki! Well done.”
Niki half rose to his feet as if he wanted to snatch her out of the king’s clutches, only to remember himself and sit back down. He forced a smile that was more of a grimace. “Thank you, sir.”
“Lady Roberta is an Ashton, Your Highness.” Chamberlain Francis peeped around the bulk of the monarch and met Niki’s eyes with a warning in his own. “They are a long-established English family.”
“Indeed!” The king frowned in displeasure, and Roberta remembered that his family had only been on the throne a little over a hundred years. The Ashtons went back at least five times that long, or maybe it was ten. “You have done well, Niki. I have been thinking about your wedding. Nothing too grand,” headded with an irritable twitch that made Roberta wonder if his advisers had been reminding him of the cost. “When is the date set for again?”
Niki met her eyes, and she almost smiled at his mute plea for help, but she was not ready to come to his aid.
“We have not set a date, Your Majesty,” she replied sweetly. “Prince Nikolai has been busy with other matters.”
The king looked perplexed until one of the gentlemen attendants standing behind his chair leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Of course!” he shouted. “That was an awful business, Niki! I believe you caught the rotter. I would hate for it to spoil the happy day.”
He beamed about him before he took another gulp of his wine, and thankfully, Freddie stepped in to change the subject to horse racing. Now his attention was elsewhere, Roberta backed away, relieved her moment in the royal sun was over, and returned to her place. Antonia greeted her with, “Well done, Robbie. You handled that so well I think you would make a very good princess.”
Roberta rolled her eyes. “I would make a terrible princess. Just as well I will never be one, and this whole thing is a sham.”
Realizing what she had blurted out, she looked hastily about, fearing she had been overheard, and met the eyes of Tomas. They stared at each other, and she prayed he hadn’t heard, or that if he had, that he hadn’t understood. The last thing she wanted, with only a few short weeks of their pretend engagement to run, was to make matters worse.
Tomas dropped his gaze to his plate, and she could see by the curve of his cheek that he was smiling. That wasn’t good. Butthen she asked herself what Tomas could do if he had heard. Tell his mother? Matilda was unlikely to act upon it, and even if she did, it was her nephew she would approach. And what Niki told her was up to him.
Pushing aside her fears, Roberta returned to her meal of quail in a rich sauce and queasily attempted to eat another bite.
Niki felt his stomach roil. Not just from the endless courses and indigestible food but from the king’s words and the look on Roberta’s face. And Francis hadn’t helped. He suspected his chamberlain was plotting to end the engagement as soon as possible and would be happy to use the current situation with Karl.
The trouble was, Niki didn’t want to end it. The very thought of no longer having Roberta by his side made him feel desperately lonely. As if he had wandered into one of those horrid fairy-tale forests and couldn’t find his way out. He had been lonely all his life, but recently, he had begun to see how things might change if he had the right partner. Someone who would be by his side, who would understand and support him, who perhaps might even grow to love him. The idea of those long years ahead, ruling Holtswig by himself, was no longer something he wanted to imagine.
Somehow, he had to find a way to keep her, and the only way he knew to do that was to marry her.
It was a bold step. Francis would be livid. As for Roberta…they had been getting along so well before the Karl and Estelle incident. Surely he could redeem himself in her eyes? He hoped so, and he was willing to try. There had been a change in him,and being with Roberta had brought that about. As for any objections she might have to marrying him…He was a wealthy prince and the ruler of a small country. Most women would jump at the chance.
But Roberta was not like most women. She did not crave money and jewelry and fine clothing. She did not want power and grand houses. She wanted people around her to love who loved her, and she was kind and thoughtful, and she genuinely cared about others. And those were just some of the reasons he loved her.
Love?He sat up straighter in his chair. No, that couldn’t be right. The very idea made him feel sick and shaky. She was his friend, that was what it was. A friend he wanted to marry.
