Chapter 12
The door opened behind Stella and she was nearly knocked off her feet by the wave of tension that billowed out in her fiancé’s wake.
Face tight, dark eyes shuttered, he stalked towards her purposefully.
“Let’s go.”
“Woah,” she placed a hand on his forearm, squeezing gently. “Are you okay? Would you like some water?”
Dark eyes flicked between her own and her hand.
“I just need to get inside. There are important people to meet with.”
Unease slithered up her spine. As Aleki grasped her hand and tugged, she caught sight of two other men exiting the room he’d come from. King Tama, regal in his traditional clothing, and beautiful younger man who looked like a cross between a professional wrestler and Heidi, with two long, thick plaits of hair hanging over his shoulders. Tama stared through her, but the other man ran his eyes over her in blatant appraisal.
“Who’s that?” She scurried after Aleki as he marched towards the double doors to The Great Hall.
“My brother.” His answer was curt.
“Your brother is here? Should I say hello?”
“You’ll meet him soon, I’m certain. He’ll make sure of it.”
As they approached the doors and the sound of drums became louder, Stella stopped walking and pulled their clasped hands towards her body. Aleki turned, looking directly at her for the first time since he’d exited the small room.
“Aleki?”
“Stella?”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Butterflies thumped against the walls of her stomach as though they were trying to escape.
Aleki smiled quickly, a tight movement across the slash of this mouth that did nothing to alleviate her fears.
“I will be, little star. Tonight is an important night for both of us. It is essential to present ourselves well. We cannot show any weakness if we wish to be taken seriously as a couple. The stakes are high, but I have faith in you.”
“And us?”
Another smile that didn’t meet his eyes.
“Of course, fafine aulelei. In us.”
Reluctantly, Stella allowed herself to be led towards the doors. Lani had explained earlier in the week that only King Tama would be announced formally, so she was unsurprised to walk in without fanfare. What did surprise her was the reception. Hot prickles of awareness crawled over her skin as she felt the eyes of the room zero in on her.
You should have known this would happen. He’s one of the most eligible men in the world and he decided to marry you out of nowhere.
The thought did little to alleviate the uncomfortable sensation of being watched, but she was grateful that she’d taken time while Aleki was in his meeting to touch up her makeup after the events of the limo ride.
“Matai ali’i!” Aleki’s enthusiastic greeting to an older gentleman pulled her attention back to her circumstances. He bowed low in front of the other man and extended his hand. As per Lani’s instructions, Stella also bowed and shook the hands of him and his female companion as Aleki made introductions.
“Stella, this is High Chief Alo of Samoa and his wife Seini. Matai, this is my fiancée, Stella Warren.”
“Talofa lava,” Stella murmured, trying frantically to remember any Samoan past the basic greeting. There were similarities between Avalian and Samoan but her mind was blank as she grasped for them.
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” High Chief Alo spoke in flawless English. “Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.”
Stella’s short-lived relief soon faded when it became clear that she was not going to be called on for any further discourse. Instead, Aleki and Alo became engrossed in a supernaturally tedious conference about export. After an initial struggle to understand their conversation, Stella gave up in favour of smiling at Seini like a simpleton and staring around the room.
And so it went. Introduction after introduction to stodgy old men, often with wives, sometimes with adult children; then a thousand dull discussions she had no hope of understanding. The sole bright spot was a brief moment with Sio and his sister Oliana, a sweet girl in her early twenties, before Aleki was whirling her across the hall with a determined set of his jaw to engage yet another diplomat in dreary conversation.
Eventually tiring of pasting her most dazzling smile on while compiling multiple to-do lists in her head, she leapt in during a brief respite in conversation.
“Excuse me, gentlemen. I’ll be right back.”
Elation pounded in her veins as she picked her way through the Great Hall and towards the corridor where the bathrooms were located. Freedom!
Once inside a stall, she flipped the lid down and sat on top of it. Dropping her head towards her knees, she inhaled deeply, pulling in oxygen and letting it revive her brain cells after what seemed like an eternity spent in smiling, nodding hell.
“Did you see the woman?” Scorn dripped from its owner's voice as the door swung open, ushering in a clatter of heels and waft of perfume. Any semblance of calm Stella had claimed shattered, retreating in the presence of such commotion.
“What on earth is Aleki thinking?” Bitterness tinged the speaker’s tone. “She has nothing to offer. No family, no connections, and she’s as plain as day to look at.”
Horror bloomed in Stella’s stomach as she realised they were talking about her.
“That’s not kind, Sabrina,” an accented voice chided gently. “She could be a nice person. We haven’t spoken to her yet.”
“And we’re not going to speak to her, either,” Sabrina the Bitter claimed, over the sound of the tap splashing against porcelain. “She looks like a veritable prostitute.”
Oh, hell no.
The door was open before she could stop herself. “What are you talking about? This is a full-length gown. It has long sleeves and a jewel neckline.”
The two women standing at the counter gaped at her. Both had black hair teased into intricate updos, and wore brightly patterned dresses with woven flax overskirts. Recognition dawned on Stella as they gawped at her and she drew herself up to her full height, nodding once at the shorter of the two.
“Your Highness.”
The Crown Princess of Tonga recovered first. “Ms Warren, I must ask you to excuse Sabrina’s outburst. My cousin from Nuie has a lot to learn about diplomacy.” Despite her petite stature, she fixed her companion with an intimidating glare. “Please be assured it will not happen again. We wish you and Prince Aleki every happiness.”
“Thank you for your good wishes. It would be an honour to speak to you regarding your work around literacy in the Pacific, but I fear now is not the right time. Please excuse me, ladies.”
She swept past the pair, focused entirely on exiting the room with some semblance of grace. Surprise registered a moment later as she glided into the hallway only to bump into a solid wall of masculinity.
Aleki’s brother reached out to steady her, his fingers warm through the fabric of her sleeve.
“Careful there, palagi.”
Irritation surged through Stella, robbing her of her sense of propriety. This was ridiculous. She was being bounced around from one crappy situation to the next without a chance to catch her breath.
“Can I help you?” Her words were hot with exasperation. “Or were you merely lying in wait to grab at any woman leaving the bathroom?”
Her assailant startled her by throwing his head back and laughing. A throaty rumble echoed down the corridor, and Stella tried very hard not to punch a prince.
“Oh, I see now. This is going to be fun.” Hooking her hand through his arm, Aleki’s brother started them back towards the hall. “I was looking for you actually.”
“In the toilets? How very George Michael of you. And what did you want with me?”
Another dynamite grin. Even through the fog of her frustration, Stella could acknowledge that these Esera men were hell on the hormones.
“I wanted to introduce myself. I didn’t get the chance earlier. My name is Manu Esera, and I understand that you are going to be my new sister-in-law.”
Suspicion coloured her response. “It’s nice to meet you, Manu. My name is Stella Warren, and I understand that you have upset my fiancé in some way.”
A slab of muscle lifted and fell as Manu shrugged casually. “Nothing to do with me, Ms Warren. Aleki and my father have some business to sort out, but I’m here for the food. Would you like to get some?”
“Some what?”
“Food. You can’t attend an Avalian event and not eat. We pride ourselves on being hospitable. Not eating the food at a Pacific gathering is akin to kicking Queen Elizabeth in the crotch when you meet her. Come.” Stella let herself be steered towards the long tables laden with delicacies.
Piling two plates full, Manu handed her one and promptly began chowing down on shrimp from his own plate.
Surveying her options, most of which were discouraged by pregnancy blogs or had a high chance of leaving food in her teeth, Stella selected a tiny coconut cream tartlet from the plate. She bit into it, and moaned in satisfaction as the velvety filling spread across her tongue.
“This is amazing.”