Page 52 of Legacy of Glass
He turned to Cade, trying to mask his discomfort. “What about you, then? What are you doing here?”
“Pure chance,” Cade said cheerfully, seeming amused by Julius’s discomfort. “Lady Olivia and I ran into each other on Manor Row, and she was kind enough to show me this spot.” He glanced across the hill. “She was trying to enlist my help because she knows I have your ear.” He grinned broadly at Julius who glowered back.
“It’s about Marigold,” Olivia jumped in quickly, and Julius groaned. Marigold again. Was the dratted girl going to plague him forever?
Olivia ignored him and continued, her eyes urgent. “I’m worried about Marigold, but her family are convinced she’s run away and are too angry to look for her. I think she’s been abducted, and I have to try to find her. You will help me, won’t you?”
Julius was silent, not wanting to commit himself, but not wanting to reject her earnest plea either.
“I think Lady Olivia might exaggerate my influence,” Cade said dryly, his eyes on Julius’s face. “But of course I’ll lend my voice to hers.” He bowed in her direction. “Anything to assist my future queen.”
Julius sighed. Olivia was his betrothed, and he could hardly offer her less assistance than Cade—even if he didn’t think they owed Marigold anything.
“If it’s so important to you, of course I’ll help.” He drew a deep breath. “And my apologies for the misunderstanding. I should have clarified our plans more clearly. But please don’t go off alone again.”
Olivia’s eyes narrowed, so he continued quickly, not wanting yet another misunderstanding. “I know you’re used to moving around the city alone, but your status has changed. Our betrothal has generated a great deal of interest, and half the population now knows your face, so it isn’t safe. That doesn’t mean you can’t leave, just that you should take an escort with you. If I’m not available, there will always be grooms and guards who you can call on.”
The indignant light in Olivia’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I wanted to stretch my legs and didn’t want to cause a fuss. It didn’t occur to me that you might be worried as a result. I’ll make sure I don’t leave without an escort in future.”
“Don’t forget I stand ready to assist you if Julius isn’t available,” Cade said in his usual good-natured way.
But on this occasion, Julius wished he was a little less helpful and friendly. Julius wanted to be Olivia’s escort himself. But he said nothing aloud. He could hardly complain when he had just told her to find a replacement when he wasn’t available. As prince, his time was rarely his own, so there would be many times when he wasn’t available.
But he was there now. He looked at Cade. “I can escort Olivia back to the palace myself on this occasion.”
Cade laughed. “I can recognize a dismissal when I hear one.” He turned to Olivia. “Consider me always at your disposal, my lady.”
Julius watched his friend stroll away with a frown. Julius had told Cade he wasn’t in love with Olivia, but surely his friend couldn’t be developing feelings of his own for her so quickly. Julius wasn’t sure what he was going to do if Cade was.
When Cade disappeared from view, Julius turned to Olivia. “Did you get everything you wanted?” He peered at her small bag. She couldn’t have collected much.
“Actually…” Olivia gave a grin that filled him with foreboding. “There’s one more thing.” Her smile somehow grew broader. “Something you’ve already agreed I can bring to the palace.”
She turned and called loudly across the hill. “Mildred. Mildred!”
Julius looked around in bewilderment. Wasn’t her cousin called Delilah, or Daphne, or something like that? And what was she doing hiding on the hill behind Manor Row? She shouldn’t even have been in Sovar yet.
A loud squeaking sounded across the grass, and a mouse the size of a miniature pony scurried into view. Julius gave an undignified exclamation and instinctively leaped backward. The palace had too much Legacy power for mice of any kind to be tolerated there, and he’d only seen one a couple of times. He’d certainly never seen one so large.
“What is that?” he breathed.
The creature raced over to Olivia and leaned against her, nearly knocking Olivia over.
“This is Mildred,” Olivia said, still grinning. “And if you remember, you told me I could keep her with me at the palace. I’ve been terribly worried about her.”
“I thought you meant a cat!”
“Well, you didn’t specify in your agreement, so you can’t take it back now.” Olivia sounded smug, but the eyes she turned on him were pleading. “I won’t be able to rest easy if I have to leave her out here. She’s too big to hide herself now, and it’s all my fault.”
With a sigh, Julius accepted the inevitable. The Sovaran palace was about to acquire a horse-sized mouse.
He watched Olivia gently pat the soft fur of the enormous creature, remembering her words at the ball about feeling her own sense of responsibility. Whether it was working hard at her lessons, rescuing Marigold, or saving a mouse, Olivia had already proven the truth of her words. She might not have the connections expected of a royal bride, but Olivia clearly had the necessary character—more so than plenty of the girls at court.
But that didn’t mean he wanted to marry her. She was still almost a stranger, and one neither he nor his parents had chosen.
Chapter18
Olivia
