Page 6 of Lost Starlight
“Yes, for you know the ocean took my father, brother, and sister. So from time to time, I become angry at the sea.”
“Was it not Ancient Draken who took them?” I asked.
“Well, perhaps, technically, yes; however, I cannot yell athim,” he said, giving me a wink, and I gasped. He was acting incredibly informal.
Men should not wink at a lady who is not family or a close friend.Mother’s scolding came into my mind, but I shoved it away as I turned toward Martha, sitting in the corner, her eyes focused on her needlework.
“Well, I am sorry for your pain, Highness.”
“Thank you, Gwen. Icancall you, ‘Gwen,’ can’t I?”
“No, that would not be—” I stumbled, feeling a bit lightheaded.
“You can call me, ‘Peter.’ Are we not friends by now? It has been an entire month of reading,” he said with a wave of his hand between us.
“I am afraid I cannot. You are the prince, and I am only a lady, not a princess,” I said, looking down and beginning to trace the colorful embroidery on my white skirt with my finger to calm my nerves.
“What if I demand it?”
“‘Demand’?” I asked with a shiver, looking from the embroidered design, over to the prince.
“Yes, I mean, I am the prince, so if I demanded that you call me ‘Peter,’ you would have to, wouldn’t you?” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Demand?Would he force me—like my mother—to do something I did not want to do? I sat straighter in my chair and glared at him.
“I will address you with the proper respect you deserve, and I expect you to do the same in return for me.”There, I could be clear and forceful.
“Have I upset you? I didn’t mean to. I would never force you, truly. I was jesting. However, I truly would feel the most respected if you called me ‘Peter,’” he said, scooting himself to the end of the settee, as close to me as he could get without leaving it. His eyes were soft, and his smile seemed sincere.
“I am not upset, but there are rules for these sorts of things. I apologize, Your Highness, but I could not,” I said, bending my head down again.
“What if I called you ‘Gwendolyn’?”
I clutched a hand over my heart. Him saying my full name without a title felt so strange; “Gwen” felt more appropriate to me, and I wondered why that was when no one had ever called me that before. I was already having a hard time not becoming distracted while reading because he was so attractive, and I enjoyed looking at him. My feelings were hard to contain, but I did well. However, if he began calling me “Gwen” or “Gwendolyn,” I might have fainted.
I looked at him; he was earnest.
“Oh, no, no–that would not be proper,” I said slowly, shaking my head.
“And no ‘Gwen’ either?” He pulled one of the decorative light blue and gold beaded pillows onto his lap and leisurely played with one of the small golden tassels, waiting for my reply. I watched the tassel move, hypnotically, as I pondered his question.
No. No one has ever called me “Gwen.”My siblings, mostly Michael, my older brother called me “Wendy”sometimes. But mostly, I was always called by my full name. Mother said she named meGwendolyn, and so I should be called by that name unless, of course, I was addressed formally.
“Your Highness, Iinsist you call me ‘Lady Darling.’”
“Ah, truly?” he said, looking up with a pout. “What about a compromise, ‘Lady Gwendolyn Darling’?”
“No, I could not allow it. It is for the best, Your Highness.” I stood, closing the book, placing it in front of me. Books were ever my trusty shields. However, my shield against the prince was quite a different one than the one for my mother.
Prince Peter looked at the book, then at me.
“Have I scared you off, then?” He frowned.
“No, it is simply time I return home.”
“Very well, Gwendolyn—oh, I mean, Lady Darling,” he said with a large smirk. I heard Martha chuckle softly from the corner of the room, but I did not look her way. Of course, she would be on his side. I began to question her chaperoning abilities.
I glared at him. “See you tomorrow, Your Highness,” I said sharply.
