The room starts spinning. Tingling limbs and blurry vision are the first signs that I’m going to faint. My breath releases, not realizing I was holding it. I’m saved the disgrace of falling down as the chair behind me saves me. I blink dumbfounded this is happening.
“Princess?” Daniel clears his voice, trying again. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but it was happenchance that we met in New York. You were meant to be here today alongside your father with me by your side. Please except this ring and my vow to you. I vow to always stand by your side as your husband, friend, lover and confidante. Please accept my offer.”
What was he thinking asking me in front of all these people? Where’s the romance? What about the professions of love? He never mentioned love at all. His proposal is more about duty that anything else. I look at my father who is smiling expectantly. He nods imperceptibly. Yep, this is about duty. I blink trying rid myself of the daze I seem caught in. I glance back at the room full of people I don’t know and see the expectant looks staring back.
One look stands out the most, reminding me of my duty and what happens if I say no. Red faced and angry, Lady Elizabeth is permanently seared in my mind. I look between her and Daniel then back again. A feeling of possession overtakes me. He’s mine.
My head slowly starts to nod. He smiles radiantly. My nod turns vigorous before the words are out of my mouth.
“Yes.”
Daniel slips the ring on my finger. The ring fits perfectly and is surprisingly light despite the large stone. His shoulders rise as if a weight has been lifted off them. He’s humming with life. Daniel stands, engulfing me in a hug- the first real sign of emotion he has shown all night.
“Thank you.” He whispers with his head buried in my shoulder. “You scared me there for a minute.”
“Sorry. You surprised me.” I whisper back, my eyes wet with unshed tears. “We’ll talk about your timing and delivery later.”
Daniel pulls back slightly to look at my face and I laugh. Tears streaking down my cheeks.
“Critiquing me already?” He jokes.
I nod.
“Happy tears?”
“Happy tears.”
He pulls me back in another hug. My father taps Daniel on the shoulder. Daniel releases me reluctantly to shake my father’s hand.
“Congratulations.” My father says to Daniel, pulling him in for a manly hug while still clasping hands. “Nicely played.”
His comment is barely audible even from where I’m standing.
“Thank you.” Daniel replies.
“Daughter, you’re glowing.” My father says hugging me. “You look beautiful.”
My father releases me, turning to our guests.
A loud whoop in the front of the ballroom and the scraping chairs on the marble floor breaks the silence. Everyone starts clapping. Dante runs to our table and offers us his congratulations. He envelops me in his strong arms, lifting me off the floor, twirling me around. I laugh out loud. He quickly places me back down and turns to Daniel. He puts out his hand to Daniel, but Dante pulls him in for a hug. They slap each other on the back like a couple of old school friends.
“Tonight is a night of celebrations.” My father states loudly. “A toast if you will.”
The wait staff quickly arrives with trays overflowing with champagne flutes. My father plucks one off the tray. Daniel takes one for each of us. Dante takes two for himself, smiling at me.
“To my beautiful daughter, who came back to me and brought Daniel into our family. To Princess Freya and the Duke of Balwart.” He says raising his glass to all.
The clinks of champagne glasses are overshadowed by the loud guffaws and “here, here.” Daniel leans in, kissing me gently and innocently on the cheek. We turn to the guests smiling but what I see surprises me. I look at my father and he appears nonplussed. Daniel is smiling, ignoring the guests. Half the crowd is standing while the other half is sitting, stone-faced. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who they are. Lady Elizabeth is amongst them.
Lady Elizabeth stands when my gaze returns in her direction. She raises her chin in my direction, snubbing me no doubt, and storms out. I look to Daniel for his reaction, but the only sign he saw her leave is a slight twitch of the eye. His big, warm hand squeezes mine reassuringly.
The orchestra begins to play again, breaking the obvious tension. Daniel escorts me to the dance floor. We dance a simple waltz, but it feels anything but simple. The way his right hand rests on my waist, warming me to my core and his other clasping my hand. It seems possessive. When I look into his eyes, my own fill with tears from the raw emotion he reveals easily to me now.
“You’ve made me so happy.” Daniel says smiling down at me.
“Why now?”
“It just seemed the perfect time. I already had your father’s blessing. You and I spoke about it.” He replies.
“We did not talk about it.” I correct lightheartedly.
“We did, but I won’t argue the point.” He mockingly chides.
“You mentioned it in passing somewhere in France, I think.”
Daniel chuckles.
“Seriously.” I shove his shoulder lightly. “That wasn’t nice to Elizabeth. You basically humiliated her. Did you see how she stormed out?”
He sighs.
“I know. I really didn’t think she would react that badly.” He says. “I didn’t think you would mind.”
“You really don’t understand women too well.” I correct. “She was humiliated. No matter if I liked her or not, I wouldn’t want that to happen to me.”
“I understand you very well.” His innuendo is not lost on me as he grinds his hips into me. “There is no love lost between Elizabeth and me. She never had my ring.”
“That’s part of the problem. You didn’t think past claiming me with your ring.”
“What?”
“This is your caveman way of telling everyone in this room, and probably the country by tomorrow, that I’m yours. You didn’t think how this would affect her. For however long, she has been under the impression that she was going to be the next Duchess, possible even Queen. And now, not only did she lose becoming Queen or Duchess, but she lost you. You pulled the rug out from under her, humiliating her in the process.”
“So, what do you think I should do?” He asks, honestly not knowing.
“I think you should speak to her. If she hasn’t left, I would try speaking to her now. Clear the air.” I suggest. “I mean, we’re going to have enough people against us, we don’t need another one who knows you so well.”
“I’ll find her after this dance.” He answers solemnly. “Will you be okay for a few moments?”
I look around the room, spotting Dante talking with Father.
“I’ll stay with my dad and Dante.” I reply. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Too late. It started the first night we met.”
I lean up on tiptoes as Daniel leans down. We meet in the middle for a chaste kiss. The song comes to end all too quickly. He walks us to the table, helping me to my seat.
“I’ll be back.” Daniel says to my father and Dante.
Dante pulls Daniel’s chair over to my side of the table and sits down, clasping my hand, gushing over the ring. I glance at the room at large and notice people staring. My father seems to be indulging us and ignoring the crowd.
“Sweetie, I am so happy for you. You must be on cloud nine.” Dante states.
“Are you happy, sweetheart?” My father asks grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “I know you weren’t expecting that but Daniel couldn’t have planned it better.”
“What do you mean, Father?” I ask warily.
“He just solidified your claim to the throne.” He states matter of fact.
“I don’t understand.”
“If you had never come home, he would have become King when I died, as you know. Now that you’re back and willing to become Queen, Daniel will still become King either way. Don’t you see? No one can challenge him now. The only requirement placed on him for choosing a Queen is that she must be a virgin and a citizen.” He explains.
“So, this was all preplanned by Daniel?” I ask, taken aback by the callousness and calculation of his explanation.
Did I see what I wanted to see in his eyes on the dance floor? Has he been lying to me since he found out I was his princess? Did he see me as threat to him becoming King? Was I so hard up for acceptance by anyone other than Dante that I believed and saw only what I wanted?
“Father, do you still think Daniel is doing this just for the crown or because he has feelings for me?” I hear the uncertainty in my voice.
“Do you doubt him? Has he done something to make you think differently?” He asks slightly alarmed now.
“I wasn’t until your explanation. I mean it’s just. It’s just so callous. Why not wait until we were alone?”
“Sweetie, Daniel loves you. Can’t you see the way he looks at you? You had to see it. I think the whole room saw it while the two of you were dancing.” Dante offers.
“I thought that maybe I imagined it.” I sigh still questioning myself.
“Where did Daniel go?” My father asks.
“Your highness, may I offer my congratulations?” A gentleman interrupts us.
“Of course, George.” My father says cheerily. “How are you doing? It’s been a while.”
“Things have been crazy, but when my King beckons me to court, I attend.” George says with an underlying tone. “When you have some time, I like to discuss with you the pipeline progress.”
“Sure. How long are you staying?” Father asks.
George keeps glancing in Dante’s direction and mine.
“I’m sorry, George.” Father says. “Freya, this is George, Baron Farfall. George, my daughter, Princess Freya.”
I offer him my hand as I have been instructed to. He kisses it. When he looks up at me, I realize he is someone not to trust. The saying “the eyes are the windows to the soul” comes to mind.
“A pleasure to meet you, Princess. Welcome home.” George says, bowing over my hand.
George looks to my dad.
“You are full of surprises. A daughter?” He says questioningly.
The relationship between Father and the Baron seems cordial, but it’s off somehow. I can’t put my finger on. The Baron is polite but isn’t.
“Yes, it seems we have something more in common. Where did your daughter run off to?” Father asks.
George looks at my father and I can feel the tension building between the two. I look at Dante who shrugs his shoulders. Who’s his daughter? The only person to leave was-
“Father?” I interrupt.
“Yes, my dear.” Father says without taking his eyes off George, challenging George.
“Can I have this dance?” I ask.
“Of course.” He answers, rising and taking my hand. “If you’ll excuse us George, my daughter and I have some dancing to do. It seems we have been robbed of this simple task for far too many years. Don’t you think?”
The Baron bows to us slightly and takes his leave far too quickly. My father guides us through the throng of guests to the middle of the dance floor. As we start to dance, the other dancers stop to stare. Thankfully, my father is graceful and light on his feet. It takes all I have to keep up, surprisingly. Once the dance slows, he looks me in the face.
“What’s on your mind?” He asks.
“Who was that?”
“George and I go way back. We went to prep school and college together. Edward, George and I were the best of mates until I ascended to the throne. Edward and I always remained close, but George was always jealous. It got worse. Now all he does is try to compete with me.”
“But you’re king? How do you compete with that?”
“He had a family and descendants to carry on his name.” My father says sadly. “you and your mother were taken away from me.”
“Who is his daughter?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Lady Elizabeth. I thought it was obvious.”
“That explains the barely controlled animosity towards me. I didn’t know she was the daughter of a Baron.”
“Where did Daniel go off to?” He questions again.
“He went to find Elizabeth to talk to her. What he did wasn’t right, humiliating her like that. I would be pissed as well.”
“I see how a lady would be upset, but once she heard you were my daughter, she should have known. It’s not a secret in the kingdom.”
“What do you mean?” I ask
“It is common knowledge that if I ever had a female child then she would be wed to the next Duke of Balwart.” He says.
“I know that, but he should have pulled her to the side and forewarned her. Now, I have another potential enemy because he didn’t think.” I say irritated again. “I mean you and Daniel keep reminding me of all the people who are against me. I think if I could keep someone from hating me then I should.”
“It doesn’t matter what you do, you will always have enemies.” He says soberly.
I sigh knowing the truth behind his words and remembering how his life has been closed off because of these enemies. He did what he had to do to protect the love of his life, but at what cost. I think he and I both paid too dearly for it.
“Either way, I don’t think she would have been a friend. You are usurping her position. For years, she has been the highest ranking single female of marriageable age in the country. She thought she was going to be Queen someday, but then you came along. The minute I announced you, it didn’t matter if she was engaged to Daniel or not, you took her title.” He explains.
“I guess you’re right. But now Daniel has to deal with her.”
“Yes, he does.”
We dance a few more minutes before the tempo picks up to a tango. I look at my father and quirk my eyebrow. He nods and pulls me close to him.
“What’s the story you’re not telling me between you and the Baron?” I ask before we start moving again.
“It goes back generations. His ancestor and mine were siblings. His ancestors say that our ancestor murdered the rightful Queen, their ancestor.”
“Then how is it that Daniel’s family is the next in the line of succession and not the Baron’s family?” I ask.
“There were three sisters and one brother. Daniel’s ancestor was the youngest of the four, a boy, and the only other one to survive besides ours. Queen Margaret, the Baron’s relative died without any legal female children. She had a son out of wedlock.”
I though the Queen had to be a virgin in order to ascend the throne?”
“That is correct and it is because of Queen Margaret that the law was passed. They didn’t want her son to rule.”
“Oh. But then how did the title carry on?”
“Princess Catherine, our relative became Queen. She was already married and had young children. Queen Margaret’s husband was by rights, the Baron Farfall. He tried to have the laws changed to keep him as king, but it was never passed. He adopted the Queen’s illegitimate son.”
My father continues his explanation throughout our dance, not missing a step.
“Daniel’s line inherited the title Duke of Balwart from the maternal side of the line. The Baron’s family has always felt slighted by ours, despite them never having been able to prove the claim of murder.” He finishes.
“Is it true? Did our ancestor kill her sister?”
“Pfft, of course not. She slipped and fell off a parapet. Princess Catherine was with her, yes but she was holding her youngest child, whom she had just given birth to. The guards said Margaret slipped on the ice and fell.” He explains further.
“Then why haven’t they let it rest?” I question.
“It’s a kingdom, sweetheart. They crave the power. Who doesn’t?”
“I understand but I don’t.” I say. “I wonder-.”
Daniel walks into the ballroom looking angry and a perfect handprint marring the side of his face. Inwardly, I chuckle knowing he never thought she would react as such. Outwardly, I retain the same expression, careful not to show emotion.
“Oh my.” I say breathlessly.
“What?”
My father twirls me around to see what I’m looking at. I try to let go of my father’s hand, but he stops me.
“Let him come to you. You can’t be seen chasing after him or anyone. Remember that no matter what, you are being judged now. They are looking for your weaknesses. A Queen never chases after anyone, even her husband.”
“I understand, but don’t like it.”
I catch Dante’s eyes and signal him in Daniel’s directions. Dante looks to Daniel and then looks back to me nodding. My father and I finish our dance. He bows and I curtsy. As I walk with him off the floor, another gentleman intercepts us. My father’s hand stiffens in mine, stopping us abruptly. I almost crash into him.
What the heck now, I think.