CHAPTER TWENTY
ELLA’S WHOLE BODY WENT numb, and her arms slackened their hold. “I beg your pardon. What did you say?”
“I am Prince Anthony. I am not John, the outrider to Lord Gavenston. I am the duke’s cousin and best friend, but even he—even he did not know my father was ill. No one did.”
She would have pulled away, but his arms tightened upon her. So many voices and memories flew at her at once. She could not think properly. She could not fully process what he had said. He could not be Prince Anthony. He could not be! No.
“Please do not leave me. Please do not pull away. Allow me to hold you until the realization of all I have revealed has settled into your heart.”
She snuggled closer, pulling her arms in to tuck against his chest. “Why did you not tell me?”
“I wanted you to trust me—to come to know me as a person before you were made aware of the fact I was royalty. I knew how you felt about the people of the court.”
“And this is how you came by my invitation to the ball so readily?”
“I—yes. It is my connection to the queen—my mother. I just asked her to write one out and she did.”
Ella took a deep breath. “Your mother is the queen?”
“Yes.”
“Your father the king?”
“Yes.”
“You—you, the man holding me at this moment, are Prince Anthony.”
“Yes.”
“But I remember you. You are John! You have always been John—the boy whose horse lost to Sunshine every year.”
“The boy who would sneak out of the castle with his cousin to pretend to be a villager so he could race against the only horse worthy enough to challenge him.”
“I was soundly outracing the prince this whole time.”
“Yes.”
She bumped her head against his chest in frustration. “Why did you not tell me? Why keep something like this under lock and key for so very long?”
“Ella,” he said gently, “as a boy, I would have been whipped if anyone knew. Once I was older, you were dressed as a servant. I had no notion why Lord Dashlund’s daughter would be dressed so, which is why I pretended to be John a bit longer—to solve the great mystery you have finally revealed to me.”
Her hands froze and she tried to pull away again. “This was all to get me to trust you? To get me to open up to you?”
“At first, yes. I wanted to help you and I knew you would never speak to the prince the same way you spoke to John, and so I did continue with the falsehood. But, then—then…”
“And now that you know of my family’s mistreatment of me? Do you mean to spread this around and speak ill of the Dashlund name? Do you mean to use your princely powers to displace us all and call out my stepmother and stepsisters?”
“No.”
“What will you do now that the great mystery is solved? Will you go and solve more mysteries and pretend to be other people with other subjects and—”
He silenced her with a kiss. He would not release his hold upon her lips until he could feel her mind settling down, until he could feel her kissing him back and the sanity slowly weave itself around her heart again. This woman, this fierce, brave woman had gone years without knowing who to trust. It was no wonder her world would slip when all this came to land at her feet. She needed time to think. She needed time to ponder upon her own feelings for him.
But she needed to do so knowing that he was in love with her, knowing that he would wait until the end of time for her to see him for the man he was and not the self-righteous prince she had always imagined he would be.
Oh, how he kissed her. How she melted and folded herself into his arms.
When he was done, he simply said, “Ella, I love you.”
He could feel her tears wetting his shirt as her shoulders shook within his arms.
“Ella, we have much to discuss, much more to talk over. But I am willing to give you time—time to sort this all out and come to a conclusion about what you would like to do. My father has just died. I will be made king very shortly. My dear, my world is nothing without you. I would ask you to think of all I have spoken of today, all I have said to you and my reasons for doing so. And I would like to know—later, much later—if you are willing to be my friend still, if you are willing to continue this path with me and see where it will lead us.
“I am willing to move slowly—there is no rush. With my father’s death, there is much to be sorted within the castle over the next little while. I may not be here as often as I would like to be. I do not know when I can make it back to your arms—but know that I will be thinking of you every single second.” He released her and looked into her wet eyes. “I love you. Please think of that when you decide what it is you wish to do. I understand if you would never like to see me again, but I beg of you to reconsider and decide within your heart all you do feel for me. I will not press you further at this time, but know that I will wait for as long as it takes for you to decide if you wish to be with me.” She looked away.
“There is one more thing,” he said. “I would like you to decide how best to handle your family. If you wish everything to remain as it is, I will allow it. If you wish to have them brought to court and humiliated, we can arrange that too. It is up to you what is done to them or not done to them. I will leave it in your hands.”
She looked up then, her beautiful eyes glistening through the tears. “Thank you. I do not know what else to say, so thank you.”
“I will leave you now. Please decide what you will of my outcome—it is literally in your hands. I give it all to you—my heart, my life, my fate. And I will take this small smile you are giving me now as a sign of hope, as a sign of a brighter future than I could have imagined a week ago.” He took one hand and raised it to his lips. “Be safe, my angel. I will be back for my answer soon. You will hear from me, I promise you.”
Ella attempted to deepen her smile, his hazel eyes holding more seriousness than could be right for him at this moment. “John—Your Highness—”
“Anthony. I am forever your Anthony.”
“An—Anthony, I am sorry to hear of your father. My condolences must be given before I think of anything else at this time—forgive me for not mentioning them earlier.”
“Thank you.”
“I know what a good man he was. And for my own part, I will miss my king terribly too.” She blinked at the sudden tears that formed. “I know what you must be suffering at this time, and I am so very sorry. Is there anything—anything I can do for you or your mother?”
“Yes.” He nodded and brought her knuckles to his lips once more. “Promise me you will think over all I said—and promise me I will have a friend when this is all over.”
How torn he was! How lost and heartbroken. “I will always be here for you. And I promise to give my response soon.”
“Does this give me leave to imagine I still have a partner for the ball? I cannot guarantee when it will be now, if my mother will choose to carry on as before or postpone it. However, I would still love you for a partner, if you are agreeable.”
His grin was too adorable. She smiled and answered, “Yes.”
“Then I shall be there at half-past nine on whatever day it is held.” He bowed his head quickly. “Forgive me, but I am in a mind to leave you at once, before you change yours!” He chuckled as he walked over and fetched the reins of his horse. Slipping one foot in the stirrup, he jumped smoothly atop the steed. “Good day to you, fair lady. I will speak with you soon.”
With that, he was gone.
And Ella was left there in the orchard. How much difference twenty-four hours makes! She walked to the trunk of the tree and slid down it. How in the world would she ever make sense of all that had come forth?
A prince? A prince? She had captured the heart of a prince.
Ella laughed. If it was not all so ludicrous and outrageous, she might have laughed more.
She supposed it would be best to sort out her feelings and give him her answer by the ball.
Her heart jolted and the butterflies fluttered within her again. To be with the prince at the ball, in front of all those people—nay, not the prince. He would be king! Oh, great heavens, what muddle had she got herself into?