could feel the queen’s gaze still upon us. Perhaps in showing my love for Pearl, I could prove I had no other motive for requesting Pearl’s freedom.
I brushed the curtain of hair away from Pearl’s face, giving myself full view of her profile, the delicate lines of her face, and her unguarded beauty. I bent in and brushed a kiss against her cheek.
“Mikkel, behave.” She leaned away, a soft blush infusing her face.
“Very well. If you insist.” I sat up, straightened my shoulders, and pretended to be occupied by my food. From the corner of my eye, I caught her watching me, a slight smile upon her lips. In that moment I realized I hadn’t seen her smile yet. There had been few reasons to smile. And even if she had, I wouldn’t have been able to observe it behind her veil.
What could I do to make her smile? Really smile?
The usual compliments regarding her appearance wouldn’t mean anything to her. In fact, she probably tired easily of such flattery. And I wasn’t a charmer anyway.
If we’d been in Scania, I would have lavished upon her gifts of every variety and size. Or I would have taken her somewhere special or done something to show her how much I cared. But here, now, I had only myself to give.
I slid my hand underneath the table and reached for hers. At my touch, she startled and began to pull away. I intertwined my fingers with hers, capturing her and drawing her closer. “I meant what I said.”
“And what was that?”
I rested our hands on my thigh and stroked my thumb over hers.
She didn’t make a move to pull away, but the flush returned to her cheeks.
“I love you, Pearl.”
Her rounded eyes met mine. Uncertainty lingered in the green depths.
“What will it take for me to convince you of my sincerity?”
“You need not convince me. I believe you.”
“You do?”
She nodded and then glanced at the queen. “But ’tis unwise to speak of love.”
“She saw my love for you even before I spoke of it. I cannot hide how I feel for you, not even if I tried my hardest.”
She studied my face as though memorizing me. The longing and love in her eyes spoke louder than words. I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “I shall always love you,” I whispered before kissing her hand again.
As she watched my gentle kiss, her lips parted and she sucked in a short breath. The soft sound sparked a low flame inside me so that I could think of nothing else but kissing her lips once more. I swooped in and took another kiss before she could protest, giving in to the fullness and sweetness of her mouth, savoring her and yet not sated.
She pulled away with a soft laugh. “Mikkel, you must stop. Everyone is staring.”
“I don’t care.”
Leaning in, I intended to show her how little regard I had for the queen and her courtiers. But she pressed a piece of cheese into my mouth. Apparently, I amused her, for she laughed once more.
I loved hearing her laughter and would let her ply me with food all day long if I could hear more of it. I chewed and swallowed and allowed her to feed me again while picking up cheese and doing the same to her.
When we finished the final course, Queen Margery rose from her chair. Immediately, the guests stood, even those at the head table. All except me. Pearl tugged my hand still intertwined with hers. Only then did I push away from the table, but slowly. No matter how desperate the circumstances, I was still a prince of Scania and would act like the future king.
The queen beckoned to a side doorway to soldiers who’d congregated there. As they filed into the room and made their way to the dais, uneasiness prodded me. The queen wouldn’t call her knights to surround us if she planned to let Pearl accompany me to Scania. In fact, it was becoming clear that she’d anticipated my bargain for Pearl and had brought in her soldiers to ensure I wouldn’t try to take Pearl by force.
“During the course of the feast,” the queen said, “everyone has witnessed the truth.”
The clanking footsteps of the soldiers echoed in the great hall, highlighting the silence.
“The truth is that the prince of Scania is conspiring with Princess Pearl—”
“Conspiring?” I gripped the hilt of my sword, offended by so harsh an accusation. “That isn’t true.”
“You intend