Greer walked into the throne room, on the arm of Lord Castleroy, her fiancé. Every nobleman and lady was to ensemble for an announcement to be made by Queen Mary. The room was full of nearly everyone in the castle.
As Greer and her fiancé entered the room, followed by crowds of people and within minutes the throne room was full of curious members of court.
Greer stood with Lord Castleroy as she scanned the crowd looking for a familiar face. She stopped dead in her survey of the crowd when Leith, entering the room, passed into her view. Her stomach plummeted as she saw he was not alone, his companion, who was clinging to his arm, was very attractive familiar face.
Greer could not keep the shock and hurt from her face as she took in the sight of Leith with another woman. Not just any woman though, Lord Castleroy's daughter, Yvette.
Greer silently begged Leith to look at her and to confirm that the conclusions she jumped to were not true. Her heart started to pound harder and faster. She knew this shouldn't affect her and that she had let him go, he was not hers anymore. Still, she could feel this weight, dread come to her chest the longer she looked at her hand on his arm in public.
Something Greer and Leith were never able to experience. Greer let out a slow breath.
They'd be good for each other, she forced herself to think.
Please look at me, she silently begged against her better self.
She watched as Leith steered them further into the room with a hand to her back. He was scanning the crowds as if looking for her, she secretly hoped. She wondered if it was instinct like it was with her whenever she entered a room, secretly hoping he would be within the same confined space and she could find an excuse, any excuse to talk to him.
Please.
Suddenly, he looked in her direction. He looked directly in her eyes like he knew where she was the whole time.
Except the look he gave Greer was one of disinterest, complete and utter disinterest. It was as if she didn't exist to him in that moment, that she never existed in his life. Greer's heart stopped, gut clenched and she felt sick to her stomach.
All the stolen kissed and midnight meetings under the stars, gone. It was as if it never happened as the look in his eyes became a more smug emotion.
He knew what he was doing to her and he was enjoying it. She felt so angry at him at that moment. Her palms started to sweat when he broke the eye contact between them.
She hated him in that moment. She hated that he made her feel this pain. She hated that Yvette had her hands on Leith. She hated not being able to marry Leith. She hated that she loved him so much that she felt sick to her stomach watching him with another woman.
She turned away from the couple and stepped towards the door, wanting to go to her rooms so she could be alone.
It was then that she heard Mary's voice. "The black plague has returned."
The room was in instant uproar.
Greer immediately looked at Leith only to find he was already looking at her. Gone was the disinterest in his eye but now replaced with concern and worry, the complete opposite to the emotions he was showing before. She just knew it was for her, but the moment was over when he wrapped his arms around Yvette, protecting her from the chaotic crowd and Lord Castleroy placed his hand on the small of her back, snapping her back to reality, he pulled her close. She did not hear the rest of Queen Mary's announcement as she tried to see Leith in the panic driven crowd
