Page 23 of The Prince's Wife

"What is your personal favorite?"

"I'll show you," Aradishir replied, and led the way over a footbridge until they came to a pond filled with fish and scattered with water lilies in all manner of hues, from softest pink to sunset orange to evening lavender. "These. Difficult to obtain, even for a spoiled prince."

"They're lovely. My…friend…would love them. He studies plants for a living, though mostly he focuses on herbs. He keeps flowers, though, in his little room above a butcher shop."

"Friend?" Aradishir asked gently.

She smiled sadly. "Yes. I would like to propose marriage, but he would refuse, always insisting he's not good enough. Spoiled rich girl, humble poor boy, a story older than time."

"I believe we listened to a ballad on that subject just last night at dinner," Aradishir said wryly. "I hope your tale turns out better than it did."

"One hopes."

"Come, you've given me plenty to work with, and it's heartening to have an ally at last in this fight. I'm sure you'd like to be on your way."

She laughed. "I am hardly going to complain about being permitted to tour your family's beautiful gardens. I am most honored, Your Highness. I hope I can continue to be of use."

"Don't worry, I will have plenty of work for you soon," Aradishir replied with a laugh. As they reached the entrance hall, he motioned to nearby guards. "See that Lady Kubra makes it home safely, would you, please?"

The two guards bowed. "Of course, Your Highness."

"Thank you. Lady Kubra, I bid you good evening."

"Your Highness."

Once she was gone from sight, Aradishir headed for his rooms, Javed at his side. "I would like to know more about her friend."

"I'll see it attended once you're safely back in your rooms," Javed said. "I'm glad she's nothing like her father."

"I suppose she could be playing an intricate game of her own, but she didn't strike me as conniving. Clever, strategizing, but not conniving."

Javed took his hand, tangling their fingers together and kissing the back of Aradishir's. "You have an instinct for these things, my prince. If you didn't, I do not think we would have a former thief in our midst."

"I am never living that down," Aradishir said with a sigh, smiling the whole time. "I think I want a nap before dinner; I feel that it's going to be a very long banquet."

Especially since he would have to watch Bakhtiar and Relanya together, but he didn't have the energy to brood on that for the moment.

"A nap sounds just the thing," Javed replied, and dragged him straight to bed the moment they reached his chambers.

Chapter Eleven

When Aradishir woke a few hours later, however, it was to a summons from his mother to attend her before dinner. Which was…one hour away. Damn it. "You should have woken me."

"It won't take long to dress you, we have everything ready," Merza said, dragging him out of bed, kissing him quick and hard, and then dragging him off to wash up. Once he was clean, Heydar and Javed got him dressed quickly, precisely as promised. His clothes were forest green with black and gold embroidery, with gold and jade jewelry, his hair woven into fancy braids that were woven together and pinned up.

"Did my mother give any indication what she wanted to talk to me about?"

"Unfortunately not, though the messenger hinted it might have to do with Her Highness."

Dread knotted Aradishir's stomach. His mother had noticed he was smitten and was going to give him a dressing down. Wonderful. He just loved being utterly and completely humiliated right before he had to go and be in public all night.

"Shir, why do you suddenly look like you're going to your funeral?"

Aradishir just shook his head, not certain he could voice his fears without completely falling apart. Maybe his mother would excuse him from dinner after she was done reprimanding him. A reprimanding he deserved, but that wouldn't make it hurt less.

The walk down the hall to his mother's chambers was both the longest and shortest walk he'd ever made. He nodded tothe guards, who knocked for him—and the doors opened almost immediately, as though Tasha, one of his mother's concubines, had been waiting right there by them. "Shir, come in, come in. I was about to come find you."

"I'm sorry, I was asleep and my concubines were too kind to wake me."

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