To Steal a Prince (22 page)

An orchestra is installed at the far end of the room. The waltz they’re playing is a lively one. Violinists dance their bows across the strings, while cellists arch into their instruments. The music that fills the air feels so alive.

It’s easy to spot the prince among the crowd, mostly from the smooth, assured way that he moves. The golden mask he wears isn’t enough to disguise him. He’s whirling around the floor with a woman in a rose-colored dress.

I point the couple out to Nic. “Who’s that girl he’s with?”

“Why, do you want to challenge her to a duel?”

I stalk away, ending up at the dessert table. It’s piled high with those lavender cakes Eris told me about. I’m not sure I could stomach one at the moment. At some point, I’m going to have to dance with the prince, and I can’t remember a single step.

“Grace?” Eris appears at my elbow.

“Yes?”

“Did you try the cakes? They’re delicious, aren’t they?” She looks over her shoulder.

“What is it?”

Eris fidgets with a seam in her skirt. “Can you help me persuade Nicolai to dance? I’m worried that he’s going to try to play sentry all night.”

Nic stands against an alabaster arch, his eyes relentlessly scanning the room.

I owe Eris, for this gown among other things. “I’ll take care of it.”

Walking over, I join Nic at his arch.

He doesn’t take his eyes off the dance floor. “What is it?”

“You like Eris, right?”

That’s enough to startle him into looking at me. “Yes…”

“Then prove it. You can’t just loom here all night. You have to dance with her. Show her a good time.”

“I haven’t had eyes on Damon all day. I feel like I’m neglecting my duties.”

“You’ll be closer to him on the dance floor. And I can watch him from here.”

Nic glances around, as if worried we’ll be overheard. “Are you sure?”

“If Damon has any problems with it, you tell him to talk to me.”

“And what about Darius?”

“Him, too.” In fact, I’d like to tell him a thing or two about butting out of my business.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Abandoning his self-appointed post, Nic makes a beeline for Eris. She only has time to wave at me before they fling themselves into the swirl of dancers. In seconds, I lose them to the crowd. It’s only fair. Nic helped me to dance, now I’ve helped him. I only hope that my dancing memory returns soon.

Gabe hands me a lavender cake. I take a bite, closing my eyes as the icing melts on my tongue.

“They’re good, aren’t they?” Gabe says through a purple mouthful. “I wish I knew how many calories they are.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve already had five.”

I try to find Damon, but he must be in the middle of the crowd. “You know, there’s real food here, too.”

Gabe stares into my eyes as he crams another cake in his mouth.

“That’s not very gentlemanly of you.” I brush crumbs off his sleeve. “Besides, don’t you want to be ready to dance at any moment? You can’t dance on a full stomach.”

He dabs his mouth with a napkin. “I might not do much dancing tonight.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know who it’s safe to ask, and I’m not sure anyone will ask me.”

“You won’t know until you try.”

Gabe scowls. “That’s easy for you to say,
Clara
.” He stomps away, probably in search of more cakes.

A woman in a white dress leans against an arch beside me. Next to her demure dress, her mask is a riot of color, fringed with iridescent feathers. Rising from the center, a single long feather curves over her head. Whipping out a fan, she wafts air over both of us. So that’s who it is. I wish she didn’t look so pretty in that dress.

“There are too many people here, don’t you agree?”

Is she talking to me? “It is rather crowded.”

“I can’t believe the guest list. They let in so many undesirables.”

They definitely let in at least one. I make a noncommittal noise.

“Do you know the prince?” Natalia asks.

“We haven’t been introduced.”

“You’ll have to look elsewhere for an introduction, I’m afraid. Damon and I have quite the history together, so if you’re looking for a husband, you’ll need to find another prince.”

I wonder if Clara Dubois has a boyfriend. Or if she would deign to waste more than five seconds speaking with Natalia. Since I have the opportunity, I might as well see how deep the insanity goes. “Are you and the prince engaged?”

“Almost. Why do you think I wore white?” She turns to me, and I see that she’s pinned the red rose to her dress. The lavender cake I had earlier can’t cover the bad taste in my mouth.

A server passes with a tray of drinks, and Natalia snatches one up. “Do you like my mask?”

I gaze at it. “I’ve never seen feathers like that before.”

“You won’t in the future, either. They came from a bird-of-paradise. It was either extinct or endangered, I can never remember which.”

So an exquisite bird died to give this terrible woman its plumage. How delightful. Natalia makes my stomach turn. I wish she’d go away.

The orchestra slows as the waltz winds down.

“That’s my cue,” Natalia says.

I notice Damon on the outskirts of the crowd.

Natalia tucks her fan away. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a prince to catch. Watch and learn for when it’s your turn.” She hands me her drink as though she’s bestowing me with a great honor.

Setting Natalia’s dregs aside, I watch her approach Damon from behind an arch. I wanted her to leave, but not like this.

She takes his arm as he bows to his partner, forcing the other girl aside. Too stunned to protest, the girl gathers up her rose skirt and retreats.

“Was that necessary?” Damon asks.

“She had a rose dress, but I have the real thing.” Tucking her elbows in, she pushes out her chest. “Care to smell?”

“I can smell it from here.” Damon holds up a hand for her to take.

Natalia slides into position, grasping his hand. “Do you remember giving me this rose?”

“I do.”

To my horror, Natalia stands on tiptoe, trying to kiss him.

The prince steps back. “Sorry, but I’m just dancing tonight.”

She lets her shoulders fall. “Don’t you love me?”

“We’ve been over this, Natalia.” His face is unreadable.

“Oh…” Her plan of kissing foiled, she turns to pouting. “Did you not give Grace a red rose?”

“No. Even if I had, did you really think you could trick me into believing you’re someone else? If you wanted me to change my mind, you chose a terrible strategy.”

The conductor raises his baton, and the musicians hold their bows at the ready.

Natalia lets out an exasperated sigh. “You still have to dance with me. You’re too honorable to bow out now, aren’t you?”

A new waltz starts, and the prince is saved from responding. Natalia says something anyway, but as they move across the floor, her words are carried away.

Nervously, I pace along the dance floor. I need to get in there, but I’m too afraid to ask someone to dance. Marc has to be here, hidden behind a mask. I don’t want to risk touching him.

“Shall we?” Gabe holds out a hand.

“So you’re going to dance after all?”

“
We
are going to dance.” Gabe steps effortlessly into position. “Now remember, you have to work too.” He grabs my limp hand. “I can’t drag you around the dance floor alone.”

“Do you think this is a good idea?” Which foot am I supposed to lead with again?

“You can’t do anything from the sidelines. Here we go.” Gabe steps forward, forcing me to step backwards onto the dance floor.

Everyone moves so fast that I’m afraid we’ll collide with another couple. Gabe seems unworried, picking up the pace so that we match the dancers around us. He navigates the floor like an expert, and I’m glad he’s here to guide me. Alone, I would have ended up bloodied and trampled on the white floor.

I’m so focused on catching up to Damon and Natalia that I have no energy left to focus on my feet. I’m probably doing everything wrong. As long as I don’t impale one of Gabe’s feet with my heels, I’m fine for now.

“We’re getting close,” Gabe says. “Do you have a plan?”

A few couples ahead, the long feather juts above the crowd. “A plan?”

“Did you just want to creepily follow them all night?”

I guess following Damon like a lost puppy isn’t the ideal approach. We pass by the musicians, who are intent on their sheet music. “I know.”

“What?”

“You can cut in on them.”

Gabe grimaces. “You mean steal his partner?”

“Yeah. It should work perfectly. With Natalia gone, I can dance with Damon.”

“That’s as far from perfect as you can get!”

“Why’s that?”

“It leaves me dancing with that wretched woman.”

“Gabe…”

He glares over my shoulder. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. Just know that your plan involves a casualty.”

We start moving slightly faster than the music dictates we should, passing couples who give us disapproving looks. At last, we dance alongside our targets.

Gabe makes his move, stepping into the same spot that Damon is trying to fill.

“I beg your pardon,” Damon says.

“Do you mind?” Gabe holds out a hand to Natalia.

By the stare Damon gives him, this request is highly irregular. “We generally don’t switch partners mid-waltz.”

“We do where I’m from. Do you really think you can keep such a fine lady to yourself?”

Natalia positively glows at the attention. “It’s your loss, Damon. You don’t deserve me, anyway.” Proud of her snub, she takes Gabe’s hand. They dance away together, disappearing in the ring of dancers.

Damon stares after them, dumbfounded. “That’s the first time a lady hasn’t finished a dance with me.”

“I could fix that,” I say. “Will you dance with me?”

The prince holds out a hand. “Who will I have the pleasure of dancing with?”

“Clara Dubois.” I slide against him, putting a hand on his back. It feels so good to be close to him.

“It’s so good to finally meet you. How is the ambassador?”

I freeze. Nic didn’t tell me anything about Clara’s father. “He’s … quite well.”

“That’s good news. We were concerned when we heard about his health scare.”

Shit. “He’s as well as we could expect, thank goodness.”

“That’s a relief.” Stepping forward, Damon begins to dance.

I’m so comfortable in his arms that I find it easy to match his movements. My only complaint is that his mask obscures his eyes. It’s more difficult to tell what he’s thinking.

“How’s your brother?”

“Lucas?” Where was he studying again? “He’s enjoying his third year at Ghent.”

“What’s he studying?”

“Architecture. The course is quite rigorous, but he seems very engaged.”

A couple veers dangerously close to us. Damon turns to keep me out of harm’s way. “What have you been up to lately?”

Thank god for Nic. “I just got back from Ostend. It was lovely. I walked along the beaches and visited St. Petrus Church.”

“I rather enjoy the wine of that name. Have you ever tried it?”

“No, maybe you can let me sample some?”

Behind his mask, his eyes are gleaming. “Let us finish out this waltz first.”

I wish it weren’t this easy to flirt with him. It’s making it hard for me to keep up the act. As much as I want to tell him I’m here, something holds me back. It’s not time yet.

Damon glides across the floor, and I’m swept away with him. I’ll go wherever he leads me. Somehow, I’m not nervous anymore. Dancing with him is effortless, and my fears melt away. Even if I mess up, I know he’ll be here to catch me.

The prince has moves that Nic never taught me. Extending an arm, he has me spin away from him. My bronze gown billows out. Damon pulls me back, and momentum sends me straight into his arms. He tightens them around me, and for a moment we face the same direction. Damon keeps dancing, so I do too. After a moment, he rights me, grinning. Did he just want to see how well I’d react?

Behind his mask, his hazel eyes sparkle. I forget that there are other dancers around us. The gowns and masks are reduced to meaningless color and motion. Right here, right now, there’s only Damon and me. He spins me again, and I feel like I’m weightless. I could touch the stars if I desired.

As we revolve around the floor, we move closer, inch by inch. There’s nothing more I want on this earth than to feel his taut stomach against mine. It’s like there’s a magnetic pull between us, and I think he feels it too. It’s too powerful a force to be denied.

The way he dances with me is like a love note without words. Through the waltz, he shows me that he’ll never leave my side. He’ll focus on me alone, and protect me with strong arms. Heart to beating heart, I feel his passion through his chest. Every movement, every breath on this dance floor is dedicated to me.

The music slows, and I shut my eyes. I don’t want this to be over. What if I was just imagining things? Even though dancing with Damon was better than I could have dreamed, I can’t reveal myself. What if he doesn’t want me anymore?

There’s no denying it any longer. The musicians have set down their instruments, and are changing out their sheet music. Couples split up, to rest or to find new partners. This dance is over.

I’m too embarrassed to try to talk to him, or even take my leave. I simply walk away.

Damon grabs my hand. “I missed you, Grace.” Lightly, he pushes my mask onto my head. “I wanted it to be you more than anything.”

I slide his mask up, uncovering those gorgeous eyes of his. “Are you sure?” I ignore the tear that trails down my cheek.

Gathering me in his arms, the prince kisses me. How I’ve missed those lips. They’re so hot from dancing, but still so sweet. I wouldn’t be surprised if steam were rising off us.

Soon, too soon, Damon breaks away. “Don’t leave me again. I can’t bear to be without you.”

“You’d do fine without me.”

He sets his hands on my waist. “I wasn’t fine earlier tonight. It’s hard to dance a joyful waltz when your heart is breaking.”

Now my heart hurts. “I’m so sorry I put you through that.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I’m all better now.”