Page 18 of Slippers and Thorns
When they rode through the gates of Himmelsburg Castle as dusk fell, Michael swiftly dismounted so he could lift Ella down from Shadow, letting his hands linger on her waist while he smiled down at her before offering his arm. He escorted her to her suite, then took her hand, lifted it to his lips, and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles before softly bidding her goodnight.
She’d contemplated gripping his hand and pulling him into her sitting room for a more comprehensive kiss goodnight, but she decided she wasn’t quite that bold in someone else’s castle. They might be married, but servants still gossiped.
Ella hummed happily to herself as she prepared for bed. She hadn’t forgotten about Michael’s behavior with Lady Ilse, but after their time at the old castle and the trip back…
She frowned. Unless he was just flirting with her like he flirted with the Ralnoran lady. Admittedly, as his wife, Michael should be able to be as pleasant as he wanted and touch Ella as much as she allowed. But was there anything in his behavior today that was different than how he might have acted if it had been Lady Ilse in Ella’s place?
Setting her brush down, Ella frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Could she trust that one day’s evidence was proof of a return of his previous affection? Or since he was deprived of Lady Ilse’s company for the day, had he simply chosen to settle for her instead?
“I’ll just have to watch and see what he does,” Ella whispered. Before she let her husband make a complete fool out of her, she would let him prove himself, one way or the other.
It was with a much heavier heart that she settled under the covers than that with which she had entered the room. Michael had been sweet and attentive that day, and she had missed him so much. But she was determined to see what was really there, and not what she only hoped was.
“I’msoglad you’ve returned from your journey, Prince Michael,” the short brunette noblewoman simpered. She smoothed her frilly pink silk dress with a matching pink-gloved hand. “It was so dull without you yesterday! I don’t know what I’ll do when you return home to Daraigh.”
Michael laughed lightly. “It is good to know one is wanted,” he replied with a court smile. “However, you got along well enough before I arrived, Lady Ilse; I’m sure you’ll manage the same when I leave.”
Lady Ilse hung on his arm. “But I didn’t know what I was missing before! Now I do.” She sighed dramatically and looked up at him through her long lashes, then placed one of her gloved hands on the shoulder of his green waistcoat. “Life will be mere existence now without you.”
From the edge of the patio, Ella gritted her teeth and tried not to break the delicate stem of the glass she was holding. At least Michael wasn’t encouraging Lady Ilse, but he wasn’t disentangling her from his person, either. It did seem like an improvement, but it wasn’t as conclusive as she would prefer.
“Why don’t you go over there and remind them both that he’s already taken?” Katy muttered. Ella hoped her own glare was better hidden than Katy’s. “If she tried that with Axel, I’d—”
Ella placed a restraining hand on her friend’s arm. “It’s all right, Katy,” she said, trying to speak normally. “I want to see what he does.”
“Why, so he can hang himself?”
“I hope not,” Ella sighed softly.
After another few minutes, Ella decided she’d had enough. A few days ago, she had allowed her hurt and loneliness to fold her into a hard, uncaring knot as far as her husband and his antics were concerned. After the brief thaw of yesterday, during which she had felt as if she had a caring companion at her side for the first time in months, the situation had her feeling much more defiant.
Pasting on a sweet smile, she strolled across the outdoor space in the direction of the source of her irritation. Lady Ilse was still pouting prettily, and Michael was still letting her, albeit with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. That was something – his smiles yesterday had definitely been more natural. She felt mildly triumphant at the realization.
Ella approached them from behind Lady Ilse. She saw the moment he noticed her over the other woman’s shoulder. His eyes lit up, his smile widening, before he glanced briefly back at his companion and a slightly guilty expression flitted across his face.
“Arabella!” Michael said, pleased. He took a step towards her, pausing when his right side remained anchored to the lady clinging to his arm. When he looked at said lady and raised his eyebrows, she huffed slightly and released him.
Grinning, he returned his attention to Ella, coming forward to slide an arm briefly around her shoulders before letting it drop to her blue silk-covered waist. “If you’ll pardon us, my lady.”
With a nod to his late hanger-on, Michael steered Ella in Axel’s general direction. “Thank you for the save,” he said in a low voice, bending his head towards Ella. “That woman’s notion of boundaries is skewed.”
“Funny,” Ella remarked stiffly. “You didn’t seem to be of that opinion for the first part of our trip.”
Michael frowned at her. “What do you mean?”
“Or are you trying to claim you were just waiting for someone to rescue you when you were the one following her everywhere?”
“Would you like me to go back to Lady Ilse?” Michael asked angrily, his voice quiet and the veneer of a smile still on his face.
“Is that where you would prefer to be?” Ella bit back. She kept her eyes moving across the other guests and her face smooth. “You didn’t look particularly uncomfortable.”
His hand tightened on her waist, but he didn’t respond for several moments. “No,” he finally ground out. “You should know I prefer to be with you.”
“You could have fooled me,” Ella grumbled under her breath. She worked her lips back into a vaguely pleasant expression for the sake of their observers in the public setting. “You seemed quite content to ignore me in favor of dear Lady Ilse a few days ago.”
Michael drew her to a stop. “Arabella, I—” He paused, looking at something over her shoulder. His face hardened slightly. Ella tried to follow his gaze, but she only saw a few clusters of nobles and, beyond them, the ever-present smattering of personal guards around the edge of the patio. Past the guards was the gardens. “Never mind.” His jaw clenched. “Would you like to walk through the gardens with me?”
Still irritated, Ella was tempted to turn him down. However, if they fought now, would he go back to Lady Ilse? She didn’t want that. But if she were to march off, and hedidgo back to Lady Ilse, wouldn’t that tell her something?
