Of Blood and Roses

Chapter 15

It was a rare sunny day at the Roche palace. I sat out at a table in the gardens with Josephe. I eyed her tiny poodle at her feet. It was impossibly small, the crumps of a treat stuck in its poof of white fur. Every time someone walked by it raced out from under the table, straining at its lease as it let out a torrent of yipping barks.

It had just settled down after such a fit as Josephe leaned towards me. "You must listen to me," she whispered. "The prince has been absolutely unlike himself. It is all anyone can talk about."

I shifted uneasily. There was only once prince she could mean since Jourdon had still not returned.

And Josephe was right. It was all anyone could talk about, and quite honestly, I was growing weary of it. I had not seen Pierre for several days now, but it seemed like no matter what I did, escaping the younger prince's reach would not be so easy.

"So I have heard," I replied, attempting to keep any emotion from my voice.

Josephe was undeterred by my attempt at nonchalance. One thing I had learned during our afternoon teas was that Josephe loved her gossip.

"They say he has not left his room in four days. Four days! Which would not be so odd, considering that he is...well, him. But the strangest part is he has not allowed a single person into his rooms. No guests, no music. Even the servants have been whispering that he has barely taken food. Only wine and his spirits. He must have experienced a truly terrible shock."

A shock. I suppose to someone like Pierre, being turned down might come as a bit of a surprise. I frowned, sipping on my tea. It was fragrant and sweet, smelling faintly of roses. A blend imported from Rosailles. I usually cherished the small taste of home, but today it turned sour on my tongue.

"I'm sure he will improve in a few days."

Josephe shook her head, pushing her tea away. "I can't stand it. Without Pierre here, things are so dull! What are we to do?" Just then she looked at me, then her eyes widened like an idea had just come to her. My stomach twisted nervously. "I know! You could visit him. He couldn't possibly turn you away, you know, being the Roserian Princess and his brother's betrothed and all."

I nearly spat out the sip of tea I'd just had. I set my cup down, swallowing and dabbing carefully at my mouth with a napkin.

"I doubt the prince wants to see me more than anyone else."

Josephe arched a brow, her troubled expression slipping away as she leaned toward me. "That's not what I saw. You might be marrying his brother, but everyone can see how besotted the prince is with you. It's like when you're in the room, no one else exists." She tilted her head, her eyes suddenly far keener than I ever gave her credit for. "Perhaps you are the cause."

I tried to keep my expression blank. "Nonsense. I haven't seen the prince since the night after that party."

Josephe was smiling. I didn't like it one bit. It was like I was a mouse and she had caught me in her snare. "The night you stayed behind. The night before the prince started acting strangely." She picked up her teacup, taking a small sip, eyes never leaving me.

"Something happened, didn't it." Her eyes were alighted with glee. "Oh please, tell me what happened."

I bit my tongue. With Josephe's penchant for gossip, I knew better than to confide in her. The thing was, I couldn't confide in anyone. I had considered discussing it with Sabine, but things had been strained between her and me since that night. I had almost been relieved to discover this morning it was another one of her days off. That left only Darren, who now stood a few paces behind me, his constant presence following me wherever I went. To invite him inside my chambers would only lead to even worse rumors than what already existed between me and Pierre.