Page 74 of Second Chance Prince
Niki needed her, she knew that, and he was fond of her, she knew that too. But did he love her? He had never said the words, but he was warm and affectionate. Over the past months, he had become more open, but he was still a very private man, and although she had learned to read him, there were times when his inner thoughts still eluded her. At least they had agreed thathe would not keep secrets from her—and how very pleasant that had been.
“Are you all right?” It was Niki, watching her closely. He had had to raise his voice above the noise.
“I think so.” She made herself smile. “Everyone seems happy, don’t they?”
He laughed. “They are ecstatic! I have never seen them like this.”
“Us getting married was a good thing, then?”
He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth, and the cheers doubled in volume. Roberta began to believe that this day was going to be rather wonderful after all. Although her speech on the steps of the town hall was still to come, and she was definitely not looking forward to that. She could imagine Niki’s mother, Countess Marie, doing this very same thing. Riding from the church with Prince Edgar and then reading her own speech. But it had probably been a far more somber affair. Niki’s parents’ marriage had been arranged, and Roberta had married for love.
The town hall, an impressive looking building with Doric columns, seemed to loom up before her. Now the sun had gone behind a cloud, and everything felt gloomy, but maybe that was just because she was dreading this moment. There were already dignitaries awaiting them, the wind tossing their formal robes. Suddenly, she wondered what Antonia had written in her speech. Why hadn’t she asked? Too late now. She would just have to do it.
The crowd had already made their way from the church—it wasn’t very far, and the carriage ride had been more for show than necessity—and now they were joined by others. Was thewhole of Holtswig here? Expectant faces were turned to her as she climbed the steps, Antonia helping with her train, and Niki holding her hand. He stopped at the front of the waiting group.
“It will be over soon,” he said, meeting her eyes, and she knew he was trying to encourage her. He was worried for her sake, and perhaps a little for his own. Roberta opened the scroll that Antonia handed to her, her hands shaking.
The crowd had hushed, and when she looked up, she scanned their faces, desperately searching for someone she knew. Ah, there were Matilda and her daughters, beaming up at her, and Tomas, who was smirking in a particularly revolting manner. She glanced to the side, and Antonia gave her a nod. Roberta finally found the courage to proceed.
The words looked strange and felt unfamiliar on her tongue, but she read them carefully, paying particular attention to the pronunciation. When she finished there was a pause, and her heart sank, but then the cheering started. It was so loud, it drowned out the bells still ringing from the church tower. Matilda was applauding but also looking puzzled, probably realizing this was not the same speech she had prepared. Roberta would need to ask her about that later.
Niki was grinning at her, his face flushed with pride, and there was a moist shine in his eyes, as if they were about to overflow with emotion. He reached for her hand and lifted it triumphantly in his.
“Such heartfelt words,” he said. And then he leaned in to kiss her again. “We are married, Roberta, and you see, everyone is celebrating!”
She could only laugh and smile, her own eyes glassy withtears, knowing she would remember this moment forever.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Niki held Roberta’s chair as she attempted to sit down in her unwieldy wedding dress. He watched as Antonia bent to wrestle with the train which seemed to have become tangled around a table leg, and then, at last, his wife was seated. She looked up with her wide smile, and he was filled with pride. She had won over his people, just as he had hoped she would. Her words on the steps outside had been inspiring and generous and had made the other speeches seem pompous and rather boring.
What he really wanted to do right now was lift her up in his arms and carry her away to somewhere private. He wanted to kiss her and make her cry out with pleasure. Their stolen moments in his office already seemed too long ago, and now he wanted to show her how much he loved her. It was time hetoldher, and tonight would be perfect. And if she did not say the same back to him, it did not matter. He would not let it matter.
As Antonia rose to her feet, he caught her eye. She looked serious and rather worried, and his thoughts of love came to an abrupt stop. When she took a step away, Niki followed.
“What is it?” he said quietly.
Glancing about to ensure they were unobserved, Antonia took a folded square of bulky parchment from inside her sleeve and held it out to him. “This is Roberta’s original speech. It was given to her by a servant who said Matilda had sent it. I don’t thinkthat is true. I don’t think your aunt would ever have done this.”
Still frowning, Niki took the paper and opened it. He read quickly, and when he looked up, his face was dark with anger. He crumpled the speech in his fist. “Thank you,” he said softly to Antonia. “Did Roberta know what it said? I have had my warning about keeping secrets.”
Her mouth twitched. “She knew it wasn’t good.”
“I will deal with it.”
Grateful, Antonia nodded and set off to find her own seat at the table.
Niki hesitated a moment, still standing, while he searched the faces around him. Who was responsible for this disgusting sleight of hand? Matilda? He found her further down the table, looking regal in a dark blue gown with her hair piled up beneath a diamond tiara. How could she have been part of such a cruel trick? He didn’t believe it, but something Niki had learned over the years was that people were very good at deception.
Next to Matilda were her daughters, on their best behavior, and then Tomas. Tomas was watching Niki, although as soon as their eyes met, he looked away quickly and began to fiddle with his cutlery, turning his knife over and over. Niki continued to stare at him, and eventually Tomas flicked him another look, only to quickly turn away.
Tomas knew something. He was involved in this, and Niki planned to get to the bottom of it.
But for now, he had a wedding supper to sit through, and Roberta could read him well enough to be able to guess if his thoughts were elsewhere. He would tell her what had happened, but for the moment, he would have to hide his misgivingsbecause the last thing he wanted was for her to worry or blame herself. Even though he was furious that someone had created a situation where she might innocently have brought the anger and disappointment of all of Holtswig down upon herself. Thank God for Antonia. His sister-in-law had been a revelation, and he was very grateful for her quick thinking.
Anger twisted inside him, hot and visceral, but he forced it down. He would not think of that now. He would not imagine Roberta standing in front of a furious crowd. This was a day that should be remembered as a happy occasion, a triumph, and retribution could wait.
The food was tasty, and he put on a good show of enjoying it, complimenting Matilda on her choice of menu. In fact, he barely tasted a mouthful. Roberta chattered nervously at his side, and he nodded and smiled at her. She seemed to be aware that his thoughts were elsewhere, but then, so were hers. They were both playing their parts for their audience.
