Page 38 of Joined By Magic

Grace smiled with thin lips. “Of course. Wouldn’t miss it.” She fastened her gaze on me. “I’m surprised you’re willing to show your face, though. Thought you’d be too ashamed. Will he sign it, do you think?”

I swallowed. Sign what? Could I bluff my way through this? No. It would be obvious. “I’m not sure what you mean?”

Grace and Anita exchanged a look. “The ultimatum, of course.”

I let out a breath to hide my frustration. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain it to me.”

“The Assembly’s ultimatum regarding you . . . That he’ll never marry you, never legitimize your arrangement. That you’ll keep the title of consort for as long as you’re with him.”

Cold horror chilled me. Why hadn’t Leo told me? Keep the title of consort? No. He wouldn’t agree to it. But then, why hide it?

Grace’s smile widened at my reaction. “I told you she wouldn’t know,” she said to Anita. “It makes sense now.”

“I think you’re right.” Anita watched with vulpine curiosity.

“What makes sense?” I blurted.

Satisfaction radiated from Grace. “The reason Leo’s decided to hang on to you. It must suit him down to the ground. He gets the advantages”—she slid her eyes over my body—“of a wife, with none of the drawbacks. He doesn’t have to care about your opinion. You have no money, no family, no resources of your own. You can’t leave him. For a control freak like him, I can see the appeal.”

Her words struck home like gunshots, a clanging echo of my deepest fears. I did depend on Leo for everything, I couldn’t deny it. I’d placed myself in that position when I’d rejected Hex’s offer and chosen to stay with him. Money had ceased to exist. If I needed something, a call made it appear. If I wanted to go somewhere, I arranged it with the palace. But everything, every single bit of it, happened at Leo’s say so.

In bed, Leo called me his plaything. A toy for his pleasure. My blood ran hot at the words, and I gave myself over to the role. But I wanted his respect too. For him to treat me as an equal who had a say in decisions. Especially when they concerned me.

I shook off the thoughts and focused on Grace. Hex would have slapped the smug expression off the woman’s face already; I just tried to recover some dignity.

“Our relationship is none of your business.”

Grace rolled her eyes. “You’re so naive. Your so-called relationship is everyone’s business for as long as he keeps you around. Get used to it.”

“That’s enough,” Celia snapped. “I’ll see both of you tomorrow.”

Grace and Anita shared one more amused look, then drifted away.

My heart pounded. The restaurant suddenly felt too warm. Claustrophobic.

Celia touched my shoulder. “I’m sorry about them. I assumed Leo would have told you about this already, or I’d have warned you.” Her face creased into a sympathetic frown. “Just give me a moment to make a call and I’ll accompany you back to the palace.”

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

“Please, I insist.”

How could I argue with that? I forced a smile and nodded. Celia’s small kindness was enough to make me feel like crying. What the hell?

Toughen the fuck up, Liv.

Celia spared me the effort of delving for conversation topics on the drive home by keeping up a steady stream of chitchat. I smiled and responded, keeping up the pretense, while my brain ran over and over the possible reasons Leo had kept the Assembly’s ultimatum a secret. None were good. Either he saw me as too fragile to handle the news, or he was considering it and didn’t want me to find out. It all pointed to a lack of belief in my abilities.

And this surprises you?

The thought slipped up from the part of me I tried to keep locked down. The part that wondered if I was as big a fool as everyone seemed to think. Leo loved me, I didn’t doubt that. But was it enough?

As we pulled through the palace gates, gloom settled over me. I should call Leo, but I couldn’t face it yet. I had to prepare to hold on to my anger and not get twisted up in his words.

“Let’s take a stroll.” Celia threw me another lifeline. “I’m stuffed after all that food, and my thighs won’t thank me if I sit on my sofa. A brisk walk will do us both good.”

“That’s a great idea.” We exited the car. I waved at Damien and received an answering thumbs up in response as he pulled away. Our shoes crunched on the gravel as we set off along the path, past the ornamental fountain, and onwards, into the shadows of the wooded section of the grounds. My heels dug in, but I pressed on, breathing in the resinous scent.

“I usually jog around here,” I said. “I don’t really stroll and just look.” A large black bird came to rest in a tree as I watched.

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