Quincy frowned and stepped away from his dad. “Wait, what? Why would they take over?”
Lamont moved to the mirror and looked at his reflection, adjusting his jacket. “Because if you decline to take a bride at the directed time and fail to produce an heir, they are next in line for the throne. You have no cousins or other relatives. It will fall to them.”
Quincy could see it, the Pentacrafts taking over everything. The Isle would be broke in a year, tops. They didn’t know anything about the people on the isle, the common people who had nothing to do with the court. They were solely focused on their crawl up the social ladder and finding any way to stay where they were. Gigi was so pushy to become his betrothed because of this, and she’d already laid claim to him. She felt it was her birthright to marry the next line in for the crown.
But he still wasn’t sure if he could do the arranged marriage thing, especially after he realized that something strange was happening with the woman sleeping next door to him.
“Quin? Can you help me with this?”
He nodded and helped his dad finish putting his pins on his overcoat. The pair stared into the mirror, each looking at his own reflection and that of the man standing next to him. They were close to identical, except one was older with grey in his hair. Deep down, Quincy did want to be like his father, no matter how much he fought against him. His worry was he wouldn’t be good enough to take over and be the king his father hoped he’d become.
They turned as one and walked out the door. Melinda waited for him, and behind her was Olivia. Her hands were clasped in front of her, but Quincy couldn’t see her until the king and his future wife stepped aside.
He wished they hadn’t moved. The sight of Olivia brought the kiss roaring into the forefront of his mind, and he felt the sand beneath them again as her lips pressed against his. From the sudden color in her cheeks, her thoughts had turned in the same direction, but she glared at him as he stepped near and offered her his arm. Olivia’s hands were firmly clasped in front of her until Lamont and Melinda turned the corner and they were left alone in the corridor with a few servants and guards.
“Good evening,” he said and bowed to her. “May I escort you to the ball, Princess Olivia?”
“I suppose you may,” she said and held out her hand for his arm.
Quincy took it and tucked it in the crook of his elbow. Neither one had much of a choice. If they acted strangely around each other, the servants would talk. “You look beautiful in that gown.”
She stiffened beside him. “Thank you. A gift from my mom.”
“She has exquisite taste, just like you.”
“You don’t have to make small talk with me,” she told him in an undertone. “You can simply walk me down and go find someone to dance with all evening. You must find a wife soon, anyway. No time like the present.”
“Now you sound like my father.”
“Good,” she said, managing to keep a smile on her face as her words turned hard. “Maybe you need another kick in the ass to get a move on and stop with your antics.”
He tripped over his feet and nearly took them both down before righting himself. “What antics? I have no antics.”
“Don’t lie. You probably have a different woman every night, and that’s the only reason you can’t decide on a wife. Too many choices, and you don’t want to lose your options.”
The doors to the ballroom were close, and he watched Lamont and Melinda enter to the fanfare of trumpets before they were officially announced. Quincy and Olivia were next, and they needed to look like they were getting along as they entered the ballroom. This was for the members of court, but also for the rest of the isle. The place would be packed, so there would at least be plenty of people to hide behind for the rest of the evening.
“If you know so much about my antics, why did you agree to go with me?”
Olivia didn’t answer. They stepped to the doorway, and their names were announced, followed by polite applause once they entered.
“I would like my lovely Melinda to join me for the first dance,” Lamont announced, “along with my son and my soon-to-be daughter.”
More applause sounded at his words, and Quincy led Olivia to the dance floor. They stood close to one another beside his father and Melinda and waited for the music to start. Olivia shifted on her feet, and her hand was loose in his. Quincy gripped it tightly so it wouldn’t fall out, and when the music started, his other hand touched her waist. They swirled around the dance floor in a graceful circle as everyone watched.
“A smile would do wonders for your face,” he said.
“How dare you,” she snapped, but pasted a smile on her face. “I have no reason to smile while I’m dancing with you. And move your damn hand up.”
“No,” he said as he twirled her so the gown moved in a hypnotizing swish of violet and blue before he pulled her back in close… very close. “You liked it the other day, so why not now?”