Chapter 31

Thabiso kept glancing at Naledi from the corner of his eye as Likotsi railed at him for being gone overnight. Although Ledi had woken up cheerful, if somewhat sore and extremely bewildered to find D’artagnan curled up between her and Thabiso, he kept expecting her to rebuild her walls, to cut him off from the woman who had given herself so freely to him throughout the night and into the morning.

“Your Highness, do you know how worried your parents were?”

“You were right next to me as I spoke to the queen on the phone, Kotsi. You heard her disown me and threaten me with the dungeon, as did everyone else within six meters.”

Beside him, Ledi opened her thermos of tea and poured the last of the amber liquid out, scenting the car with its sweet smell. He doubted she was thirsty—she seemed to be drinking to have something to do with her hands. Everyone had heard the queen rail at him, but they’d also heard her refer to Ledi as a ridiculous distraction that had gone on long enough. He understood his mother’s upset, but Ledi’s trust was such a fragile thing. It needed nourishment, not to be fed toxic doubts.

He reached across the car and took her hand, which trembled a bit against his palm. “I’m sorry,” he said, raising a hand to silence Likotsi, who had opened her mouth to chastise him again. “My mother’s behavior is bizarre, but I’ve made it clear that you are an important part of my life. You aren’t a distraction and I’m so happy you’re here.”

Ledi smiled at him, and he noticed her pupils were wide, blocking out the beautiful brown he loved looking into.

“I’m happy I’m here, too. If I’ve learned one useful thing in life, it’s that I can’t make someone care for me. But I guess I can be better about letting in the people who do,” she said, giving him a shy smile that warmed him like the sun rising over the mountains. Then she shivered hard, as if she’d stepped on a live wire, and his warmth drained away. “Guess I overcaffeinated.”

Thabiso nodded, but gripped her hand tightly, feeling the steady tremor that hadn’t been there before. He should have let her sleep more instead of making love to her until she was jelly-boned and couldn’t keep her eyes open. Perhaps she’d taken ill from the snow? He was glad she’d be able to rest soon, and he’d have the doctor come to her chambers.

The car pulled into the palace compound, and his parents walked out toward them, a group of people at their rear as usual.

He glanced at Ledi. “Perhaps we should have stayed in the cave.”

Ledi rolled her eyes. “If your mother is upset that you can’t control the forces of nature, then I really do understand what you meant when you said your parents had high expectations.”

He laughed, his anxiety dissipating.

“I would be upset if I thought something happened to you, too, though, so cut her some slack,” Ledi added. Thabiso didn’t comment on the fact that she’d admitted she cared about him unprompted.

“I think I can do that,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

They stepped down from the vehicle, and he kept Ledi’s hand firmly in his.

“Good morning, parents,” he said brightly.

“Son,” they said in unison.

“We’ve returned from our icy adventure, none the worse for the wear. I apologize if you were worried.”

“Worried? Why would we be worried?” his father asked.

“Just because the sole heir to the Thesoloian crown took it upon himself to put himself in jeopardy to continue this farce of an engagement, nearly leaving his people without a future leader, doesn’t mean we were worried,” his mother said smoothly. “No, not worried, but quite done tolerating this.”

“Your Highness, if anyone is to blame, it is me,” Likotsi said, ever the mediator. “I should have checked the weather more carefully and not allowed them to travel alone.”

“No, there is one person at fault here. This thoughtless woman who has distracted Thabiso and who threatens the prosperity of our kingdom.”

“I’m sorry,” Ledi said in a small voice that broke Thabiso’s heart.

“Just like your mother,” the queen said, an irrational rage in her voice. “You don’t care who gets hurt by your selfish plans.”

Ledi cringed, and Thabiso dropped her hand to place his arm around her shoulders. “Mother, Father, I love and respect you both, but you are using an elephant’s brute force when its intelligence would suffice. I don’t know what farce you speak of, but I would advise you to forget you ever said such a thing.”

His head throbbed with the anger building up inside of him. How was it that his parents had told him everything he wanted could be his, yet they would deny him this one thing? The most important thing?

His mother held out her hand and a beautiful young woman stepped out from the group behind her. She was slim, tall, regal. Her hair fell in wavy ringlets down her back and her features could have been sculpted from onyx by one of the masters. Shanti.

“We know that this was just an arrangement between you two to thumb your nose at us.” The queen’s voice was taut. “Did you think we wouldn’t have our intelligence agency search her emails to ensure she wasn’t spying for the meddlesome Americans, or worse? You two can end this now, and Thabiso will move forward with Shanti by his side.”