Page 32 of Desperately Yours

“Whoops,” Bishop whispered under his breath.

“It’s one date, Mother,” I tried to reason with her. “I have given the others the same time, and you know it wasn’t my choice to send Esme home.”

“Tell me,” her voice shook with fury, “tell me, Son, that you are not in love with her.”

“Mother, this is hardly the time to—”

“Tell me!”

I’d never seen her so unhinged. Her clothes hung at haphazard angles, as if she had dropped twenty pounds in a matter of weeks. Veins bulged in her neck and forehead like a roadmap to her rage. Every muscle in her body tensed to the point that I feared they would snap like tightly tuned violin strings. But what she was asking of me… I could not give.

“You know I can’t.” Why did my declaration of love sound more like a campaign general announcing defeat?

Her cold fury simmered, ready to spark. “I forbid you to see her again. You’ll end this charade. You’ll name Sadira—"

“Sadie.” Though Bishop coughed as he said it, it was still audible.

“—your bride,” she continued. “Or there will be consequences, Leonidas.”

I bristled at the threat. “What kind of consequences?”

Over the years, I’d heard rumors about the ugly side of my mother. The ruthless and cunning woman she’d once been. Legends were told amongst the staff of how exact and rigid she could be, all tempered by her love for me when I was born. But, perhaps, even that love had boundaries on what it could do.

“If you try to betray me,” she inhaled slowly through her nose, choosing her words with precision, “I swear, you will never see hide nor hair of your precious Coco again. And this time, you won’t save her. Do you understand me?”

“What?” I tried to scoff at her threat, but it came out weak. “You’ll deport her?”

A wry smile snaked into place, her lethal stare unwavering. “Trust me. You’llwishI had deported her.” She turned on her heel and stalked from the room, hardly pausing for a moment to slam the door on her exit. The bang reverberated through my chest as if she’d slammed it on my heart. I’d doubted Bishop since he’d arrived. He kept poking at Mother’s ambition, and I brushed it off as a coincidence. But here I’d seen its ugly face for myself. No doubt remained. If she wanted to make Micheala disappear forever, she would do it and never lose a minute of sleep over it. Last time, I managed to leverage the adoration of the people and a possibility of revolt against her, but I doubted my ability to do it again. That was a surprise. This time she had time to plan.

“Clearly, you must defy her.” Bishop sat up in his chair, likely sensing my defeat. “She’s all wind, Leo. You’re the Crown Prince.”

“And she’s the queen,” I muttered. “At least for the time being.”

He readied as if to stand. “We just need a plan. We need to resituate and figure out how we will—”

“It’s tomorrow night!” I snapped. “The ball is tomorrow night, Bishop. I don’t have time for a plan! I don’t have time for happily ever after or riding off in the sunset!”

He cowered back slightly as if my outburst had surprised him. It was out of character for me, but this whole ordeal had me spinning. I couldn’t find a way. I couldn’t see how I could—

One night with her. Was it too much to ask?

One night to fuel a lifetime of unhappiness. Could we…

I spun around, mind on fire with planning. The contents of the desk drawer shifted as I yanked it open. I muddled through the miscellaneous items until I found the card. I quickly wrote my cryptic message, stuffed it in the envelope, sealed it, and turned to face my cousin.

“I know my mother. She will have ordered the staff to report any mischief on my part. I can’t rely on them.” I extended the card toward him. “Can I rely on you, Cousin?” I held his stare. “Can Itrustyou?”

Ghosts of our past flitted over his face, like emotions playing in rapid succession. Others had foundations to build on, but we had a matter of weeks’ worth of shaky ground. But, in reality, he was all I had.

Tension gripped the envelope as he pinched it in his grip. “With your life, Your Highness.”

I nodded, hoping I was right. “Get it to her as quickly as you can. I pray she understands it. If possible, destroy it before anyone else sees it. We can’t risk it. If Mother finds out…” I couldn’t bear to imagine the consequences for the woman I loved.

His brow creased. “What does the note say?”

I shook my head. “It’s better if you don’t know.”

Bishop considered my words but asked nothing more. With a slight bow, he turned and headed for the door. Before he left, I offered one last bit of advice.

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