Page 46 of Bride of the Midnight Prince

“That is enough,” he declares.

I pull my hands back as fast as I can and step backward, putting distance between us. “How else may I serve you?” I don’t look at him for fear my discomfort will be plain on my features.

He swings his feet to the ground, sitting upright and gripping the edge of the mattress in either hand. I keep my gaze stubbornly downcast, so I do not know whether he studies me or if his own finds elsewhere to lodge. “For someone unskilled, you did fine work.”

His praise catches me off-guard. Still, I refuse to look at him. I bow. “I am honored to please you.”

He gives a dry snort, and now I can feel his attention settle on me. “Look at you. A rebel if ever I saw one, yet so tame and restrained. You were not exaggerating when you said you were a fast learner and would say fewer foolish things.”

My blood simmers beneath my skin, but I won’t open my mouth and ruin my progress.

“You must want this position very much. Pray, what is it, Nat, that makes you work so hard to overcome your deficiencies?”

Claiming my fortune and maintaining my independence.“I want to keep this position, my lord.”

“But why?”

I shift my weight uneasily between my feet. “Because I need it.”

“And why is that?”

“I . . . I cannot get another, Master. Since this is my first situation, no one will hire me until I’ve worked one place for several months without being dismissed.”

He leans forward, his forearms resting on his knees. “Why would that be so bad?”

Is he seriously asking this question? I’ve already told him why. “Because Mary and I need money, and I’ve got to start pulling my own weight. I cannot ask her to keep giving everything for me.”

“You wouldn’t starve, though?”

“If something happened to Mary, then yes!” I cry. I just want to leave this room, eat my supper to quell the shaking in my exhausted limbs, and go to sleep. I don’t know what games he’s playing with me today or what is behind these questions, so I voice the fear I’ve carried all day. “Do you want to dismiss me, my lord?”

My question hangs in the air. He props his chin up on one fist. I stand where I am, waiting like my life depends on his next words.

“If I dismissed you, I wouldn’t have anyone to play Fool’s Circle with,” he replies coolly.

Not an answer.

I exhale through my gritted teeth. “I have many more tasks to finish before sundown. Do you wish me to stay, or may I go finish them?”

“You may go.”

I whirl on my heel and march out of the room, barely keeping myself from slamming the door behind me. He is playing with me, and I hate it. It’s his cruel fae nature, his Nothril blood, that makes him torment me so mercilessly. He knows this position is hard for me, and he is trying to see how far he can push me before I break and release my own spitfire nature.

I won’t give him that satisfaction. I won’t let him see how close I am to snapping in half and railing at him for being the reason my mother died.

I throw myself into my work, disregarding my own exhaustion. The prince mercifully takes his supper in the dining room. Edvear serves him and I hide in the kitchen, eating and flinching every time the steward enters for fear he’ll tell me the prince requires my service. Then, the moment I’m finished, I throw caution to the wind and go outside instead of remaining available. I stalk to the creek and let the cover of trees hide me from the windows of the estate.

Crouching beside the bubbling water, I stick my fingers into its frigid shallows. Then I flop onto the bank and stare up at the golden cast boughs.

Hiding here could cost me my position, but I decide to rely on the prince’s parting words. If he dismisses me, who else can he torment? I pick up a twig, snap it in half, and hurl it into the water. What I would give to go back to working for Mrs. Banks!

“You’re not going to let him beat you,” I growl up at the treetops. I savor the flare of rebellion that keeps me planted where I am instead of returning inside. “You’renotgoing to let him beat you. You’re going to be the perfect servant. You’re not going to react. You’re not going to run your mouth. You’re not going to vent your anger in front of him. The more controlled you are, the less interest he will have in tormenting you. You’re going to keep this position until you can safely leave and claim your fortune.”

The day after tomorrow will bring relief. The prince has his ball, and I have a raid. It’ll take me out of this situation and remind me of all the reasons I put up with him.

I stay where I am, watching the sun go down.

Then, the sound I dread comes ringing across the distance. “Nat! Nat! Come at once! The master summons you!”

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