The Heirs (The Heart's Edge Series, Book #1)

Chapter 3

As it turned out, I did not see Julius even when I joined his parents near the carriages that we were supposed to be travelling in. I kept the notebook hidden in my layers while my trunks were loaded into one of the hansoms.

I kept glancing around to see if I could spot him in the crowd of servants and royal dignities that were returning. His mother, Queen Regina, pulled me into a conversation after a while and I forgot about the notebook. I had talked to her briefly during what was supposed to be our bethrothal and she was just as lively and bold as I had imagined.

We had to climb into our respective carriages after a while so our conversation was short but I enjoyed talking to her nonetheless. I again tried to spot which carriage Julius was supposed to be travelling in but didn't see him.

My heart raced at the thought of him knowing of my interest in forensics and telling someone about it. I glanced out of the small window and saw nobody who could tell me of the whereabouts of the notorious prince.

"Looking for me?" I jumped and almost hit my head on the window at the sudden noise near my ear. Ravenswood leaned against my carriage in all his glory.

"You-" I took a deep breath to steady my heartbeat. If he knew about my deepest secret, I was not in a position to upset him by acting in anger.

"Really, Colfield, we are going to my home. You can look at me all you want, no need to trouble yourself." He reached for the curtain of my window but I smacked his hand away.

"What is the meaning of this?" I whispered with the notebook in my hand. "Why did you give this to me?"

He raised his eyebrows as at me. "If you want to know about dead bodies, you need to know about human bodies. I hardly think you were talking about dead chickens."

"I don't need this and what I was talking about in not your concern."I whispered harshly. He stood upright suddenly and yanked my curtain shut. I gasped at the velocity of his movement before I heard my father's voice.

"I see that you are all prepared to leave. It's a shame that your family is going so early." I hid the notebooks under the seat while father spoke to Julius. " We would have loved to entertain you for a few more days."

"It was a pleasure to meet your family, your highness." Julius's velvety voice travelled inside the carriage. "We had a great time. I'm sure we will meet again very soon."

"Yes, yes. Of course." Father's voice sounded far away. I was not surprised that he hadn't come to see me. As long as I was doing what he expected of me, he could not be bother with me.

A long minute passed and I pulled the curtain back. To my surprise, Julius was gone and the last glimpse I caught of him was his brown jacket before he disappeared inside the carriage behind mine.

I shut the window when we started moving and settled into my seat. I silently bid goodbye to my absent mother and folded my legs but something slid down from my lap. I bent down to pick it up and my fingers brushed against soft petals.

When Julius Ravenswood had shut the curtain, he had silently dropped a magnificent lavender Rose into my lap. I held it carefully between my fingers and wondered if it was my imagination.

If adriana was here, she would tell me what the meaning of the flower was but I was leaving my sister behind, so my best guess was that it was a peace offering. Or maybe Ravenswood was just being a scoundrel like always.

I took the notebook from under the seat and slid the Rose between the pages before closing it.

It was going to be a long journey and I was not sure if it will lead to anything good.