Chapter 15
"Open the gates for His Royal Highness!"
The guard's cry echoed in the night-time air as the heavy doors to Whitehall Palace opened for the Prince of Wales. He had returned, at long last, from his survey and he was more than ready to be home.
He was more than ready for what he'd planned to do, as well. He'd spent days looking but eventually he'd picked out the most beautiful and magnificent set of rings in the best jeweller's he could find (and he went through a fair number). The two were part of a pair, called a gimmel ring, which would be joined together into one at their wedding ceremony for C.C. to wear for the duration of their marriage. They were all the rage in Europe, and Niles was determined for his bride to have the best of everything, including jewellery.
It was perfect, he thought. It couldn't have been a better symbol of two halves coming together and becoming one, never to be apart again.
And the gold band, set with rubies, garnets and emeralds either side of a larger, oval ruby and a princess cut diamond was the ideal ring for his beloved to wear for the rest of their lives. He'd be honoured to look after the ruby half, until the day they became man and wife.
He'd gotten that set - the most important set they'd ever own between them - alongside a number of other items that had all looked like they'd be perfect on her. Well, one or two items eventually became a whole chest.
About four others followed, filled with dresses and silks, furs and books, and other trinkets he just hadn't been able to help himself in getting!
Even if Maxwell had had to pinch the bridge of his own nose a couple of times, it didn't seem too much to the prince. He'd even taken to falling into daydreams about how she'd react, when she saw all the new things he'd picked out, especially for her. He...he sort of hoped that she might thank him with a kiss...
He nearly fell into one of those daydreams right at that moment, but he remembered where he was and how to conduct himself in front of his men.
"Excellent work, gentlemen," he slapped a couple of them on the backs as they went past to put their horses away, before returning to their duties elsewhere in the palace and the grounds, including taking the chests full of things to a safe storage space. "I might need a few of you to lend a hand in the morning, so don't get too comfortable in your other duties and be sure to rest well."
It was too late to go proposing now (she was probably asleep, given the time), even if he was practically buzzing with excitement and nervousness that came with the build-up. He already had their rings ready and waiting in his pocket, safely nestled in its little red velvet box. He'd wanted to have it on his person at all times, lest something happened to it on their way back.
Luckily for him (and after he'd checked once again), the pieces of jewellery had made it back home in one piece. It wouldn't be long until they sat pride of place on their rightful owners' ring fingers.
He'd go in the morning, after breakfast. They could take a walk in the gardens, and he'd ask there, in the bright, frosty light, surrounded by nothing but peaceful nature and maybe the song of a bird or two.
It was perfect, he thought, as he went to put away Albina, going slowly to plan everything out in his head as he went.
He had just about led her into her stable and had started to head back out towards the main entrance to the palace, when something bright and nearly entirely white flashed up in the corner of his eye.
That was odd. It couldn't be a pile of snow, could it? It hadn't been that kind of weather yet – it wasn't due to get that cold for at least another week, the people who'd worked the land on his
Curious, he spun on his heel towards the strange sight, and recognised it almost right away.
No. Not it – her.
And he knew, as his heart and stomach and liver and anything that felt in his insides dropped into an abyss that he couldn't reach, that he would recognise that particular "her" anywhere.
A few good feet away, curled up against the base of a tree, was Lady Babcock, collapsed on the ground and not moving.
At that moment, warning bells that sounded like the start of a siege or an invasion went off in his mind and all thoughts of what would (was supposed to – would it still?!) happen the next day fled. Fled just as fast as his footsteps carried him in that direction.
He had to get to her. What was she doing out here?! It was the middle of the night, it was freezing, and the floor was no place for anyone to be when they could be warm and safe indoors!
She had to be freezing, herself! How long had she been there?! How come no one had noticed and gotten her inside?!
"Lady Babcock!" he called out to her as he ran, stiffly and slowly from being on his horse all day and urging himself to move quicker, faster, no matter how painful it was.
She needed him more than he needed to stop. She hadn't responded to her name – she hadn't even moved!
It was only a few more steps – every time, it was only a few more steps! It didn't matter if there were only three yards separating them, or three hundred miles; it was only a few more steps each time! He tried again, desperately, as he continued to force his aching and now terrified body across the ground that separated them.
"C.C.!"
Still, there was nothing, and Niles let out a strangled noise which might have been "Oh, no...!", but was lost in his terror and the scrambling of his feet to get to her.
No...no, she...she couldn't be! The cold couldn't have worked its evil doings so quickly! She was strong, and she'd already come through so much! He couldn't be too late; he'd come back! He'd come back, with gifts for her and a ring, to tell her just how much he wanted to start a life together!
He could see it all, from their wedding, to the nights as he held her in his arms, to their golden-haired children playing in the grounds of their home. It couldn't be snatched away from him now – it wasn't fair!
He fell to his knees beside her when he finally got there, looking her over and shaking her by the arm and searching with fear in his heart and a pleading prayer running on a loop in his mind.
Please, please, please, don't take her away...not when they'd only just found each other...
"Lady Babcock...C.C., my C.C., my lady – please...! Don't go, don't go...stay here, stay with me!"
He gave a relieved sigh when her body rolled and he found that she was breathing still. She was only out cold, not...anything else. But they were held back and the terror crept in again when he reached up to get some hair out of her face and felt her forehead – it was boiling to the touch!
The realisation immediately made panic run him through like a spear or a sword.
She was alive, but she was clearly ill. Desperately ill.
Why was she out here by herself in this state?! Who had let it all happen?! He had to get her inside, and quickly! Whoever had let her go outside and had left her there to freeze, was going to pay. Everyone involved, from the guards who had seen a clearly sick woman going out into the night without so much as a cloak on her shoulders, to the maids who'd know her by now and hadn't thought of stopping her, would pay, with the full force of the law!
But the person who'd made her go would pay worst of all.
He tore off his coat and wrapped it around her like a blanket, pulling her into his arms and getting awkwardly back to his feet. He tried not to despair at her unconscious form as he hurried her back inside.
This wasn't how he'd imagined next greeting her, or holding her in his arms...
The palace was warm – so much warmer than the air outside that Niles felt like he was thawing out when he burst through the doors, taking care not to move so quickly that Lady Babcock would hit her head or her feet on objects as he passed.
He was taking her to his chambers. He didn't trust to take her to the servants' quarters – not when there was clearly a responsible party and any one of them could be suspects!
The way seemed endless, but at least they were inside, and heading upstairs without a moment's hesitation. And at least one friendly face was around. There, in the corridor and looking panicked, was Maxwell.
The duke started marching in his direction as soon as he spotted him.
"There you are! I've been looking for you all over this palace, and now at last you decide to..." he trailed off as soon as he spotted C.C. in his arms (and coat), his face contorting into one of sheer horror. "Dear God, what happened?!"
"Get Dr Potts up here right now! Tell him to come to my chambers – it's an emergency!"
Seeing the urgency and feeling it himself, Maxwell nodded and then sped off without another word in the direction of the doctor's quarters.
Niles, meanwhile, took C.C. straight to his quarters and tucked her into his bed, only removing his coat from her and nothing else. She needed layers to stay warm, and he wasn't going to show a blatant level of disrespect by removing any of her other clothes, without her consent and while she was unconscious!
He wasn't that sort of repugnant oaf – he never was and he never would be, no matter what other people assumed of him.
In the soft glow of the candlelight, he could easily see her usually fair and rosy complexion had turned dreadfully ashen. There were huge bags beneath her blue eyes, and her lips were dry and chapped.
She looked terrible, and seeing her clearly sickly countenance was like adding fuel to the fire of his worry. Whatever it was that she had, it was bad, and he was determined to make her better.
Making sure the covers were secure around her, he called for some of the maids to come with a nightgown. C.C. wasn't going anywhere that night – she needed to rest and to keep warm, and his room was the best place in the palace for that. His fireplace was rarely ever unlit, especially in the winter, and it made the place much more suitable for her recovery than the draughty, almost subterranean servant's quarters.
Besides, if he couldn't trust them to look after her while he was there, what would happen if he left her there overnight? It didn't bear thinking about!
Not that C.C. was aware of his thought process on the matter. She had come to just as he'd shut the door behind...someone...leaving. She was...very warm and comfortable (physically, not mentally), and clearly inside – completely and totally opposite to where she last remembered being...
She...she was in a bed! The...the prince's bed...?! But…how?! Had her fever been so high that she'd forgotten her own action? Had the prince taken advantage of her unwell state to trick her into going to his room?!
Oh, no...no, she couldn't be there! There was only one reason a woman ever was, and she was not going to let him humiliate her like he'd done to so many others! She'd break his winning streak. His chain, made up of the bodies of women he didn't care about, that he wore proudly around his neck to admire when he wanted, and for all the men to congratulate him.
He could go find some willing whore, before he turned her into one, and then dropped her for the next, and his new bride. And any and all that he added to his collection afterwards.
She couldn't believe that she had almost been tricked by him. But she knew better now, and it would take a man who could manipulate like the Devil to ever convince her to let down her guard again.
She shouldn't have been depressed before, about trying to accept being alone forever. It was easy to embrace, when she thought about how trying to get to the alternative simply wasn't worth it.
Men were men, and nothing would ever change. So why should she?
Pulling herself up and swinging her legs out of the bed, not even caring that her head was swimming, she started to get to her feet.
When Niles, who'd briefly turned away from the door, noticed what she was trying to do, he quickly hurried over to try and get her back into bed.
"Lady Babcock, please, stay where you are...!"
She attempted to swat him away, not caring if he was a prince or if refusing him would probably mean the end of her job. She didn't want it, if staying meant having to face him every day...
"I will not...!" she half-wailed, shuffling herself as best she could towards the door.
If she could make it to the corridor, she could call for help – someone else would come, and then he'd have to stop and she'd be saved. She could go back to her room and get on with...with...whatever she'd do now...
But the prince wasn't about to let her go.
Of course he wasn't. And of course he was just as determined to keep her as she was to go.
"Yes, you will! You are in no state to be wandering and there is a bed here, all prepared for you!"
Why did he have to be so focused on her?! Couldn't he just let her leave and find one of the other maids to take?! She might've been untried by any man, but surely that should make her less interesting? Less appealing?
Unless he considered it an arrogant, vain form of claiming her. Or maybe he thought her an interesting taste, like a dessert nobody had yet cut into at a banquet, and he wanted the first bite. The burning rage coursing through her body made its way to her heart at that, and she continued her uneven march.
"I...am returning...to my room!"
A pair of hands grabbed at her before she could reach for the doorknob.
"You are not going anywhere," he told her firmly, gently taking her arms and guiding her back in the direction of the bed. "You would never make it across the palace like this – you could fall, and injure yourself!"
Or worse, his mind conjured up before he could stop it. But it didn't matter, really, because he wasn't going to let worse happen.
He wasn't going to let anything happen to his beloved, not now or ever. He'd stopped her from freezing outside, and by now the doctor had to be on his way to help. However, and frankly surprising no one, the young woman wasn't going to do as she was told without complaint.
No...not complaint. Anger.
What was the matter with her?! Why was she acting like she was enraged? What had happened, while he'd been away?! Why was she struggling so hard, even in her weakened state?! She was going to make herself feel worse!
"Let me go!" she cried out as she was unwillingly sat down on the bed. She wanted to get back up again as soon as she felt herself on the mattress, but she feared another fainting spell would hit her if she tried. "I am not staying here so that you can––"
A fit of loud, barking coughing cut her off, and for a few moments, she was unable to do anything but try to catch her breath in between.
When she looked up again, gasping for air, she saw Niles looming over her, and a bitter part of her muttered silently about how it was surprising that he hadn't opened his britches to pull himself free.
She was already at the right height for one of the things he wanted, wasn't she?
"Not staying so that I can do what?" he asked, confused.
He had no clue what she was about to say, before the coughing had cut her off. Was it purely part of the fever, making her talk nonsense? She was certainly acting nonsensical – it was almost as though she didn't know it was him, and if she did, she didn't think that he was trying to help...!
C.C.'s mouth had already formed a line.
She didn't like him having the upper hand like this; not when it could mean that he intended to use it to take advantage. His words were very obviously teasing – he was trying to make her say it. He was trying to get her to tell him what they were there for, and then he was going to start it, before she even had a chance to say no.
But before she could argue back about why he had to make her say it before he got on with it, there came a knock at the door.
Niles called for them to enter, and the door opened.
It was one of the maids, and she was carrying a nightgown.
Oh, God...
This really was it, wasn't it? He was about to do what he wanted with her and then she'd be cast out again while he'd go on to marry a foreign princess or a lady who had not lost everything, as per his father's wishes.
He'd probably pretend to care for a while with her, before that fell away too. And then C.C.'s own reputation would really be left in tatters, for something that had actually happened that time. All while the man who had caused it all would be allowed to get away with lying through his teeth and pretending that he loved anybody but himself.
"Help her dress," Niles ordered the girl, who was still stood meekly at the door. "Lady Babcock will be spending the night here, and will need assistance."
C.C. nearly cried out in protest at that , but the very act of trying made her head start to swim again. And the thought of moving all around by herself to get the thing on made her then think of falling, and of the hard floor that she'd probably meet before she could stop it.
Miserably, she realised that it wouldn't be the only thing she couldn't stop that night.
He was going to do what he wanted, and then when he was satisfied, he'd toss her out like waste food scraps. She just had to hope that when she braced herself, she wouldn't feel it too much.
And if it did hurt, she hoped it would be over and done with quickly.
She couldn't see the smirk on his face just after she'd conceded defeat and agreed to let the maid get on with it (what choice did she have, at this stage?). It took her a moment, just as the maid was helping her on with her gown, to understand that he'd turned away, making sure he couldn't see her getting changed at all.
...What?
Was...was he really was looking away…? What on Earth for?! Was it so that he could get some sort of sick sense of accomplishment when he ripped her gown open?!
He might as well look, and she would have snapped at him that he clearly didn't need her permission for that if he wasn't asking permission to take her, had the maid not spoken first.
"Help me with your arms please, Lady Babcock. You're going to need to keep them out for now, and change position again when I say."
C.C. did as she was bid, even if it was reluctantly and with a sense of bitterness. She supposed she ought to concentrate on letting the maid help her dress and undress, if she didn't want a confrontation before all of this.
If the prince could hurt her that way, he could do it in others, too. And even if she would put up a fight, she knew just letting it all happen would make things easier.
Not better. Just easier.
It was bothering her by the end that he never wavered once in looking away, as she got changed from her dress into the fresh, crisp nightgown.
He was clearly building his own anticipation.
"The Lady Babcock is ready, Your Royal Highness," said the maid as she got C.C. to (resignedly) lie down. "Shall I call for the Royal Physician? He is waiting outside Your Royal Highness's door, sir."
Upon hearing that it was safe to look, Niles very nearly spun on the spot to face them again.
He immediately wondered if the word "safe" was the correct one when he did – seeing his beloved in his bed, clad only in a nightgown, hit him like a wave of perfume, or an overpowering wine that could easily make him drunk.
His head was practically humming like a beehive, and his feet could barely feel the floor. She was certainly a…very becoming sight, right at that moment. Even if she was ill.
That last point made him snap himself out of it. She was ill, for Heaven's sake! And he hadn't even asked her to marry him yet, let alone done it! Did he really have no shame, to be thinking of her like that, when she needed his help, not his lust?! He had to keep his focus on what was most important, here!
And letting in the Royal Physician to do his work was the most important thing. If any man in the kingdom could help Lady Babcock to get better again, it would be him.
"Y-yes," he said, still reeling a little from before and trying to repurpose his mouth so that it would speak when spoken to. "Please. Show him inside, thank you."
With a curtsy, the maid went off to do just that.
Within a matter of moments, she had returned with the man himself. It was a great relief to have him there, Niles thought – he knew his father would never hire a bad doctor to take care of the family's ailments and injuries. It was more than likely that he had seen Lady Babcock's condition before, and that he would know what to do.
He knew he was only thinking about that because he was so worried, and in turn, because that worry served as a perfect distraction from the other thing he'd been thinking about. But he also knew that his feelings right then didn't matter, and whatever got Lady Babcock healed the fastest did.
The sooner she was better, the sooner he could start planning a new proposal. His old plan had died and been buried as soon as he'd realised how sick she was.
"Greetings, Doctor," he quickly walked to the physician. "Thank goodness you could come at this short notice...!"
The physician gave a low bow in return, "I live to serve my king and his family, Your Royal Highness. Now please, tell me what is ailing you."
Of course, he thought the problem would be something to do with him. Everybody knew that he'd only just returned from a long trip and he'd sustained some kind of wound on his way back.
Not that that was the case, this time.
Niles shook his head, "I am not the one with an ailment this time, Doctor. Your real patient is already in bed, if you might direct your eyes...?"
He then pointed the man in the direction of Lady Babcock, who looked like she could barely keep her eyes open.
The physician paled immediately, starting to clutch at the lapels of his jacket. To the outside world it displayed his worry, but he would say to them how would they like to arrive, only to find that they were being asked to...to treat one of the prince's...bits on the side?!
It was unseemly, in his mind, and he intended to – delicately – let the prince know how he felt. Especially seeing as His Royal Highness was now giving him a questioning look.
"Um...Your Royal Highness," he began, very quietly. "Might we...speak a little bit more privately?"
Niles didn't understand why he felt the need to do so (there wasn't anything to be said on the matter, was there?), but he agreed, nonetheless. If it was to do with the care Lady Babcock would receive, or (God forbid) what he already thought it could be just from looking at her, then Niles wanted to know it all.
They moved further back into the room, a small distance away from where he usually slept, to the point where muttering wouldn't be overheard.
And the doctor did mutter, in a fair amount of concern and agitation.
"Your Highness, you must understand that I am a doctor for royalty; couldn't this possibly be a case for...well, a more common doctor? As she is one of your, um... whor––"
"Speak that word, and I'll have your tongue," Niles interrupted him sharply. He then calmed himself, just in case he had raised his voice and Lady Babcock could hear him. "I have asked you to treat a patient, and you shall do so. There will be no complaints, or calling of any names. Is that clear?"
He hoped it was. He hadn't meant to snap at the man, but when he banded around untrue statements that could directly offend the lady present if she was listening...well, Niles had felt he'd had no other choice!
This man was her best chance at becoming well again, and he wasn't going to have said man thinking so poorly of her (and aloud, at that) when nothing could be further from the truth!
And if making sure Lady Babcock got the treatment she needed and the respect she deserved involved putting the fear of God into the physician, then Niles considered it a small price to pay.
It certainly seemed to work, at any rate. The physician physically flinched at his words, before his pallid features started to mix with the flushed red that spoke of his humiliation in the matter. He'd never been spoken to like that before – indeed, the prince had often loudly boasted of how many common wenches and maids he'd had, all the while having wounds tended to, and he had laughed about them all.
It had never even crossed the doctor's mind that the prince might ever think to not use...the word he'd been about to say, but now was even hesitant to think! But he knew that he had no right to question the decision. Instead of even trying, he bowed again quickly.
"Y-Yes, Your Royal Highness...! I do apologise, please forgive me..."
Niles knew that the matter was over and done with (it would be more than the doctor's position was worth to disobey him), but he was going to make sure that it remained over. And that meant making sure that the physician didn't say a word against Lady Babcock to anybody.
"I shall forgive, this time. But if I ever hear word of you saying such things about this good lady again, then you may not expect the same courtesy I've granted today," he replied sternly. "She is under my protection, and I do not take kindly to your insults against her. Particularly when she is...untouched, by any."
That caught the physician like someone had grabbed his internal organs and squeezed.
The prince hadn't...? Not even once, with this apparently protected girl!? It didn't seem right or likely – the prince being the man he was, and this girl being so...well, everything the prince normally looked for whenever he wanted to have a girl!
How could she not have been touched by anyone? A girl like that, surrounded by young (and old) men who'd surely want a bit of the action...
It was practically flooring, the idea that they hadn't...!
What made her so special to the prince that he'd put off having his fun, in favour of protecting her? He had never been protective over his romantic conquests before — the one time the doctor remembered the Prince behaving in a manner that resembled protective, was when his late lover, the Lady Spencer, had been pregnant with his child.
And even then his attentions had been mostly for their unborn son, rather than for the lady herself. The Prince had certainly treated her well and had insisted that she be treated by the court doctor, but he had never been tender or...well...particularly loving to her.
This behaviour was unlike him, and the doctor was more than a little puzzled by it.
"I...I understand, Your Royal Highness," said the doctor, bowing to the prince again, "I... I shall address Mistress Babcock with the respect—"
"The Lady Babcock, Your Grace," corrected the prince, "This, Doctor Potts, is the only surviving daughter of the late Duke of Bedford."
That struck the doctor again, and he could only thank God that it was still just the prince's words and not his hand, at this point. He had done so much wrong already, without even thinking about it, and he had to have been treading a thin line by now!
He had no idea that this woman was the daughter of a duke! Even a late duke commanded respect still, and the girl's title still had to firmly be in place! It was no wonder the prince had been so angry! And if he'd known, the doctor would never have tried to address her as a whore!
"Oh...! I...Your Royal Highness, I..." the doctor felt himself starting to sweat. "I...I had no idea...! I–"
"That has been obvious from the start, Doctor," the prince stated. "But time is drawing on, and the Lady Babcock is more in need of the things that you do have an idea about than I am over the things that you don't."
The physician cringed internally. The prince was right – he had been called in order to help someone with an ailment, and so far he hadn't even looked at the poor woman! That was about to change, and he wasn't going to let the prince down again, or insult his...friend, the Lady Babcock.
He nodded firmly, "Yes, Your Royal Highness. Please, forgive my tardiness..."
Niles wanted to tell him to ask Lady Babcock's forgiveness over his tardiness, but he decided to simply let the man head over and get on with his duties. He didn't want to delay her being treated any more than she already had been.
He wasn't going to leave the man alone whilst he did his job, though. He trusted him to do his job, not to get him wrong, but he didn't fully trust him to do it without saying something that could offend Lady Babcock again.
Besides, he wanted the doctor to see just how serious he was when he'd said that Lady Babcock was under his protection. He didn't know about the plans for the engagement yet, but he would, eventually.
When everything with his father was out of the way.
So, as the physician began to examine her, he seated himself on the end of his bed. Not on the same side that Lady Babcock had been tucked into, obviously – he chose the side that meant Dr Potts could see that there was no chance that either one could touch the other. It gave them a respectable amount of distance – the distance any gentleman would have with a lady he was not yet betrothed to!
It was just unfortunate that he couldn't tell if the doctor had noticed the gesture. But it didn't fully matter – as long as Potts did what he was supposed to be doing.
"Well now...Lady Babcock," the doctor looked over to Niles for instruction and approval when he paused in his sentence. "I am Dr Potts, Earl of Pembroke and the Royal Physician. Might...might I be allowed to take a look, and see what's going on here?"
Niles appreciated the new-found respect the doctor suddenly had for Lady Babcock. It was exactly the way she should have been treated in the first place, with no hesitation.
Not that C.C. saw it as the respectful help that it was. All her mind could do was try to puzzle through the reasons the prince could possibly have called a doctor into the room first for! Wouldn't he prefer that they were alone, for what he was about to do?! Wouldn't he prefer that she was weak, like she was, so she couldn't try to fight back?!
Why did he insist on helping?! He didn't care, and as long as he got what he wanted, why should it matter what state she was in?! The doctor was...checking her over...before she could even speak! But why?! What was the point?!
How could this help things go the way the prince wanted them to? Unless...
Unless the doctor was being ordered to check on...things down below! To make sure she was healthy? Perhaps. To make sure she was the virgin she'd claimed to be (although where would it have gotten her if she'd lied about that)? Almost definitely!
But before she could protest (and much to her surprise) it was the prince himself who warned the doctor.
"She is not well and must be examined, Doctor. You know this," he told him. "But I shall be watching, to keep any inappropriate behaviour at bay."
That must have sounded ironic, coming from him. But he meant every word that he said, mostly in relation to keeping inappropriate comments out of the doctor's mouth as he started the examination.
And all the while, C.C. could only gape.
The prince, the man who was about to take her by force and not of her own free will, was lecturing the doctor about inappropriate behaviour?! That felt like a laugh, interspersed with an irony that even a blind man could see! Did he think that it gave him some sort of moral high ground? That he was somehow protecting her from the "evils" of other men?!
More likely, he was just trying to save as much of her as he could for himself.
But, at the same time, he didn't sound like he was trying to rush the doctor along. He'd even openly said that she wasn't well (even if it wasn't as bad as all that)! So what was he trying to do, here?! Was he eager and chomping at the bit to take her in every orifice her body possessed, or was he just telling the doctor to do his job?!
She couldn't tell, and she didn't know if she wanted to know the answer! What if the doctor was in on it? What if he wasn't? What would happen to her in either scenario?!
Not that Potts was aware of her thought process. He'd just caught on to what was going on, but from Niles' own point of view. The point of view of the man who was currently watching the examination like a hawk, and clearly staying as true to his word and as true to decency as he could.
And the doctor was busy trying not to laugh to himself as he examined the Lady Babcock.
It wasn't malicious laughter. It was genuine, and happy over the situation. He couldn't say a word against what he saw happening there – not after the Lady Babcock gave another hacking cough, and Prince Niles murmured to her, reaching over to try and hold her hand through the process...!
The sight and the situation was too precious for that. And it made Potts realise that which the prince might have not even figured out yet.
He was in love. Nobody would be that careful and tender with somebody they intended to drop later that day, or night. Well, they could in theory, but they would have to be a vile, evil person to manipulate someone like that.
Prince Niles might have had many faults, but he was not as bad as those sorts of people were.
It became all the more obvious how much the longer the doctor saw the prince sit with the lady, throughout her examination.
"Does it hurt, or are you still feeling cold?" he asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt the doctor's process.
C.C. shook her head in reply, too confused for actual verbal communication. There hadn't been anything inappropriate for some time now, just as the prince had said, and she just wasn't understanding what was going on, anymore! This clearly wasn't what she'd thought it was!
But what was it, if he wasn't preparing her for taking?! What else would prompt him to truss her like a Christmas goose that he intended to feast on all by himself?! What was the point of him being tender if he only meant to use her for one thing?!
He actually seemed to be caring, and yet she knew that he didn't! Was he doing it to will her to get better? So that he could have her when she was well? Was that his angle – that well women gave him a better time than sick ones?
She didn't know...she wasn't sure what she knew anymore!
"Do you need anything else?" Niles then asked, only further sowing incomprehensible seeds. "Another blanket, perhaps?
"I would suggest that one is brought immediately," interrupted the doctor, sighing heavily. "I am afraid Lady Babcock has pneumonia. And, my lady, I am afraid to say that in order to be treated, you must be bled."
He didn't like saying it almost as much as the two people before him didn't like hearing it.
Pneumonia? Bled?!
That was when C.C. really wanted to get up and run, but the terror kept her stuck in place. Only her voice was able to work, and it produced the kind of frightened, gasp of a cry that one might expect from an animal that was trapped, and facing a predator that knew no mercy.
They were going to take blood out of her body?! Why?! Was the doctor sure that it was pneumonia?! Could it maybe simply be something else, that she could perhaps be treated in some other fashion for?!
It couldn't be such an awful thing...
Niles was thinking along the same lines, even as she did, and his hand automatically closed tightly around hers. The prince had felt sick to his stomach even upon hearing what the doctor had said and suggested, as well. But he didn't protest, or order Potts to look for other solutions or diagnoses. He knew he wouldn't be wrong.
No matter how much he wanted it to be wrong, he had to accept the facts as they were. His beloved was even more gravely ill than he previously thought. He'd imagined a heavy cold – an influenza type of thing, maybe!
Not...this.
But she had to get better from this. There was no way in Heaven or on Earth that she couldn't! She had to make it through, to be his wife, and then one day his queen and the mother of his children!
She had to get better, for them to be happy...
The doctor had to save her, and Niles could only trust that he would.
He wasn't the royal physician for nothing – he was the best in the country. Renowned across Europe and celebrated just as widely.
However, there was a part of him that wasn't sure if he could sit and watch as the procedure was carried out. The idea of them having to hurt his beloved in order to make her better was heart-wrenching, to say the least, but he was well aware that he had to be strong for her.
He looked over at her, and saw the feverish look of fear in her eyes. He knew she knew what was going on, even though she was too sick, too weak and, by now, probably too exhausted to do anything about it.
The look on her face made up his mind immediately.
She needed him there, with her. And if he was going to be her husband (he was aware that she hadn't said yes yet, but he had high hopes and a positive outlook), he had to be prepared to be by her side no matter what, including the bad things.
And this was the worst thing that he could imagine happening.
Sighing, the prince gave a grave nod, "Do what has to be done. But please, save her."
"I will, my lord. You have my word," said the physician, gesturing for his assistants to come forward and start preparing everything to bleed Lady Babcock.
As the doctor prepared, the prince leaned over to speak to his beloved quietly. In the low candlelight, he hadn't seen it from a distance, but once he had gotten closer, he realised that she was shaking.
"It will be alright, my lady; it is all done to make you feel better," he murmured, hoping that she felt reassured. If not, there was one step further that he knew he could take. "If...if you wish, I can hold you through this...?"
Part of C.C. would have loved to be strong enough to slap him for even suggesting that she should get so close to him. Even if it would mean the end of her job, and a guaranteed home.
But the rest of her was telling her not to fight it. The thought of having to be willingly cut open was so many thousands of times worse than being held by him, even if he was a cad and a rake, who only ever hurt people and didn't care one bit.
Even if he was currently not acting like one, for reasons that were still unknown to her...
What other choice did she have, but to gently nod, just before Dr Potts cleared his throat to catch their attention back?
It wasn't long now, then, and they'd be underway...
The doctor addressed the lady-in-waiting just before the start; the moment that followed the bowl being placed under her outstretched arm.
"I am going to have to take the blood from you now, my lady, so I'll need you to keep your arm still as I do the initial cut, and then it will be a short process after that..."
He knew she could hear and that she understood – but he was going to try his hardest not to draw it out for any longer than he had to, and to reassure her whenever he could. It seemed to make his patients feel more comfortable when he explained, so he tried to do it as much as possible.
"It's alright, my lady," he encouraged quietly, taking out his surgical knife from his case and bringing it to her arm, but noticing her bristle. "Don't look, just listen as I speak..."
The procedure wasn't going to be nice; everyone knew that. Annoyed at having to do it, but also feeling like she had no choice from the fear that was taking over, C.C. could only hold onto Niles for dear life (which the doctor allowed with a warmth growing in his heart), whimpering every once in a while as she waited for the doctor to begin.
Niles held her just as tightly back, listening to the doctor's words as he got ready to start the procedure.
When the first cut finally came, she took it like a champion, in Niles' mind. He didn't know how she could stiffen and flinch and cry out minutely at yet somehow still brave the cut happening, when it would be so natural to try and run, or to let the cord be tied to let the blood flow down to the bowl.
It wasn't seconds before it started to come, staining the bowl red.
"It's coming nicely," the doctor said, keeping his voice calm to keep both his patient and the prince calm, too. "It won't be long, now..."
It was making Niles feel sick just watching the treatment, so he focused himself on his beloved, shushing and murmuring to her whimpering and trembling form while they waited for the procedure to end.
This was going to save her. This meant they could get engaged, and then married, and live happily ever after, as was right and as she deserved...
"It's alright, Lady Babcock...you are doing wonderfully...!"
Despite the doctor's reassurances and constant insistences that it was all going well and Lady Babcock was doing just fine, it seemed an age for them all before he finally got to them that it was over.
He didn't like seeming to lie to them – it hadn't truly been a long time, even if it had felt that way – but sometimes it was necessary to bend the truth to comfort his patients.
And Lady Babcock was in need of comfort, more than ever, now.
"There now; that should be quite enough," he said, removing the cord from C.C.'s arm and preparing to stitch and bandage the Lady Babcock's arm up. She had been an excellent patient, and he thought that she deserved to know as such. "You were remarkable, Lady Babcock, a good and brave patient…"
She probably wasn't feeling brave, Niles thought. But that was a debate he'd have with her at a later date, when she was well.
She carried it better than he ever would, that was for sure. She held onto him just as tightly as she had during the procedure when Potts stitched her arm up and bandaged it, but immediately let go when it was done.
Niles tried not to feel hurt by the gesture and failed. She wasn't even looking at him, and she didn't thank him for helping...
He still didn't understand her anger from before, either, but that was something else he'd figure out when she was well enough to explain.
They had to focus on any more advice that the doctor gave, after all.
"You are feverish, too, my lady," Potts explained with a frown to them both, when prompted to speak his mind by a look from the prince. "Something must be brought, in order to keep your temperature down."
Niles felt his stomach give a jerk, almost as though it were volunteering for him to do whatever it took to help.
"What does she need, Doctor?"
Potts appeared to weigh up options before answering, "For starters, Her Ladyship requires a cold cloth to be pressed against her forehead."
"I'll do that," he told the doctor, before turning to the maid who'd come to wait on them. "You heard the man. Bring a bowl full of the coldest water you can get, and a hand-sized cloth."
The maid, whether she was tired of hearing him order her to go fetch things for Lady Babcock or not, curtsied and dutifully went. It seemed an age before she returned, but when she did, she was carefully carrying a bowl full of water and had a cloth draped over her arm.
She set it on the table next to the bed, where Dr Potts was stood, "Will that be all, Your Royal Highness?"
Niles hoped it would be enough. And it was certainly all for the time being – he'd sit with Lady Babcock and hold that cloth to her forehead for as long as it took for that fever to break. He'd stay awake all night, if he had to!
"Yes, thank you," he nodded, letting the maid go back to whatever she'd normally be doing at that time of night. Probably sleeping, by now. He then turned to the doctor. "If you wet the cloth and then hand it to me, I will see to Lady Babcock."
"Of course, Your Royal Highness," the doctor did as he was told, taking the cloth and wetting it before wringing it out and handing it to the prince, unable to help feeling strange as he did.
This was definitely a new – and quite welcome, really – side to Prince Niles. It wasn't that the man often cared this much for anybody other than himself, and Potts knew he had to see how far the treatment would be taken by the prince himself.
"She will also need warmth, sir. And plenty of food and liquids, as well as rest. I will be coming tomorrow to check on her stitches."
"I will see to that," said the prince as he pressed the cold cloth to the Lady Babcock's forehead. "You may go now. Thank you, Dr Potts."
Potts bowed to the Prince, gathered his medical equipment and took his leave. He did so with a noticeable spring in his step – Prince Niles rarely thanked him for his services! Both he and the king weren't big on thanking people for the nice things they did for them; they were of the opinion that they deserved to be waited on hand and foot simply because of who they were.
They were right, of course – after all, kings and princes shouldn't be denied anything – but it was nice to receive some recognition for his services (apart from a more than healthy income provided by the Crown, of course).
He couldn't help looking over his shoulder before slipping out of the room through the ajar doors. He couldn't help smiling, either. The image of the Prince of Wales being loving and tender towards a young woman was something he'd believed he'd never see. After years of engaging in near-constant disreputable pursuits with countless women, Prince Niles had become rather blasé about them and their feelings. They were simple objects, in the prince's mind.
Or at least they had been…
Clearly, Lady Babcock was no object to him.
Niles wanted to see her get better. To laugh, and to dance, as a young lady might. But for now, there was only one clear course of action that she needed to take.
"How does trying to get some sleep sound, my lady?"
Had she been able to, C.C. would have kicked the covers off right that instant, jumped out of bed and stalked out of his room after having delivered a hard slap on his stupid face. How dare he act like nothing was going on?! How dare he stoop so low when it was clear that she was currently unable to defend herself?! He was after one thing and one thing only – sex. She'd much rather he was open about his intentions than have him play with her fragile heart.
But as things currently lay, she didn't have the ability to leave by her own means. She was stuck, but she'd first be dead and six feet under than fall asleep when he was around. The last thing she needed was for her to wake up with him on top of her as he did something unspeakable to her.
No, she was going to stay awake, even if that went against what the doctor had said.
"I would have to be a fool to close my eyes around you, Your Royal Highness," she spat at the prince, sticking him with a hateful glare.
Her words made Niles feel like he'd been struck. Everything about what she'd said was a huge red flag being frantically waved in the wind – from her tone to her use of his title instead of his name. It all but confirmed his worst fear: she was angry at him. Actually it was more like she was livid, and he simply couldn't understand why! Had his letters not arrived? Had she heard about that little harlot from the inn trying to bed him and was now blaming him? What had he done?! If he knew what was bothering her, he'd do everything and anything to make it better!
And the only way to find out, was to ask. Had he found himself in this situation with any other woman, he would have simply walked away and hoped that she'd eventually come round and warm up to him again. But she wasn't just any woman and the thought of walking away from her in this time of need was simply inconceivable.
He had to see this through, no matter what.
"Lady Babcock," he started meekly. "Have…have I upset you in any shape or form?"
Niles could feel his stomach dropping when her answer was a sardonic laugh.
"Oh my," she rasped, irony dripping from her every word. "Isn't His Royal Highness perceptive! Why would His Royal Highness even entertain the notion that I am upset with His Lordship? Not that his latest slut's feelings and thoughts matter to His Lordship, as long as the bitch lowers her head and acts like a good girl and lets His Royal Highness get everything he bloody wants from her!"
Niles could suddenly feel the rage-filled, humiliating and painful slap that had been intended in her words. Sometimes a slap or a punch wasn't needed, to let the other person know how badly that had acted, or treated someone...
But in Niles' case, as miserable and annoyed at himself as he was (the way she'd spoken about him made him want to punch himself, it was clearly so bad), he hadn't got the faintest idea what the woman was talking about!
She was mad at him, he understood that now. But what on Earth was she calling herself his "latest slut" for?! The way she talked, she could only be referring to herself, but it made no sense that she would be calling herself that!
Since when had he not – well, not recently, ever since they had been spending actual time together, anyway – taken her feelings into account?! Since when had he asked for anything that he wanted – again, recently – from her?!
Come to think of it, he should have been asking such things out loud. Even as terrifying as it was (he didn't want to argue with her), he needed to let out the feeling. He needed to get his points across and heard. He needed answers, because right now he wasn't sure that the ones he had were enough to discover exactly why she was upset.
"What...what are you talking about?!" he almost cried back aloud. "You are not a slut of any kind, and whenever have I not taken your feelings into account, or your thoughts, or asked for anything?!"
The lady-in-waiting scoffed and rolled her eyes at him (though she regretted the latter only moments later since doing do proved impossibly painful, given her illness). He was playing the victim! He had the gall to pretend he had no idea about what he was talking about!
Unbelievable.
Honestly, she just couldn't understand how she'd ever believed he was a new man when it was evident he hadn't changed one bit. He was still the same self-serving rake she'd met when she'd first arrived at the palace. His "new attitude" was but an underhanded ploy to get her into his bed. And she'd idiotically fallen for it.
"Please, don't take me for a fool," she barked at him, trying to sit up in bed despite her weakened state.
It soon proved to be an awful idea, for the world around her started spinning at a dizzying speed, but she stood her ground. She couldn't appear weak. Not in front of him.
"You know what you were trying to do – still are trying to do! You don't have to pretend anymore, sir. Take me, if that's what you want – break me in and relish in claiming another stupid servant. I know I can't stop you. But I promise you, I will never make the same mistake again. I will never speak to you again, even if I know that means nothing to you! I will forever rue the day I ever decided to give you a second chance!"
The ugly words poured out of her with the strength of a typhoon. They washed away the colour in the prince's face, as well as part of his heart with brutal force, leaving him dazed and like he'd been run over. Her words had left him even more confused than before, if that was possible. Whatever had he done?! And where had she gotten the idea that he was pretending to like her in order to take her to bed?! Had anyone put that idea inside her head? If so, who had done so? And why?!
But before he was allowed to get a word in edgeways, the Lady Babcock had somehow managed to get out of bed and was making an unsteady break for the door. She didn't make it, of course – she collapsed half-way there, body wracked by a fit of hacking coughs. He was at her side in an instant and quickly picked her up in his arms. He didn't care if she was furious with him – he was not letting her leave the room in her current state. She could kick and scream all she wanted; he wouldn't budge an inch.
And she was certainly giving a fight right that moment, screaming obscenities (all directed at him) at the top of her lungs as she tried to break free from his grasp.
"Let. Me. Go!" she demanded, punctuating each word with a hard slap to his face until both his cheeks were bright read. "Let me go, you bastard! How dare you do this to me when you knew perfectly well you'll be getting married in months?! How dare you trick me into believing you felt something for me?!"
He nearly dropped her from the shock of what she'd just said, halting in his tracks as he carried her back.
He wasn't confused by the last bit. Not the tricked-into-feeling part. He'd already been hurt by that, when she'd insisted that he was manipulating her to get her into his bed. Even if it did hurt doubly hard, now that he knew she felt (or had felt) something for him.
It was the first bit.
The bit about...getting married in months?! That sent him straight back to his first question; namely, what on Earth was she on about?! He wasn't getting married! He hadn't even asked her yet, and as things currently stood, he was more than certain that she'd say no if he did!
That wasn't right, though – she wasn't talking about them. She can't have been, when she had no way of knowing what he was going to do! So why did she seem to think that he was getting married?! Who would he be marrying, or when?! How could there be wedding arrangements going on on his behalf without him even knowing?!
Who had told her any of this, and why?! Was it simply to make them both miserable?!
He had to get it in her head.
"I don't know what's going on here, but I can tell you one thing for certain, and that is that I am not getting married!" he replied firmly, cheeks stinging as his mouth moved in protest. "Who the hell told you that I was?!"
C.C. scoffed, "Why should I tell you?! You'll only go off and punish them for breaking your cover!"
And as much as she'd happily see Prudence punished for anything, for once she actually had to feel begrudgingly grateful. The older woman had opened her eyes to the betrayal she was about to suffer, and she'd managed to stop herself from getting hurt any more.
Hurt, but not shocked or winded, which was what she felt when Niles set her back down on the bed and crouched in front of her.
He looked her dead in the eyes as he did, "I'll only be punishing them for spreading malicious, untrue rumours! I don't know what you heard or who you heard it from, but know that I am speaking the truth when I tell you that I am not getting married!"
Again, the lady bore the pain in order to roll her eyes.
"Of course you'd say that! You'd say anything to get what you want!"
"All I want is for you to believe me!" Niles shouted, getting more distressed by the moment. "If you don't want to tell me who told you, fine. But at least tell me who they got that information from?!"
The closer he was to the source, the better. He'd nip it in the bud once and for all, by targeting that person, and the vicious poison clearly spreading itself around the palace would evaporate into nothing!
Contorting her face into a snarl, C.C. finally answered after several moments in which she'd left him hanging.
"Alright. If you absolutely have to know, I got it from the head maid, Prudence," she snapped. "Who had overheard it from your father, King Joseph himself!"
The moment she finished speaking, Niles could suddenly feel his entire world turning on its head, shaking and quaking as it went.
His father was arranging a marriage for him?! Since when?! And why?! He'd never once given a damn before about whether or not he was married, so why would he bother now?
Niles dismissed the thought. It didn't matter! It didn't matter why or since when; what mattered was not panicking as much as he was and keeping a level head trying to figure out what to do now!
It was so typical of his father's underhandedness, though! Of course it would have all led back to him in the end! And there was nothing to do but believe it. The prince didn't usually trust that old woman Prudence, but she did love listening in where she shouldn't, including at the king's own study door.
And of course she would use information like that to drive a wedge between him and C.C.! She revelled in stuff like that! She was a minor issue, however, compared to what he now knew about Joseph. How could his father do such a thing?! He knew that the king hadn't been best pleased when he had become friends with C.C., but this was going to extremes to stop it!
But he wasn't going to succeed in stopping it. Niles would make sure of that, long before the deadline for this so-called other marriage! He couldn't stop him from seeing the woman he loved, no matter what he thought about her!
Not that having an argument with his father was foremost in his mind. The most pressing matter was getting it through to C.C. that he was not going to get married to someone else and that he most certainly did love her – that he desperately wanted them to have a life together, if she still requited his love.
He honestly hoped this hadn't ruined their chances beyond repair. He'd thought of nothing but her and the life they could have as husband and wife. She was the only woman he'd ever loved and he was not willing to let her go so easily. He'd fight for her love, even if it was the last thing he ever did.
"My lady...C.C., I promise you I had no idea of my father's intentions. I wasn't consulted or even informed of this!" he said softly, wanting to reach for her hand but refraining from doing so. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it. "I have no intentions to let my father decide who is to be my bride."
"Oh, spare me!" C.C. barked back at him, "I know your dirty tricks. I will not be taken for a fool – so, I beseech you, leave me be and let me go from this room! I will not be made a mockery of because you can't control your urges, nor do I desire to be in the company of a man who plays with women's hearts as if they were mere toys from a child's nursery!"
"C.C., I beg you, you must believe me!" Niles pleaded with her.
He could almost see his dreams of a life together disintegrating right in front of his eyes. He wouldn't stand for it – the pain of her rejection (especially when the reasons behind it were the result of a simple misunderstanding) was a kind of pain he simply wouldn't be able to get over. If he let her go away, he'd regret it forever.
"Give me one reason!" she said, poking him in the chest – decorum had long since been thrown out of the metaphorical window and she was far too angry to care about the possible consequences of being disrespectful to the heir to the throne. "Just one reason why I should believe anything you say!"
The poke and the words must have triggered something in his brain, because Niles suddenly remembered something rather important: he had never taken their rings out of his pocket. He'd put them there when he and his men had set off to return to Whitehall! Everything else that had happened had served as a distraction, and he had never ended up putting them away.
And it now felt like it was burning a hole in there.
If she realised that he intended to propose to her – and only her – then she had to understand that he had no idea of any of this!
This was it. It was a sign, it had to have been! He had to do it now, before he lost her forever!
He quickly fished around in his jacket, clenched the little velvet ring box in his fingers and brought it out.
"Because I would never dream of proposing or being engaged to two women," he said, bringing the box up and opening it for her to see. "And I had already hoped that you might be the first and only one."
C.C.'s eyes widened at the sight, and her hands went over her mouth, which had dropped open and was gaping.
She really hadn't expected this when she'd told him to give her a reason! She'd thought he would just tell her an "I love you" that didn't really mean anything, or try to kiss her, like the ploy that always seemed to work in the worst kind of romantic novels! Something she should slap him for and then storm out over!
But this...he really meant it, didn't he? She'd been wrong, this whole time; she hadn't even given him the benefit of the doubt! She'd been so sure that she couldn't have possibly meant anything – not really, anyway – that she'd ignored any signs that had come along!
She'd thought so little of herself that it had reflected back on him, giving her only the memories of what people had told her, and the things she'd seen before they'd gotten to know each other. Spent time together and actually...actually fallen in love.
She was in love with him and, because of her doubts and fears that he hadn't really changed, she had almost missed the fact that he had fallen in love with her, too.
The guilt would've hurt if she hadn't already been so overwhelmed. It softened the blow. Perhaps it didn't even matter, entirely, what she had believed before...
It couldn't take the place of what she was seeing now.
Niles swallowed, hope shining in his eyes as he shifted onto one knee, "I love you, Lady Chastity-Claire Babcock...so will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"
C.C. stared at the set that she knew made up a gimmel ring, glistening in the light. She was almost sure her eyes would mist over to the point she could hardly see, but she fought through it to look at the wonderful pieces; a set she never thought she'd see.
Both golden bands were studded with emeralds, rubies and garnets, but one side was set with a larger ruby, while the other held a diamond.
The diamond and the ruby looked as though they would lie side by side when the rings were put together. Like a married couple, ready to spend eternity in each other's company.
The meaning was clear; so clear, it caught C.C.'s breath in her throat and held onto it.
This wasn't just any ring that Niles could have picked up anywhere. It was a set of rings that confirmed a promise. He would wear one half of that set for all of their engagement, giving it up only when it was time to make it into one ring – the wedding band she would wear for them, for the rest of their lives...!
He was making an announcement with that set of rings. He wanted to be with her, for the rest of their lives...it nearly made her want to cry out, it was so obvious now!
She couldn't hold back all of the tears in her eyes, but she wiped them away hastily so she could marvel at the sight again; the perfect symbol of their future together.
The stones in their metal holdings weren't the only thing that was sparkling, either – Niles' eyes were, too, with unshared tears.
He was overwhelmed, too. He had never imagined that it would have to be like this, but the moment had come and it had hit him with the full force of a cannon. He was doing it – he was proposing, just as he had been dreaming of doing since he'd been on the survey!
C.C. couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before – the truth in his words seemed so clear, now she wasn't doubting him! He had no idea that he was supposed to be getting married – why would he bother with this if he'd known all along...?!
Why would he do it - all of this - if he didn't care about her?
If he didn't...didn't love her? Just as he had said, without falsehood or manipulation just now?
This wasn't the worst sort of romance novel, or even the best. It was beyond anything her fantasies while he'd been gone had come up with, and it...warmed her, to the point of tears.
He'd come back. For her, and he was intending to stay.
There was only one thing she could say (through tearful laughter) to that, as her hands slipped away from her mouth to wipe at her eyes and her head started nodding of its own accord.
"Yes...yes, I will marry you...!"
And with a cry of delight, Niles picked her up in his arms and brought her into the tightest embrace he could muster, pressing his lips to hers over and over again until they both were breathless and absolutely had to pull away.
Married...he was going to be married! He'd spend the rest of his life with the woman he loved, and no one would take it away from them!
No one could take it away from them. Not even his father, with his ridiculous plans of getting him married off to some foreign princess. He'd first die than renounce to his happiness with her! He would have to talk with his mother about the recent developments – if there was a wedding underway, she'd probably know about it and Niles was intending on demanding an explanation.
And even if it came down to the worst case scenario and his father refused to let him marry C.C., they could always remain engaged until he was king. They'd live in sin together and he would take no wife. Any children he fathered – and he was certain they would have children – would all be acknowledged and subsequently made Dukes and Earls. His family would be given riches and an estate of their own. Whether his father liked it or not, C.C. would be the only woman in his life.
But now was not the time to think about the future – it was time to celebrate the present; celebrate their engagement, just the two of them.
He began to kiss her again, quickly pocketing the rings so they wouldn't get lost or damaged while they indulged in their kissing – there would be time to slip them on later. The kisses were growing even deeper than before. It caused a low moan to issue from C.C.'s throat, and she responded by gripping his shoulders tightly.
It felt good, and it made him want to make her feel good, too, but he quickly reminded himself that she was unwell and that making love to her would have to wait until they were lawfully wedded in the eyes of God. He'd promised himself he would do good by her – make an honest woman out of her – before even thinking about consummating their relationship.
He knew how to pleasure a woman. Years' worth of frequenting brothels had taught him exactly how to please (and be pleased) in bed. When the time came, he would cherish her and adore her body as though it were the incarnation of the divine. She deserved nothing but the best of treatments.
But she would have to wait. They both would. While she was still unwell, she wouldn't get to experience anything in its full intensity. Not when her body was still fighting the awful thing inside it that was making her so sick and weak.
It wouldn't be fair, in a lot of ways. She needed her rest, and he'd just be depriving her of it. Her health came first; it always would.
Cupping her face and bringing her in so that he could place a gentle kiss on her forehead, he murmured against her still too-warm skin.
"We should get you back to bed. You need your sleep..."
He lightly felt C.C.'s hands brushing against the front of his shirt, her fingers stroking tentatively, like she was unsure of how to proceed with what she was trying to do, but willing to find out.
"I'm not too tired, if you want to celebrate the night..."
The prince shook his head, nuzzling against her, "We'll celebrate when you're well. And we'll get to have the grandest celebration of all when we are finally married."
C.C. looked up at him for a moment, her eyes apparently searching and questioning what he'd said. It was almost as though she had been expecting him to want it still, but it quickly left as the sickness in her body brought on a wave of sleepiness that she couldn't ignore.
"Hm...alright," she said at last. "Stay with me, though?"
She was clearly worried that him saying no to...activity...meant that he was going to leave his room and find somewhere else to sleep for the night.
But it didn't. Niles wasn't even thinking about going anywhere, or leaving his new fiancée (that sounded so wonderfully right to say!) alone. He knew how to behave around women, even if past experience might have made people believe otherwise.
They could share a bed with nothing happening. Easily.
"Of course," he replied, kissing her cheek softly before leading her back to where she had been previously. "Come on; it's time for bed."
She stopped him before he could get her there, though.
"Wait...we're forgetting something..."
Niles cocked his head at her, his brow becoming knitted. What could they possibly have forgotten at a time like this?
It wasn't until she wiggled her still-bear finger at him that he realised what she meant.
"Oh...!"
After a moment in which he had to apologise and feel very awkward about being so swept up that he'd actually forgotten to give her the half of the ring that was hers, before putting on his own, he had settled her back down on the floor, grabbed the rings back out of his pocket and rectified the situation entirely.
Her ring fit as perfectly as he had hoped it would, and his heart swelled with joy and excitement at the prospect of it soon being joined by its other half, which was soon slipped gently – almost with reverence – onto his own finger.
C.C. then let him carry her back to bed (playfully demanding that he finish what he'd started), and he allowed her to snuggle into his sheets and pillows, all the while thinking about how that was how his future was going to look.
Minus him having to put the cold compress on her head, of course. He was certain that would not be an everyday affair – it was limited to times like this, when she was sick and needed it.
He changed into his own nightwear behind his screen, and when he came out, he found that she' already fallen asleep, the wet cloth still pressed against her head. Good. The cloth would take care of her fever and she needed the rest. If she stood any chance of getting better, she was going to need to get as much as possible.
Trying not to disturb her or the cloth as he climbed in, he snuggled up close and held her. Not so tightly that he'd accidentally make her warmer, but enough so that she would know and benefit from his comfort.
After so much travelling and so much excitement, it wasn't long before he fell asleep as well.