The prince’s smile slips into a grimace, and I’m fairly certain I hear him groan.

Ivee doesn’t stop until she has inserted herself right into the middle of our group. “What are you doing here, darling? You said that you were too exhausted to come out tonight.”

Prince Ronan’s teeth flash with his bright smile. “A prince is entitled to change his mind,” he says. When he winks at me, my cheeks start to heat.

Ivee whirls, her eyes narrowing when they land on me. Her gaze slides down to my new gown, and she snatches a handful of my skirts, examining the fabric with a furrowed brow. “Is this a Madame Ella?”

“It is.” I tug my skirt out of her grasp. Thanks to her strangling the silk, it’s going to need steamed.

“But…she isn’t taking new bookings until next year.”

“Familial connections,” Nia chimes in, hooking her arm through mine, creating a solid line of defense against Ivee’s scowl. “If you’ll excuse us for just a moment...” She sweeps me through a gap in the tables and straight into the privy.

The moment she turns the lock, she starts pacing from the sink to the toilet and back again, all while muttering under her breath. “That bloody witch has the worst possible timing. How did she even know the prince was here?”

“Does it matter?” Yes, she seems rude and awful, but we shouldn’t let one person ruin our night.

“Of course it does! For the last two years, I’ve listened to that wretched cow boast over having her pick of the men. If she wins the prince, then she will be even more insufferable. Imagine Ivee Lynch as the next Queen of Willowhaven.” Nia shudders. “If that happens, I might have to throw myself into The Divide. I was hoping you and Ronan would hit it off, but that cannot happen if she insists on showing up like a bad case of hemorrhoids.”

While Ronan is handsome, I only just met the man. As far as I’m concerned, if Ivee wants him, she’s welcome to him. “I don’t want to be in competition with her.” I don’t want to be in competition with anyone.

Love is something you fight for, not fight over.

“Ivee will see you as competition whether you want to be or not. She is now our nemesis.”

“Nemesis” seems a little dramatic. After all, there are twice as many men in this pub than women, so it’s not like they’re a rare commodity. Besides, just because someone proposes does not mean the other person must accept. Take my brother Theo, for instance. His first month in Applewood, he turned down four proposals.

If the prince wants to marry Ivee, wonderful. I wish them all the happiness in the world.