Chapter four

I added a new chapter, I felt like I needed to develop things more, so here it is. There' s another new chapter afterwards.

 

Despite his apparent hurry, it was while before the Prince actually left.  There were a few more idle words exchanged, and several more rounds of curtseying, not mention Melina only partially subtle attempts to delay him, before he finally left.

Perhaps I was relieved, it wasn’t sure. I was definitely finding it a lot easier to breath, that’s for sure.

“Is he gone?” Said a small voice behind me.

I hadn’t realized I’d been staring at the door, until now. I whirled around and found Katie, my youngest sibling, peering around with a frown on her face.

“Yes” I replied with a sigh, “he’s gone.”

He lower spread out in the most adorable pout I had ever seen.

“But I didn’t even get too say hi.” She sniffed, “The Prince came to my house and I didn’t even get too say, hi, again.”  She looked so put-out I couldn’t help but let out a soft cooing sound as I sank to my knees, leveling my eyes with hers. I was also trying to fight back a laugh.  Katie didn’t like it when we laughed at her, but sometimes it was just so hard.

“You saw him last week, little rabbit.” I murmured ruffling her hair.  Every now and then we invited Katie and the twins, Harry and Andy, too dine with us.  But usually it was just us adults.  Thank the royals tonight had not been one of those nights. I tried imagining Katie as we talked about Jason, and shuddered.

“When’s he coming back?” She asked sweetly.

“When he has nothing better to do,” Imogen answered as she walked up behind me.

“Which is too say in a couple of days,” she added dryly. 

“Immy!” Katie exclaimed, outraged, but I could tell she was fighting a giggle.

“Katie,” Imogen returned, mocking her tone. The she reached down and ruffled her hair in much the same way I had.

“Shouldn’t you be going to bed?’ She inquired.

Katie glared at her defiantly.

No, it’s on 8, I don’t go to sleep until…” she looked up mischievously.

“Ten.” She finished smugly.

Imogen cocked her head, “Fine, but only girls who are willing to wake-up early get to go with us to New Hope tomorrow.”

Katie’s eyes lit up. “We’re going to New hope tomorrow?”

“Darcy and I are, but you’re going depends on how fast you get to sleep.” Imogen hinted with a smirk.

“I can go to sleep fast.” Katie promised “Real fast, Then you have to take me!” She squealed excitedly, before whipping around and racing up the stairs out of site.

I watched her disappear into her room before turning to Imogen with raised Eyebrows.

“Since when are we going to New Hope?”

“Since I needed an excuse to get her upstairs,” Imogen replied bluntly. She was no longer smiling.  She gave me a hard stare before unobtrusively walking out toward the outdoor deck.  I followed after her.  I glanced over my shoulder to see my mother, who had been talking to a couple of our servants, look over concernedly in our direction. But then Imogen closed the door behind me and her face was cut from view.

She didn’t speak at first, but rather leaned casually against the wall and stared out at the stars.  I followed suit.

“So,” she said after a while, still not looking at me but gazing off into the distance, “What do you think?”  I didn’t have to ask what she might.

“I think,” I grabbed a handful of my hair and began threading through my fingers, “That the Prince knows a lot more about those appearances than he’s telling.”

She nodded, but continued to look straight ahead of her. ‘And you think it’s him?”

“Who else could it be?”  I answered hurriedly.

            “I don’t know,” she sighed, “But your right, it doesn’t fit.”

“But maybe they’re changing,” I interceded, “like Nathaniel said,”

She looked over at me sharply. “But you don’t believe that.” She said simply.

I looked away, feeling a rock forming in my midsection. Imogen always seemed to know what I was thinking, what I was feeling.  Sometimes I wondered if she could secretly read minds, like we’d read in some of our books.  But Imogen was like that with everyone.  It was one of the reasons why I liked her so much.

But still, the fact that I could never hide anything from her made me a little uncomfortable.

And then of course, there was her implication.  We weren’t being screened, since we were inner-uppers. But still, openly challenging a royal wasn’t exactly a good idea. But Imogen, and m=by default me, had been doing it for years. But she was treading a fine line, and I hoped she would be careful.

I took a deep breath, “do you have another explanation?” I replied carefully, hoping she would take the hint and drop it.

“Maybe this Jason is operating under orders, “She plowed on. I sighed. What was I thinking?  Of course she wasn’t going to stop.

“Or maybe he didn’t do this at all, and someone just wants us to think he did.”
“Who?” I returned hurriedly, momentarily forgetting my worries.

‘I don’t know,” She answered quietly, “But someone,”

I didn’t know what to say too that.

We were both quiet for a while, yet neither of us moved to go inside.

Finally I spoke, mostly to break the silence.

“Did you notice that the prince was acting a little, odd? He was a lot more"serious than the last time I saw him.”

I could feel the tension ebbing out of her limbs as she replied.

“Really, I didn’t notice.  But then, it wasn’t me his eyes were glued on the entire evening.”

I blushed, though I’d hoped for a change in topic, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

She looked over at me and smirked, “What, nothing to say? Or are you too busy remembering how to breathe…”

I kicked her, and she laughed.

“It’s not funny.” I mumbled, and a moment later she straightened.

“Your right,” she sighed, though her mouth continued to twitch, “It’s problematic.”

I groaned and leaned back against the wall, “That’s one way of putting it.”

I’d hoped she leave it at that.

I should have known not to hope for something like that.

“How would you put it?” She asked, the laughter had truly vanished now.

I sighed, it was just like her to ask a question I couldn’t even think about, let alone answer.

“I just, I don’t understand” I didn’t know where the words were coming from but suddenly they were just tumbling out. “I don’t know if likes me, or if he’s just playing with me, or…” I had to bite my tongue to hold back the stream of questions that were threatening to overtake me. Why now? What after so many years of forgetting my existence is he paying attention to me now?  What’s changed about me to make me suddenly so interesting?

I don’t know if Imogen picked up on any this, but she must have, she was Imogen.  She didn’t say anything about it, though. 

“Do you like him?” she asked softly.

I looked at her sharply, and then bit my lip.

“I don’t know.” I heaved finally.

She looked at me and cocked her head again.

“Do yourself favor,” She said, not unkindly, but not soothingly either.

“Figure it out, before something happens you can’t take back.” She looked past me into the fading daylight.

“Come on,” she said briskly,” we should go inside,”

And she went in without looking back, leaving me to sort through what she had said.

Author's Note