Page 58 of Crowned In Sin

“As you did me,” he says gently and with a tilt of his head. “Did you not enjoy it, princess? I did.”

“You enjoyed the betrayal?”

“I enjoyed seeing you take what you wanted. But did you enjoy it yourself?”

“I did,” I admit. There is no way to deny it.

Prince Jasper nods. “He wrote to me of your late-night talk on the balcony. He told me of your spirit and your refusal to stay silent, even when he could not speak to you. I believe—” He pauses, taking a moment. “I believe I loved you before I set eyes on you. But it is likely my brother who loved you first and that evening, when I met you, I could barely look at you. How could I marry someone my brother loved?”

“He is mute?”

“His throat…was slashed. His vocal cords work some, but not often, and he prefers not to speak for the most part because it is not his voice that is uttered. It’s low and rough, be he did tell me he spoke in bed with you and you did not flinch.”

“What a confession.” I barely breathe the words, feeling more forgiving of us all. More hopeful for what might come. “I thought myself reckless for telling you that I had been with another man. You must have thought me so foolish.”

“I did not,” he says and reaches for my hand. “I could not think you foolish at all. I will admit that it hurt when you dismissed me. I will not lie to you about that. I thought perhaps you would sense, somehow, that you could trust me, and in a way, you did. I only wish I could have been fully honest with you. But I thought you needed to experience both of us. I thought my brother needed that opportunity as well. I had no choice but to move forward and see where it would lead us.”

I squeeze Prince Jasper’s hand, not knowing what else to do. This conversation could go one way or it could go another, and I feel we are standing at that very choice.

“Well,” I say, my voice thick, “where has it led us? What are we to do now?”

“I do not mean to propose marriage to you now,” he says, and my heart drops. He takes a deep breath, and my heart pounds for a moment, anticipating an ending that neither of us wants.

“What?”

“No, Princess. What I mean to say is, come to my castle. Come stay with us in our home, and see if the life we have to offer you suits you. There would be no commitment in it. If you do not like it, I will return you home to your father, and I will hold no ill will against you. I know what I am asking of you cannot have been anticipated, and all of this will take some time to get used to. I am more than willing to give you that time.”

Once again, my mind is filled with questions, but as I look back over the events of the morning, only one of them stands out.

“Where is your brother?” I ask.

“Preparing a carriage,” Prince Jasper answers. “We are both anxious to be home, and we intend to leave as soon as possible. We only hope that you will be traveling alongside us.”

Chapter 26

Cora

We return from the gardens to find the castle full of activity and motion.

“You meant it,” I say, my voice coming out faint and soft. “You meant you were leaving now.”

“I did not mean you would need to ride with us,” Prince Jasper reassures me. “My brother and I will depart, and you will follow with your companion in a more comfortable carriage. That way, you will have time to relax and talk, and we will be there to meet you when we arrive.”

“But I don’t—” I am about to say that I would rather ride with them, but I know right away that it would be a mistake. To be in a carriage with both men for any amount of time would be overwhelming to say the least, and I owe it to myself to think clearly about my situation. Moreover, I need time to think. I owe it to myself to make a careful decision. “Which companion did you imagine I would bring?”

“Isabel,” Prince Jasper says. “I sent for her last evening. I did not know how you would take the news of my brother’s identity. If you took it poorly, I wanted you to have someone here with you that you could trust. If you took it well, then perhaps I could invite you to the castle. But I would not insist that you come alone. I am not ashamed of my brother or his scars, and I would not want you to think that your life would be isolated to hide anything. All of your people would be welcome to visit as often as they wanted.”

“You mean to give me everything, is that it?” I am teasing, but the words come out with more truth than I intended.

“I do,” he promises. “You don’t know what you’ve done for my brother and for me. We truly care for you and would have your hand. And now I shall leave you to make your decision. Please, Princess, do not feel as if you must agree on my account. You may take all the time you wish. I will not hurry you.”

Then he takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles. It is so chaste compared to all the times he has taken me, yet it fills me with desire and lust and many other emotions besides.

“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely. “I am grateful to you, Prince Jasper.”

“You cannot be more grateful to me than I am to you,” he says. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Princess Cora. I hope to see you soon, but if I do not, then I wish you all the happiness life has to offer.” He struggles to remain cordial as the thought of me not following causes his expression to crumble.

He leaves me then on the bench outside, disappearing into the flurry of packing and preparation. His brother, Prince Casen, must already be prepared to leave. I worry briefly that I offended him with my reaction, and wish that I was left time to make amends.