The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1)(18)
He was too young to have fought in Aecor. Maybe he’d be all right.
“I was afraid I’d be alone with these old men all evening.” He motioned at the four other men surrounding us, who all grumbled good-naturedly. “I’m Lieutenant James Rayner. The old men are Clint, Ethan, Eric, and Bryce. They all have ranks more impressive than mine, so I’ll just skip over those, if that’s all right with you. I do, however, have the distinction of being Crown Prince Tobiah’s principal bodyguard.”
Maybe he wasn’t all right, after all.
But the last bit of information snapped him into my memory; he’d been in the king’s office yesterday. “I’m pleased to meet all of you. I’m Julianna Whitman. And this is my companion, Melanie Cole.”
“I remember. My most heartfelt condolences for the loss you’ve both suffered.” James offered a deep nod, almost a bow. “I, too, know the pain of losing someone close.”
Rayner. That was the queen’s maiden name, which made James Tobiah’s cousin. If I recalled, there was a scandal around James’s birth, which was why he carried his mother’s name, rather than his mysterious father’s. Later on, his mother had married a prominent lord, but he’d died in a fire at the Rayner family home; that must have been the loss James spoke of.
“It seems you’ve had no trouble securing places in society,” said one of the other soldiers. He looked about the king’s age, though he wore the years with more grace. It was entirely possible he’d been in Aecor ten years ago. Any of the four older men, actually. They all wore medals on their jackets, but I couldn’t tell what they represented.
My stomach turned over, but I managed to say, “Thank you.” I wanted to make the tablecloth slither alive and hurl dinnerware at the soldiers. I wanted to instruct forks and knives to—
Melanie reached for my hand under the table, and squeezed. “We’re fortunate for Lady Meredith’s and Lady Chey’s consideration. We don’t know anyone here, but we’re eager to make friends.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem for either of you.” The soldier smiled easily.
“Lady Meredith said this is an engagement ball. Who is her fiancé?” she asked.
Everyone swung his head around, eyebrows lifted and mouth slightly agape. “You don’t know?” James looked incredulous.
Melanie paled slightly. “Unfortunately, our invitation came only minutes after we arrived, and we weren’t informed of any details.” She shot a glance toward the head of the table, where Lady Meredith sat. “I suppose we’ll find out soon, won’t we?”
At her easy, palpable charm, the men seemed to relax. “That you will, my lady.”
“We’re also eager to see the whole palace and the parks behind it. If only we could find someone willing to give us a tour or two.”
James grinned. “Well then, you’ve been seated with the right people. If I’m ever given a day off duty, I will beg for your company.”
“Aren’t you off duty now?” she asked.
James gestured toward the head of the table. “At events like this, I’m not important enough to sit by the crown prince, but I can see him from here. If anyone threatens him, I’ll just cut down everyone between us. I’m not worried.” He winked as though it had been a joke, but there was a hardness to his expression that revealed otherwise.
“We’ll be sure to stay out of your way, in that case.”
So the prince was present after all. I glanced in his direction and saw the distracted, sullen expression of someone who didn’t want to be here. He sat between Lady Meredith and his father, who looked very gray this evening. The queen sat on the other side of the king, her face turned away from me.
James caught the prince’s bored look, too, and flashed an awkward smile at me. In a low voice, as though sharing a secret, he said, “His Highness doesn’t usually come to balls and parties. He’ll make an appearance when he must, like tonight, but often he spends his evenings alone with his father.” James cast another look toward the crown prince and shrugged. “His preference for staying in gives me plenty of nights off, but it is good for him to be out in society.”
“Ah, the scandal there would be if he’d skipped this event!” Clint chuckled to himself.
Why should I feel sorry for him, even if he was watching his father die a lingering death? By my count, he’d had nine years more with his father than I had with mine. And he would get to say good-bye.
I shook the thoughts away—I was Julianna tonight, not Wilhelmina—and let myself be pulled back into James’s company as he indulged Melanie and me with the names and ranks and current gossip of everyone at the table.
This, if nothing else, was an excellent time to study my enemy.
A glass clinked at the head of the table, and Lady Chey rose to her feet; a servant spirited her chair back, out of her way. She smoothed her elegant lavender gown, with finely cut diamonds arranged in an elaborately stylized wave that crested on the bodice, which accented all her best feminine qualities.
“Thank you all for joining me this evening.” At Chey’s greeting, the remaining murmurs faded and the quartet played a soft chord before lowering their instruments. “I hope we’ve all had opportunities to catch up with old friends and make some new ones.” She glanced at me, eyebrow lifted in falsely sweet acknowledgment.