Page 87 of His Unforgettable Bride
Juliet reached for the pudding tureen and sampled a delicious bite. “I told the sisters about my past. They reminded me God loves me as I am.”
The intensity of Gray’s stare sent her stomach spinning. “How true. That leads to my second point, my lesson, if you will,” he said. “I made a monumental mistake when I left before explaining my relationship with Faith.”
“Your intended?”
“My temporary intended. She and my brother loved each other fiercely. After his death, my parents moved me into the groom role.”
“Without your permission?”
“That is how my world works back home. But rest assured, I intend to break our betrothal as soon as I arrive in Bascandy.”
Was ending a royal engagement that simple? Juliet suspected not. “But if the King has decreed the wedding, is that not an unbreakable contract?”
Gray’s eye twitched before he drew a deep breath. “Unfortunately, when I was in Victoria, I learned my father has also died.”
“Oh, Gray.” She reached for him and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. First, he’d learned of his brother’s unexpected death. Then he waded through his amnesia, and now this. What an onslaught of woes in a short span. “I am immensely sorry for your loss. You must be eager to return to your family.”
“It is complicated.” With one final squeeze, he broke their embrace to capture her hands and held them tight against his chest. “Now that my father is deceased, I am no longer Prince Henry. I am King Henry.”
“King?” The word carried a stuffy, unrelatable ring. Rulers belonged in fairy tales and the Bible, not sitting on the library floor, for heaven’s sake.
“I am heir to a throne I never wanted. More than anything, I long to propose marriage to you, but alas, it is impossible until I break my engagement.
Juliet fought the urge to nibble her fingernail. But it wasn’t ladylike, and someone had hold of her hands. “By refusing Faith, you’ll go against your parents’ wishes.”
“I believe Mother shall change her mind after meeting you.”
“Meets me?” Juliet’s voice squeaked. Had she ever had more questions arrowing through her thoughts than now? Granted, Gray’s royal world was more foreign to her than a pickle fork on the day she first arrived in Everly. “Is she nearby?”
“No, but I propose you travel to Bascandy with me to meet my family. I shall talk to Faith and explain the situation. Afterward, you and I shall wed if that is agreeable.”
She released his hands and clutched a handful of skirt. Could she believe Gray had her best interest at heart? A tiny voice inside her whispered no, that eventually he would tire of her and reject or leave her.
“I see your hesitation. It is not unheard of for an heir apparent to abdicate and give up the throne for one reason or another. Perhaps that is what I should do.”
Juliet’s chest grew tighter than a wedding band one size too small. Not in a million years would she allow him to make a sacrifice that impacted an entire kingdom. He’d make an ideal ruler with his innate kindness, strength, and intelligence. “Absolutely not. Bascandy needs you, and you’ll be a wonderful King.”
“Thank you, and perhaps.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Does that mean you have agreed to come with?”
Her heart thumped wildly. Was she truly considering traveling abroad with him? Was she a mad woman? “When would we leave?”
“After we round up a few of my men who still search for me. However, they shall return on another ship if we do not find them soon.”
Juliet’s thoughts continued to leap back and forth and sideways. Not for a second did she yearn to become a queen who resided in a palace while others scraped to exist. Also, being judged for the rest of her life soured her stomach.
But she had to push past her fears, take this next step, and finally let herself dream of having more in her life. Because the truth was, she didn’t want to live without Gray for a fraction of a second if the possibility of a life together existed.
Maybe, and hopefully, she could help minister to the downtrodden in Bascandy one day. Less fortunate folks lived everywhere in the world, didn’t they? She’d be a fool to turn down the opportunity, especially with Gray at her side.
And yes, she needed to start thinking of him as, and calling him, Henry. Because that’s who he really was, and that’s the life she would have to accept for him and for them.
He ran his finger over her wrist, stirring up an explosion of tingles inside her. “What are you thinking?”
To kiss him until their troubles faded was one idea. Instead, she drew a sharp intake of breath. “If I travel with you, I have three conditions. First, I’d like to seek guidance from my bride-ship friends.”
“A perfectly reasonable request. What else?”
“While your engagement remains intact, you and I won’t share intimacies.”
