Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 97: Nothing Left To Fear

Camilla tried to keep her voice from quivering. "What do you mean, disappeared?"

"Exactly that." stated the maid. "The servants found the Bentworth apartments empty this morning. The young lord seems to have left the castle in the middle of the night without telling anyone. Not his servants or his pages, not even his own mother who’s visiting the court! All he left behind is a note that mentioned he was retiring to one of his countryside manors for the next few months to take care of personal affairs."

Camilla stood frozen in place. She couldn’t believe William’s threats had been successful.

She could finally leave her rooms without fear. Her legs went weak with relief and she hastily grabbed the back of an armchair for support.

Standing next to her, Katerine gave her a puzzled look. "Are you sure you’re alright, my lady? You still look a little pale. Perhaps you should lie down again?"

Camilla shook her head and was about to respond when a knock on the presence chamber doors made them all turn their heads.

Camilla’s legs almost gave out again when she saw Prince William striding through the doors without waiting for anyone to open them for him. Camilla’s gaze roamed over him helplessly, wishing she could force herself to look away. He had always been exceptionally handsome but now he seemed to look more...alive? Was that the right way to describe it? His vivid eyes gleamed below the tousled waves of his hair.

She swallowed hard, feeling overwhelmed by his physical perfection and the way his eyes dilated when he looked into hers. Feeling herself blush, she looked away before the others in the room noticed anything amiss. A feeling of intense shyness took over as she ducked her head and bowed to him. She’d never be able to look him in the face again after her shameless behaviour the night before.

William clearly wasn’t affected like she was because his voice was its usual calm, mellow tone. His words however, were completely unexpected. "Please follow me, Princess. His Majesty wishes to speak with you immediately."

Camilla raised her head in surprise. "Ummm, I see. Do you know the reason why?" Everyone knew that being summoned by the king rarely ended well.

"I can explain on the way there. Hurry. We mustn’t keep him waiting." William turned to leave.

Meg started to follow. "I can accompany you, my lady."

"No need." William called out over his shoulder as he walked out of the presence chamber. "I’ll escort her there myself."

Camilla picked up her skirts and chased the prince, almost having to run. "Wait! Why does the king want to speak to me?" Her fear of King Edward’s potential wrath outweighed her embarrassment of speaking to the man who had made her almost weep from longing.

Wlliam glanced back at her but didn’t slow his pace. "I spoke to him this morning about you staying at court."

"What?"

"I gave you my word that I’d speak to him, didn’t I?" He glanced back at her again but there was something evasive about his expression.

"Yes, but what did you say to try and convince him?" Camilla could feel her chest tightening with nerves. "You didn’t tell him about what happened last night, did you?"

William looked uncomfortable, refusing to make eye contact. "Well, I had to tell him some of it." he mumbled.

"William! You promised me you wouldn’t!" The nervous flutter inside her turned into full blown panic. How could she stand before the king, knowing that he knew what had passed between her and Richard Bentworth? How could she defend herself without levelling terrible accusations at the son of a prominent noble family?

Another thought then struck her, one so terrible that Camilla’s legs stopped moving and she found herself standing in the gallery like a block of solid ice.

What if King Edward doesn’t believe me and thinks I deliberately tried to seduce the son of the Earl of Rhie to improve my position at court? Worse, what if he sends me back to Moraigth in disgrace?

Camilla started shaking on the spot. As much as she feared facing an angry King Edward, the thought of being returned to her uncle as a ruined woman absolutely horrified her.

"He will kill me." she whispered to herself.

Realising she was no longer keeping up with his pace, William turned around impatiently. He walked back to her and gently pulled her arm. "The king won’t like you making him wait."

"I can’t. I can’t face him." Camilla’s teeth started to chatter from terror. "He is going to kill me."

William’s eyes widened in surprise. "I truly doubt that. I’ve never known King Edward to kill a lady."

Before she could explain that Edward wasn’t the king she most feared, he had grabbed her wrist and started tugging her after him.

"What did you say to the king? Tell me now!" Camilla decided she had to know, despite how terrible and humiliating it might be. Without knowing what level of detail William had shared with the king, she had no chance of defending herself.

"We’re nearly there." The doors to the king’s presence chamber were within sight. "There’s no time right now. I’ll explain everything afterwards."

"But-"

William lowered his voice to avoid being overheard by the guards flanking the double doors. "It will go better if you let me handle this and only speak when he directs a question to you. My uncle can be rather abrupt, but I know how to handle him."

Camilla looked at him, utterly confused and frustrated. She was even more confused when she watched him tug a ring from his smallest finger.

"Here. Wear this." he whispered.

"What for?" She looked at the ring. It was gold, with a square cut sapphire set into it.

"It will possibly help our cause." William frowned as he watched the princess slide the ring onto her thumb. "No, not that finger!" He impatiently pulled the ring off her thumb and hastily slid it onto her third finger.

"William! None of this is making any sense. How is this ring supposed to help anything-"

"Shhh. I told you I’ll explain everything properly after the king speaks with you."

- - -

Camilla tried to steady her breathing as she approached the king, who was staring at her with a grim scowl on his face. She bowed deeply and when her gaze met his, his eyes were like chips of ice.

She quickly cast her eyes on the floor and said in a faint voice, "Good morning, Your Majesty. I’m told you wish to speak with me?"

"My nephew here has told me of some recent happenings between the young members of my court, which have disturbed me greatly." The king saw no reason for polite preamble. "I believe you know what I’m speaking about, Princess?"

Camilla nodded, refusing to look up.

"Your Majesty, if you’d let me explain, I can easily-" William started to lay on the charm.

"Shut your mouth, lad," The king was clearly having none of it. "When I want your input I will ask for it. I’m speaking to the princess."

King Edward directed his hostile gaze at the young woman again. "I am gravely disappointed that these events have been going on right under my nose. From a brash young man like William, I would’ve been less surprised about such entanglements. But as a royal princess and a potential heiress to a kingdom, I certainly expected better behaviour from you."

Camilla felt her face growing hot with humiliation and fear. She willed her legs to stop shaking. "I’m sorry to have displeased you, Sire."

"Your apologies mean nothing! You know well that what you did is unbecoming of your rank." The king’s face contorted with anger.

Camilla opened her mouth to defend herself but shut it. What would be the point? King Edward clearly held her to blame as well over what had taken place with Richard, much to her dismay. Should she just throw herself at his feet and beg not to be sent back to Moraigth?

"Why you young people think you can take these matters into your own hands is a mystery. When you represent a royal house, your future is not your own to choose! You don’t get to decide who you dally with! It is for your betters to decide these matters, so that you can benefit from our wisdom." The king’s thunderous roar echoed in the chamber.

Camilla snuck a quick glance at William. His face was blanched white.

"I cannot believe you went behind my back, making plans that were not yours to make." The king’s voice had dropped to a dangerous hiss. "How did you think I would react when my nephew suddenly storms into my room before the sun has even risen to announce - no, insist! - that he will marry you?"

At those words, Camilla felt like she was about to faint.