Page 50 of Cursed

Chapter Eighteen

The morning of the most important day in Edeena’s life wasn’t going according to plan. Less than an hour after she and Vince had arrived in their room the previous evening, a discreet knock had come at the door, and if the waiter had noticed that they both seemed freshly showered, he didn’t mention it.

Since then, she hadn’t been alone with Vince again, had only been alone herself when she’d slept, the bed offering no sanctuary anymore, as filled as it was with memories of Vince. So finally, after two solid days of lunches, brunches, dinner parties and musicales, she’d convinced the guard at her door . . . then at the front door of the palace . . . and then, finally, at the gate in the wall, that she simply wanted to go for a walk.

Alone. Without Vince, without an armed escort, alone.

And she’d made it all of thirty steps before a marginally familiar and yet completely unexpected voice had hailed her.

“Oh, my God! It’s Edeena, right? Edeena Saleri. How cool that you’re back. We just pulled in from France ourselves!”

Edeena turned to see Nicki Clark pounding up the pavement, the athletic all-American girl slowing to a jog as she rounded the corner. Nicki looked appropriately drenched from a run, her compact figure radiating heat despite the coolness of the Garronian morning.

“Are you going for a walk? That’s awesome. Mind if I join you for my cooldown?”

Edeena peered at her mistrustfully, but it was impossible to deny Nicki’s wide, happy grin. “I’m not moving anywhere nearly as fast as you were,” she said, indicating her walking shoes and long linen pants. “I only wanted to get some air.”

“That’s perfect!” Nicki fell into step with her as Edeena sighed, giving up on the total solitude she’d hoped for in this walk. In truth, though, she didn’t mind that much. As one of the four Americans who’d recently captured the hearts and minds of the first family—let alone the attention of half of Garronia and all of its press corps—Nicki was about as different from the rest of the castle’s occupants as she could get.

“When did you return?” Edeena asked as Nicki fiddled with her sports watch, logging her workout.

“Late last night—and by late, I mean no o’clock in the morning,” Nicki said. “Everyone else is dead to the world, but there was no way, no how Lauren was going to miss your ball tonight. She’s been Skyping with designers about dresses since the queen called us about it a few days ago.”

Edeena laughed, well imagining Lauren Grant, the most sophisticated of the foursome and the love of Dimitri Korba’s life, arranging an armored-truck full of dresses to be delivered for the Americans to try on over the course of the day. “Well, I hope she won’t be disappointed. Tonight’s ball won’t be that big of a deal.”

Nicki stared at her. “Are you nuts? It’s totally going to be a big deal. First, you pick your husband in a not-too-different way than Kristos was supposed to pick his bride-to-be a few months ago. Months. That’s like decades in royal gossip years. Then the queen decides to extend an open invitation to Garronois nobility and their friends and neighbors, making it easily the biggest ball of the year. Neither Fran nor Emmaline could miss that.”

“Friends and neighbors?” Edeena asked weakly. Setting aside the fact that Francesca was practically betrothed to Prince Aristotle and Emmaline was betrothed to Prince Kristos, it made sense that they would attend such a grand affair . . . but when had her engagement ball transformed into such a circus? “How will they fit them all?”

“They’re going to let everyone spill out into the open-air portion of the Visitors Palace, according to Emmaline,” Nicki said, practically bouncing on her toes. “I’ve had enough formal balls to last me for a lifetime, but dancing under the stars? That’s going to completely rock. I may even get Stefan to un-kink himself enough to smile.” She laughed brightly, and Edeena found herself grinning, too, thinking of the zealously expressionless ambassador. The four Americans had truly brought a breath of fresh air into the castle, and she certainly could understand that—her own Vince had blown into her life like a summer storm.

Her own Vince. Not so much hers, but he’d be there tonight, at least. She wouldn’t have to face her future alone. Not quite yet.

She and Nicki chatted all the way down to the center of town and Edeena’s favorite coffee shop, then sipped the dark heady brew as they made their way back to the castle. There was something uniquely perfect about Garronois coffee, Edeena had to admit. The country got many things right, and coffee was one of them.

Beside her, Nicki groaned. “I may have to move here simply because of the java,” she said, inhaling the rich aroma. Then she quirked Edeena a glance. “But your sisters aren’t here. Is that weird? Shouldn’t they be?”

“I asked them not to come. It’s a long flight, and if things don’t go right, I don’t want Silas badgering them to marry before they can flee the country again. Besides, they’re enjoying their time in America. They should continue to get their bearings there.”

Nicki made a face. “I thought my mom was obnoxious. Your dad totally has her beaten. Has he been insane to you this week?”

Edeena smiled ruefully. “He’s not been around for most of it, thankfully. His new wife is giving birth anytime now, and she’s been having a hard time of it. He’s refused to let anyone from his side of the family see her, other than the queen by royal command, but I think she’ll be okay. He’s been taking it hard, though.” She shrugged. “Hard enough that he’s only had time to accost me once a day with sharp suggestions about his recommendations on my husband.”

“Girl, that is still so weird.”

Nicki’s frank assessment of Edeena’s family dynamic made her burst out laughing, and she shook her head. “Weird, it definitely is. But it’s law, and no one has seen fit to change it because, well, it generally doesn’t get enforced. And in Garronia, we’re a little nostalgic about all our old, ridiculous laws.”

Nicki snorted. “Which is all well and good until one of them ruins your life.”

Edeena didn’t have an answer to that. They finished their walk in silence, and when she stepped back inside the courtyard of the castle grounds with Nicki, she didn’t miss the American’s quick glance around the space.

“You were sent to babysit me, weren’t you,” Edeena said flatly, and Nicki shot her a quick smile, then shrugged.

“Eh, I was out anyway, and you created a small firestorm with your determined march out of the castle. They care about you, want you to be safe. But they also seem to think you’re at your breaking point. I can totally relate to that.”

“Well, thank you. I think they worry too much.”

To her surprise, Nicki chuckled softly, her expression softening. “I think we all tend to worry too much, only not about the right things. You’re more worried than you should be about your family, but not about yourself. This curse or whatever is laid on the Saleris has existed for several hundred years, right? Why does it need to be solved in your lifetime?”

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