Page 112 of The Artist
Khan and Pearl exchanged one of their glances before he answered me. “Pearl believes in sticking to the truth, so we found a compromise compared to the version I wanted to tell. We’ll tell them that during this summit, there was an awful avalanche that buried Belle alive. You saved her and the two of you fell in love. Everyone in the Northlands loves a good story of a hero saving a woman. Then we’ll say that the French were upset and wanted Belle to come home. Thor successfully negotiated with them and when they asked for help to clean up their lands, Indiana and Aubri heroically volunteered.”
Magni nodded. “Remember to add that the French are grateful for the help and impressed by my daughter’s superiority.”
“What about Indiana?” Freya asked.
Magni frowned. “He always knew she was special.”
“No, I mean aren’t the French impressed with him as well?”
“Sure.” Magni tapped Khan’s shoulder. “The French are impressed with both of them.”
My mom, who was sitting next to Khan, said, “You should add that once Aubri returns we’ll celebrate the marriage of Belle and Mason, who have been wedded in a quiet ceremony with the closest family.”
“I will. And then I’ll make sure that the news spreads the rumor that Thor is falling in love with a lovely Northlander woman.”
“That’s a lie,” Freya pointed out.
“More like wishful thinking,” Khan defended himself in a low mutter. “We’re throwing the traditionalists a bone, that’s all.”
“The reporters will be all over Thor.”
“He’ll handle them. He always does.”
“But Dad…”
Khan threw a dismissive wave of his hand. “We all have to make sacrifices. I’m not forcing him to marry anyone. It’s just a small rumor that won’t hurt him.”
While the others kept talking, my mom came over to Belle and me. Smiling, she reached out her hand to Belle.
“This must all seem maddening to you, and I regret that we haven’t been in a state of mind to properly welcome you to our family.”
Belle smiled back but I could tell she was nervous. “I understand. I wish there was something I could do.”
“Yes, I think we all feel that way.” My mom looked back at my father, who came to join us. “I was just welcoming Belle to our family and telling her how sorry we are for the messy situation.”
My father held on to my shoulder but kept his gaze on Belle. “If you have any trouble with him, don’t hesitate to come to Laura and me. Mason has my temper and his mother’s stubbornness so living with him won’t be easy.”
“Or boring,” my mother added with a small wink.
“I’m not perfect either,” Belle said with a cute smile and squeezed my hand.
My mom’s smile widened. “How about you and I take a look at a simple wedding dress for the small ceremony? You can always go all out for the big celebration this summer.”
When Belle nodded in agreement, my mother asked Pearl and Freya if they wanted to join them.
“I know nothing about wedding dresses, but I’ll come for the company,” Pearl declared while Freya sighed and muttered,
“Sure, I’ll go look at wedding dresses, as long as no one asks me to wear one.”
CHAPTER 31
The Last Chapter
Belle
All my life I’ve worn bright-colored clothing. And yet, I never felt that I stood out as much as when I wore my beautiful white wedding dress.
Everyone’s faces softened when they saw me, even Magni and Khan.
