Chapter 3

Grace watched him go, then turned to me with worry in her eyes. She asked softly, "Your Highness, can Mr. Kingston truly repay what he owes?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Of course he can't. The Kingston family were lowborn, and they clawed their way up on my money and my name. Every bit of standing they have, they owe to me."

I smoothed the front of my gown and added, "I want to see whether Evelyn is willing to pay his debts for him."

Before I could say more, a commotion rose outside the door. A guard announced, "Your Highness, Ms. Lane requests an audience."

I set down my coffee cup, and a slow, knowing smile curled across my lips. "Speak of the devil. Let her in."

Evelyn swept through the door in her usual brash manner and dropped into a chair without waiting to be invited.

She said breezily, "Oh, Your Highness, I heard you and Phil had a falling out?"

She reached for the coffee pot and poured herself a cup, then took a long, careless sip.

She waved her hand and continued, "No offense, but Phil's a soft-hearted man. Just sweet-talk him a little and he'll come around. Why bring money into it? That only makes things ugly."

I looked at her, and my voice was flat. "Ms. Lane, are you here to settle his debt?"

Evelyn froze mid-sip, and then she forced out an awkward laugh. "See, there you go again with the money talk. I just think we're all family here, and there's no need to let things get this bitter."

She set the cup down and leaned forward. "Phil's in a terrible mood right now. Why don't you send that horse over to him as a peace offering? Give him a way to save face."

I rose from my seat and walked toward her until I stood over her, looking down with cold authority.

I said quietly, "Evelyn, do you honestly believe that every man in this world should revolve around you, and every woman should step aside for you?"

Evelyn's expression shifted, and she blinked with practiced innocence. She stammered, "Your Highness, what do you mean by that? I'm just a straightforward person, that's all."

I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Evelyn's head snapped to the side from the force of the slap, and she stood there in stunned silence. "You hit me?"

I pulled my hand back and took the handkerchief Grace offered, then carefully wiped each finger clean.

I said coolly, "That was a lesson in knowing your place. You think you can stand before me and speak to me as an equal? You haven't earned that right."

A flash of venom crossed Evelyn's eyes, but she buried it in an instant and replaced it with a trembling, tearful expression.

She whimpered, "Your Highness, what have I done to deserve this?"

I said, "Leave."

Then I added, "And tell Philip that if I don't see my money in three days, I will personally march into Kingston Manor and take what I'm owed. When that happens, he shouldn't expect me to spare Mr. Kingston's reputation."

Evelyn pressed her hand to her cheek and ran out sobbing.

I watched her go and let out a cold, silent laugh.

This was only the beginning.

Philip, the reputation you guard so fiercely? I would tear it apart piece by piece.

*****

Philip repaid the debt far more slowly than I had expected. Or rather, he had no intention of repaying it at all.

On the evening of the third day, he arrived without a single coin. Instead, he reeked of wine.

He stormed into my study, clutching a crumpled notice in his fist, and snarled, "Charlotte, are you satisfied now?"

It was the debt proclamation my household had issued. Copies of it covered every street and alley in the Capital.

[Philip Kingston. Outstanding debt: One hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Three days past due. The city's most notorious debtor.]

I set my book down on the desk and looked up at him.

I said calmly, "It seems Mr. Kingston still hasn't managed to gather the money."

Philip slammed the paper onto my desk, his voice cracking with rage. "Do you have any idea what people are saying about me out there? They're calling me a freeloader, a con artist who rode a woman's coattails to the top!"

I smiled, and there was nothing behind it but ice.

"And are they wrong?" I replied. "Philip, that leaking ruin you used to live in? I'm the one who had it rebuilt. The fine silk on your back, the fine dining on your table, every last bit of it came from me."

Philip's eyes were rimmed with red, and he jabbed his finger toward my face as he shouted, "You agreed to all of it. You told me you loved me and that none of it mattered. But now you've changed. You've become selfish and cruel, like some greedy merchant haggling over money!"

I rose to my feet and closed the distance between us, step by step. "You're right. I have changed, because I finally realized I was pouring my love into a bottomless pit."

I held his gaze and didn't flinch. "You have the nerve to call me selfish, Philip? Then what about you?

"When you took my money to buy Evelyn a birthday gift, did you think of me for even a second?

"When you forced me to apologize to her just to protect her precious reputation, did I ever cross your mind?"

Philip's eyes darted away for a moment, but he quickly hardened his voice and fired back. "Eve is a woman who grew up in a military camp. Her reputation has always been fragile. You are a princess. Would it have killed you to show a little grace?"

He crossed his arms and added, "Besides, she and I are like brother and sister. Why do you keep dragging this up?"

A cold laugh escaped my lips, and I turned to the bookshelf behind me. I pulled out a small wooden box and set it on the table.

"Brother and sister?" I repeated, letting the words hang in the air. "What a touching bond."