Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(65)

I barely notice someone calling me, as I’m eager to leave the palace. And then my mind registers the speaker, and I force myself to halt.

“Father.” I keep a pleasant smile on my face. “Good afternoon.”

He frowns. “Where are you going?”

“The same place I went to yesterday.”

A servant hurries past with a hasty bow. Father clears his throat and indicates I follow him. When we are both in a small secluded room, I wait until he takes a seat before sitting down. I know what he plans to say, and I know I will not like it.

“Your mother told me why you moved out.” Father sends me a disapproving glare. “You have set up house with Kat in the city centre.”

“Actually, it was at Henry’s house.” I keep my tone casual, as though what I did was perfectly normal and not, as his tone suggests, an outrageous scandal.

“I thought that you had more sense.” Father’s glare intensifies. “Even if you wanted to marry Kat, you must follow the proper procedure. You cannot simply move out of the palace. What will the people think?”

“As a matter of fact, I regret not having moved out sooner. Do you know what happened to Kat when I found her two days ago?”

“I understand that she had tried to impersonate the princess, was discovered, and tried in court.” The disapproval in Father’s tone could not be more obvious. “She should not have done that. Even if she were desperate to return to you, she should have waited.”

I sigh. “It had nothing to do with me. If she wanted to be with me, she would have sent me word and I’d have gone to her. She wouldn’t have attempted to disguise as princess.”

“Then why did she risk it?”

I relate to him how Katriona had purchased Princess College for Lady Bradshaw, and how Kat, unable to come up with any other idea and worried that time was running out, had tried to sign over the ownership to Elle.

Father’s expression softens. “That was foolish, though understandable. Nevertheless, it does not excuse your behavior.”

“I couldn’t leave her alone. She has suffered enough since I made her stay in Athelia.” I lean forward, my arms crossed. “However you may disapprove, what’s done is done. Katriona Bradshaw has agreed to a divorce. It will not be long before I can marry Kat.”

“That may be more problematic than you think.”

“You will not give your consent?”

“No. That is, even if I do consent, I am not the only one you must convince.”

A sense of foreboding prickles my mind. “I would appreciate an elaboration.”

“Have you heard of the Royal Marriages Act?”

I have a vague memory of the term when I was a child, but it has never occurred to me to probe further. I was not keen on the idea of marrying until I met Kat.

“It was established because of your grandfather.”

I look up. I am not surprised—my strict upbringing had came to be because my father was afraid that I might grow up to behave like my profligate grandfather. However, him playing a hand in my marriage prospects is a novelty.

“Your grandfather, in his youth, had fallen in love with a stage actress. He wanted to marry her, despite she was a scandalous choice. Not even the public would accept a future queen who had dressed scantily on stage, and there were rumors she had an illegitimate child by the troupe master. In order to prevent the actress from entering our family, the Privy Council established the law as thus: any union between a commoner and a royal will be deemed void and null.”

The Privy Council. A bunch of priggish, strait-laced men who could have better things to do with their time. My heart sinks to the pit of my torso.

“What about a morganatic marriage?” My voice rises. “Kat does not care for my title.”

“It is of no use, though it was allowed before the Royal Marriages Act was established. Not everyone in the country is aware of the RMA; it only applies to royals, and generally it’s impossible for a royal to meet and fall in love with a commoner. Simply put, you are not allowed to marry Katherine Wilson. Not even if you take her to Ruby Red.”

I set my jaw. “What must I do to convince the Privy Council?”

“Leave her. The public believes she is a femme fatale who seduced you and made you put aside your lawful wife. She is beneath your station, Edward.”

“Right.” I control the urge to explode on spot. “I do not recall any instance that you expressed such an opinion when everyone thought she were the daughter of an earl. What if one day she is discovered to be the long-lost daughter of Augustin? Will she magically become my equal again?”

“You’re speaking of the impossible.”

“Allow me remind you that Lady Bradshaw’s servant had turned out to be the daughter of an earl.”

“Edward,” he growls in a warning tone I recognize—I’ve used it on Kat whenever she teases me mercilessly. “Do you suppose High Court will grant you a divorce after you flaunted your infidelity, especially with a girl with no title to her name?”

I resist slamming my fist on the table. Instead, I force myself to calm down and take a deep breath. “Thank you for the forewarning. However, I hope you will understand that I will not cease trying to restore Kat to her rightful place in the palace. After all the trouble I’ve went through to persuade her to marry me, do you genuinely believe that such minor obstacles could alter my decision?”