Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 321: Violet: The Torrent

"Are you telling us you won’t help your sister secure her future?"

"I won’t stand in her way, and that’s only because I can’t. Sancia’s going to do whatever she wants, like she always has." Violet stared her parents down. "I’m simply not going to get involved. I don’t wish to be tarred with the same brush as you all."

Sancia could no longer stay quiet. "I’m your sister! Family is supposed to help each other! Why are you being so selfish and acting like you’re so much better than us?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Violet tried to recall a time her family had helped her in the past, genuinely helped her because they wanted to and not because they saw her as a means to line their own pockets.

She came up blank.

Instead, she replied, "I’m not interested in cleaning up your messes, Sancia. That’s for you to sort out. If you’re grown enough to open your legs to multiple men, you’re grown enough to face the consequences. I wish you the best of luck when you face the king."

Lady Thierre looked as if she might fly at Violet and strike her. Her husband held her back but stared at their elder daughter, his own face contorted in fury.

"Daughter, you disappoint us deeply. You’re trying to deny Sancia the very same opportunities that you’ve received. Your mother and I won’t forget this. We’ll approach the king directly." Lord Thierre threatened. "And when Sancia succeeds in becoming the next royal bride, you won’t bask in any of her good fortune."

"She has nothing I want. You’re the ones who want to use her as a tool for solving your problems. And if you’re so confident you can convince the king to let Sancia marry into his family, then you don’t need my help, do you?" Violet smiled when she pictured her parents, puffed up with their own importance, trying to keep their nerve in the face of the king’s fury.

The three of them stood, quaking in anger but forced to keep their tongues in check before their future queen. Violet stood up and lifted her chin.

"Thank you for your visit, Father and Mother, but I wish to rest now. I hope you enjoy your time at court."

She deliberately turned her backs on them all and retreated to her bedchamber.

- - -

She had to get the hell out of her apartments.

It had been over an hour since Violet’s parents and sister had left.

Every moment that ticked by meant that her family were a moment closer to confronting King Edward about Sancia, a moment closer to Leo finding out and taking his anger out on his wife.

It was like having to watch a dam slowly crack, waiting for the moment it would suddenly burst and destroy everything in its path.

Violet felt like the walls were closing in on her, leaving her trapped without air.

Grabbing a wrap made from the finest Haviettenese sable pelts, she hurried out of her apartments, past her startled senior maid.

"Your Grace!" Elspeth gasped. "Do you need me to accompany you-"

"No!" Violet snapped and stepped into the corridor. She kept walking briskly until she was finally outside. Clutching the sables tightly around her, she began striding with no destination in mind. The cold, sharp air burned in her lungs but she welcomed it.

She wasn’t sure how long she walked through the gardens. When it began to drizzle, Violet ducked back inside the palace but didn’t to return to her apartments. Instead, she paced the galleries and corridors silently, mulling over everything. Fortunately, no one dared approach her.

As she slowly walked along a first floor gallery, she heard the echo of animated voices. A moment later, two young men came into sight, their arms slung across each other’s shoulders as they walked and laughed without restraint.

Violet recognised the youth with the short, dark hair as the son of Lord Bentworth, Earl of Rhie. He had cold, close set eyes and a powerful build even at his young age. The other youth...

Why, it was her potential brother-in-marriage, Prince William Devon. An expectant father and he didn’t even know it yet.

When they noticed her watching them, both young men dropped their arms from each other and bowed. Violet nodded back and took a moment to study the prince, who’d burst out laughing again after his friend whispered something in his ear.

She looked at him critically. In her mind, William was still an annoying, grubby child. But up close, she had to acknowledge he’d changed a great deal.

He was now taller than her, and would probably be as tall as his late father. He still had the long limbed, coltish build of many young men but Violet could see his shoulders had started to broaden.

His eyes, the colour of meadow grass, were lively. Now that the domineering Johan was dead, William was no doubt enjoying life far from his father’s iron grip. Poor, stupid lad, she thought.

He escapes one overbearing puppet master only to potentially stumble into the clutches of another. What’s worse, he has no idea what’s coming. No idea that this very moment, there’s a noble but impoverished family who’s plotting to take over his future.

William looked back at her politely but clearly confused by her intense stare. "Is there anything I can do for you, Princess?"

"No, all is well, little cousin." Violet replied. "I just haven’t spoken with you in a while. How have you been? Enjoyed any new adventures lately?"

"Nothing of much importance, no." The youth flashed her a sly grin at the loaded question.

Violet she remembered Sancia’s words. William was a handsome lad, likely to become even more attractive as he matured. She looked into his guileless eyes and tried to feel genuine pity, but found she couldn’t.

Perhaps all her pity had run dry. Or perhaps it’s because she felt that if the youth wanted to act like a man between the sheets, he’d better be prepared to shoulder a man’s responsibilities.

With a final nod, she kept walking down the gallery.

- - -

Dinner in the banquet hall was quiet that night. An observant courtier might have wondered why Violet’s parents had been seated at a special table as guests of honour, yet spent the night glowering at everyone. Or why the Crown Princess didn’t even look at her parents and sister.

Violet stared straight ahead, not caring about what anyone thought. She felt Leo aiming sideways glances at her but he didn’t ask anything. When she whispered in his ear that she was ready to retire, he nodded and said he’d join her.

She was surprised. Leo liked staying up drinking and carousing late into the night with his equally hard living companions. "Why? You’re not ill, are you?" she asked.

Leo gave a gruff laugh. "No. But I wish to speak to you."

Violet nodded, wondering if he’d already heard about Sancia. Although he didn’t seem angry, so maybe he still knew nothing?

As they walked out of the hall together and towards their apartments, he asked. "What’s really going on, wife?"

Violet gave him a bland look. "What makes you think anything is going on?"

"Well, your parents are visiting, for starters." Leo spoke in his typically blunt tone. "They’ve never shown much interest in our children before and now suddenly they want to be here for weeks to celebrate our fourth child, who’s a girl no less? And I’ve noticed you’re not on speaking terms with your sister. Care to explain why?"

"Sancia is a foolish bit of fluff and I have no patience for her, that’s why." she replied testily. "As for my parents, they’re probably using Eve’s birth as an excuse to get out of their manor for a while. Orravalo is miserably cold in the winter. And their dinner table is nothing to boast about."

"That’s all that’s happening? There’s nothing else you know that you want to tell me about?"

Violet stopped walking and turned to face him, looking up at his familiar handsome face. He was her husband, the father of her babies, bound to her by holy vows until their deaths. Like it or not.

"Leo, let’s not speak of it tonight. Let’s instead go to the nursery to see our children. We can play with them for a while and enjoy a few moments of peace before the torrent breaks over our heads."

"What torrent? What do you know-?"

Violet raised her hand to stop his words. "I said not tonight. We can face it all tomorrow. I just want a little bit of time with our babies. Is that too much to ask?"

Leo sighed in defeat. Despite his infidelities, he’d built up a grudging respect for her and often trusted her judgment. "So be it then. But we’ll be discussing the matter, whatever it is, tomorrow."

When they entered the nursery, they saw the smiles of their three oldest children in their nightshirts, The wet nurse was seated quietly in the corner, feeding the baby.

Despite the tension, Leo couldn’t help but grin as he swept up their elder son and daughter into his arms, growling like a wolf just to make them giggle.

Violet picked up the toddler and settled him on her hip, kissing his cheek. She watched as Leo sprawled out on the floor to start stacking blocks with the children.

"There’s no point bringing forward the inevitable." she murmured to herself. "Trouble always rears its head in its own sweet time."