The Misplaced Prince[COMPLETE]

Crossroads

"What the hell." Joshua said for the umpteenth time that night, too surprised to effect his usual unconcerned drawl. He stared at Lady Halstead sprawled on the floor-he had already been regretting the assignation, with his complete lack of enthusiasm tonight, and had been wondering if it was too late now to make an excuse-to Lady Kasey at the end of the hall, staring at the scene looking as if she was about to swoon.

Looking, also, as if she was fighting a horrified laugh.

"She fell." Kasey whispered, slowly lowering her hands. Her eyes were huge on her face, "The rug...pulled out from under her feet."

"I see." Joshua murmured, surprised by the utter silliness of her response. He hadn't taken her to be faint hearted, but at this instant she was acting like it, "Well, perhaps you should take a seat before you pass out as well." He said awkwardly, bending down to critically study Lady Halstead, who seemed out cold.

"Pass out." Her gaze moved to him, and she let out a squeak of laughter before clapping her hands on her mouth again. He stared at her, "I should leave." She murmured to herself, "I've done enough here as it is." She didn't move, staring at him as he prodded the Lady before standing up and letting out a weary sigh.

"I suppose I shall have to...move her." he said reluctantly.

"To your bedroom?"

He glanced sharply at Kasey, who smoothed her expression and regarded him innocently. Too innocently.

"Well, it just seems to me that she wouldn't be much good to you for the night." She said angelically.

Joshua tried not to let his shock show at her nonchalant attitude towards his affairs. Any normal woman would have been in hysterics by the mere suggestion of it. "Right." He drawled finally, "I suppose...a couch shall have to do."

"I will help." Kasey said with highly misplaced good cheer, and Joshua regarded her suspiciously as she hurried to stand by Lady Halstead's head.

"I am quite capable of moving one puny lady on my own." He pointed out. She waved him away.

"Nevertheless, I feel it is my duty to help, being a...witness. Alright-lift!"

Surprised, he reached down to grab Lady's Halstead's feet when Kasey lifted her shoulders, and the two of them heaved her into an abandoned hallway and dropped her unceremoniously onto a couch. Kasey stepped back, dusting herself smartly. "All done!" she said, and Joshua tried not to stare unabashedly. She was the most peculiar woman-and where on earth had she gotten the strength to lug a woman nearly twice her size around?

"Well," Kasey announced, "I shall take my leave, then." She started to turn then something seemed to occur to her. She froze on spot, biting her lip.

His gaze caught, despite himself. One minute, she was such a fierce little thing, with streaming ringlets of fire for hair and sharp green yellow eyes that saw through one's soul-and the next moment she was biting one full lip like a child awaiting retribution.

Damn it, why did she have to look adorable all of a sudden?

He looked away, closing his eyes and searching for patience. "Listen, Lady Kasey-"

"I would like to apologize!"

He shut his mouth, blinking at her at the loudly blurted pronouncement. "I beg your pardon?"

"I know you're terribly sad and therefore should not have presumed I had any right to pick away at your wounds."

He stared. "I'm what-I beg your pardon?" he asked stiffly. What the hell was she on about?

She looked increasingly uncomfortable. "Sad. In agony. Whatever word you prefer...I would just like to apologize for hurting your feelings-"

"Hurting my feelings?" he stepped back, regarding her with distrust, "What the hell are you on about, my lady?"

She stopped, looking lost for words. Then took an enormous breath, saying cautiously, "I'm not very good at this."

"Clearly." He bit out.

Annoyance flared in her eyes-a captivating flare of heat-but she seemed to control it. "I just know...I have it on good authority...that perhaps what I said...affected you." She peeked at him, then continued irritably, "And therefore I would like to apologize."

"You have it on good authority? By that you mean those lunatic brothers?"

And suddenly she was a display of wrath, rising up and stepping close to him, flashing fire, little fists tucked by her sides, "Don't you call them names! They're the kindest, gentlest..."

He watched her quietly, fascinated, as she rattled off a list of the brothers' virtues, finally finishing off with an agitated tug at her hair and fixing him with a consternated look, as if only just realizing that she had been trying to apologize. He suppressed an amused smile.

"Let me clarify something, Lady Kasey..."

"It's just Kasey." She said tightly.

His brows raised. "Kasey..." he murmured, and he could swear the moment he said it, her cheeks flushed riotously. It would have amused him if it hadn't sent a sucker punch in his own gut, "You've been misled to believe that I have deeper emotions...I don't." he looked into her eyes, hard, "I don't really care what you or anyone thinks about me. Your words could cause me less agony than a papercut. So...rest assured...you did not hurt me. And there is no need to apologize."

She shook her head, annoyed. "That's ridiculous. Everyone has emotions."

"Well," he spread his arms, "Perhaps I'm the exception."

"No," she stared hard at him, "Either we hide them or we aren't aware of them...but we all have them. Having known..." she stopped, taking a deep breath, "having known the people I do, I have learned at least that. Regardless, I was insensitive. How could you be unaffected?"

"Well..." he mused, already feeling the bite of regret as the words left his mouth, "perhaps I just don't give a damn."

He wished he hadn't said the words, even as a part of him wondered why it mattered to him how she responded to his words, when he went through life barely caring. She sucked in her breath, blinking at him owlishly, and he fully expected for her to dissolve into another offended tirade.

He was in for a surprise. "It's the latter, isn't it?" she breathed, staring at him with dawning realization, "You aren't aware of them."

"What?"

"You've convinced yourself to the point that you don't recognize them...Emotions."

"You're crazy." He deadpanned.

She let out a breathless laugh, reaching forward to pat his arm, "Oh, Dick will have a field day."

He scowled at the mention of that unwelcome subject, opening his mouth to object, just as his body registered the contact of her hand against his arm. They both froze, the laughter falling away from his face, to stare at each other, stunned into stillness.

It was as if that contact was all there was, her hand to his arm as they stared at each other, completely lost for words.

"Well, isn't this cosy."