The lost prince's ploy

2019, March 4th

As Zoey digested that for the second time in her life a proposal of marriage had come to her under the most unusual of circumstances, James' phone rang. The screen lit up to reveal the name Emily. After the ringing stopped, Zoey happened to look at the screen again. He had 53 unread messages and 71 missed calls.

"Shouldn't you call her back?" 

"She's the woman in the photo with Aaron," James answered coolly.

His face morphed into a look of disgust. Emily, sweet Emily. She would never be sweet Emily again. Not to him.

"I see," Zoey answered, looking down at her feet.

Of course. She was hot again with anger and embarrassment.

"She's your girlfriend, right?"

"Fiancée."

James held up a hand, made a fist, and bit into it. 

"Former fiancée," he said, correcting himself. 

He turned to her then and could practically see her neurons unravelling. They weren’t in love. This was a business agreement. Hell, for him, it was a straight up revenge ploy. But James knew better than most that even in business, it was good to have your partner be at ease.

"I have no expectations of this marriage. It would be much the same thing as what was going to happen between you and Aaron."

Never in his life did James think he would sound so matter of fact about marriage. His marriage. He proposed to Emily in the middle of the rose garden at the castle. He knew how much she loved that garden and it was just the two of them. The moment was perfect. That was just a few weeks ago, and look at them now.

Zoey saw the tension leave James' shoulders just before he spoke, but his words had only served to frighten her. They pushed her six months into the future, into thinking of a life without Aaron. James hesitated a moment.

"This is as much for me as it is for you, of course," he said.

"For me?" she asked, surprise in her voice.

"A marriage to me will protect you from being used as a tool in this political war between King Henry and Duke Arden."

His eyes had glazed over again, his body stiffened, and his face hardened. Zoey could practically feel the chill coming off his body. He would form no warm attachment to her. He wouldn't try to please her, or make her laugh. Could she live like that? Most did she was sure, but could she, when she'd been promised the moon and the stars and been foolish enough to believe it?

Her car door opened then. James was leaning over her, his hand on the car door handle. It was that same look he gave her when he saw her a few minutes ago. In a moment, it was over and Bart was knocking on the door.

"Come on, Zoey, the place is ready," said Bart, looking between Zoey and James suspiciously, not missing a beat.

"Sure," she said, absentmindedly getting out of the car.

James tugged on her hand. An unexpected, warm familiarity spread through her as his hand held hers.

"In two hours, I will come back to this exact spot. Should you wish to accept my offer, be here."

The feeling of familiarity stayed long after James let go. Zoey just nodded. James closed the door and sped off. The rage was coming in hot and heavy now and he didn't want to scare her any more than he already had. He was livid beyond reproach, but he didn't have time for that right now. Even after everything that had happened, he didn't want Emily to be surprised by the news of his impending nuptials. It was by no means certain that Zoey would accept his proposal, but if she did, things would progress quickly. He would have to put everything away. This was business now, nothing more. James felt his pounding heart slow at this thought as he called Emily.

"Hello! James!" Emily yelled, frantic.

"Meet in 10 at the place,” James said, abruptly ending the call before she could respond.

Emily dropped her phone. She picked it up and called James back, but the phone just rang. 

"What did he say?" Aaron asked, seated on the bench behind her.

"He's coming here," she said, clasping her hands desperately around her phone and holding it to her chest.

"Are you sure you want to do this? He won't forgive this easily."

Aaron rested his hands on her shoulders and Emily pulled away.

"You should go now," she said, looking down at the ring on her finger.

"Emmy-"

"This is between me and him. We owe him this much. Let him come to you when he's ready."

Aaron was pained by the look on her face. What had he done? He'd ruined them both: the woman just out of his reach and the one who had given him her heart. Zoey. Would she understand if he told her his truth? And James, how would he face him again?

Pulling himself out of thought, Aaron said, "Okay. Just call if you need anything."

As he turned to leave, he spotted James by the fountain in the centre of the garden, a mere few feet from where he was standing. Emily drew in a sharp breath and her knees turned to jelly. Aaron stepped back quietly, hiding in the shadows, and nodded to her to go.

Emily walked up to James slowly. She wanted to be moving both faster and slower. Did she beg for forgiveness or would that only end things faster? In the minute it took her to reach him, she saw the last seven years flash before her eyes. All the time she'd waited to touch him and claim him as hers. Her mind went back to the moment James had asked, "Emily, will you marry me?" and then to the moment that she'd ruined it all.

Here, Emily's mind began to swirl. She couldn't think of the next part without emotion. The kind that ripped apart one's very essence. As she sorted through the ugly bits, her father's anger as he stormed off that night after blowing up her life, the memory of Aaron came into view. With every step she took towards James, she replayed more and more of herself kissing another man.

Emily shut her eyes tightly and pushed Aaron out of her mind. She was now close enough to James to see his face. It was tight and devoid of emotion. This was the face she feared the most. He had shut himself off completely. His hands were in his pockets, his hooded eyes opened and looked into her guilty, stormy ones. The warm forest green eyes she knew so well were hollow, empty blackness.

"James, I'm so sorry. Father had just found out about you and-" she rambled in a panic.

"The House of Beaumont hereby withdraws its proposal of matrimony to the House of Maine," James announced, like a walking telegram.

His voice was robotic. She didn't know if it would ever sound like anything but again.

"James, please," she pleaded, a single tear running down her face.

"I am only here to inform you I have decided that it is in my best interest if I marry someone else. I no longer want this marriage."

He looked her straight in the eye as he said this, watching the woman he loved come apart. James wanted to reach out and say it didn't matter. Say that he understood and if she still wanted him, she could have him. He knew about the Duke of Maine's outburst and had pieced together what had likely happened. If only she had come to him, if only he was staring this betrayal down for the first time. Maybe he would have been able to put it aside. But this wasn't the first time. He had already looked the other way once, something James never did. He had been a fool.

"What?" her voice fell in disbelief.

"The marriage will become public knowledge within the next 12 hours."

"You can't be serious!"

"Lady Zoey Arden must marry a prince of Terres Somnia to dissuade the people of any lingering animosity between the House of Condor and the House of Arden and spare the country civil war."

Hearing this, Aaron started running. Dialling and redialling, even though he did not expect that she would pick up.

"Damn it, Zoey!" he screamed, pushing his legs that were already starting to burn to run faster. After a string of failed attempts, finally someone picked up.

"What?"

"Don't do it Zoey, don't marry him!" he screamed into the phone as he banged the car door shut and fumbled to start the car.

The line went dead. Bart looked at his sister. Zoey was staring out the window, lost in thought. He sighed.

"Zoey, what did James want?"

He came to stand before her. She looked at him briefly and then returned her eyes to the gentle rain that had just started up again.

"From the look on your face, it seems you already know the answer," she replied calmly.

Bart stuck his face in front of hers.

"Did he ask you to marry him?"

He took her silence as confirmation.

"And? You said no, right? What the bloody hell is he thinking? I know he's pissed, but he can't be this stupid."

Again, Zoey said nothing. When she had been staring out the window as if in deep thought for five minutes without answering, Bart had a crazy thought.

"Zoey, you aren't actually considering this, are you?"

"A handsome, rich man asked me to marry him. Tonight. Why shouldn't I?"

"Tonight?"

Bart could not contain his incredulity.

Emily felt like the blood in her veins had turned to ice.

"What are you saying?! Who do you intend to marry?!"

She was screaming questions over the sound of loud rain as it soaked them both through. Questions she already knew the answers to. James couldn't look at her for this part, so instead he looked past her.

"By morning, I will claim my title as crown prince of Terres Somnia as the first-born son of King Henry. I will also announce my marriage to the new crown princess of Terres Somnia, Princess Zoey Condor."

Emily was flat out crying now, choking back sobs.

"Jimmy, don't do this! What will become of you if your claim is disputed?! Don't you remember how it was five years ago?! When they banished you?!"

He remembered alright; how could he forget? That day still haunts his nightmares to this day, might haunt him forever.

"Look, Zo, you listen to me and you listen well. You want to get crazy drunk? Marry someone else? I don't care. Marry some random dude off of the street. Dye your hair purple. Get a crazy, embarrassing tattoo for all I care."

Bart looked her straight in the eye.

"But you cannot marry this man."

"Why not?" she asked, completely detached from the situation, as though it were happening to someone else.

James turned his back to Emily and started walking away. 

Then he stopped, looked over his shoulder and said, "Let them dispute it if they dare."

A vein on the side of Bart's face was now engorged. He took a breath before answering Zoey.

"Because Zo, James Beaumont is Prince Aaron Condor's half-brother. James Beaumont is actually Prince James Condor."