on tiptoe to whisper into his ear. “You are so ready to be king.”
Christian wasn’t as certain. What he did know was how terrific it felt to be talking to his subjects. To not have stuffed shirts talking at him. What had been a shitty, dragged-out day was turning into a productive, important night.
Because of Mallory by his side.
He needed to do everything in his power to keep her right there.
Chapter Seventeen
Footsteps dully thudded on the checkerboard marble floors of the Statuary Hall. Mallory listened, considering. It was a double set, perfectly matched in rhythm, with one far heavier than the other.
She’d put ten dollars on it being a member of the House of Villani and a bodyguard. From the hesitation, she further deduced it to be Kelsey.
So—after removing her Sherlock Holmes deduction cap—Mallory was tempted to run. They’d been sort of avoiding each other. Nothing overt. Nothing the staff, for example, would pick up on. But anyone who truly knew them, knew how much they were two pieces that made a whole, would be able to tell that things were off.
Drastically off.
Painfully off.
Mallory was holding firm, though. She wouldn’t give Christian up to appease Kelsey. Nor to appease his advisors, or his grandmother. Their relationship got exactly two votes—hers and Christian’s.
But seeing that disapproval in Kelsey’s eyes…hearing an icy overtone in her voice worse than Lake Michigan in January…it was hard. It hurt. Avoiding her was the only workaround.
Immature? Yes.
Still tempting? Yes.
On the other hand, it sounded like Kelsey was in high heels. Mallory had the advantage of pairing her red-and-cream paisley skirt with red flats. Not to mention the five inches in height she had over her. Long legs and sensible shoes would win the day without any visible running away.
“Mallory! Mal, wait up!”
Except for that.
She wouldn’t run away in a snit after being called out. No doubt the protocol binder stated that ignoring someone of higher rank could get you banned from the palace. Double awkward since she lived in the palace.
Mallory slowly turned around, a polite smile welded in place. “Hey there.”
“Are you busy?”
“Yes. I made some changes in my approach, and I’m getting flooded with responses for the orphan gala. It’s a little hard to keep on top of it.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
Following protocol, Mallory lobbed back a bit more inane small talk. “And you?”
Kelsey waved a hand at her gray cardigan with lacy panels, pink shirt, and white jeans. “I’m off to change. I’m headed to the theater tonight with the grand duchess and this won’t cut it. Except for the shoes.”
Hmm. Gray-felted ankle booties with needle sharp, five-inch heels. “Why on earth are you wearing stilettos with jeans?”
Kelsey’s pink-glossed lips plumped into a pout. “Genevieve took all my flats. Had her maid hide them. She says the way my ankles still wobble in heels is an embarrassment, and that our dead mother is turning in her grave at my inability to walk like a lady.”
“That’s teasing, right?” Hard to tell with Genevieve. Mallory wanted to get to know her better, now that she’d apparently realized that Kelsey’s reappearance was not a targeted attempt to bring down the House of Villani. But Genny was head over heels for Theo, spending all her free time with him. Bonding opportunities, aside from the road trip, were rare. “Because five months ago, she would’ve said it bristling with outrage.”
“She’s…mostly teasing. But she’s also seen how often I slip them off. Laid the whole ‘practice makes perfect’ line on me. I have one pair of sneakers in the gym, and that is it. Until the day she sees me walk the length of the throne room without a single wobble.”
“That is some hard-core big-sistering going on there.”
“About that…” Kelsey looked down at the square of black marble beneath her feet. Then over to the white square under Mallory’s. “I miss my big sister. A lot.”
Oh. Oh. They’d studiously avoided using the word “sister” to describe each other since…well, since the day Kelsey had been officially reintroduced as the missing Villani princess. The day she’d officially stopped being a Wishner.
It was an olive branch.
Thank goodness.
“What a coincidence. I miss my little sister,” Mallory offered.
“I’m sorry.” Kelsey bit her lip. She tugged on the ruffles of her pink blouse. “I’ll get to the rest, but can I just say sorry and give you a hug?”
Mallory could barely talk over the sudden lump in her throat. “That’d be awesome.”
They rushed into each other’s arms. Yes, Kelsey fell off her shoe, but Mallory