Page 44 of Uncrowned

“Yes. The second was about a week later. He had me brought to the palace. We had tea. He asked me questions. Mostly my interests and about school. I feel he thought I was too young. I got that impression, although I don’t believe I appeared immature.”

“How long were you there?”

Penelope paused. “About … six hours? Someone interrupted us and said it was urgent. He wasn’t happy.”

“Six hours?”

I stood from the bed, pulling at the collar of the long sleeve black shirt I wore.

“Believe it or not, we had a lot in common.”

“Six hours and he only left because he had to? I’d say so.”

I cursed under my breath.

“And the third time?”

All emotion left Penelope’s face.

“The day of the party. We had another great talk over tea. We strolled the gardens. That was the last time.”

I nodded, knowing she couldn’t see me.

“The pictures.”

“Yes. It was the first time I had ever gotten drunk. I… was happy. I went a little wild. He didn’t call after that.”

“You seem disappointed.”

Her mouth twisted. “What I am is ashamed and angry. Those pictures cost me everything. My parents took me out of school. They wouldn’t let me leave their sight. They were forcing me to marry when I didn’t want to. This isn’t about the king, V. This is about my life being ruined that same day.”

I sat back down, grabbing her hand.

“I apologize. Perhaps I was a bit jealous. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. We are talking about King Lawrence, though. Penelope… he gave you serious thought. You do realize that.”

“Of course I do. He would have never of chosen me though. For one, I am not titled.”

“He could have fixed that.”

“You sound like my father, but you’re right. He hinted as much. It’s the main reason I never told them the extent of my meetings with King Lawrence. I got hounded enough over that, and I didn’t want to get their hopes up, nor did I want to get in trouble for probably ruining it because of those pictures.”

“I don’t think you ruined it,” I said, softly. “The king could and probably would have reestablished your title if you would have continued seeing him.”

“But I didn’t because of the embarrassment I caused.”

“What you did is fairly common these days, Penelope. Everyone has some sort of scandal attached to their name. Trust me. What you did wasn’t that damning. Unflattering, especially for the king, but it was no dealbreaker. Just a delay.”

“I don’t understand.”

I pulled my damp shirt over my head.

“Ego is a very sensitive thing. We’re talking about the king. You weren’t fawning over him, holding your breath until he called for you again. You were living. You were having fun. Learning of those pictures would have been a punch in the gut for him. He clearly hasn’t chosen a queen in the last year, so…” My voice was barely audible at the end as my mind raced. “He truly considered you, Penelope. If he doesn’t find what he’s looking for, he may return.” My jaw tightened as I felt myself become territorial. “Especially now that you’re missing.”

CHAPTER 16

King Lawrence

“How can there be no news? How is there no evidence? People don’t just disappear from thin air.”