Page 35 of The Reluctant Queen
They finished their drinks in uncompanionable silence while scanning the dance floor. Unfortunately, Hevva determined that the prince had not been baiting her with his comments regarding the king. The king inBerim’s body was promenading his dance partner through a quadrille.
At least it’s not a waltz.
Lady Tahereh Nathari, who did indeed have the same hair as Hevva, clung to her partner’s hand, while King Hethtar danced with Miss Tarcadu, the younger sister of the Countess of Midlake.Poor Lord Koulos.Koulos, the Baron of Kashuvol, had partnered with Lady Tahereh, but while he clung to her arm each time the motions brought them together, she remained enraptured by the king. The baron’s eyes never left the lady as he watched her with thinly-veiled infatuation. Hevva almost felt bad for the man, but she was wallowing, and thus otherwise occupied.
The song came to an end and Prince Nekash took the opportunity to remove Hevva’s glass from her hand and pass it off to a server. She knew what was coming next.
“Lady Hevva, may I have this dance?”
“Why certainly, my prince. I am honored that you would ask.”
Gracefully but not gratefully, she offered the prince her palm, and they drifted onto the floor.
“Do you know which dance is next?” Hevva asked, realizing that she had snuck in late and hadn’t bothered to grab a card.
“I believe it’s a waltz.”
The weaselly prince was just like his dear dead dad. Hevva hadn’t missed the way he kept eying her breasts while they were talking. She hadn’t missed the way he ran his magic down her spine. And she certainly wasn’t missing the fact that his hand was meandering from a respectable to scandalous location on her lower back as he spun her around the floor.
Typically, such philandering behavior would warrant a slap. Typically, a person of rank could be forced into marriage for such wonton activity—inpublicno less! But there was nothing typical about the Hethtar men, and the whole of Selwas knew it. So, nothing would happen to Nekash.
The dead king seemed to live by a mantra of “rules for thee but not for me,” and his youngest son apparently followed his father’s trail of slime. There was no need to slap the man or rush away, because no one would blame Hevva for Nekash’s lecherous behavior. That fact provided little comfort when the prince sent a lick of flame out of his little finger to caressa line along the swell of her rear.
She shuddered, and he tugged her in closer.
As they twirled around the floor shereallytried not to look at the king. But of course, she failed. There he was, a few couples away, hand clasped with the Honorable Miss Hehsaki, the sister of the Baron of Kashuvol, his other enormous palm pressed against her back. Hevva did note thathishand was at least in the correct position. Nekash’s, meanwhile, kept trying to creep further south. So, she stomped on the prince’s foot.
The countess and the king made eye contact, or maybe she met his already-watching eye. Either way, during that moment before the dance spun them in opposite directions, King Hethtar’s lips parted, and he mouthed her name.
Saka.
She trod on the prince’s shoe again, that time by accident.
The instant the waltz ended, Hevva strode to the edge of the room, alone. There she discovered the best thing she’d seen all evening: a stationary table full of fresh sparkling flutes of champagne.Perfection.
She downed one and grabbed two more. With one glass in each hand Hevva escaped to the patio. She was tired from traveling and not in the mood to dance. Sipping first from one flute and then the other, she stood in the shadows and watched the lords, ladies, misters, and misses dance the cotillion. In synchronized movements, the revelers skipped stupidly across the room, spun, and then did it again. The king was no longer on the dance floor.
What’s the point of this shit?She half wondered, while her other half considered if, perhaps, King Hethtar was looking for Saka.
An unsuspecting server walked past Hevva at that moment. Her pale arm shot out from the shadows to trade her finished drinks for a new one. The poor windshifter startled and puffed Hevva in the face with a blast of icy air.
“Apologies! Apologies, my lady.”
“Please, do not apologize. I scared you! Thank you so much, for all that you do for our country.”
The confused staff member shimmied away.
Taking off, Hevva searched for anywhere else to be. The chamber she’d been assigned was lovely. Based on its location, it seemed to be one of the finer guest suites in the palace. She could go back there but wasn’t ready yet. Besides, there was no way Hevva could get out of this gown on her own, and Aylin would not be back until later. The maid was on an information gathering mission, trying to figure out who was staying in the palace for the duration of the house party andwhereeveryone’s rooms were located.
Hevva and Aylin had arrived strategically late, while the luncheon was in progress on the back lawn. The countess hadn’t felt like spending an hour shaking hands and dropping curtsies in the grand foyer. She hadn’t felt like playing lawn games, eating finger sandwiches, or making nice in the sweltering heat. Hevva hadn’t even felt like traveling to Serkath. And she really, truly, wished her father...and Saka...hadn’t forced her to come.
With a groan, she downed her drink, ditched the glass, and tried a door on the palace’s lowest level. It opened, welcoming her into a dark theater. Stumbling over just two chairs, Hevva found a new exit and pushed through into a hallway.
This level was deserted, with most of the staff and guests up on the main floor. So, she wandered. An empty guest room here, a closet there. She turned the corner and tried a few more doors that were locked.Makes sense, with nosy people like me around.
Lady Hevva was nearing an intersection when she heard low voices up ahead. One was undoubtedly the prince, with those nasally notes. The other was a woman, indistinguishable without seeing a face. They were coming her way, so she did what any normal and not sauced person would do, and began walking backward, bumping only slightly into the walls.
“I think it’s an excellent idea, a great way to position oneself ahead of the rest.” The prince spoke to the woman at his side, his signature flames tickling the exposed tops of her bosom, as they strolled the empty hall like they were enjoying the palace rose garden.
