The Bride Tournament (Hexed Hearts Book 1)(63)

Satisfaction blossomed in Ellie’s chest, and Gerard tightened his grip on her waist. She grinned. For so long, she’d been at the mercy of her family members. Her home tossed back and forth like a pawn. No more.

Ellie stood tall. Her husband and mother-in-law at her sides, but she didn’t need their support.

“Please, sit.” She waved toward the low-backed sofa. Ellie seated herself in the largest chair in the room and motioned for James to bring in the tea service. “I see you’ve come to congratulate me on my nuptials. How sweet.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie saw Gerard seat his mother in the opposite sofa. He plopped down next to her. A feral smile split his handsome face and his broad shoulders took up far too much space.

Her smile brightened.

It didn’t matter anymore, her past. Ellie finally had a future. A future she chose.

“Um, yes, congrats?” Lady Irene mumbled, looking confused. “I thought maybe…you’d be somewhere else.”

“You didn’t have to come in person.” Ellie poured tea for the queen and herself. “There will be a reception in two weeks once we’ve made the formal announcement.”

Gerard bit into a biscuit. The Burbe ladies quaked on the sofa.

“Yes, the formal announcement.” Gerard pounced on the conversation. “Tell me, ladies, however did you find out about our secret marriage?”

Lady Irene shifted uncomfortably and the sisters exchanged worried glances. Clearly they were struggling to come up with an excuse, a reason, a valid argument.

“I know why you came.” Ellie sipped the lemon brew. “Surprised to see me outside of the dungeons? Lacking chains?”

A tentative nod escaped Lady Irene. “Well, yes…Prince Gerard made it seem like…well, the way he yelled.”

“We thought for sure you’d be imprisoned for treason in the very least,” Violet rushed in, kindness in her eyes.

Ellie laughed. “I admit, I thought the same. Fortunately for me, he wasn’t angry at me in the least.”

“No, I was angry at the family who’d harbored a criminal and allowed Ellie to be a servant in her own home.” Gerard stood, clearly done with niceties. “Speaking of family…”

She raced to her feet to stop him from verbally abusing her derelict relations. She cared for them still. He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm with a gentle smile, understanding without words what she requested. Be kind.

“Your home has been purchased by our princess, the necessary papers require your signature, Lady Irene.” Gerard gestured to a side table where a thick stack of parchment lay next to an inked quill. “I suggest you take the generous price and visit another part of Galacia—indefinitely.”

Ellie gaped at her husband. He’s paying them to leave and never come back. My home…is mine once again.

Fragile and weary, Irene stood and shook as she dutifully signed the papers. Ellie gripped Gerard tight.

“Thank you,” she whispered for his ears only.

“Don’t thank me. I wanted to kick them out on the street. Pierce made me pay them.”

“Well, thank you.” Tears shimmered in her eyes and her vision wavered. “It’s the nicest gift I’ve ever received.”

Lady Irene finished signing and motioned for her daughters to follow her out of the parlor.

Ellie grasped Violet’s wrist as she passed. “You, I will miss.”

Violet nodded, muddy eyes brimming with water. “The same goes for me, sister.”

The women walked away. A great weight, the last one Ellie carried, lifted from her shoulders and fluttered away as if it meant nothing. As if the berating of her family hadn’t drowned her spirit enough for a lifetime.

“I’ve dreamt of this moment.” Ellie watched the queen and James slip out of the parlor. “Imagined it a thousand different ways.”

“Did it live up to your dreaming?” Gerard tugged her into the comfort of his wide chest. His wide palm stroked the knotted muscles along her nape.

She’d planned on yelling, screaming, throwing her hot rage against the Burbes like a lethal weapon. Wanting to laugh at their pain. See it froth in their eyes as they’d cried for mercy. She’d been a tyrant in her dreams.

Ellie patted her husband’s back. “Not at all.”

All that pain and misery was cut from her life. She’d sliced the ladies from her future. So, too, shall I erase them from my past. It did no good to dwell on the hurt. To feed the shame.

“It was much, much better.”

Gerard ducked his face to hers; she met him in a tender kiss.

“Thank you, my love, for the gift.” She licked her lips and absorbed the taste of him.

“Aww, my princess. I did no such thing.” His hazel eyes shifted merrily.

“Whatever do you mean, my prince?” Still tucked against him, Ellie brought her head back to see him better.

“Accounts have been set up for the private use of the future princesses of Galacia. One for you, and one for Pierce’s fiancée, should he ever decide to take a wife.” Gerard dragged Ellie from the parlor, his long legs eating up the space to their shared room.

“Oh really?” Ellie gasped for air as she jogged after her man.

“Yes.” Gerard opened their door and ushered her in. “I saw to it that the home was purchased with your particular funds.”