Frightened, I look around because I still feel absolutely out of place, even attached to Phillip’s arm. This is Rory’s place, not mine. It’s also her privilege to perform the first dance of the evening with the prince. They shouldn’t have surprised me with this…nightmare.
“Because my sweet wife lost a fight with a root yesterday and broke her leg, the lovely Lady Riley has given me the honor of the first dance and will open the ball with me tonight.” He tilts his head at me and whispers, “Ready?”
“Uh-uh,” I utter with slight hysteria, eyes so wide that the light hurts as it seemingly tries to stab through to the back of my skull.
“You don’t need to be afraid.” Brushing off my panic with a warm smile, Phillip takes my hand in his and places the other at the small of my back. “Just follow my lead.”
After his quick nod to the musicians, they strike the first sweet chords of an enchanting, slow song, and Phillip begins to move with me.
He takes very small steps at first as if testing whether I know how to dance. I’ve certainly learned enough from my princess friends in the past to suffice, but with my nerves still in a tight knot, I appreciate him giving me time to adjust. It’s also quite a challenge to overcome the fear of falling through the glass and right into the water at every next step.
“Don’t look down. It’s easier that way.”
Wow, Phillip is quite observant. Or maybe he just remembers how he felt his first time dancing on this floor. I follow his advice and concentrate on his eyes instead. He was right. Much easier.
I take the moment that we have to ourselves—even if we have three hundred witnesses gathered around the dance floor—to ask Phillip what’s been on my mind. A subject I didn’t want to bring up in front of my friends. “Do you know where Jack went?”
The prince nods. “He dropped by this morning and said something about going to meet someone outside of town. He should be back soon.”
“Do you think perhaps it was an excuse so he didn’t have to come here with me tonight?”
Phillip chuckles, cutting a glance at the ceiling. “Mmmmaybe…”
I knew it!
When the prince’s gaze returns to me, it’s sober. “But he also said to tell you that you look amazing…if you did.” His face softens even more. “And you do look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you.” This time, I don’t blush at his compliment. I don’t know what it is—the dress, the music, or perhaps because it really is an honor to get the first dance of a ball with the lord of the castle—but I feel my spine straighten all of a sudden. It’s much easier to keep my chin up and a confident expression on my face. “Also for offering your birthday party to help me.”
“Nah, don’t worry about that. The annual cruises to Treasure Island became boring many years ago. This is a nice change for once. I really hope you’re enjoying yourself here.”
My mouth kicks up into a smile. “I’m starting to.” It’s the truth, I really ease up. Phillip seems to notice it, too, because he acknowledges it with an approving nod. At the next crescendo of the song, his steps suddenly stretch, and he sweeps me in amazing, wide twirls across the glass dance floor.
For one short moment, he takes his hand off my waist and waves an invitation for the guests to join us. Jazzie and Aladdin, and Avalyn and Prince Sebastian are the first to step onto the transparent floor. They nod at us in greeting before they waltz away. Soon, the place fills up fast with more couples, and we’re swallowed by the crowd.
It’s a miracle that with so many people on the glass floor, we don’t knock into other dancers. Then again, it’s probably because Phillip is the host of the feast, and they all keep a respectful distance. There’s even enough space for him to twirl me away and pull me back into his arms. Head tilted back, I laugh out loud.
Holding me tightly, he looks into my eyes, a question lingering in his gaze. When he cocks an eyebrow, I know he’s asking me if he can do it again. And I nod. The next moment, he gives my waist a slight push to twirl me away from him, our hands still joined over the distance. Only this time, his grip eases at the end of my swirl, and suddenly, I’m in the arms of someone else.
A gasp escapes me, my head jerking around as I’m swept away. My new partner falls so easily into the rhythm that I never even have to break stride. In an acute panic, I scan over his shoulder to find Phillip. The prince came to a halt where I left him alone in the crowd, eyes fixed on us. When our gazes meet across the space, he gives a helpless shrug…right before his lips twitch into a smirk.
Other couples cut into the space between us and block him from my view. Slightly out of breath from shock, I finally shift my gaze to the face of my captor—and find myself staring into incredibly blue eyes framed by a silver mask.
Chapter 15
Riley
In graceful circles, my new dance partner twirls us around and around and around. The stranger with the rapier easily weaves into the flow of the dancing crowd. Luckily, I know the steps of a waltz quite well and don’t let panic freeze me. That would cause a funny pileup in the middle of the dance floor for sure. Nevertheless, I wish he would ease up on his firm grip and let me escape. Phillip made me feel utterly safe and protected when he steered me across the glass platform. But with the intense gaze of this blond noble man fastened on my eyes instead, I feel strangely like prey.
“What—in—who…?” My voice sounds like the croak of a dying frog. We make an entire lap around the dance floor before my tongue forms a coherent sentence. “Why did you steal me away?”
His haunting gaze has never left mine this entire time, and my question is met with a small smile as if he finally appreciates me speaking. “With over fifty gentlemen waiting to dance with you, I wanted to be the first.”
“Well, you’re hardly the first. The lord of the castle surprised me with the news of opening the ball with him three minutes ago.” I make a wry face since the man seems to know nothing about etiquette. “He’s actually the one you stole me from.”
“There are plenty of other fine women to dance with.” He waves a hand at the many people surrounding us. “The prince can have his choice. Besides, Phillip is my cousin. I’m sure he doesn’t mind.”
My breath freezes in my lungs as I stare into the gleaming sapphire orbs behind the silver mask. Phillip’s eyes are blue, too, if not this striking. And they both have fair hair. My gaze quickly flows down his body and then rushes up again. Same build and similar uniforms. Holy dream castle, is it a stroke of fate that I’m dancing with a close relative of Rory’s husband? She did say this week how lovely it would be for me to marry into their family.
Phillip’s cousin leans so close that I can feel his lips moving as he drawls into my ear, “I bet now you’re surprised.”
With lowered lids, I try to hide the shiver that his warm breath on my skin just triggered. “Maybe…a little.” Then my gaze snaps up to his face once more. “Shouldn’t the plenty of fine women have worked for you, too? No need to rob your cousin of his dance partner.”
“None of the others interest me like you do.”
My eyebrows quirk in astonishment. “I…do?” And I’m back to stammering again. Dang it. This is not how a princess would behave. He’ll debunk me as a phony in no time. Not only will he lose interest in me, but the rest of the single men at the feast will think that I’m a waste of time, too.
Pull yourself together, Red Riding Hood, and don’t ruin this!
“I mean…that is very kind of you, Prince…”
“Jacob of the Snow Plains.” He cracks a teasing smile. As if his name should ring a bell.
“Oh, the Snow Plains.” They are legendary, even though I know nothing about the royal family who reigns there. “Aren’t they far up in the Marble Mountains? It is said to be the most beautiful place in Fairyland’s North.”