Page 67 of Desperately Yours

The width of the door pressed the folds of my dress inward as I slipped inside. I closed the door without a sound and locked it immediately, too nervous that I would alert someone to my presence. After everything I’d gone through, I wasn’t about to end this too early. I tossed my dress on the bed and stared,wishing I had Bishop at least to bounce a few ideas off of but I was alone.

“Quickly!” The voice outside my chambers brought my head around. “The wedding starts shortly. She must be dressed and ready within twenty minutes.”

Footfalls passed my door quickly, leaving me unbothered, but deeply concerned.

The wedding?Fitz was going to marry Sadie after all? Seeing the dresses in her chambers had hinted at the thought but knowing it would happen before the end of the hour, that was an entirely different reason to panic.

I looked down at my clothes. The tight black pants had served me well in my expedition, but the shirt and pants combo had taken a beating. I didn’t even want to look at my face.

Time wasn’t on my side, but if I was going to crash a royal wedding, I wasn’t showing up underdressed. I stripped quickly, all the while keeping my attention focused on the hall outside. If I could get done before Sadie even made it back downstairs, perhaps I could stop the wedding before it had a chance to start.

I smoothed my hands over my bodice, adjusted the angled sleeves to rest against the apex of my shoulders, and risked a glance in the long mirror that rested against the wall. My hair was a mess, windswept from the chilling gusts that had tried to knock me from the ledges outside. Bruises mottled my arms and face. A cut above my eye had bled at some point, but in all my rushing, I hadn’t noticed it. I certainly didn’t look like a princess to be, at least not the kind of princess they expected. But my mind wandered back to the origin story of Queen Nolcola and her plight to save the kingdom. Surely, as she called on every force imaginable to save the man she loved, she didn’t look the part either. Battle worn, exhausted, bruised and battered, that didn’t stop her from her quest.

And it wouldn’t stop me from mine.

I jammed what I needed into the hidden pockets of my gown. New shouts came from the hallway, closer to the sounds I’d been hearing in my escape. The rate of my heart increased. I gripped my skirts and rushed to the bookcase for one last interlude in the mysterious tunnels that connected every room in the palace. The rough texture of the bronze frog felt like an old friend as I gripped it.

“In here!” The door rattled as they tried to enter. “Keys! Now!”

Confusion increased as the call resonated through the guards outside. The latch on the bookcase released and the entry popped back as it had every other time.

“Get Kabir! He’ll want in here first!”

My heart squeezed at the sound of my guard’s name. Through everything, I hadn’t let myself think about the truth for very long, but if the guards were out for me, it was likely they followed Kabir’s command. Emotion stung my eyes as I tried to shake off the betrayal. What I had seen as careful protection, a vow made to his prince to keep me safe, was actually a warden keeping a weathered eye on his prisoner, likely by order of the queen.

I slipped inside the tunnel and pulled the bookcase shut. The locking mechanism clicked into place. My foot bumped against the lantern Fitz had left for me. I was finally safe again, at least for the moment. By the time they opened the door, no trace of my escape would exist.

Picking up the lantern, I smiled at a simple truth. I was free to move about the palace as I saw fit.

Fitz

I adjusted the hunter-green sash across my chest for what felt like the thousandth time. I’d stalled for as long as I could. I’d learned whatever truths were available, and yet I was still standing on what felt like the site of my execution. The priest clapped his hand over my shoulder, something reassuring for the young groom about to be made king.

“Jitters are normal, Your Highness. Your father would be proud.”

I clenched my jaw. Whether the priest was right or not didn’t matter to me. I didn’t want to go through with this. All my hope rested on something upending the entire event. I stared over the ballroom, sickened at the sight.

In a matter of minutes, the ball had ended, guests were informed of our new intent, and rows of chairs had appeared as well as the entire filming crew ofRoyally… Yours. Guests took their seats, chatter rose to a hum, and all eyes watched me, the Crown Prince, about to step into his role as the ruler of the country. I thought pushing the wedding would do more to buy me time, but I feared I triggered the start of my mother’s master plan instead. How else would everything be ready and waiting? This was her intent from the start, and I’d walked into it unwittingly.

A door to my left ripped back and I spun to face it. Disappointment that it wasn’t Michaela was drowned out as I saw Bishop and Kabir pull through and head directly for me. By the haggard look on my cousin’s face, I didn’t expect much to liftmy spirits. He drew in close to keep his volume low. “We didn’t find her.”

“Obviously,” I snapped, my nerves raw from the evening’s proceedings. “Do you have any news at all?”

Kabir and Bishop exchanged a look and Kabir nodded as if to give permission. Bishop inhaled slowly and carefully picked his words. “We know shewasin the tower. We found evidence of her there, but,” pain clouded his expression before he forced himself to continue, “it looks as though she went out the window.”

“But,” my mouth went dry, “that’s a seventy-foot drop at best.”

“Good heavens,” Reginald breathed the words out from my left, “a lady on the ledge. To think it.”

Here I was concerned about her falling to her death and my advisor was stuck on the optics of the situation. “Bridle your sensibilities, Reg,” I urged. “There is more at stake here than how she would be perceived if seen.” I exhaled slowly through my nose, carefully maintaining control of my emotions. “But this means she’s still here, at the palace somewhere, yes?”

Bishop looked again to Kabir, this time eyes pleading for him to deliver the news. My guard nodded once and took up the task. “The roofing on the neighboring incline was damaged. We couldn’t see them closely from any angle, but the broken pieces appear consistent with a fall.”

My stomach clenched as if Kabir had grabbed and squeezed until I could no longer breathe. The room swayed. I clenched my jaw and fought what logic demanded I face. “But there’s no body?” The final word squeaked out of me, a betrayal to call her less than what she was.

“Not yet, Sire,” Kabir answered.

“Don’t call me that.” Irrational anger rose in my chest. “I’m not king yet. I still have time. I’ll figure this out. I’ll—”

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