Chapter Five
Caitlyn was like a little bird, peering owlishly out of the jet window with her lips forming a rosy bow. Her feet touched the floor with the tips of her red sneakers, and she pushed her glasses up slightly. Emrys could imagine her thoughts. It had been some time since she’d had this view. Her little trips within North America were undoubtedly adventures, but nothing could, in Emrys’s mind, compete with the age, the depth, or the richness of European history and culture.
Just now, they were flying over southern France in the private jet Emrys’s father had made available to ensure his son would come home safely. They’d spent the trip talking and drinking and fooling around on the bed in the back. In an odd way, Emrys felt like they were kids again. Petting and teasing, with no promise or demand of further commitment.
He moved over to her seat and rested his hand on her shoulder before handing her a cocktail.
“I’ve completely lost track of the time,” Caitlyn said. “Is it an appropriate hour to be having a drink?”
“It’s almost eleven PM in New York.”
“What time is it in Cabeau?”
“Five AM.”
Caitlyn smiled and shook her head. She knocked back the drink and leaned into his chest. Pleased, Emrys wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck. As she snuggled into him, pleasantly buzzed, Emrys slipped a hand under the loose, pink baby doll blouse she was wearing. The top was made from lace, and while it seemed to be comfortable, it made her perky breasts seem fuller. His hand cupped one of those breasts over her bra and stroked it with his thumb.
“Why did you invite me here?” Caitlyn murmured after a moment.
“I told you. I don’t want to part from you again so soon.” His lips made a path along the curve of her neck.
“This is like a vacation for you, isn’t it? Time off from Roughhousing?”
“And having you by my side will make it all the better.”
Caitlyn sat up suddenly and moved his hand away. “I know. I feel the same way, but…don’t misunderstand here. I don’t want to get hot and heavy right away. Maybe we could just enjoy our time together and not worry about what it means.”
“If that makes it easier for you.” Emrys held back his frustration at her words. He could manage; he was an actor. Still, there had to be more that he could do to quell her fears. “My Cait, all I want right now is you. Your presence. If I have that, and I do, I’m happy. We’ll let the rest sort out itself.”
Trustingly, Caitlyn bobbed her head.
***
Cabaeau was a lot greener than Caitlyn had expected at this time of year. Though that expectation may have come from poor geography skills. Ensconced as it was between southern France and Italy, the weather was still rather sunny and mild.
Caitlyn tied her sweater around her waist as she followed Emrys from the private jet to a large, black sedan. While his hands had been all over her on the jet, now that they’d landed, Emrys simply offered her his arm and guided her where to go. There was a flourish of propriety surrounding every move he made. He’d changed again. From her sweet summer Emrys five years ago, to a driven movie star at the party, to this elegant prince beside her now.
Who was he really?
Caitlyn wondered a bit, but let herself off the hook for thinking about it too much. She was fascinated by the green fields and the old architecture. For such a small country, the city they drove through seemed large, teeming with people going about their business. The car had to slow to compensate for the moderate traffic and the people streaming through the streets. Caitlyn spotted several signs, each emblazoned with French and English.
“Is French the main language here?” Caitlyn asked. In her hasty departure, she hadn’t found the time to do much research on the country.
“Yes, along with English, but most people know enough Italian or German to get by.”
“We’re nowhere near Germany.”
“No, but we’re near Switzerland, and many people in Switzerland speak German.”
Caitlyn took that in. She was passable in French and Japanese, but she was no polyglot. She had always wanted to learn more languages, but never had the time to devote to it. The lack had definitely restricted her travel options. That and funding.
“Your streets are so clean,” Caitlyn noted.
“I’d hope that was a given.”
“We just came from New York. How much time did you spend outside?”
Emrys gave a polite chuckle. “Look up there. That Cathedral is one of the oldest in Europe.”
“Oh.” Caitlyn looked out the window to see the church’s spires reaching for the sky. The rest was obscured from view by other buildings and the palace.
Cabeau had been lovingly crafted by its architects. Each house was jauntily colored, and many had a large, circular window on the second story. The people walked as fast as people did on the streets of New York, but they seemed a bit friendlier. Caitlyn could see groups chatting with one another as they poured from one sidewalk to another. They were so lively and energetic, and everything seemed so bright.
This city was like a gem that had been hidden from every history book and list of travel hotspots.
As they approached the palace, Caitlyn had the strange feeling of being brought up in a carriage drawn by four white horses—or maybe 500 horsepower. The gates opened in front of them, and the car pulled around to a large garage that seemed to house every possible car color known to humankind.
“Leave the luggage,” Emrys instructed. He left the car first and held out a hand for Caitlyn. “It will be taken care of.”
She stretched beside the car and yawned.
“You can spend a few hours resting. Eventually you’ll have to meet mother and father and whoever happens to be at the house currently. My sisters will all be coming in for the annual Autumn Ball, but they may not be here yet.” Emrys held his arm out for her to take once more.
“Your sisters? How many do you have?”
“Three. Imelda, Elsa, and Adora.”
“That explains your charm. So much experience with women.”
“My father and I were outnumbered for most of my childhood. When I was seven, he invited my uncle and cousins for an extended stay, just to even the odds.”
“What kind of war games were you playing here?”
Emrys furrowed his brow at her. “Nothing so exciting. Really just a rehearsal of manners.”
“Manners?”
“You’ll find out.”
The inside of the palace was just as gorgeous as the rest of the city. Each window stretched to the ceiling. The walls were immaculately white, and carvings of marble ivy crept along the frame of every door.
Emrys gave her a deep bow and then gestured to an older woman with her hair done up in braids. “Heloise will take you to your rooms.”
“My rooms?” Caitlyn blinked at him in disbelief. “As in plural?”
“As in plural.” Emrys smirked. “Go get a nap. I’ll see you at lunch.”
Caitlyn wrapped her sleeves around her fingers as she watched Emrys go.
“Come this way, Miss Caitlyn.” Heloise gave a gentle bow with her head and headed down the hallway.
Between the sparkling windows and vaulted ceilings and the innumerable paintings and wall hangings, Caitlyn felt like her eyes were stuffed full. Servants passed them quickly and quietly, but otherwise, the hallways seemed both empty and endless.
Caitlyn just knew she was going to get lost in this place. She couldn’t have found her way back to the anteroom where they’d entered if she’d tried.
Five minutes may have passed before Heloise brought Caitlyn to a suite with ornate doors that opened into a small chamber with a velvet upholstered bench that could seat two people. The bench faced a large mirror with a gold-plated frame, and over the bench hung a painting of a young woman dipping her bare toe into a spring.
“Is this…?” Caitlyn looked around curiously.
Heloise opened a second set of doors. “Lord Emrys shouldn’t be coming in without waiting in your antechamber first,” she explained.
“Okay.” Caitlyn walked through the second set of doors to find an enormous bedroom with an equally enormous bed piled high with a mountain of pillows and a sprawling bedspread in a lovely rose damask. The walls were the color of sea foam, with three-tiered black marble crown molding around the edges.
Caitlyn brought a hand to her mouth just as Heloise drew her attention to the intercom by the bed. She gave Caitlyn instructions on how to use the stereo, accessible on the other side of the bed, and the fireplace of the same black marble across the room. The walk-in closet, where a selection of new dresses hung, was practically the size of a Manhattan apartment. She was beside herself, taking it all in, until Heloise directed her to the study. The rich, cherry desk was something Caitlyn could have only dreamed of supplying her home office with. And the window seat in the corner of the study looked so comfortable that she probably could have curled up there for her nap and slept better than she had in her own bed back in Cincinnati.
“This is incredible!” Caitlyn managed finally.
Heloise gave a slight bow. “If I may show you to the bath, Miss?”
Caitlyn shook her head and followed Heloise to a decently sized bathroom with an excessively large tub. A large cabinet stood by the tub, and Heloise opened it to reveal a collection of huge, fluffy towels and an array of bath salts and oils.
“If you would care to freshen up, Miss. I must go now, but if you need anything, do call. Your luggage will be delivered shortly. I will come to wake you in time to ready yourself for the afternoon meal.”
“Thank you so, so much,” Caitlyn gushed.
“It is nothing, Miss. I am here to serve you.” Heloise bowed her head once more, leaving Caitlyn to her own devices.
The first thing she did was wander around the room once more. It was too much. Too grand, too rich, too perfect. She almost wanted to roll around on the plush rug beneath her. Instead, she took her shoes off and kneaded it with her toes as she tried to wrap her mind around these rooms.
The responsible thing to do would be to quickly check her email and then take a short nap.
Instead, she stripped off her clothes and went into the bathroom. She stood in front of the cabinet, naked, as she sniffed her way through the salts and oils and chose a heady lavender to scent her bath.
She held onto an ornate bar fixed above the tub as she eased herself into the steaming water. She loved a good, hot bath. Stretching out, feeling the fragrant water seeping into her skin, she let out a sigh and smiled widely.
***
It would have been terribly inappropriate for Emrys to go to Caitlin’s room, but that was exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted that so much more than he wanted to go to greet his mother in the tea room.
He tried to brush the wrinkles out of his outfit. It would have been acceptable to go change first, but he knew that his mother would be put out if he waited to greet her.
There she was, in all her imperious glory: Eliana Sébire. Her hair, dark auburn delicately streaked with silver, looked as it had been recently done. Not a hair was out of place, and it hung just below her ears. She pursed her lips, reading through a tablet on which, no doubt, she was making meticulous plans for upcoming events.
“Good morning, Mother,” Emrys said.
“Em?” Eliana lifted her head. “Well, come here. Let me look at you. I swear, I haven’t laid eyes on you in the flesh for two years.”
“I haven’t been away for that long,” Emrys protested. But he sat beside her anyway.
“You’ve been gone long enough. This career of yours,” she scoffed. “You’re looking well. I’ll give you that. I take it the business is proceeding at an acceptable pace.”
“It is,” he said simply, taking his mother’s hand.
“Well, it’s good that you’ve come back. I was wondering if you’d make it.” Eliana lifted her chin and looked out the window.
“I promised I would be home, didn’t I?” Emrys shook his head. “Mother, I do my best to please you.”
“I would’ve been pleased if you’d married Miranda,” she said a bit shortly.
“You’ll have to get used to disappointment on that account. Miranda wasn’t willing. What was I to do about that?”
“You could have fought for her!” Eliana tsk-ed. “You could have convinced her. Aren’t you the actor?”
“I’m not a wizard.” Emrys patted her hand and then let it go. “But I will be at the ball, no matter what.”
“There are a few ladies who will be in attendance you ought to meet. Not as good when it comes to a match as Miranda, but regardless.” Eliana picked at an imaginary dust mote from her blouse.
“I would prefer not to be paraded around like a prize stud.”
“Oh, the things you say! What am I supposed to do with my unmarried son? Do you really want to wait until you are forty for your inheritance?”
“I don’t want to, no, but I’ll do what I have to.” Emrys paused and his lips tightened into a sour expression. “You asked me to come to this ball just so that you could introduce me to eligible women, didn’t you?”
“You know that your father would be better persuaded to release your trust if you were at least engaged.” Eliana touched his knee. “I am simply looking out for my only son.”
“You needn’t look quite so closely. I’m capable of choosing my own bride, I assure you.” Emrys sighed and sat back, crossing his arms. It was hardly ever different with her. She had an incredible sense of “the way things are done,” and part of that was indeed arranged marriages used to solidify wealth and alliances. She herself had been given to the current king at only nineteen for that very reason. It just so happened that she was tremendously fond of her husband. Emrys doubted that anyone else in their family would have been so lucky in their matches.
“I brought a friend home with me. You’ll meet her at lunch,” Emrys said, unfolding his arms and sitting properly. “I expect that you will treat her with as much kindness as you could spare for your own daughter.”
Eliana seemed taken aback. Emrys caught the expression and wondered what could have startled her so. Before he could ask, she smiled like the Cheshire cat and patted his arm.
“Of course, Emrys! I will welcome her to the family with such stunning alacrity that she’ll hardly know which way is up.”
“Thank you, Mother.” Emrys rose and gestured to the door. “I will need to freshen up properly. I’ve already assigned Heloise to Caitlyn’s service, so she should be ready herself in a few hours. It’s been a long night for her.”
“I’d imagine. Did the two of you come straight from New York?”
“We did.” Emrys nodded.
“Well, regardless of your status, it is good that she has her privacy. There’s no need to cause a sensation before anything is official.”
Emrys frowned in confusion.
Eliana’s hands seemed to flutter eagerly in front of her. “I really ought to hunt down your grandmother’s ring.” She stood herself and set her tablet on the coffee table. “It would be perfect for this, assuming we can get it sized soon enough.”
Grandmother’s ring? Emrys watched her for another moment in bewilderment before it dawned on him that his mother had connected the first part of their conversation to his speaking of Caitlyn. Eliana assumed Caitlyn’s visit here involved meeting his parents—officially.
He opened his mouth to correct her, but he couldn’t say a word. It was impossible to squelch his mother’s excitement. Emrys knew that bustling energy. A new task for her, a new challenge. Preparing an announcement for the ball, seeing to the ring, making sure that the right people would be there to witness the event.
“I’m sure Caitlyn will love it,” he said.
Emrys had so seldom in his life made his mother happy. How could he take this away from her? He gave her another bow before leaving her to her planning.
A few hours later, after Emrys had cleaned up and checked with the butler about the goings-on of his family, he found himself in the southwest dining room with his older sister Imelda. She had sent her children off with their father for the afternoon, but she still seemed as busy and distracted as ever, making notes in her planner as she chatted with their mother about matters of state.
It was obvious why Imelda was next in line for the throne, her position as first-born notwithstanding.
Emrys was barely listening the moment they spotted Caitlyn in the doorway. She had changed into a long, flowing gown that she’d belted just below the bust. She seemed to float in and hover at the doorway. Her gaze lifted to the ceiling, drawn by the chandelier and the filigree sprawling from arch to arch.
“Oh, my,” Eliana muttered. She turned her head to Imelda. “A redhead.”
“I think that’s more of a blonde, Mum.” Imelda tilted her head to the side. “Won’t have to worry much about children, will we? Not with those hips.”
“You two stop,” Emrys growled under his breath. If nothing else, he could count on the pair of them to make things more difficult in the most “appropriate” way possible. But he didn’t have to listen to it.
He left their sides and greeted Caitlyn at the door, offering his hand.
“You look lovely,” he said, and then kissed the back of her fingers.
“Thank you.” Caitlyn smoothed a hand over the front of her dress nervously. “I was a little afraid that I’d get lost on the way here.”
“Hello.” Imelda approached them. “You’re Emrys’s, yes?”
“Oh, um, I suppose I am.”
Eliana appeared by Imelda’s side and offered Caitlyn her hand. Awkwardly, Caitlyn took Eliana’s hand and made a weird little bow. Eliana frowned, and Caitlyn looked to Emrys haplessly.
“Let’s be seated,” Imelda suggested. “I’ll have them start serving.”
Emrys guided Caitlyn to the table.
“Tell us, my dear, where are you from?” Eliana asked as she smoothed her napkin in her lap.
“Ohio. Pettysburg. You probably haven’t heard of it. I moved to Cincinnati after college, though.” Caitlyn fussed with her napkin, getting it tangled before letting it drop in her lap.
“So America, then?” Imelda took a seat next to Eliana.
“Yep.” Caitlyn looked to Emrys as he took her napkin and folded it properly.
“There you are.”
“Th-thank you.”
Emrys decided, as the servants came around with plates and drinks, that his mother must have come up with a list of questions for Caitlyn since he’d last seen her, because every question was followed by another. Caitlyn’s cheeks were turning pink, fielding interrogations about her education, her cultural background, her business, and one veiled question about her health that was more of a comment on her weight.
“Your mother adores me,” Caitlyn muttered sarcastically, when Eliana had excused herself from the table for a moment.
“Give her some time. It’s her way,” Emrys replied. “I’m sure your mother would be equally curious about me.”
“I don’t know that curious would be the functional adjective for how she’d feel about you.”
Emrys laughed softly.
“Does your mother not know about your relationship?” Imelda pressed.
“She knew about it once,” Caitlyn offered.
Emrys shot her a look and touched her back. Imelda leaned her chin on her hand and smiled knowingly.
“Oh, Em, what have you done?”
“I’ve been a perfect gentleman,” Emrys said sternly.
Imelda narrowed her eyes. “But of course. You always are.”
“Behave, Im.”
“I’m simply curious.” Imelda gestured to Caitlyn. “You clearly have known her for some time, and yet we’re only meeting her now?”
“Well, he could’ve introduced me years ago, if he hadn’t arrived home to find himself engaged,” Caitlyn said a bit peevishly.
Imelda’s lips parted. Her eyes widened. Emrys felt the urge to give Caitlyn a bit of a shake.
“You should have told us!” Imelda said.
“As though that would’ve made a bit of difference in Mother and Father’s plans,” Emrys replied.
“Father’s no, Mother’s yes,” Imelda insisted.
“I have serious doubts that Mother is entirely on board now. And I have very few prospects for her to obsess over at the moment.”
Imelda smirked and held her glass aloft. “You have prospects. They’ll all be at the ball.”
“I intuited that much. You’ll understand if I’m not particularly interested in being selected like a piece of meat, especially when I have already made a choice.” Emrys wiped his mouth. “Perhaps you’ll let Mother know that we had to leave the table.”
Imelda clicked her tongue. “Stay. She’ll be on another tack when she comes back. I’m sure of it.” She looked to Caitlyn. “Have some patience with us. Our family is a bit much to tolerate, but I promise once you get past the vetting process, we’re not so bad to be around.”
“It might be worth it in exchange for the amazing digs,” Caitlyn said.
“Oh?” Imelda raised a brow.
“That bed is some kind of portal to a heavenly realm or something.”
Emrys took Caitlyn’s hand under the table. His mother returned, and sure enough, she had tired of questioning Caitlyn and now wanted to talk about the families who would be attending the upcoming ball.
Emrys felt lucky that things had gone as well as they had. He would eventually have to have a word with Caitlyn and explain his mother’s misconceptions about their relationship. For now, though, he simply wanted her there by his side, making jokes and enjoying everything the royal life could bring her.