Chapter Fifteen

 

Genevieve

Genevieve had never embraced so much attention before – not since she was a child, at least, and even then her father had largely kept her within the palace, so her experience with people was limited. The attention of tavern-goers was certainly different to the aristocrats who used to politely amuse her when they came to visit her mother and father, though the inn Julian had chosen was markedly more high-class than the ones they’d stayed in before.

And though Evie had chosen to forgo the formal gown she’d procured for returning to the palace in place of the one she’d bought solely for herself, she stood out. It’s because of my hair, she thought, though Evie wasn’t unhappy about this. Imbued with magic or not it was a part of her, and there was no sense in Evie wondering whether the rest of her would ever look as good as the woven, golden crown Julian had braided around her head.

Evie hadn’t realised he’d done such a thing until she looked in the mirror to admire his handiwork. The rest of her hair fell to her ankles in a multitude of interlaced braids of varying thicknesses, and it was beautiful, but the woven crown was something else entirely. It was heartbreakingly intricate; Evie couldn’t imagine the amount of thought the wizard must have put into styling it in such a way. And Julian had deliberately kept a few wispy strands of Evie’s hair loose around her face, softening the look just enough that it seemed as if she had been born with her hair sitting this way instead of it being the work of genius magic.

For the first time in twelve years, in her well-fitting blue gown, matching slippers and sun-coloured crown around her head, Evie genuinely felt like a princess.

It was more bittersweet that she could ever have imagined.

Well, that’s nothing that some wine cannot fix, Evie decided as she began drinking her second cup of the stuff. It was light and sweet – much unlike the wine she’d accidentally drank on the first night of her journey to Willow – but heady enough that Evie could feel it burning inside of her already. She thought back to how she’d so quickly fallen asleep that first time, never truly getting to experience the effects the alcoholic drink.

But tonight was different. Tomorrow Evie would make her way to the palace, to her mother and father and brother, and her life would change completely. One way or another she’d never have the opportunity to drink in a tavern under the guise of anonymity again, even though the attention her hair was getting was a far cry from what Julian would consider to be ‘anonymous’.

He would be so angry with this much attention, she thought, laughing a little in the process. He’d walk away from everyone to sit in the corner in a huff, and ignore any questions and greetings thrown his way.

It was only in thinking this that Evie remembered she hadn’t actually seen Julian since she’d pushed him away that afternoon. She could only assume he was somewhere in the inn.

She was too prideful to go and find him.

“If he wants to see me then he can find me,” Evie muttered, knowing deep in her heart that if Julian didn’t seek her out at some point that night then she’d probably cry into her pillow instead of falling asleep in a few hours. She didn’t want this to be the way they left things between them – awkward, painfully formal, and silent.

“What was that, my lovely?”

Evie smiled for the young man who had spoken. His name was John, and he had pushed through several of his friends to stand by her side. “Oh, nothing,” she replied. She held up her cup. “I was just thinking that this wine is delicious.”

“Then I must buy you another one!”

“I have only just started my second,” she protested. Evie could feel her cheeks growing rosy and warm from the stuff and knew she had to be careful. Julian would be furious if I let down my guard enough to allow these men to get me drunk. He would think I haven’t learned anything at all.

Another of the men elbowed John out of the way. “We’ve never seen you around here before. Are you visiting your fiancé perhaps?”

Evie shook her head. “Family. I’ve been away from the city for a long time.”

The man grinned. “Then you definitely need more wine to celebrate your return! We can show you around; Willow changes year on year on year. You must scarcely recognise it.”

“I – I’m not sure,” Evie admitted, for it was never as if she’d known much of the city in the first place. She could recognise most every stone of the palace and its grounds, and a few of the grand buildings which many of the members of her father’s court lived in, but that was it.

“You don’t want to be wandering the city at night,” John said, though the excited look on his face suggested he hadn’t said as much out of actual concern for Evie. “It’s better to stay here and let us all keep you company. Are you staying here? Upstairs?”

“You can’t possibly be travelling alone.”

“She must have a lover, for sure.”

Evie held her hands up as if they could stop the barrage of remarks being thrown her way. “There’s nobody like that,” she said, though it pained her to say it out loud. “I must admit I don’t have much experience in that department.”

The second man stared at her as if he couldn’t believe his luck. “A lady so lovely as yourself? Your lack of experience must be rectified! What is the point of living if you don’t explore everything it has to offer?”

That had been Evie’s reasoning the night she somehow managed to convince Julian to answer her inane, intrusive questions. The night he let her touch him and almost lost control entirely. But hearing a stranger use such reasoning to try and charm Evie into his bed made her squirm uncomfortably. He wasn’t thinking of her wellbeing, only his own pleasure at her hands.

Is this what Julian thought in the tent? Evie wondered miserably. Did I put him in an awful, unwinnable position simply for my own amusement? But I didn’t want to hold him to make him uncomfortable. I didn’t want to do it to satisfy my curiosity for a night. I wanted…

“And who might you be to ‘rectify’ the lady’s lack of experience?” an achingly familiar voice demurred. “Something tells me I’m much more qualified to help her out than you, sir.”

An arm snaked its way around Evie’s waist, pulling her close before she had the chance to look up at the man she’d only just been thinking about. When she finally did look she froze.

The Julian beside her was not the Julian she knew.

His face was clean-shaven, revealing cheekbones Evie’s mother might have said were chiselled by the gods had Julian appeared in one of her Greek mythology tomes. His black hair was slicked back to tuck around his ears, and there was a charming smile upon his lips that Evie had never seen him use before.

Julian’s clothes were gorgeous and intricately designed, right down to the embossed patterns on the gold buttons of his longcoat. Evie had once asked him why he never dressed like the amber-eyed stranger who they’d seen weeks ago. Now she knew why.

Julian was beautiful, and he was gathering attention.

How he must hate that, Evie thought, when her brain finally kicked back into action. Julian tightened his grip on her waist and grinned at her, a twinkle in his blue eyes which for the life of her Evie could not work out if it was genuine or caused by magic. It might have been both. She almost thought her heart would stop. If he keeps acting like this I might get the wrong idea.

“Are these gentlemen bothering you, my lady?” Julian asked, much to the chagrin of the men in question.

“I’d say that you’re the one bothering her!” John said, though Evie could tell by the look on his face that he knew he could not compete against Julian.

I wonder if I can compete against the women who like him, Evie thought, glancing around to see many lovely, excited faces watching him. When she caught the eye of one such lady she scowled at Evie; Evie in turn had to admit that it felt good to be envied for such a thing as claiming Julian’s attention.

“Are you drunk?” she murmured up to him, so quietly nobody else heard.

His hand slid further down Evie’s waist – a deliberate move that was noted by every one of Evie’s admirers. “A little,” he admitted. “Is that a problem?”

“Not that I can see. Are you here to rescue me?”

“If that is what you wish.”

Evie’s heart was pounding so loudly in her chest she wouldn’t have been surprised if Julian could hear it. She inclined her head politely to the men who were staring at the pair of them, agog. “Thank you for your company, kind sirs,” Evie said, “but it appears I must be whisked away. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Julian’s hand nudged her away from the bar, though Evie was sure to grab her cup of wine before stepping away. They barely made it to a table at the back of the tavern before she heard the men muttering about how unlucky they’d been for Julian to have shown up.

“Luck had nothing to do with it,” he said, smiling in an entirely satisfactory way as he stole the cup of wine from Evie’s hand and drank the lot of it.

“Hey, that was mine!” she protested. He merely pushed her onto a softly padded bench that was built below a stained glass window before sliding in beside her. When he waved over at the bar the man behind it promptly brought over a flagon and another cup.

“And now we both have more,” Julian replied, handing the man several coins before pouring Evie a new drink. “That’s the beauty of having money.”

Evie eyed him warily as she drank her wine. “Nobody would have been so quick to serve you had you looked the way you usually look.”

“And yet that’s still the beauty of money, for look how beautiful my money has made me.”

She couldn’t help but snort in disgusted amusement at the comment, narrowly avoiding spilling wine over her new dress. “I never knew you were so narcissistic, Julian.”

“Only when I have the outfit to support it, and the alcohol in my blood to keep it up.”

Evie quirked her lips into half a smile, then looked away. “What did you mean that luck had nothing to do with you showing up when you did?”

“I may or may not have been in the tavern for an hour already, watching to see what would happen.”

“And what did you think would happen?” Evie asked, close to outrage. Had Julian assumed she’d end up falling into bed with a stranger?

“Nothing, I suppose.” He watched Evie out of the corner of his eye; she blushed. “Though I do recall a certain someone telling me they wanted to experience more of the world, including particularly…private affairs.”

If Evie thought she’d been blushing before it was nothing compared to how hot her cheeks were now. “I didn’t – that wasn’t – I only wanted to experience such things with you, Julian!”

He put down his cup just as Evie did the same. She could scarcely look at him, horrified by her admission. But then Julian bent his head low until his lips were right by her ear; his breath tickled her skin.

“I guess that means I truly am the only one qualified enough to help you out,” he said, voice low and seductive in a way Evie had never heard before.

Her breathing hitched. “You’re drunk, Julian. You’re only saying this because you’re drunk. You –”

He held a finger to Evie’s lips to quieten her, then gently turned her face until her eyes were locked on his. They were dark in the dim light of the tavern – hardly blue at all – but around the rims of Julian’s irises was the glow of ever-present magic Evie yearned to feel touch her.

Julian tucked a hand behind Evie’s neck, edging her face so close to his own that she was sure he was going to kiss her. “Do you want to come up to my room?” he asked.

Evie nodded before he’d even finished the sentence, then Julian snapped his fingers and they were gone.