A Dove's Tale

Chapter 68

It was hard to get lost in my thoughts when Prince Clavis was around. Not impossible, but hard. He prattled on constantly about this or that as the morning went on, and I tried to focus on him and my work, not on the clock and the library door. No word from Jason was a good thing, I reminded myself. He would have gone for the doctor right after I left, and if something was seriously wrong, he would have come to the palace right away. I didn't need to worry. At noon, I'd go home, and I'd find out what was going on. Until then, I didn't need to worry.

Unless he came, and Marge said she'd tell me, but she didn't because she didn't like me and I'd embarrassed her yesterday...

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the library door opened.

"Ivetta, calm down!" Prince Clavis interrupted himself, laughing from his position on a sofa with a clear view of the door. Not that he needed a clear view to know who the intruder was. The jangling and clanking of jewelry gave Prince Silvio away. I felt my shoulders slump with a mixture of disappointment and relief.

My head was a mess.

"Lady, I got a bone to pick with you," Prince Silvio said, his sharp sea-blue eyes locking on me as soon as he stepped into the library.

"Hello to you, too," Prince Clavis said dryly.

"Shut it," Prince Silvio snapped at him, striding across the room toward me. "How is dealing with him any better than dealing with me?" he asked me, jabbing an index finger at Prince Clavis and a thumb at himself in quick succession.

"Prince Chevalier forced you out of your room this morning, didn't he, your highness?" I guessed meekly. That would upset anybody, even if they weren't a spoiled tyrant.

Prince Clavis burst out laughing.

"I thought I told you to shut it," Prince Silvio snapped at him again, coming to a stop in front of me. "Yeah, he did, and I want an explanation."

"Sorry, your highness. I had a rough morning, but I didn't know he'd do that," I said, dropping my gaze to the floor.

"You had a rough morning?" he asked, grabbing my chin and forcing me to meet his flashing blue eyes. "Did anybody grab you by the collar and drag you out of bed?"

My heart started pounding a warning, taking over the silence left hanging in the air when Prince Clavis' laughter came to an abrupt stop.

"Sil, that's enough," he said, his voice hardening.

"No, I wanna hear her excuse," Prince Silvio shot back at Prince Clavis. "So, what is it? What's so important, Chevalier threw me out of my room to make his little maid happy?"

What was I supposed to say? I knew why Prince Silvio was mad, and I knew why Prince Chevalier kicked him out of his room, but I didn't want to tell Prince Silvio about any of it. I bit my lip, staring up at his steely glare, and then Prince Clavis was suddenly right beside me, grabbing Prince Silvio's wrist and ripping his hand away from me.

"You really don't know the first thing about being a gentleman, do you?" he asked pleasantly, though his golden eyes were hard. I took a quick step back from Prince Silvio, grateful for Prince Clavis' intervention but still unsure about my standing in this situation.

"What is with all of you?" Prince Silvio complained, yanking his wrist free from Prince Clavis. "Nobody goes to all this trouble for a maid."

Prince Clavis reached back to throw his arm around my shoulder and pull me up to his side. "We're going to have to tell him, Ivetta," he said conspiratorially.

Because what would make me feel better than spilling my life story to Prince Silvio?

"Prince Clavis, I don't-"