Chapter 3
Melanie eventually fled the scene in a flood of tears.
The circle of girls she had brought with her stood frozen in awkward silence. Their fathers and brothers served under Edward, and as dutiful daughters, they had made it their business to flatter anyone from the Payne household.
I bore them no ill will for their sycophancy, but I had no intention of entertaining them further.
Because Melanie's hysterics had cast a brief shadow over the festivities, I chose to clear the air with a grand gesture. I offered up the ivory-handled hunting dagger Edward had once given me as the grand prize for the ladies' archery competition.
The blade was a masterpiece. It was forged of triple-refined steel that shimmered like frost, its edge sharp enough to split a hair. It was a relic of a lost era, one of the four legendary blades of the old realm.
To those with a drop of warrior blood in their veins, it was a prize beyond rubies.
In the end, it was Elias Hartwell, the eldest daughter of the General of the Horse, who claimed the victory. She spent a long moment admiring the balance of the dagger before testing its weight with a few swift motions.
Her mother, the general's wife, hurried to stay her hand, terrified her daughter might be reprimanded for such unladylike conduct.
The Princess, however, offered a gentle smile. "I heard long ago that Ms. Hartwell is a match for any man. It is said she once stood alone against seven foreign spies to save her infant sister from their clutches.
"The palace and the princess' villa will be commissioning female officers this year. I shall look forward to seeing Ms. Hartwell's name on the rolls."
Elias' eyes sparkled instantly. Her mother, overwhelmed with pride and relief, hurried her daughter forward to bow in gratitude.
After all, if a girl could carve out a destiny of her own, what mother would wish to see her child trapped in the household?
As for Melanie, she was found sulking in the shadows at the far end of the gallery, her eyes swollen and red.
Two young ladies passing by were startled when they saw her. Upon realizing it was Melanie, they exchanged a knowing glance and let out a pair of soft, mocking titters.
Often, a shared look and a hushed laugh cut deeper and cause more shame than a direct insult ever could.
Driven to the edge, Melanie bolted from the villa without so much as a parting curtsy to the Princess.
Back at Payne Manor, she began a frantic attempt at packing her things. Wailing to Edward's mother, she said she would return to her biological father at once. Even if she ended up as a concubine to an octogenarian, she'd take it.
Edward had barely crossed the threshold after a long day at court when he was met with the sight of his mother's thunderous expression and his cousin's tear-streaked face.
Struggling to ignore both his mental exhaustion and the searing pain from the lashes on his back, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and asked, "What happened?"
Jane had certainly gone easy on Melanie, but when she whipped him, she didn't hold back.
His wounds had barely begun to knit together before this fresh wave of trouble reared its ugly head.
"Edward," Melanie sobbed, her voice trembling. "Lady Charlotte... she announced to the entire gala that your engagement is at an end."
Edward frowned, though he remained silent.
Real life was not some flighty romance novel written for the amusement of bored debutantes.
He and Charlotte had exchanged formal contracts and family seals. A betrothal of their standing was a legal fortress, not something she could simply dissolve with words.
Melanie set the small box upon the table, her head bowed. "Back home, my father doted only on my brothers, and his legal wife treated me with nothing but ice.
"Coming here was the first time I ever truly felt what a real family is like. I just wanted to belong, not trying to come between you and Lady Charlotte."
Her usually bright eyes were now full of hurt and pent-up frustration. "Edward, if Her Ladyship demands a sacrifice, I would gladly lay down my life before I let her ruin your future."
Edward's mother, caught between heartbreak and fury, snapped, "Go and tell that woman that the Payne family has no room for such a venomous, green-eyed shrew!
"She is an orphan who buried both her parents. Who is to say she won't bring a curse upon her husband next? We should have washed our hands of her long ago."
But Edward just kept his expression cold. "I shall handle this."
He had always known that women were prone to fits of jealousy and sensitive nerves. Yet, he hadn't thought his betrothed, a daughter of a legendary military house, would be so small-minded, so utterly lacking in grace.
He couldn't quite tell if he was disappointed or if this was just what he'd expected all along.