The Heiress Queen (Season Series Prequel)

Chapter 29

The wind hissed through the hedgerows around them as Isabelle stared up at him, still as a statue under his hands.

"Isabelle," Graham said gently. There was nothing but ice left in her eyes as they held his. Gone was the fatigue that had filled them in her suite, the day his royal guard had chased the Germanian prince from the palace.

If Graham had been the one to barge in on them, the foreigner having nearly mashed her into a wall with his rage, he'd have torn Leopold's head from his shoulders with his bare hands. Whatever the brute had done to put a haunted look into Isabelle's eyes was cause enough, in Graham's mind, to hunt him through Pretania and cut him down if they found him before he crossed the border.

Unfortunately, the king did not agree.

"My my, don't tell me that you've gone soft and sentimental, your Highness. Dare I hope that you're concerned for me?" Isabelle asked. Her words caught him off guard, dropping his hands from her shoulders in an automatic reflex to reel his emotions back in. A smile quirked the edge of her lips, igniting twin fires of frustration and desire in Graham as his eyes dropped to her mouth.

He wanted to kiss her again, badly, but not now that she'd picked up on whatever emotion he'd so clumsily allowed onto his face. He hated the way she was smiling at him, having caught him using one of his own tricks, and yet the fact that she'd outwitted him made him yearn to kiss that smug look of victory away.

A whoop erupted from the men on the other side of the hedgerow, breaking whatever spell had settled over them, an arms-breadth apart as they stared each other down.

"Wouldn't you enjoy it if I had," Graham said darkly, adding before he turned on his heel to leave. "I do hope the news you received from Kentshire was better than what I'd been told. My thoughts and prayers go out to your father."

He knew it was cruel, especially from the way her face had paled, her lips parting in shock as he stalked away, but the bluff had served its purpose. It was clear now that she had no idea what was happening in Kentshire and that she feared the worst. She'd sought out Sam Winters as his father was one of Francis de Haviland's closest allies in the region. If Duke Francis had summoned his men-at-arms, Lord Winters would have called upon his own, including each of his sons, as well.

Graham had an idea about what had happened in Kentshire, but only thanks to one of his father's spies, who had rushed in on an exhausted horse, covered in road dirt after riding through the night. Prince Leopold had run with his retinue to Kentshire, where he'd met with Isabelle's father briefly before storming out once again. The Germanians hadn't stayed the night in Kentshire castle before they left, but the spy had reported that they had set up camp a few hours' ride away. Reports had come in from farther east that armed troops were gathering near the Germanian borders. The spy hadn't waited for news of their movements before he'd ridden, hard, for Highcastle.

The king was expecting to hear from the Duke of Kentshire, but so far had not received any word from the northeastern duchy. Whether it was Duke Francis' pride or his determination to align himself with Germania, Graham now suspected that he wasn't about to call on his own kingdom for aid. He'd gotten a message through to Isabelle, which meant that if he'd requested help, that message would already have arrived.

Graham ignored the calls from the other men as he strode past them, a stony-eyed Sam Winters watching him as he made for the palace. With a sharp gesture, he beckoned the tall northerner to his side, not bothering to slow his progress or give any explanation to the others. He had more pressing matters to attend to than archery contests now.

Prince Leopold had left Highcastle without Isabelle. Kentshire was not calling on the king for aid as Germanian troops massed on its borders. The king had elected to sit and wait, confident that should the Germanians attack, his own forces could successfully beat them back over the border even if they took Kentshire castle.