Post by Nicolette Deveraux on Mar 17, 2015 21:53:03 GMT -5
No sympathy laced the Crown Princess's features for the young man who trailed in her wake. Her only concession to the pain he clearly felt was to slow her pace sufficiently that he could follow without exacerbating his condition, leading the way out of the gardens and into the palace. Once inside, Nicolette continued on to one of the private parlors, intending that their discussion be limited to the two of them. The door opened by one of the guards who escorted the pair, she gestured for Lucien to enter first, dispensing an instruction to the guards that they were not to be disturbed or interrupted for any reason short of a dire emergency.
Satisfied that they sufficiently grasped her meaning, she swept into the parlor and closed the door, throwing the latch on for further security. Lucien was hardly in any condition to escape the room; Nicolette did so more to prevent anyone from barging in, however unlikely it would be that someone would rise to the unfortunate princeling's defense. If rumor was to be believed, Lucien had won few friends during his sojourn in Lockewood. Hopefully, he had not created any enemies; he could ill afford that right now.
"Sit down, please." She did not grant him the courtesy of using his name or speaking of the relationship between them as cousins. Nicolette's eyes retained their icy quality, her face implacable as she selected a chair for herself to sit. Hands smoothed her skirts, then rested on the arms of the chair as she studied Lucien without blinking. "Explain yourself. What possessed you to challenge one of the Clavigers to a duel?"
Lucien Deveraux