Chapter 167 - The Quarters Of A Prince

Delaney stood with Ian and Ilona and watched as her husband walked back towards the throne room on his own. The nobles all watched him but no one approached him and that was probably for the best.

She wondered what it was like for him to be here before the war. He had had so many friends and women loved him. She doubted he had ever been alone like this.  He held his head high now though and was very brave.

"Come on," she said softly, turning to continue on the way they had been going, "We're going to have to find Mason's room."

Neither Ian nor Ilona was used to being in a royal castle so Delaney led the way.  She didn't know that she felt any more comfortable here than either of them but at least she had her  Adair name and her husband's title to protect her if something happened.  If anyone learned that her guests were pirates she didn't know what would happen to them, especially not after seeing the Queen's reaction.  Without Vincent beside her, she felt suddenly afraid.

"Excuse me," she said to a servant they came upon, "I need you to take me to the Prince, please.  Do you know where his rooms are?"

The young boy looked to be about twelve with brown eyes and dingy brown hair.  He was terribly nervous to be addressed by a noblewoman like this.

"P-Prince M-Mason?" he asked quietly, eyes shooting between her and the Black siblings.

"Yes," Delaney smiled warmly in an attempt to reassure him, "Do you know where he is?  I am his cousin and I need to speak to him."

Technically Vincent was his cousin but she doubted the boy would know the difference anyway.  There were too many nobles to keep track of.

"I-I-I can t-take you," he said blushing, and Delaney realized he must have a problem with his speech.  Her heart warmed to him and she nodded.

"That would be wonderful.  Thank you."

The servant boy hurried down the hall so eager to do as he was asked that he almost left them behind.  The three adults had to rush to keep up with the urchin but no one complained.

They turned a corner and came to a great pair of wooden doors similar to the ones at the throne room but half the size.  As they stepped up to them, an older man was stepping out and quietly closing the door behind him.  He looked up at them in surprise and confusion.

"May I help you?"

"We are here to see Prince Mason," Delaney answered in a pleasant tone, "Are these his chambers?"

"They are," the man frowned in suspicion, "I am his valet, Spears.  The Prince is asleep right now and I'm afraid he won't be awake for some time."

The man had no hair on the top of his head but he did have a big white mustache he twitched as he studied them with beady eyes.

"That's quite alright.  We'll wake him.  He would want us to," the Duchess moved to step past him but he was quick to cut her off.

"The Crown Prince is not to be disturbed," Spears shook his head as if appalled she had suggested it, "He was up very late last night and will now need time to recover."

"He can recover after we've woken him," Delaney said evenly, losing her patience.  Beside her, the young servant boy was looking worriedly between them.

"You cannot wake the Prince," the man said louder now, "Who do you think you are?"

"She's Lady Delaney Adair, Duchess of Edgewood," Ian said coldly, stepping up close to the man, "And you are a valet.  It would do you well to remember your place."

The man's eyes went wide and he quickly stepped back and bowed to her, dropping so low she thought he might fall over.

"I'm so sorry Lady Adair," he squeaked, "I didn't recognize you.  I hadn't heard you had returned to court."  He then turned to glare at the servant boy and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ian put a hand to the older man's chest and shoved him backward hard.  Spears looked up at him in shock as he banged into the wall.

"The boy didn't know," Ian snapped, "Keep your hands off of him."

"Of course my Lord," the man nodded quickly, assuming Ian was another noble, "I'm terribly sorry about the misunderstanding my Lady."

Delaney nodded, "Yes.  Now, will you kindly announce me to my husband's cousin so I can go in and speak to him?"

"Right away Lady Adair!" he scrambled to open the door and do as he was told.  He called in that Delaney was there before quickly stepping back so they could enter.

Ian didn't wait for the man but pushed the door closed as he was walking out so that he had to jump to avoid being smashed by it.

"What an awful little man," Ilona stated with a frown and the other two agreed, "I hope he won't punish that boy."

"If he does he'd better hope I don't hear of it," Ian snapped.

Delaney smiled fondly at her friend and paused just inside the first of the rooms belonging to Mason, looking around, curious to see where a man like him lived.  A Crown Prince.

The rooms had high ceilings and tall windows.  All the furniture was made of a lovely honey-colored wood that looked warm in the early morning sun shining in through the glass.  There were paintings and tapestries here and there but mostly the walls were plain stone.

She walked through the room where she imagined him entertaining guests.  Ian and Ilona quietly followed, both looking around curiously as well.  Another pair of doors were propped open and a large bed could be seen in the room beyond.

Delaney swallowed, staring at the bed now.  She hadn't stopped to consider that Mason might be in bed when she found him even though she'd been told he was still asleep.  She had never been in a man's bedroom beside her husband's.  There was no stopping now though.  They were here to speak to the Prince.

Lifting her chin, the duchess strolled into the bedroom of the Crown Prince and right up to the side of his bed.  She had been half expecting there to be a woman, or even multiple women, asleep with him so she was relieved when she found him alone.  Glancing around though she noticed a discarded dress in a pile on the floor and realized he must not have been alone for very long.

Mace slept on his stomach with his hands under the pillow his head was on.  His whole back was bare and she wondered if he was completely naked.  She blushed and stepped back, bumping into Ian behind her.  She mumbled a quick apology and cleared her throat before saying Mason's name.  When the Prince didn't stir, she repeated it louder.

"He's had quite a lot to drink," Ian mentioned, frowning at the scene, "He might not wake up right away."

Delaney bit her lip before saying his name loudly again.  Still, Mason didn't budge.  She leaned over the bed and shoved at his arm gently and then hard but still there was no movement.  She repeated his name twice more as loud as she would dare.

"I don't know what to do," Delaney said quietly, turning to Ian and Ilona, "We can't just sit here and wait for him to wake up."

"The longer you're in here the worse it will be for your reputation," Ian mentioned gently, "Even with Ilona and I here.  You're a duchess."

Ilona frowned crossing her arms, "I wouldn't be surprised if that valet was off telling everyone right now that he had let the duchess into the Prince's rooms."

Delaney bit her lip and turned to look back at the sleeping man, still suntanned from their days on the beach.  He hadn't drunk to this point at all during the summer.  Of course, he had been happy then and she was sure he wasn't happy now.  He had only been home for days and already he was drinking heavily.  She blamed the nasty Anna.  Or maybe it was because of Daniel and Sophia for pushing this marriage.  Likely it was because of all three.

"Come on," Ilona looked at her seriously, "He's your cousin, isn't he?  Wake him up."

"I'm not sure how," she answered nervously, "I'm afraid he might be naked."

"So what?" Ilona frowned, "You've seen naked men before."

"Ilona!" Ian hissed.

"I'm no pirate woman," Delaney frowned at her, crossing her arms, "The only naked man I've seen is my husband."

"This is ridiculous," Ilona snapped, rolling her eyes, "Move!"

She stepped forward and shoved between Delaney and Ian.  Delaney watched as the woman picked up a cup from the table beside the bed and looked down into it.  She lifted it to her nose and took a sniff before shrugging.

Delaney and Ian watched in horror as Ilona leaned over and dumped the entire cup of water over the head of the sleeping Prince.