Chapter 75
Book Two: Loved by the Princess
The sound of music wound its way around Kit as she moved back and forth across the dance floor, not really paying attention to the man whose arms she was in, though she understood she was being impolite. Gavin of Wainsborough was a handsome man, with golden skin and hair to match. He had an athletic frame, though he was more wiry than some of the other men, like Cassius from Warchester Keep, who was currently the only Representative she’d Roomed. Cassius had shoulders broad enough to carry two of her. But Gavin wasn’t currently the man she was thinking of, and neither was Cassius for that matter. She needed to speak with Eli; the sooner the better.
She glanced around the ballroom again. Several hours had passed since he was introduced to her as the newest Representative for her Choosing, and she hadn’t seen him in at least half that time. At first, she’d avoided him because she hadn’t wanted to cause a scene. The other forty-one Representatives knew the history between the two of them. They knew Eli had grown up here at Castle Wrenbrook and that he and Kit had been good friends. The others may have even suspected there was more between the pair. Certainly, Cassius had thought so. She’d spoken to him about it briefly before and could see it on his face when she’d looked into his eyes right after Eli had walked away from her. Cassius looked only slightly troubled, however, and Kit was reminded that he had mentioned to her before that he knew she’d be choosing seven men before she narrowed down the number and selected the one man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with—assuming she didn’t find a way to change the rules. Glancing around and seeing so many faces of men she admired and wanted to get to know better, she had no idea how she would ever make that decision, not even now that Eli was a possibility, something she would’ve never considered until the announcement earlier in the evening.
“You’re anxious, aren’t you, Princess?” Gavin asked, still moving her around the dance floor as if he hadn’t a care in the world. She could tell by the tension in his shoulder he was simple putting on a brave face. “Are you looking for the Commander?”
Seeing no reason to lie to the handsome man who had been nothing but understanding, Kit nodded. “I do need to speak to him. I thought perhaps I could dance with him next. But I don’t know where he’s headed off to.”
“I believe I saw him exit through one of the doors leading to the balconies,” Gavin replied, gesturing with a nod of his head. “It was at the beginning of the song. I don’t think he’s returned just yet.”
Kit wondered what Eli could possibly be doing outside, but then, she wouldn’t fault him for trying to escape. He was never one for attention, used to spending his time on the periphery at such events. As Commander of her guard, he’d been tasked with the duty of keeping her safe, something that he took very seriously. He was capable of moving through a crowd without even being noticed. Now that all eyes were on him, she could imagine he would want to get out of view, at least for a while.
Swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat, Kit thanked Gavin for the information and asked him a question about his childhood, hoping to engage him in some light banter for the duration of the song. She found her mind wandering, though her eyes stayed attached to his handsome face, and by the time he’d finished speaking, she had no idea what he’d said. It was a good thing she was fairly certain he wasn’t one of the gentlemen she’d be keeping. Not that there was anything particularly unlikable about him. But if he couldn’t hold her attention enough to keep her mind off of Eli for even a few moments, he likely wasn’t a good candidate for Rooming.
Before the final chords were even struck, at least a half a dozen hands were offered to her. Kit excused herself from all of them with only a glance at who they belonged to. Most of them were fellows she’d already danced with and no one she wanted to spend more time with that evening, though she would’ve appreciated the opportunity to speak with Pierce of Metfirth if she had a chance. He always had more information than anyone else, even though she’d already danced with him once, and he’d let her know he was just as surprised to hear Eli announced as she was. But any interrogation would have to wait until later because she had to find her Commander.
The crowd parted for the princess despite the fact that so many young men wanted the opportunity to dance with her. With forty-two suitors, it would be hard to give everyone equal attention as it was. Now that she was clearly leaving the dance floor, some were wise enough to know the possibilities of getting a turn with her around the ballroom were even more limited. Yet, they stepped aside quickly as Kit raced between them, her silver gown flowing out behind her. It snagged once on the leg of one of the many tables her mother, Queen Rona, had set up along the periphery. It was a new idea of hers—food everywhere but nowhere to sit--and Kit had avoided eating much of anything because of it. Luckily, when she swiped her garment free, there was only a small snag in the satin and not a rip.
A few more steps and she reached one of the long streamers of gauze hanging from the ceiling. It seemed with each party, her mother found a way to outdo herself. This streamer was purple, one of the royal colors, and it hid the exit Kit was looking for. In fact, these large fabric adornments hid almost all of the exits. The idea of what the party might do in case of an emergency crossed her mind for a moment, but Kit pushed it aside. She knew how to get out of the ballroom when she needed to. Pushing the door open, she caught the eye of one of her guards who had clearly followed her. Galter—who may actually be her new Commander now that Eli had other business to attend to—was one of her most trusted, and he only nodded his approval as she exited the building.
