“Charge! They’re headed our way!”
I woke up, stiff and confused, to find Dallas on the carpet with Remy, playing…toy soldiers?
“I’ve got them now!” Remy manipulated his action figure around the block castle they’d constructed.
“Good boy. You’ve got them cornered.” Dallas grinned at my brother then raised his eyes to meet mine. “Hello, Gwyneth.”
I smiled at him. “Hello, Your—Dallas.”
Remy frowned at us but then looked past me. “Winnie?”
I turned sharply and found my sister blinking her eyes.
“Dr. Cameron,” I yelled, “Dr. Cameron!”
“Your sister is going to be just fine.” Dr. Cameron patted my arm, reassuring me one last time.
I didn’t want to leave her, to leave them. But we’d stayed all day, and even though he hadn’t said a word, I knew the prince had to get back. His father was likely boiling mad he’d been gone so long, not to mention Tariq. Not to mention the other girls.
“Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate everything you’ve done.”
Dr. Cameron tucked one of her tiny braids behind her ear and smiled. “It’s my pleasure. I’m meeting with Dr. Northman before we leave, and I’ll make sure to leave specific follow-up instructions and plenty of medicine. But I don’t think Winnie will need it. She’s strong, and children her age bounce back surprisingly fast, unlike old ladies like me.” She laughed.
“About the medicine.” Dallas nodded at her. “When we get back to the palace, I’d like to speak with you about setting up clinics in all the settlements.”
Dr. Cameron’s eyes shone. “Your Highness, that would be amazing.”
He nodded. “I’d like you to spearhead it. We’ll talk more when we get back.”
Dallas knelt down by my sister, who’d been watching him with wide eyes ever since she’d woken up. “Winfred, I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”
“Your Highness.” She didn’t even blink, as if she were afraid she’d miss something.
“Would it be acceptable for me to write to you? I’d like to keep in touch, so I know how you’re doing.”
Winnie’s eyeballs almost popped out of her head. “Yes, Your Highness.”
I giggled beneath my hand. She couldn’t seem to get enough of saying “Your Highness.”
He rose and bowed formally to her, then turned to my brother, holding out his hand for a high five. Remy slapped his hand hard.
“Remy!” I scolded.
Remy grinned at me. “I taught him how to do it. He likes it when I bring the heat.”
They next performed some sort of fist bump, ending with each of them shaking their fingers like tambourines.
Dallas chuckled. “See you around, Remy.”
Remy beamed at the prince. “Not unless I see you first.”
“Remy. Don’t be fresh.” I held out my arms for him, and he pulled a face, but he came and gave me a hug. “Behave yourself. I love you.”
“Love you, too.” His words came out smushed because I was squeezing him so tight.
I let go of him and squatted down to his level. “One more thing.”
“I know,” Remy said. “The firewood.”
“That’s right. You can’t let it get that low again. I don’t want Winnie getting pneumonia. You’re the man of the house now.”
He nodded solemnly.
“I love you.” I smooched him and hugged him again. “Now go play, and be a good boy.”
I turned to my sister, brushing the hair from her face again. “I’m so glad you’re better.”
“You already said that,” she said, sounding vaguely annoyed and much more like her old self. Her gaze flicked quickly to the prince. “He’s awfully nice,” she whispered.
I winked at her. “He is rather nice.”
Her eyebrows quirked up, a thousand unanswered questions clearly running through her mind. But like my mother, she had the knack for the social decorum my brothers and I had always lacked. “Thank you for coming.”
I squeezed her hand. “Thank you for getting better.”
I kissed the top of her head, reluctant to leave her. “I’ll write soon, okay?”
She nodded, smiling, and I felt infinitely relieved. She made it. She was going to be okay.
I looked up to find Dallas staring at me, a fact Winnie also eagerly took note of.
“I’m sorry we have to go,” he said.
I held out my hand for him. “Don’t be sorry. I’m just so glad we got to be here.”
He waved to the kids as I dragged him into the kitchen to say goodbye to my mother. Her eagle eyes took in our entwined hands, and I dropped his immediately, embarrassed.
Dallas bowed to her. “Mrs. West, it was a pleasure. Thank you so much for having me in your home and for letting me meet your beautiful family.”
My mother put a hand over her heart. “Oh, Your Highness, it was our pleasure. Thank you for saving my little girl.”
Dallas bowed then regarded her when he stood. “I’d like your permission for something, my lady.”
Her gaze flicked excitedly to me, and my stomach lurched.
“I’d like to leave the nurse here with you until Winifred is one-hundred percent.”
My mother’s face softened, even though that wasn’t what she’d been hoping for. “That’s very kind. Thank you.”
“I’d also like to leave some guards in your service. They will stay at local headquarters, of course, but I’d like you to have security here around the clock. My men can also help with the household chores and the firewood, and they can oversee the extra provisions we’ll be sending you from the palace.”
My mother, rarely caught off guard, looked confused. “Extra provisions?”
Dallas nodded stiffly. “I’m sorry that the rations we’ve provided to date haven’t been sufficient. I promise that the government will be more generous going forward. I’ll see to it.”
“Thank you.” She curtsied, quickly recovering herself. “For everything.”
I hugged her.
“I’ll give you two a moment. I’ll be in the car, Gwyneth.” Dallas left us alone.
I pulled back, smiling at my mother. “You look tired. You should get some rest. She’s going to be okay.”
My mother blew out a deep breath. “Thank God.”
I hugged her again, which was unusual for us, but no one loved Winnie like we did.
“I’ll write soon, I promise. There are only four weeks left. And I’ll be getting a stipend—”
“Gwyneth.” My mother cut me off, gripping my hands in hers. “You must listen to me. The prince is in love with you.”
My cheeks heated. “He likes me, I think—”
“He’s not looking at you with like. It’s more than that, as plain as day. And he brought you here in the middle of the night to see your sister. He genuinely cares for you.”
She looked me straight in the eye. “Do you know what this could mean for our family?”
“Of course I do.” I shook my hands free of her, of her pressure and her meddling and her expectations. “Why do you think I agreed to enter the competition in the first place?”
My mother frowned at me. “Think of what he just did for your sister, for all of us. He accomplished in one morning what we haven’t had in five years: safety, security, the ease and hope that wealth brings to your life. We haven’t had anything close since your father and Balkyn left, and I, for one, am tired of living like a scared pauper.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself so this didn’t turn into a fight. “I don’t understand your point.”
“You’re still young, Gwyneth. Young and headstrong. Your temper rules you.”
“That’s not true.” My cheeks heated, and I felt it—my temper.
“A girl your age can’t understand that there are things more important in life than your own feelings.”
I gritted my teeth. “My family’s the most important thing to me.”
“Then I’m asking you, no matter what happens, think of us. The competition’s going to be intense, but think of your family. And do not let the prince get away.”
I groaned. “He’s not a fish to be reeled in, Mother.”
She arched an eyebrow. “But reel you must. And do not let go.”