The Carnelian Legacy (38 page)

He would be expecting her to dance with him for most of the ball. He would also be expecting an answer to his proposal. She already knew how she felt about him in her heart, but she was still trying to frame an answer in her head.

She gazed into the mirror and gasped as she saw her mother’s reflection staring back at her. In that moment, it felt as if Marisa was peering directly into her past. She covered her face with the feathered mask. It was suddenly a painful fact to Marisa that neither her father nor her mother was alive to see her.

She jumped as she read her phone’s display of 6:27 p.m. She grabbed her gloves and gathered up her skirts before hurrying down the corridor toward the main staircase. As she heard Arrie and Darian’s hushed voices at the bottom of the vestibule, she stopped abruptly.

“…can’t believe Savino is capable of something like that. Why would he kill his own sister?” Arrie whispered.

“He would prefer her dead than married to me. That should tell you just how determined he is to take the crown,” Darian said softly.

Marisa’s heart sank when Darian mentioned Matilda, but she quickly reminded herself that she only had one more night to get through.

“Are you still planning to make the announcement? Even though Matilda won’t be present?” Arrie whispered.

Darian hesitated. “I believe I have no choice. Her life is in even greater danger now than it was just a few days ago. We must make sure we can protect her.”

“Have you taken the necessary precautions?”

“I’ve already arranged for double guards posted throughout the citadel tonight,” Darian whispered. “Some are disguised as guests standing by just in case.”

“Who knows how he’ll react to your announcement.”

“I’ve learned not to underestimate my cousin.”

Marisa wiped her sweaty palms on the skirt of her dress and exhaled. The tightness of the corset prevented her from breathing normally and she was already starting to feel lightheaded.

“You did ask Marisa to be here at 6:30, correct?” asked Darian.

“Yes, she should be here any minute now.”

She didn’t want them to know she’d been eavesdropping, so she waited for another minute or two. Unable to put it off any longer, she slipped on her gloves and lifted the mask to her face. She inhaled as deeply as the corset would allow and descended the grand staircase. Her dainty-gloved hand slid down the polished wooden railing as she fought to keep her shaky knees from buckling under her. The last thing she needed was to take a nasty tumble down those stairs.

When they heard the rustle of her skirts and the clicking of her heels on the marble steps, Darian and Arrie both turned. The two young men who had discovered a lost and frightened girl just a few weeks ago were now spellbound by the same beautiful woman floating down to them with grace and poise.

Darian’s face was half-covered by an elaborate mask, but Marisa’s heart skipped a beat as soon as she saw him. The most handsome man she had ever known waited at the bottom of those stairs, but when the night was through, she would never see him again.

Darian stretched out his hand to her. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world tonight,” he said, drinking her in from top to bottom. Blushing at his words, she smiled shyly as he escorted her down the long corridor toward the Knights’ Hall.

Arrie smiled. “Smashing, cousin. Simply smashing.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re my cousin.” She giggled nervously. They reached the door to the hall and she looked at Darian. “By the way, how is Lady Matilda?”

He lifted his mask. “Mattie is expected to recover but is still terribly sick. She will not be joining us this evening.”

“I’m so sorry, sire.”

“Please, Marisa, do not call me that.”

“Ugh! I’m sorry—I meant Your Royal Highness.” She shook her head, embarrassed. “Don’t worry—you’ll only have to put up with me for one more night.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Darian said with a sigh. He placed his hand on the enormous door handle. “Ready?”

She nodded nervously like a debutante at her coming-out ball. As he guided her into the noisy hall, large crowds of people all turned to stare and a hush fell over the room. The eyes of the Carnelian nobility were all fixed on Miss Marisa MacCallum from Jacksonville, Oregon.

Spotting Adalina and Helena, she began to move toward them but Darian stopped her as a uniformed man with gray hair marched forward. He carried a long stick made of bronze and wood and slammed it to the ground three times, commanding the attention of the entire room.

“Ladies, gentlemen, knights, and lords! Announcing His Royal Highness Prince Darian Fiore and the Lady Marisa MacCallum!”

She fought to suppress a giggle. The man was shouting so loud that everyone inside the hall and probably outside the hall could hear him. All the guests bowed and curtseyed to Darian and Marisa as they moved to the front of the hall.

“Now that the first part is over, shall we have something to drink before we meet the guests in the reception line?” Darian whispered.

“
Reception line
?”

“Of course,” he answered with a smile. “You didn’t think you were off the hook yet, did you?”

“I was kinda hoping…”

He smiled at her. “Many powerful people from all parts of the country have come here tonight to meet you. And they won’t leave until they do.”

He handed her a crystal goblet filled with sparkling fruit juice. She chugged it down nervously as he stared at her in shock and amusement.

“You didn’t finish that already, did you? No, Marisa—you must sip it slowly. It’s wine from my family’s vineyard. Very sweet, but you have to be careful,” he said, chuckling. “Come, let’s welcome our guests.”

She felt giddy as she followed him toward the throne platform where the guests had already lined up to meet them. She watched as the gray-haired man approached them again.

“He will announce each of the guests by their name and title,” Darian whispered. “When they bow and curtsey, you only need to smile and nod your head in acknowledgment.”

“I don’t curtsey?”

“No—you would grow tired very quickly with several hundred guests. Unless you want to try,” he joked.

Marisa’s head was swimming as the man announced each of the guests one by one. Sometimes he would introduce a couple together. There seemed to be far more men at the assembly than women.

Each man stepped up to kiss her hand as they were introduced as dukes, earls, barons, counts, marquises, and lords. Marisa would never be able to remember all their names and titles, but that didn’t stop her from trying. The line moved along slowly and she nodded to each of the noblemen and women as they filed on past. Her corset was starting to seriously hamper her movement and it became increasingly difficult for her to breathe.

After greeting the last guest in the line, she was extremely grateful for her beautiful yet sensible shoes. Her back was stiff, and she wanted desperately to sit down.

It dawned on her that if Matilda had not gotten sick, she would have been standing alongside Darian as hostess now instead of Marisa. She was beginning to wonder if Matilda’s brother still planned to come to the ball.

“No sign yet of Savino?” she asked.

Darian’s smile faded. “Not yet. He usually likes to make an entrance.” He led her to the center of the floor and took her hand in his.

“This is the part where we kick off the evening with a dance.”

“Thanks for the advance warning,” Marisa muttered. Her eyes roamed the crowds of people craning to get a better look. They were all wearing masks so it was difficult to see their expressions.

As he led her effortlessly across the floor, she recognized it was the dance that Arrie had taught her at Abbadon. She was trying to concentrate on her steps, but the corset was becoming increasingly uncomfortable underneath her dress. Darian seemed to notice her anxiety.

“Just imagine they’re all stone statues and we’re the only two real people here,” he whispered. “It’s what I always do when I get nervous about speaking in public.”

“You nervous? Somehow I find that hard to believe. Especially after watching how shy you are about mowing down the rijgen and the yarmout,” she giggled.

He chuckled. “That’s a little different.”

As they danced close together, Marisa’s heartbeat quickened. She reminded herself that he was engaged to another woman but his irresistible charm and charisma held her attention like a powerful magnet. The mask hid the upper half of his face, but she could still see a smirk playing around his lips.

“And just
what
is so amusing, sire?”

He grinned, displayed his perfect, white teeth. “Oh, I was just remembering the first time I saw you with that lost, scared look on your face. I knew I could not remain suspicious of you for very long.”

“It was all just an elaborate act, you know,” she teased. “How do you know I’m not spying for Savino after all?”

He lifted his mask. “Call it royal intuition.”

“Royal intuition?”

“Yes, it’s a kind of sixth sense—you just know that you know something. You don’t know how you know, but you just know that you know.”

“Yes, I can see the logic in that.”

He spun her around and she saw the crystal chandeliers sparkling above her like a thousand tiny diamonds. It was a night she would never forget. She didn’t want to think about starting her life over without him so she pushed it from her mind. For one more night, she wanted to be Cinderella before making her escape at midnight.

The song ended but Darian didn’t let go. When the spell finally broke, they looked around and noticed they were the only two still out on the floor. He offered her an arm and they walked to the refreshments table.

“Are you hungry, milady?”

“Yeah, starving actually.”

“What would you like to eat?” He pointed to the buffet table filled with food. “How about some of Arrie’s flegan fish caught with much effort in your honor?”

Marisa laughed as she pictured Arrie flying through the air, only to be dragged back down under the waves by the giant fish. She followed Darian’s lead and loaded her plate with food. Some of the other hungry guests noticed them and began to help themselves.

“Would you like to go outside?” Darian asked. He was balancing two goblets of wine in one hand and his full plate in the other.

“I’d like that,” she said softly.

He led her under the stone archway, across the courtyard, and up the rampart steps. The sounds of the music and ball drifted further into the background until she felt as if they were the only ones there.

Marisa set her plate down and began to eat. She was hungry, and the food tasted good on her empty stomach.

“I haven’t seen Celino yet. I thought that he’d been invited.”

Darian pulled off his mask. “He was invited. I was expecting him to arrive very soon, in fact. I hope nothing is keeping him.”

“Well, it’s a shame if he doesn’t show. He’s one of the few people I can actually have a conversation with,” she said, frowning.

She gazed up into the night sky. She couldn’t see the stars behind the dark rain clouds and hoped the impending rain showers wouldn’t make it too difficult for the guests to get home later.

“So, have you given Savino an answer yet?” he asked.

“I, uh—no, not yet,” she said. “I’ve actually been having second thoughts about accepting his offer.”

Darian clenched his jaw. “Second thoughts?”

“Yeah, I just don’t think I can go through with it,” she said, stroking the feathers on her mask. “I’m not ready to get married, and besides, I don’t love him.”

He took a sip of wine. “Someday the right man will come along and you’ll be glad you waited.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not holding my breath.”

You are the right man for me, Darian. If only that stupid law didn’t exist. If only you weren’t a prince
.

“Your Highness,” she began, “I just wanted to say I’m glad we bumped into each other. I wouldn’t have gotten through these past few weeks without yours and Arrie’s help. Thank you.”

“You are very welcome, milady.”

Awkward silence.

He pulled the mask back over his face. “I think we’d better get back in to the guests now.”

She nodded and finished her goblet of wine a little too quickly. As they returned to the ball, all eyes followed Marisa as she floated over to Adalina and Helena.

“Are you enjoying the ball, Marisa?” Adalina asked. She was breathtaking in a scarlet gown and matching jeweled mask. Her raven-black hair was swept up onto her head, and her ruby necklace and earrings sparkled in the candlelight.

“It’s amazing, Your Highness.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Marisa suddenly saw him. Dressed from top to bottom in an ornate silver and white outfit, Savino stood head and shoulders above the other guests. His eyes roamed the crowd and stopped when he saw Marisa. She quickly turned her back and ducked down behind some guests as she scanned the room for Darian. When she spotted him in the far corner chatting with some men, she groaned. He was too far away to see her plight—