Page 111 of Bride of the Midnight Prince

It’s not a question.

Sweat glistens on Agatha’s brow, her perfect hair falling out of its careful arrangement. I’ve never seen her so disheveled. “Yes, Lord Rahk, I’m afraid she is. Please forgive the deception. We could not find her, and we knew she would have wanted to accept your proposal of marriage, so we concocted the deception to keep both of you happy.”

I want to snarl at her. Howdareshe? Howdareshe try to—

“I will marry her.”

Rahk’s voice brings all my thoughts to a sudden and shocking halt. My attention whips to him, but he still refuses to look at me. His fingers dig into my shoulders.

“I will accept the terms of the proposal,” continues Rahk, “on two conditions.”

Agatha’s neck cranes, a note of surprised optimism entering her voice. “Yes?”

“First, that one of my servants inspects her today and the day of the wedding, to ensure she is an unblemished virgin.”

Unblemished virgin?

My whole body goes hot with anger at the humiliation of those words. IsthisRahk’s most important quality in a wife? What happened to our conversation last night, when he said he would be thinking of the bride’s comfort in the arrangement? Instead, he bargains for me like chattel!

“And second,” Rahk says, “the wedding will be moved to tomorrow.”

Chapter 33

Rahk

Katgoesrigidfora second time beneath my grip. Meanwhile, Lady Duxbury Vandermore says immediately, “Deal.” She’s afraid I’ll rescind my word. She’s afraid I’ll realize how she has supposedlyfooledme.

My world has narrowed to what is right before me. The Ivy Mask, the blood oath sealed with Pavi’s life, Ash’s task, the Faerieland border—all of it is gone. Even Kat’s own feelings don’t matter, much less the reasons for her deception.

I just have to get her out of here.

I will deal with the repercussions later. I will deal with my own simmering fury later. I will get answers later. And I will endlessly regret my choice not to force Kat’s hand about her disguise—later.

Right now, there is room for one truth: I vowed to protect Kat, and for whatever unknown reason, she is not safe with her stepfamily.

“Let us go sign the papers at once,” I say.

“Yes, of course,” says Lady Duxbury Vandermore.

The daughter who is most definitelynotLady Vandermore says nothing. She hangs back, glancing with something akin to guilt between Kat and her mother. Every now and then, she braves a glance at me when she thinks I’m not looking. As we step into the house, she promptly disappears, and I am glad for it. I know a coward when I see one.

As we sign the marriage contract, Kat is a silent witness to the purchasing of her future. I keep one hand on her. I do not know which I fear more: her running away again or handing her over to her stepfamily.

When at last I can delay no longer, I pry my fingers off her, sketch a bow, and force myself to leave without her.

Sunlight streams across my face as I storm to the carriage. I dare not look back. The footman hurries to open the carriage door for me, but I beat him to it and barely keep myself from slamming it behind me.

Once I’m safely ensconced in the privacy of drawn curtains and rattling horse hooves, I bury my face in my hands and groan.

“Why didn’t she tell me?” I growl under my breath. “If she had justtoldme, I could have kept her safe, away from her stepmother. I wouldn’t have had to resort . . . tothis!”

What am I going to do now? I can’t be married! What am I supposed to do with a wife? It’s not as if I can bring her back with me to Nothril! Do I leave her here when I return to Faerieland? If I do, will I have to visit her?

One thing is clear: I cannot marry her my people’s way.

Carriage wheels on cobblestone fill the silence as my thoughts storm through my mind.

No matter what way I view this from, it is a disaster of colossal proportions. I should have handed Kat over, rescinded my intention to marry as I’d planned, andleft. That is what I should have done.

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