Secrets of a Prince (The Princes of New Sargasso #3) - Carol Moncado Page 0,21
could get away with just family or near family, like Kari.
Maybe he could stick mostly to the married ones. That should limit the number of solicitations and slips of paper in his pockets.
Hopefully.
He found Caleb near the head table. Most of the attendees would come to them not the other way around.
Ezekiel entered. Next would be their parents followed by the engaged couple.
“How’s Rosie?” Joss asked his brother.
“Glad she basically has the night off.” His brother spoke softly. “Everyone thinks she’s busy working. Really, she’s probably asleep already.”
“Can’t say that I blame her.” He looked around the room. “At least there’s suspicions that you’re in a relationship. I’m here with a bull’s eye on my back.”
“Speaking of relationships, have you heard anything about where Lady Waterford is? I know you’re not in a relationship with her, but word on the street is that she’s disappeared. I know you and Papa reached an agreement with her, but for her to go missing immediately afterward seems odd.”
Joss struggled to keep his face from showing something he didn’t want it to. “I haven’t seen her in days.” It almost made him glad that he hadn’t made it over to the apartment since the first time. He didn’t have to equivocate about it.
Before he could say anything else, the earl walked up to him, a cold, calculating look in his eyes. “Your Royal Highnesses.” His tone matched the look. “I don’t suppose either of you have seen my daughter recently, have you?”
Caleb shook his head. “It’s been at least a week since I’ve seen her. Possibly longer. And only for a moment then.”
Joss chose his words carefully. “I saw her at the opening of the children’s library a few days ago. When I returned to the hotel, I didn’t leave my suite until it was time to go to the train station for the trip home.”
“I see.”
“You haven’t heard from her recently?” Caleb asked innocently. “I thought she still lived at your home.”
“She does.” The earl shrugged. “It’s not terribly unusual for her to disappear for a few days at a time. I’m surprised she’d miss this, though. I have a few things I need to discuss with her. If you’ll excuse me...”
He walked off without waiting for either of them to actually excuse him.
“She’s never run off before, has she?” Caleb asked in a low voice.
“Not that I know of.” Joss would bet his last dollar that she never had.
“And the business is likely whatever settlement you and Papa worked out with her.”
Joss stifled a sigh. “Most likely. It wasn’t what the earl was hoping for, I know that, but Min... Lady Waterford made the offer.”
“Min?” Caleb raised an eyebrow Joss’s direction. “Since when is she Min or Minnie again? We called her that in school but that was a long time ago.”
“She said it seemed weird I’d reverted to calling her Lady Waterford all the time, and she insisted.” Sort of.
“Do you know where she is?” Caleb pressed. “I heard your answer. I know how many holes it potentially has in it.”
Before Joss could reply, the king and queen were announced. He’d already seen his parents earlier in the day, so he didn’t bow, though most of the rest of those in the room bowed or curtsied.
Immediately following their entrance, Gid and Kari were announced. Joss found himself grateful for the reprieve even as his brother leaned a bit closer.
“Don’t think that’s the end of it. We’ll talk more later.”
Joss wanted to make a snarky remark back, but managed to stop himself.
The rest of the evening went about as Joss expected. He sat with his brother and an unaccompanied, widowed duchess from Auverignon. She had to be at least three times his age, possibly closer to four. He silently thanked whoever was in charge of the seating arrangements.
Caleb was paired up with a perpetually engaged but never married Lady from New Ancora. She, too, had seen many more birthdays than either of the brothers.
He shared dances with more women than he’d wished. Only four slipped phone numbers into his pocket. They all went to Trey before the evening ended.
His dance with Kari came near the end of the evening. “Still sure you want to join this circus?” he asked, certain no one could overhear.
“I’m not crazy about the circus,” she admitted. “But I am crazy about Gid. I’ll even put up with the rest of you because of him.”