Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 196: Acting as Bait

Well, at least he now knew why Camilla was angry at him, William thought, as he watched his wife step into the corridor.

She acted like he wasn’t there at all, linking arms with her ladies who were waiting for her and walking towards dinner with them. He had no choice but to skulk behind them all.

The ladies-in-waiting all turned back and stared at him during the walk to the banquet hall. Lady Katerine looked confused, Lady Taunsen simply nodded knowingly. Lady Meg gave William the most infuriating grin.

"Is there a problem, Lady Meg?" he growled, unable to bite his tongue any longer.

"Not at all, Your Grace!" Meg sang out in reply. "I’m in the highest of spirits tonight, thank you so much for asking. And yourself?"

William refused to reply.

- - -

As he sat through dinner, William remembered that this wife had a unique talent for being able to completely ice him out while remaining perfectly pleasant to everyone else. It was a reminder of the overwhelming frustration of their first months together in the Islian court.

Camilla sipped her wine, nibbled politely from several dishes and chatted sweetly with the many nobles and courtiers who approached her.

William felt his chest was about to explode. It was only when one of Prince Leo’s army captains approached her for a dance that William’s fury boiled over.

"No." he rumbled, startling both Camilla and the knight.

"Husband, Sir Andrew here is-"

"No. I said no and I won’t be argued with! In fact, we’re retiring for the evening right now!" William stood and gripped Camilla’s elbow, forcing her to her feet as well.

Camilla gave the knight an apologetic smile, which William found far too coquettish for his liking. Luckily, Sir Andrew was no fool and made himself scarce.

Camilla made no effort to resist when William nudged her forward to bow good night to the king and queen. She didn’t resist or make a sound when he marched her by the elbow, down the corridors and into their apartments. Only once they were in their bedchamber did William let go of her arm.

As if nothing unusual had happened, Camilla removed her jewellery and placed the items on her dressing table. With careful calm, she untied the ribbons to her high heeled shoes and stepped out of them.

Finally she unlaced the front of her gown and slid it off her shoulders, letting it pool in a puddle of crimson silk on the floor. Clad in only her chemise, she climbed into bed.

William stood there, watching as if frozen.

"Good night, husband." She pulled the blankets over she shoulder as she lay her head on the pillow, closing her eyes.

"What!" William yelled like a baited bear. "You’re just going to sleep and not bother talking to me?"

Camilla sat up and stared innocently. "I just assumed you were tired, given you didn’t want to stay for the dancing and you all but dragged me back to our rooms."

"I...what! But I..." William’s mind was so clouded with confusion and anger that he couldn’t even string a sentence together. When he saw Camilla start to lie back against the pillow again, he sat down hard on the bed next to her and swiped the pillow away.

"Aren’t you being rather childish?" Camilla gave him a look of disapproval.

"No worse than you! It took you all of today to tell me the reason you’re upset is because of some offhand comment I made about you flirting with Lord Michal!"

"Really? Really, William? It took me pointing it out for you to realise you’d said something wrong?" Camilla’s voice was anything but soft and cool. "It never occurred to you on your own that offering your wife to another man, would be insulting to your actual wife?"

"I did no such thing! I merely suggested-"

"You suggested I act in a way that makes me extremely uncomfortable, around a complete stranger, for your uncle’s benefit!" Camilla snapped. "Do you know how cheap that makes me feel? Actually, ignore that for a moment! Do you know how unsafe and unprotected that makes me feel?"

William gaped at her, feeling a desperate need to backtrack. "Fuck, then. I’m sorry. I didn’t think a little innocent flirting would be so offensive to you."

"Because I do it so often? Why would you think I’d be alright acting that way? When have you ever - ever! - seen me flirting with strange men?"

Never, William realised. Before they’d gotten married, Camilla had always been shy and withdrawn, even skittish around most men. Robin Sainsbury had once commented that it had taken her a long time to relax amongst William’s group of friends.

"I really wasn’t trying to upset you. Just forget I ever said anything." William replied quickly, trying to placate her. "And don’t worry about the marquis, I’ll handle him. Besides, he’s quite harmless. He’s married and old enough to be-"

"My uncle?" she interjected in a dull voice.

William pressed his lips together, feeling her words like a blow to the stomach. He finally understood her anger. The argument had nothing to do with Camilla’s pride at all.

It had everything to do with her fear.

Being a man of noble status who should’ve known better, hadn’t stopped King Kenneth from trying to take her for himself. It hadn’t stopped Richard Bentworth.

Hell, it didn’t even stop your own father, William. And those were only the instances he knew of. How many other times had she feared the intentions of men around her?

Camilla had obviously learned from an early age that her beauty made her a target. But no matter how small and modest she made herself, she would’ve never been able to avoid men’s lustful gazes. William knew that because he’d been unable to tear his own eyes from her.

He could remember, with uncomfortable clarity, the way dozens and dozens of men had followed her with predatory eyes from the moment he’d brought her to court. He’d heard men talk about her as some exotic strumpet who’d enjoy their attentions.

He’d seen soldiers place bets on who could steal her virtue first and gentlemen ask her to dance just so they could paw her.

It must have been terrifying for her to be alone in an enemy country, without her brothers and unable to trust any man around her.

And now that she was married, she’d been made to feel unsafe by the words of the very man who’d vowed to cherish and protect her.

Fuck. He had been so oblivious.

William dropped his head, feeling queasy from shame. "I...I’m truly sorry, my love." he croaked. "I never stopped to look at the situation through your eyes, but I should have."

She looked up at him. "You don’t expect me to socialise with the marquis if I don’t want to, then?"

He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her rigid frame closer to him. "No, of course not. I don’t mind if you never even leave the guest room we’re given. I just want your company in Niarnol so that I can start and end every day next to you."

Camilla remained silent and dropped her eyes to her hands, but she at least let William lean his forehead against hers.

"When did you start being this afraid?" he asked.

Her delicate eyebrows pinched together pensively. "I’ve had a few uncomfortable moments, but the first time I felt true fear? I think I was perhaps during my twelfth summer."

"Did something happen?" William blurted out without thinking, then jerked back. "You don’t have to tell me if it’s too painful for you."

Camilla shook her head. "No, it wasn’t like that. I mean, nothing terrible actually happened. My brothers and I used to collect truffles in the forest around our castle. One day, I became separated from them. I found myself crossing paths with three strange men. Poachers, I believe they were."

William nodded and rubbed her shoulders, fearing that if he opened his mouth, he’d startle her into silence.

"When they started to corner me, I didn’t know right away what they wanted." Camilla spoke hesitantly. "I just knew there was something about them that was frightening. Something behind their smiles that felt...wrong."

"Did you tell them who you were?" William asked softly.

"I tried but they didn’t believe me. I was pretty muddy that day so I wouldn’t have looked very regal." Camilla smiled a little. "They thought I was just some poor country maiden who was lying to scare them off."

"What happened then?" William was afraid to know, but at the same time, felt that he owed it to his wife to know.

"Nothing. I was fortunate that Malcolm found us first and the poachers certainly recognised the duke’s son. They fled rather quickly when Malcolm threatened to butcher them all." Camilla frowned at the memory. "Those men were lucky it was Mal who found us. Duncan would’ve probably slaughtered them all on the spot."