Monique still faced me, her back to them, but she saw me freeze, my eyes darting over her shoulder.
“You heard me,” she whispered. “I won’t besmirch their dignity by introducing you, so you might as well run along right now.”
“Evie! There you are!” called Celine, and Monique stiffened, her eyes going wide.
I couldn’t resist a small smirk in her direction as I pulled myself free of her grip and ducked around her. There was no escape now, so I meant to make the best of the situation.
“I’ve been busy on a project,” I told the princess. “I think you’re going to love it, too.”
“Ooh.” Celine abandoned Marcus who walked beside her and danced across the sand toward me. “A project! That sounds fun.” She flashed me a broad grin, a bizarre counterpoint to the death glare I was receiving from Marcus behind her.
The expression only lasted a moment before he smoothed out his features, but I saw Frederic look quickly between us. The crown prince didn’t miss much normally, but I wished him a little less perceptive on this occasion.
“What do you think of Catalie?” I asked, a wicked thought flashing through my head. “Do you like these beaches?”
“Oh, they’re divine, of course,” said Celine. “You’d have to be a monster not to love them. I even saw a turtle earlier.”
“They’re even nicer to swim in.” I carefully kept my eyes away from Monique. “The water is so lovely and warm, and it’s so refreshing after the hike over here.”
“I want to swim!” said Celine immediately as I had known she would. The bright water was too alluring to resist.
“Why don’t we all come back tomorrow?” I suggested. “For a swimming expedition. We could bring a picnic lunch and everything.”
“Oh, yes, let’s!” Celine was already gazing longingly at the water.
“I don’t think…” Monique sounded slightly panicked.
“The reefs make it perfectly safe,” I earnestly assured the royals before turning to the slightly older girl. “What’s the matter, Monique? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how to swim in the time I’ve been away?”
“Of course not,” said Monique.
Celine cast a bemused look between us, but merely said, “Oh, excellent, it’s settled then, I can’t wait.”
Monique coughed and sent me a glare I knew didn’t bode well. “My issue is not with swimming, Princess Celine.”
Liar, I thought.
“My issue is swimming with this girl. I’m afraid you’ve been deceived. This girl is a liar and thief, without family or position.”
Chapter 7
A shocked silence settled on the group as if she had reached out her hand and slapped me. Marcus’s look of satisfaction made me itch to give him a real slap, but the rest of the locals looked merely uncomfortable.
Celine’s look of horror was almost comical, but the worst expressions were Frederic’s and Cassian’s. I couldn’t read them at all. Was I about to be sent back to the capital when the Tour had barely started?
But as I gazed at Frederic, I remembered the spark of connection between us earlier on the boat, and a matching spark of defiance rose inside me. I was eighteen now, no longer a child. And I was done slinking away, running from others’ hatred.
I forced a tinkling laugh from my tight throat. “Oh Monique, I love you, too.”
I shook my head at the royals playfully. “You’ll have to excuse Monique, we were foster sisters once, and she always did love to tease me.” I rolled my eyes.
Walking over to Frederic, I placed my hand lightly on his arm. His muscle jumped under my touch, giving away that he wasn’t quite as calm as his face suggested. “What do you think, Frederic? Shall we all come back for a swim tomorrow?”
A gasp of outrage sounded from Monique, and I wasn’t sure what had enraged her more, the casual way I addressed the prince, or my dismissal of her insults. She had always liked to be the one in control of the situation.
My eyes pleaded up into the prince’s, so close to mine now. Play along, play along—please!
He answered without taking his eyes from mine. “A swim would be most welcome, I must admit.”
I breathed an inaudible sigh of relief and gave him a tiny smile.
“Excellent,” said Cassian briskly. “I’m sure the viscount will excuse us when we are in such excellent company.”
“Yes, indeed,” said Julian, speaking for the first time since they had all appeared. “A dip can be an excellent refreshment on these warmer days. We are eager for Your Highnesses to enjoy all our humble island has to offer.” He smiled. “And I daresay we will be more than ready to cool down after our sparring practice in the morning.”
Frederic gave him an answering smile. “My brother and I are looking forward to it. I have heard something of your skill with a blade even in the capital, and we are both eager to try ourselves against you.”
Julian looked pleased, nothing in his mannerisms suggesting he had even noticed the earlier altercation. Monique, her mouth hanging open, looked between her brother and the princes. Her lips slowly closed as she knit her brows. I had never seen her at such a loss.
Celine, looking back and forth between Monique and me, said, “But what about—”
“Don’t worry, Celine,” said Frederic, interrupting her. “We’ll be finished sparring in plenty of time for your picnic and swim.”
Her eyes snapped to him, and her look turned thoughtful. She didn’t attempt to finish her thought, which had clearly not been about the swim, instead breaking into lively chatter about the plans for the next day.
I swallowed, grateful to all three of the royals, although I was aware the danger wasn’t over yet. I wouldn’t always be around to laugh off Monique’s accusations, and I couldn’t see her leaving it there.
But for now, she seemed to have accepted that the tide had turned against her. And when Celine slipped her arm into mine for the walk back to the manor, Monique dropped to the back of the group.
Celine made me promise I would bring my project up to her room for immediate perusal, so for the first time I found myself stepping once more into the viscount’s house. The elegant building included many pillars and long open breezeways, built for the casual culture and warm climate of the islands. I had once loved the building almost as much as I loved the island’s beaches. But it carried too many unpleasant associations now.
I flagged down a local servant who started and gave me a second look. “Miss Evie?” she asked. “I heard a rumor you were about somewhere.”
“Yes, here I am,” I said, forcing a smile. She had been a chambermaid when I had been here last but appeared to have moved up in the world.
She saw me looking at her dress and nodded. “That’s right. I’m lady’s maid to Miss Shantelle now.” She grinned at me. “And I only wish I had the gowns you used to make to put her in. She’d be looking so good all the time, I’d have found myself a better position by now.” She winked at me.
“What better position is there on Catalie?” I asked dryly. “Lady’s maid to Monique?”
The girl shuddered. “Gracious me, the ideas you come up with.”
I chuckled, and she joined in before abruptly sobering. “And who is it you’re after, Miss Evie? The young people have all arrived back, and Miss Monique looked real fierce.”
“I’m here to see Princess Celine, actually,” I told her. When she hesitated, I added, “She’s expecting me.”
“Oh, well, that’s all right and tight, then. They’ve put her in the rose room. I suppose you still remember the way?”
I nodded, wishing I didn’t, and climbed the stairs to find Celine’s room. It wasn’t the nicest of the manor’s guest rooms, but it was the most feminine. I supposed the nicest had gone to the princes, and possibly the Earl of Serida who I had a vague feeling was some sort of distant relative of the viscount. Islanders were funny about their own.