He Objects

Chapter 13: Confrontation

Felix, astride a brown horse with a black mane, rode down the hill at a quick clip, barely coming to a stop in time to prevent a collision with Prince Henri. "What are you doing, going off with an unmarried lady alone!? Have you no sense of propriety?"

"Good morning to you, cousin," Prince Henri said mildly, his earlier serious expression transformed into a bland mask. Shadow danced around nervously, not liking the shouts, and I discreetly pulled back, not wanting to be too close to either of them.

"Good morning, my ass," Felix spat, his gray eyes steely with rage. "How dare you take a ride with my fiancé without a chaperone?"

"Relax, nothing untoward occurred while we were out," Prince Henri said, dismounting and taking the reins in hand. I had to admire his unbothered reaction to Felix's anger. I myself was shrinking back in my saddle, flinching as he bit out his words.

"That's not the point!" Felix snarled, jumping off his own mount to jab a finger into the prince's chest.

For the first time since Felix's arrival, Prince Henri's expression darkened. "What is your point, then?"

"Does her reputation mean nothing to you?" the duke snapped. "Or mine, for that matter? You made me a laughingstock, and now you seek to add insult to injury?"

I frowned. For a moment there, it seemed that Felix was concerned for my welfare. But now it was all too clear he was only concerned about himself. My reputation only mattered as far as it related to his own.

"My father consented to my showing Prince Henri around the grounds," I spoke up sharply, cutting off Felix's next outburst as I dismounted Shadow and stepped bravely between the squabbling cousins. "And he would never speak of it to anyone. Our servants are loyal, and we trust them implicitly. There is no way anyone would find out that we were together unchaperoned."

"Don't speak of what you don't know, Lady Charlotte," Felix said exasperatedly.

"That's no way to speak to a lady," Prince Henri jumped to my defense.

"I'll speak to my fiancé however I see fit, thank you very much," Felix snapped. "Especially when she uses an insolent tone with me."

"Excuse me?" I said incredulously.

Felix flinched, then his expression softened. He stepped closer to me, taking my shoulders in his hands and turning me to face him. "I apologize, Lady Charlotte," he said, his tone placating. "I didn't mean to speak ill of you. I just—" he raked a hand through his hair "—my cousin does not bring out the best in me."

"A-alright," I stuttered, at a loss for words. He started rubbing circles on my arms with his thumbs. I suppose he meant the gesture to be reassuring, but instead I felt uncomfortable with the contact.

"Can't you see the lady is distressed?" Prince Henri spoke up. "For a man who complains of a young lady with a gentleman without a chaperone, you are the one crossing the lines of propriety right now."

Felix immediately released me, and I couldn't help the tiny sigh of relief that escaped past my lips. "I apologize," Felix said stiffly.

"It's alright," I managed to say. The tension in the air was so thick I could almost taste it. Both men were positively brimming with hostility, glaring at one another, their postures tense. I had to do something before it got any worse. "Shall we return to the house?" I asked faintly.

"Yes, we should," Prince Henri said decidedly. "May I assist you in remounting your horse?"

"Yes, thank you," I said, even though I didn't need any help. He knew it too, but I had a feeling he was trying to make a point to Felix. It felt possessive, somehow, and my stomach fluttered in anticipation.

The prince dropped the reins of his mount and stepped forward. Shadow whickered, but stayed still. "May I?" he asked softly, gesturing with his hands. I nodded mutely, and he slipped his fingers around my waist, lifting me into the saddle as though I weighed nothing at all.

He let go as soon as I was settled, but the message to Felix was already clear, if his sour expression was any indication. I had been uncomfortable with his hands on my arms, yet willingly allowed Prince Henri to lift me by the waist, an arguably more intimate connection. The insult, intended or not, was clear as day.

And yet, part of me was glad to put Felix in his place. I was starting to grow angry at how he was trying to intermittently treat me well, then lapsing into demeaning hostility. It made any kind words seem questionable, said purely out of self-interest. The prince, though vague and frustrating, at least seemed genuine.

The three of us rode back to the stables in a stony silence. Once there, I spent such a long time brushing Shadow down that the men returned to the house without me. As soon as they left, I sighed and drooped limply against Shadow's back. I felt as though I'd run a marathon while wearing every stitch of clothing I owned. Sweat trickled down my back, and my breath came out in shallow gasps. Now that the rush of adrenaline had dissipated, I was left feeling a little panicked. "Oh Shadow," I bemoaned. "What am I going to do?"