“Good evening,” a man said behind her and she jumped. “My apologies, I did not mean to startle you, princess.”
“That’s alright,” she said as she stared at the man. He was her age, maybe a bit older, and handsome as hell. He was a bit taller than Quincy with lighter hair and freckles that on any other face might have looked childish, but on him, were stunning. He was muscular, too. She could tell by the way his tux jacket hugged his shoulders and biceps. “You don’t have to call me princess yet,” she said, trying to recover. “I’m just plain old Olivia.”
“I highly doubt you are just plain anything.” He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “I am Edric, son of Lucinda and Morgan Dorrance.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Edric,” she said in a bit of a daze. He hadn’t let go of her hand yet. “I’m sorry, what do your parents do? This is all still new to me. I’m used to everyone being a farmer or a farmhand.”
He smiled gently, and his laugh came easily. “My parents hold a seat in the small parliament on the Isle of Bijoux.”
“Ah, right. Parliament. Still getting used to that, too.”
“There are many things I’m sure you are still learning about this tiny kingdom. Perhaps one day you will be gracious enough to allow me to show you.”
She nodded, and they turned when the doors opened again and Quincy stormed out. He glanced at Olivia and Edric, down at their hands, and grinned. “I am sorry. Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” Edric said, quickly releasing Olivia’s hand. He bowed his head to Quincy. “My Prince.”
“Edric, always a pleasure to see you and your parents. Do tell them I said hello.”
Edric wore a smile on his face, but Olivia could tell the man was a bit put off by Quincy’s sarcastic tone. “Of course. If you will excuse me, prince and princess, I shall head back inside.” He turned and walked away.
When the doors closed again, Quincy moved to the balcony and leaned on it while Olivia’s hands scrunched her skirts. “What was that about?”
“Nothing. I was saying hello to him,” Quincy said.
Olivia stood beside him and opened her mouth to scold him when she saw the lines on his face and the tense set of his jaw. “Did something happen in there?”
“While you were out here flirting with a noble? No, nothing at all. Just my father putting me on show, like always. Nothing important.” Her lips thinned at the harshness of his words, and she turned to leave. He grabbed her hand. That one touch sent her nerves singing, and she felt another similar touch elsewhere. “I’m sorry. I did not mean that towards you.”
“I know,” she said and squeezed his hand before he let go. She turned to face the bay and watched the waves roll in far below them. “Will it really be that bad for you?”
He shrugged and rested his chin on his folded hands. For a second, he looked like a lost child who just wanted his wish to come true. “An arranged marriage? I don’t know. My parents had one, but I guess I’m not as willing as they were.”
Olivia blew a strand of hair from her face. “I don’t think I could do it.”
“Luckily, you won’t have to.”
“No?”
“No. Just me. Unless I die, you won’t have to worry about taking over,” he said and gave her arm a nudge. “You get to just be Princess Olivia of the Isle of Bijoux and probably live out your days in Nebraska where no one will bother you.”
She didn’t know what to say. The first few days around him had been nothing but jokes and smiles, but this was a different side of Quincy. He clearly wasn’t happy, and she had no idea how to cheer him up. The music played inside, and she glanced over her shoulder and saw couples dancing. They looked spectacular in their gowns and jewels, and suddenly, she wanted to be in there, smiling too.
Pushing back from the balcony, she grabbed Quincy’s hand and pulled. “Come on.”
“What… Where are we going?” he asked as his lips twitched into a smile.
“You owe me a dance,” she said with a smirk of her own. “Let’s go! The dinner is almost over.”
“Why do you want to dance with me?”
“Maybe I want to see the looks on all the other girls’ faces,” she said.
Quincy gave in and let her pull him back into the dining hall and onto the dance floor. As he placed his hand at her waist and took her hand in his, several of the other couples made room for the pair. Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw several girls frown, though many smiled at Quincy moving so gracefully across the floor. She was just happy she’d ditched the shoes because otherwise she would’ve stepped all over him.
One girl in particular glared with notable hostility. Gigi. Olivia wasn’t sure how she knew it, but that one was going to be trouble for Quincy. She hoped he could handle it.
Chapter 7