I don’t know what it says about my novel that it is hard for me to find snippets to pull out to show what I’m playing with. Here’s a short one.
The pounding of feet behind him caused the prince to spin about, pulling the bowstring to his ear. A palace guard slid to a stop, black gloves outstretched.
“Is this at your will, Princess?” he called, knowing his voice was not as calm as he wished.
A low, three-tone whistle sounded from the other side of the little door, and Torbjorn heard a word he didn’t know escape the princess’s lips. He responded with the four notes that meant come with caution.
Rickard was through in a heartbeat, bent below shooting height, his sword drawn.
“Do you gentlemen really have no pastimes but preparation for the impossible?” asked Elsa wearily.
Slowly lowering the bow Torbjorn turned to her, trusting Rickard to watch the black-gloved guard.
“Do you, Princess, have so few allies that company automatically equals threat?”
This princess is actually Torb’s future mother-in-law, not his bride, but I think that’s kept clear enough in the context of the chapter.
Oh dear. I need to refresh my recollection. Where is this in the book?
Hmm, depending on the version you read, it might not have been there.
Did you have the “Unwelcome Seduction” scene, where Prince Torbjorn meets someone in the garden before his wedding? This excerpt takes place right after they’re interrupted by Cecillia’s mother, Elsa, and Elsa charges him to get Cecillia Out.