Page 70 of Disenchanted
I had the satisfaction of seeing his rigid composure crack. “Ella…”
“Oh, so you do remember who I am.”
“Of course, I do,” he burst out. “How could you believe I would ever forget you?”
“Very easily, because that is exactly what you did.”
“Never! I—” He stumbled, nearly treading on the hem of my gown. As he regained his footing in the dance, he struggled to regain command of himself as well. I thought he meant to lapse back into his morose silence, but after a moment, he said, “How have you been?”
Seriously? He had the gall to ask me that? I glared at him, torn between the urge to blister him with reproaches and the equally strong desire to appear icily indifferent.
“Wonderful,” I said, baring my teeth in a smile. “Just wonderful.”
“Good.” He ventured a tentative smile in return. “You appear in excellent health.”
“Oh, I am. Well enough except—”
“Except for what?”
“I don’t seem to have ever recovered from the chill I took the night I spent on a hillside. All alone in the dark, waiting and waiting for someone who never came, who never sent one word of apology or explanation, who made me believe he loved me and then just abandoned me.”
So much for icy indifference. I checked myself before my voice rose loud enough to attract the attention of the other dancers. I became aware that Harper and I— I mean, the prince and I were already drawing some curious looks.
Ryland only made matters worse when he came to an abrupt halt, clasping my hand. “Ella, I never wanted to hurt you. I could never make you understand how sorry I am.”
“You never even tried! You couldn’t even be bothered to send me a note. You just disappeared. You could have been dead for all I knew. Then I started hearing these rumors about a minstrel traveling through other kingdoms seducing young maidens with his beautiful voice.”
“That was not me, Ella.”
“Oh no, of course it wasn’t. I forgot. You are Ryland, the brave questing prince. You have spent the last seven years slaying dragons.” I sneered. “Dragons! What a load of frap! The only thing you have been assailing are the hearts of other gullible, trusting fools like me.”
“That is not true. There has never been anyone but you. I have not even touched my lute since I last saw you. When I had to leave you, all the music died.”
I gave an outraged gasp. How dare he claim that? How dare this perfidious prince stand there looking at me with Harper’s eyes, all sad and sincere?
I wrenched away from him. In another moment, I was either going to burst into tears or punch him. Considering it was now a crime to faint in front of a prince, I could not imagine how severe the punishment would be for giving one a bloody nose.
Ignoring the startled looks of the other dancers, I fought my way across the floor, treading on toes and blundering into people. I realized I was drawing the exact kind of attention I had wanted to avoid, not good for someone who later hoped to slip away unnoticed to plunder the king’s treasury. I didn’t care. I rushed onward, seeking any avenue of escape.
I found it in a set of imposing glass-paned double doors that led out onto a small balcony. I hurled myself through them, grateful to find the refuge deserted. I pulled the door firmly closed behind me, shutting out the noisy hum of voices and music emanating from the ballroom. Annoyed to discover that I was trembling, I rested my hands on the stone balustrade. I drew in deep breaths of the warm night air, seeking to calm myself.
The balcony overlooked the rear gardens of the palace, and I would have found the lush floral arrangements and the burbling fountains soothing to my turbulent emotions. But several of the palace guards prowled the moonlit paths with those eerie aura beasts straining at their leashes.
I wondered if they were still searching for Delphine and hoped that she was far away from here by now, more for my sake than hers. I dreaded the thought that she might yet find a way inside the castle and appear at my side to hiss more threats.
When someone crept up behind me to rest a hand on my shoulder, I nearly leapt over the balustrade. My heart hammering, I whirled around, only to discover that Ryland had been foolish enough to follow me.
“Ella are you all right?” he asked me in that tender tone I remembered all too well.
Was I all right? I wanted to shriek. Did this man have no sense of self-preservation? Obviously, he did not if he had spent the last seven years hunting dragons.
“Go away.” I shrugged his hand off my shoulder.
He regarded me mournfully. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not? You managed perfectly well seven years ago.”
“And you will never know how much I regretted that, how strong I had to be to abandon you. It was like cutting out my own heart. I— oh, Ella!” He gave an agonized groan.
