I shook my head. “I created this trap for myself.”
“Oh yes, and I plan on using it against you until we are old and gray—”
“Wow,” Eliza cut in, looking between us, “you both have completely forgotten I am in the room.”
I did for a second but shook my head. “No. Not completely.”
“Yes, just a bit,” Gale added.
She shook her head. “Odette, you should have seen how upset he was when they first said he was to marry you. Our father threatened to disown him, and he said he would rather be disowned than marry you.”
“First of all, princess loudmouth”—Gale shot her a glare—“I did not know it was her specifically, and second, I was bluffing. I knew they would not really do it, so what was there to fear?”
“We knew you were bluffing, which was why we kept pressing.”
We all stood up as Elspeth came into the dining room dressed in a long, dark-purple gown with quarter sleeves, and around her neck a white diamond necklace, the largest diamond in the shape of a teardrop at the center, which matched her earrings. Her hair was pulled into a bun. The only thing missing from her outfit was a crown; she looked like the royalty she was.
She moved to the head of the table next to Gale. And a butler stood behind her, pulling out her chair. When he did, she sat down. “Please sit.”
And we all did.
“As I was saying,” she said, lifting her glass, which then allowed Gale and Eliza to do the same, a butler coming to fill it with wine, and I copied her. “We knew you were trying to bluff us, which was why we did not let up, and, in the end, you see who has won.”
“Yes, Mother, me.” He grinned, looking at me.
“How selfish of you,” his mother teased and looked at me. “We all won, so welcome once again, Odette.”
“Welcome,” Gale and Eliza said, lifting their glasses.
“Thank you.” I grinned. This day had been full of so much, but this was my favorite so far.
“Now that she is part of the family, Mother, can you please ask her to sing for you?” Eliza questioned—no, nearly begged. “She can refuse me, but not you.”
“You are annoyingly persistent, Eliza,” Gale said, taking a sip of his wine. “I am sure you will hear at some point; why must it be now?”
“If you were in front of the great poets, Shakespeare, Frost, Neruda, Wilde, Browning, any of them, right now, would you wait to hear them recite something?” she pressed back.
“Wow,” I whispered, putting my hand over my heart. “I have never been so complimented. Thank you.”
“It is hardly a compliment and more like an obsession,” Gale muttered, frowning. “I have given you better ones.”
“You have never been able to share, Gale.” Elspeth snickered, sitting back as the butlers brought out dinner. “Look how jealous you are that Odette was moved by your sister instead of you.”
“I am hardly jealous—”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“It sounded a bit like jealousy,” Eliza stated.
“You are,” Elspeth said.
We all had spoken at the same time, causing him to look at each of us. He frowned. “I see this is a conspiracy against me.”
“As you can see, my son is prone to dramatics,” Elspeth said, lifting her soup spoon.
“It’s all right. I am used to it. My mother is prone to dramatics, too. Apparently, I attract those sorts of people,” I said, the smell of the salmon reaching my nose.
I looked down, recognizing the salmon chowder soup, and happily, I lifted my spoon and brought the soup to my lips. In the corner of my eye, I saw Elspeth nod. But to what? My eating?
“She says that as if she is not dramatic, either,” Gale replied before taking a bite as well.
Swallowing, I held my hand to my lips before speaking. “I am not.”
“You are too,” he shot back.
“You see how they just forget we are here, Mother?” Eliza spoke out. “We could rise from this table right now, and they would still be going back and forth.”
“Yes, I do see that.” Elspeth looked between us, her eyebrow raised. “It is one of the side effects of being in love, and they are drunk on it.”
“Mother, please,” Gale grumbled, shaking his head, taking another bite of his soup.
Eliza laughed, looking at me and lifting her glass again. “We should also congratulate you for winning my brother’s cold heart.”