Page 29 of Wickedly Ever After
“Don’t go to dinner with that gnome.”
“Is that an order?”
She turned toward him, frowning. “Call it a premonition. I feel it’s wrong for you and possibly wrong for him.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”
She sighed. “Well, I’m coming home at halftime. I don’t want you here all alone when things don’t work out.”
Hari smiled. “You won’t. The Rogues are going to win and you’ll want to celebrate.”
“You are more important to me than a game.”
“Are you sure you’re not sick or something?” Hari scoffed. “You’re going to be late.”
Way too late. If she’d been on time, she could’ve stopped Hari from ever sending his first letter to Hector’s gnome: Tinbit. What a ridiculous name. Probably Hector gave it to him when he was a gnomelet, a moniker to make him feel subservient. That would be properly wicked.
***
But as she walked beside Hector now, almost the same way Tinbit had walked with him last night, she wondered. He hadn’t quite sounded like an evil overlord conversing with his henchman. He sounded more like her when she talked with Hari. Yes, Hari was her manservant, but she never called him that, never thought of him that way, never wanted him to feel anything less than her equal. And he’d more than equally told her to mind her own business when it came to his love life. Had Tinbit done the same to Hector?
Maybe she was wrong. Hector might not have set this up. He might be as much in the dark as she had been. Things like that could happen, particularly when the blasted Fates got involved. Perhaps she should pull him aside, and just ask…
“Where were you last night?” she asked. “You weren’t at the Prince’s Dinner.”
“I didn’t feel well.”
“That makes what? Zero dinners you’ve attended in forever? You might at least try to show some enthusiasm.”
“That’s your part of the magic, not mine. Love potions—ugh. Never touched the things, even when they weren’t illegal.”
“Clearly,” she jabbed. Time to test her suspicion. “Where exactly are you staying?” she asked, innocently. “Mage Suites was closed, or so I heard.”
“The Golden Dragon.”
“I didn’t see you arrive.”
“I came a little early to settle in.”
“Travelled alone, did you?”
“Not this time,” he said. “My butler came with me. He had something he wanted to do in town.”
So Tinbit was his butler. Not a henchman at all then. That explained the deference. Hector probably didn’t want to be prematurely poisoned.
She forced a smile. “What a coincidence. I brought my manservant, Hari, with me. But you know I usually do. I enjoy company, unlike you.”
“I don’t dislike company,” he said. “Only present company. Excuse me.” He sailed off with Rupert as Annabeth pounced.
“Ida! Idaidaidaidaida—my dear, Ida! Isn’t this the most delish?” She wrapped her arm around Ida’s waist and pulled her forward into the crush of evening gowns.Evening gowns at a sporting event? What on earth?Ida straightened her jersey, glad Hari had insisted on silk pants and sequined flats. She’d have preferred khaki shorts and a low-slung sandal, as spring was so warm in the capital city. Meanwhile, Hector strutted around in that ancient jersey and equally ancient pants, carrying an ancient staff, and somehow he managed to look more put together than anyone there. It was the way he carried himself, wearing that aura of dangerous magic like robes—perfectly poised. He hadn’t even flinched when she mentioned Hari’s name.
“Let me take you away from that horrid Hector,” Annabeth said, sticking out her tongue in Rupert’s direction. “You come with me. I’m just dying to hear about this Common Princess and how you came to pick her for my son. TheStarsays you wentagainst committee to do it, you naughty thing, but then you were never one for rules, always said you’d do exactly the right thing no matter what, you’re such a rebel, and—”
Amazing. Annabeth didn’t seem to need to breathe. Ida let herself be swept into the well-dressed crowd of socialites.
“So tell me, darling, what is the deal with this girl?” Annabeth popped a pastry in her mouth, but she didn’t stop talking. “Won’t come to tea, won’t come to the gown fitting for Happily-Ever-After, you should see the dress I’ve picked out, it’s absolutely dreadful, I’m not going to just take rudeness from my future daughter-in-law, I plan to spit in her eye, I mean Happily-Ever-After doesn’t apply to mothers-in-law, does it? Oh, wait until the wedding reception, Ida, I ordered red-hot dancing slippers for her, I plan to take her shopping before the big day, I can’t wait to see her howling all over her smug little face when she puts them on, don’t worry, I’m blaming an evil fairy…”
Ida pasted a pleasant smile on her face and tried to focus on Annabeth’s endless prattle. She might be worried for nothing. Tinbit was likely to be like Hector—acerbic to the point of absolute acidity, evil to the bone, and far more likely to break a person’s heart than carry it off with him on a white horse. Tinbit would stand Hari up. Hari would be inconsolable. Surely Hector wouldn’t let it go further than that. Afterward, she’d sympathize with Hari, soothe him. She’d tell him that he was lucky he’d not lost his heart to someone so wicked and it would all be fine.
