The Debutante (Season Series #2)

Chapter 39: A Confrontation

I snapped awake, curled on the chilly loveseat when the snick of the service door cut through the silence of the little library. I blinked the sleep from my eyes, sitting up so quickly my head spun.

"Hurry and wake up!" Anne was saying, her wide blue eyes panicked. I jumped to my feet, instantly awake.

"Where's Thomas?" I asked, following her as she disappeared back through the service door.

"Dorian and his father were waiting to ambush Andrew, he's trying to head them off," Anne said, lifting her skirts to take the steps two at a time. We raced through the service corridors, flying past maids as we wove through the palace. Eventually, we reached the same narrow hallway Thomas had taken me to before. Anne pushed open the third door and once again I was met with a whiff of Andrew's cologne.

"Where is he?" I asked, prowling around the empty room to search for signs of Andrew.

"They're coming," Anne said, worrying at the embroidery on her skirt again.

She sat on the edge of an armchair while I paced before the dying fire. The sun was sinking in the sky, the chill creeping in from the windows despite the heavy curtains. A maid came to stoke the fire, the sound of the door setting my heart to racing only for it to fall when it wasn't my prince.

I'd nearly calmed my nerves enough to sit with the princess when I heard the voices.

"Oh no," was all Anne said before the door burst open.

I took a step back as Andrew stalked through the door, coming up short as he noticed me. I wanted to throw my arms around him, to tell him what had happened, but his green eyes were haunted and he made no move to approach me.

I didn't have to ask him to know that Dorian had gotten to him first.

"Andrew..." I started, my eyes welling with tears. His chest rose and fell, the look of desperate longing on his face breaking my heart before he turned and took my place, pacing in front of the fire.

"Tell him, Libby," Thomas said urgently, "Tell him about your parents."

"Get the hell out!" Andrew roared, pointing a shaking finger towards the door. Anne gave a little squeak, hopping up to duck under Thomas' arm.

"You need to hear her out," Thomas said, undeterred. Andrew let out a frustrated noise that was more of a growl than a word, advancing menacingly towards his brother. Over Andrew's shoulder, Thomas gave me a pointed look as if to say that this was in my hands now.

When Andrew had slammed the door behind his siblings, the crackling of the fire was deafening as the silence settled over us.

"Andrew..." I began tentatively again, only for him to round on me.

"So was James right last Season when he said you were simply after a wealthy husband? Were all your royal duties too much to pay in exchange for the comfort of being queen?" he demanded. My face crumpled.

"How can you think that?" I demanded, his words ripping my heart into pieces, "I don't want to marry Dorian, they tricked me into-"

"Just like you tricked me? Because I'll admit that I bought the whole act, Libby. You smithing that nail was really the pièce de resistance in your grand effort to convince me that you weren't exactly like the rest of the fluttering ninny debutantes!"

"Why are you so willing to believe them and not me?" I sobbed, the entire room swimming before my face.

"Because you're engaged to Dorian Fletcher mere days after you'd asked me for 'time to think'!" he roared, "Do you have any idea what that feels like?"