Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(87)
This is getting more and more ridiculous. “Huh?”
“You can stay with one of our female members—Mrs. Stevens runs a boarding house and could put you up for a modest fee.” He leans towards me. “We need someone like you, Kat. Leave the prince, and join our side.”
“Excuse me?” I say, flabbergasted. “Did you hit your head over a low beam or are you drunk? I belong to Edward. Once he gets the decree absolute, we’ll be married.”
His face hardens at the mention of Edward and marriage. “He’s a selfish person. Your ideals are different from his, yet he practically forced you to marry him. He’s only attracted to you because you behaved different from other women. If he truly respected you, he wouldn’t have put up that show at court. By making that ardent declaration in public, he’s making himself look like a saint. You’d be denounced if you don’t accept him.”
“It was my choice!” I say hotly. “It was my decision to be with him.”
“Shortly after your marriage to Edward, I had heard the servants gossip about a quarrel between you two. You had told him you were not his prisoner.”
I freeze. I had said that to Edward, but it was because he was frantically worried I might disappear with Krev. He kept an eye on me because he feared I would leave him alone in Athelia. But I can’t tell Liam the truth.
Liam watches me closely. “Do you deny that rumor, Kat?”
“It was a misunderstanding.”
“Oh right,” he says, not sounding convinced. “Tell me that you crave the life in a gilded cage. Tell me that you don’t mind having your words and behavior gossiped about. Tell me you enjoy abiding those numerous customs and rules of the monarchy.”
“I could endure those for Edward.”
He places his hand over mine. “If you were my woman, you would have the freedom. I would not force you to do what you would not want. Join me, Kat. Together, we can change this country.”
“Never!” I snatch my hand back and stand up, my body trembling. “You’re insane to believe I would desert Edward to be with you instead.”
He looks hurt for a moment, then he shrugs. “I thought you were different. But apparently you are the same as those girls who only want to marry a prince.”
“It has nothing to do with his being the crown prince. Sure, he has his faults, but I love him. I love the way he loves me. And even if Edward never existed, I would never choose you.”
He looks hurt, but I can’t feel any sympathy. To be honest, I find the sudden confession from him too sudden to be taken seriously.
“Have it your way. If something happens in the future, do not say I haven’t warned you.”
I whirl on him. “Are you saying you’re planning a rebellion?”
“Leave Edward, and I’ll tell you everything.”
As if I’d do that. “Goodbye, Liam.”
* * *
I return home, my head spinning, my thoughts a mess. Ridiculous... Liam has just asked me to ditch Edward! So he did take an interest in me when he met me as Katherine Wilson, but I can’t believe he’d persist after Edward made that confession in court. Well, if this is his method to declare his affection for a woman he wants, he’s doing a very poor job about it. Belittling a woman and confessing his feelings at the same time… I’d be retarded to accept him.
Edward is pacing on the floor when I returned to Henry’s. His brow is furrowed; clearly, there’s something lurking on his mind.
“You’re back.” He smiles, but I can detect a tired smile from him.
He didn’t even ask where I’ve been. Usually he is obsessed with knowing where I am. It could be because I am no longer in a hurry to go home, but given that I was attacked just a week ago, Edward should be more concerned about my safety.
“What happened?” Fear grips my mind. I hope it isn’t something like Katriona deciding not to go through the divorce. “You look so pensive.”
He looks at me, and there is pain in his eyes. “The bill about taxing the aristocrats was rejected today.”
Shock runs through me. “But I thought it wasn’t due until next week.”
“Exactly. Sunderland scheduled it early while I was busy prosecuting Bianca Bradshaw and Fremont. They had made sure I would not be present when they brought up the bill. It was not a landslide rejection, but it was enough to block the bill.”
He looks so frustrated that I take his hand and make him sit on the sofa. The best thing I can do now is offer him comfort. “I don’t get it. After the Union making speeches about the unfair distribution of wealth, and given what happened in Moryn with the emperor, aren’t the lords concerned that the people may be angry? They had listened when we protested about child labor and education.”
Edward rests his chin on his hands. “Previously, when we were discussing child labor and compulsory education, the aristocrats were not personally affected. Those who stand to lose by child labor were mostly newly minted capitalists, and the funding for education would be from the government’s coffers. However, if the lords are taxed, then their wealth would be directly affected. A minority, in fact, are not as well-off as people believe. Large estates require substantial maintenance, and a younger generation could easily squander away the family fortune. From what I have observed, most of the MPs are confident that the people’s wrath will not last long, but if the tax bill is passed, the consequences will be long-lasting.”