The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (6 page)

“How
you could forget the title of prince is beyond me. I still get a flutter of nerves
every time Prince Nicolass talks to me.” Dahlia giggled. “Though he has that
effect on every lady at court.”

Tempani
frowned as she held back an unsavory comment about the prince. She did not
think it wise to speak openly of her dislike for Prince Nicolass. Her father’s
warning still fresh in her mind.

“So
tell me Dahlia, is my brother your escort this evening?”

Dahlia
blushed. “We’re only friends though. He offered his arm to me this evening
because he thought you and I might get along.”

Tempani
smiled and Dahlia began to fill her in on all of the court gossip. Apparently
the biggest news was that Queen Tryphena had been overhead telling her sister,
Sylena, that she wants her eldest son to choose his own bride and not have his
marriage arranged for him by his father.

“If
it’s true I hope he chooses love and not just a lady who comes from a large
estate.”

“Do
you wish to marry the prince?”

“Me?
Oh no, not at all,” Dahlia blurted out and then looked horrified. “Um, not that
he isn’t handsome because he is, I just – well he is not my, oh gosh I sound
quite mean.” Her porcelain cheeks had gone red as her blue eyes darted about,
frantically searching for an explanation.

“It’s
quite all right. I do not wish to marry him either. There is nothing wrong with
that, so there’s no need to look so worried.” Tempani placed a hand on
Dahlia’s.

“There
must be something wrong with us. I have never heard of a lady not wanting to be
queen one day!”

The
two of them laughed and Tempani made a mental note to thank Chae for escorting
Dahlia this evening. She really did like her.

“Excuse
me, my lady, Sir Otto of Amarill requests an audience with his daughter. If you
will please come with me,” a footman interrupted. Tempani obeyed and excused
herself from Dahlia, who waved away her new friend’s apology.

Otto
stood by the marble fountain on the outside terrace chatting to Lord Darby. The
sight of the odd looking pair brought a smile to her face. One that she quickly
dispersed of when she reached her father’s elbow.

“Papa.”
She curtsied to her father and then to Darby. “My lord.”

“Ah
Tempani, my dear girl. I was just telling your father about our meeting earlier
today.” He turned to Otto. “Her fondness for reading did not escape my
attention, and I was hoping she would like to visit me at my manor whenever she
pleases. My library is hers to explore.”

Tempani
grinned and grabbed the older man’s hand. “You wouldn’t mind? The convent was
so bereft of books that I fear I have a lot to catch up on,” she said. “Are you
sure I wouldn’t be taking up too much of your time?”

“Time?
I have more time than I know what to do with. You would be doing me a favor. It
would save me rattling around court like a stray dog looking for a bone,” he
laughed.

She
turned back to her father. “Please papa, may I?”

“So
long as you stick to your commitments as a lady and not use it to escape
possible suitors.” He dismissed Tempani’s scowl with a wave of his hand.

“It’s
settled then. You just let me know when you want to make your first visit,”
said Darby, a glint of excitement in his eyes. “Now if you’ll excuse us elders,
we will retire to our table and leave you in the hands of all these young
noblemen.”

Tempani
frowned as she was met with glares from the noblemen Darby referred to. Her
face burned as she saw the disgust, the hatred, in their eyes. No matter where
she went, she would always be the Kalaowin among the Kamaris. She would never
belong. She wished she didn’t have to walk through them all to return to the
safety of her table.

As
if reading her mind, Madoc materialized at her side and offered his arm. She
took it and smiled her thanks. They turned their backs on her as she walked
past them, and all she wanted to do was rage and scream at them, but she could
not.

“Savage,”
one of the ladies hissed as she passed.

Tempani
felt Madoc tense under her arm, and when she looked up, she saw his jaw was
clenched tight.

A
clap of lightening flashed over their heads, and the lady who had just insulted
her shrieked. Tempani felt a small sliver of satisfaction and allowed herself
to believe the weather was on her side.

They
re-joined Dahlia at their table, and Madoc’s hand went straight for his glass
of brandy. He downed it in one and poured himself another.

“Care
to share that around?”

He
raised an eyebrow at her but poured her a glass. Tempani brought it to her lips
and shuddered as the liquid hit her tongue and moved down her throat. She
spluttered and hit her chest, trying to stop the burning sensation she now
felt.

“The
first drink is always the hardest.”

“If
Mother Chennai could see me now,” she muttered as she took another sip.

“So
is the first ball. It’ll get easier,” he whispered.

She
nodded as she cupped her glass between her hands and fought off tears. What had
she expected? That putting on a pretty gown and walking into the room on the
arm of her father meant she belonged? That she would be accepted? She didn’t
belong in the Kamari world. Of that she was sure.

“Well,
look who’s finally decided to join his friends. Had enough of the old folk have
we Nic?” Madoc clapped the newcomer on the shoulder.

“You
know I would much prefer to be sitting with you than mingling with every single
person in the room. But it’s one of the requirements that comes with my title,”
he said as he sat beside his friend.

Tempani
drew her breath. He really was quite handsome with light brown hair that curled
slightly and intense blue eyes that shone when his thin lips curled into a
smile. Yet he still held himself with the same self-importance he had as a
child.

“Hello
Dahlia, you’re looking lovely this evening,” he said, inclining his head
towards her. “And I believe my brother was right. Lady Tempani of Amarill, it
is a pleasure to see you again.” His eyes fell on Tempani, and his face broke
into a grin as he thought how beautiful she was.

“And
you too, your Highness.”

“Please
call me Nic. We are old friends are we not?”

Tempani
raised an eyebrow at his suggestion. She would no more call him a friend than
she would call the sky green.

“Ah
you do not agree? I heard you were not convinced I had changed. Needless to say
I was young and did things I am not proud of, but I have, as you can see, grown
up considerably since we last saw one another.”

Tempani
cast her eyes down and felt a blush creep onto her cheeks as she remembered the
last time she had seen him. It had been the worst day of her life, and he had
caught her at her most vulnerable moment.

“Is
he harassing you again, Tempani?” Teddy took the vacant seat beside her and
offered her a glass of wine.

Nic
frowned. “And I see you two are joined at the hip again. Will we need to fight
one another for her attentions, little brother?”

“I’m
afraid it would not be much of a competition,” Teddy said and rose from his
chair. “May I have this dance, Lady Tempani?”

Tempani
accepted his hand, and Teddy shot his brother a smirk. “Round one to Prince
Theodore,” she whispered as they walked away.

He
grinned sheepishly. “Sorry about that. I just take such pleasure in irritating
him.”

“And
I thought you two got along now.”

“We
do. It’s just, when he saw your father escort you in tonight, the old rivalry
flared slightly. He was so sure he could get you on his arm, and I really
wanted to deflate his ego a little bit.”

Tempani
laughed. “Well I think it worked,” she said as she looked over her shoulder to
find a fuming Nicolass glaring at his brother’s back.

He
twirled her around, sending her into peals of laughter and causing people to
stare at the young pair.

“I
believe we are not behaving as young nobles should,” he whispered.

She
straightened in his arms, squaring her shoulders and pursing her lips. “Is this
better, your Highness?”

“Why
yes, my lady, I believe it is,” he said, rolling his eyes as they spun past a
small group of older nobles.

She
relaxed in his arms and smiled to herself. She felt like she was ten years old
again, and she and Teddy were pretending they were at a ball dancing just like
they were now. Except, in their game an army of enemy fighters would launch an
attack, and she would have to protect him from being taken.

She
tried to swallow away the guilt she had felt for the past five years. “Teddy,”
she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“For
what?”

“For
never writing back to you. I got your letters. All of them. But I was in such a
dark place that I couldn’t bring myself to read them. And then too much time
had passed, and it felt wrong to suddenly pick up a quill and write back.”

“It’s
all right,” he said softly. “I never once blamed you.”

“I
did miss you though. So much,” she choked.

He
kissed the top of her head. “You’re back where you belong. With me and Chae.”

Tempani
shivered as she felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked up and found herself
staring into the coldest pair of grey eyes she’d ever encountered. She wasn’t
sure how, but his gaze made her feel like she’d been plunged into a frozen
lake.

“Who
is that?” She tried to point discreetly at the man with the grey hair and
beard.

He
followed her gaze and frowned, moving her across the room and away from the
man. “Lord Ricton. He teaches sorcery here. You’d be smart to stay away from
him.”

“Is
he powerful?”

“Very,”
Teddy murmured.

She
risked one more glance at the man, but he’d disappeared. She was definitely
going to take Teddy’s advice and stay away from him. He unsettled her in a way
she couldn’t describe.

—

On
the other side of the room, Nic watched the pair of them dancing, and it irked
him. It made him want to run over there and
prise
her
from his arms. But if he did that, she would know. Know that he had been pining
for her for years. That he had stalled his father on every marriage arrangement
he had brought forward all because he had been waiting for her to return. To
see that he was now a man and that he loved her. He had been beside himself
with joy when he had heard she was returning. He had even offered to be the
knight that fetched her, but Otto had chosen Madoc. He had wanted to go with
Teddy earlier that day to greet her, but he had been called away to a meeting.

When
she had walked down those stairs this evening, he was glad he was laying eyes
on her for the first time. She had been a vision to behold. More beautiful than
he had remembered. And he had never been more certain that he loved her. Yet
she seemed to dislike him. He saw it in her eyes. Those eyes that saw right
through him. He could lose himself in them.

He
grabbed another drink from the servant and drank it quickly. He hated that she
was dancing with Teddy. He had envied their close bond all those years ago, and
it seemed nothing had changed.

“Madoc
has disappeared,” Chae said when he joined his friend.

“Snuck
off to his room, no doubt,” Nic replied. “You’d think he’d be used to these
things by now.”

Chae
shrugged. “He did seem a bit more relaxed tonight. Maybe it’s Tempani. She
seems to have that effect on people.”

Nic
turned to him abruptly. “You don’t think he fancies her, do you?”

Chae
laughed. “Madoc? I fear he will remain a loner for life.”

“Yes,”
Nic said and nodded. “You’re right.”

“Did
she refuse you tonight?”

Nic
finished his drink and reached for another. “I didn’t even get a chance to ask
her to dance. Teddy swooped in and swept her away before I knew it.”

“He’s
doing it to get a rise from you,” Chae said. “You know that.”

“Yes,
well, it worked.”

“If
you truly do have feelings for her, then you need to show her that you have
changed. She didn’t believe me today. In her mind you’re still that same boy
she hated.”

“How
do I show her?”

“Let
her see the side we see,” he said. “Don’t be arrogant. Or rude. And don’t order
people around. She doesn’t like that. Talk about history and art. She loves to
read so you have that in common.”

“Does
she still like to ride?”

“Yes,”
he said enthusiastically. “Take her riding. She’ll love that.”

Nic
nodded as he took it all in and let his eyes fall on her once more. He smiled
to himself when she looked up and caught his gaze. She scowled at him and
turned her head quickly. She would be a challenge, but he knew she would be
worth it.