Fairy Tale Romance Collection

by Melanie Dickerson

  Sophie told Rose that she’d had to leave her most prized possession, her pages from the Gospel of St. Luke, in Hohendorf. She confessed she wanted to be able to not only read in Latin, but also in other languages, and to speak and write them as well.

  “And so you shall,” Lady Rose said with a smile. Then she introduced Sophie to Gabe’s sisters, and the five of them talked and giggled until it was time to go to the Great Hall for supper.

  Sophie had the urge to stay very near Lady Rose as they entered the Great Hall. Would she be expected to sit near Valten and make conversation with him? Please, let us be placed as far apart as possible.

  Lady Rose sat at the end of the long trestle table and motioned for Sophie to sit beside her. Sophie sank down on the bench and Rose’s oldest daughter, Margaretha, sat on her other side. Sophie sighed in gratitude.

  Soon the men entered the room, all impeccably dressed, their hair looking damp and clean. Valten had changed clothes and was wearing a rich-green doublet and a crisp white shirt. Somehow he looked even more forbidding, even more like a warrior, than he had in his rough traveling clothes, so sharp was the contrast of his lordly clothing to his muscular size and rough demeanor. The scars on his cheeks and chin were more noticeable without the dust of the road to obscure them, and he seemed to overwhelm the sophisticated clothing with his broad shoulders.

  He sat on the other side of the table, opposite his mother. He looked at Sophie and seemed ill at ease, glancing away and then back again. Then he was staring at his mother, as though studying her face.

  Sophie glanced over at Lady Rose, who was pursing her lips and giving Valten a strange look, lowering her brows and nodding at him.

  Valten cleared his throat and asked, “Are you well tonight, Lady Sophia?”

  “Yes, I am quite well, I thank you.”

  “Good.” Food was placed in front of him and then he only had eyes for the roast pheasant.

  They all began to eat, and Sophie relaxed a bit. She was hungry after her long trip, and she ate heartily of the rich venison and pheasant, the puddings and fried pasties. Valten hadn’t said a word to her since the food arrived, and Sophie made small talk with Margaretha and Lady Rose, feeling happier than she had since Gabe had gone to Gemeinhart Monastery and left her with the Seven.

  Duke Wilhelm leaned over to Lady Rose and whispered something, then nodded and stood up. Sophie began feeling sick to her stomach as she waited for his announcement.

  As soon as he began to speak, the entire hall, which was full of people — perhaps sixty or seventy in all — fell silent.

  “Friends and family, I would like you to welcome the newest member of the Gerstenberg family, the betrothed of our eldest, Valten, Earl of Hamlin. Until recently, we thought she was lost to us, but now she is here, alive and well. Please welcome Sophia Breitenbach, only daughter of Duke Baldewin of Hohendorf.”

  “Stand up, my dear,” Lady Rose whispered, touching her elbow.

  Duke Wilhelm also motioned for her to stand. As she did so, the entire assembly clapped their hands and stomped their feet, cheering so loudly she wondered if the roof would lift. Sophie waved in a way she hoped looked graceful and sat down, her face heating.

  Valten was looking at her with the closest thing to a smile that she had seen on his face.

  I am a fraud.

  The cheers and clamor continued for quite a while, long enough for Sophie to imagine how shocked and hurt her new family would be when she told them she was in love with her rescuer, not her betrothed.

  Gabe, why aren’t you here?

  Sophie went to bed on the softest, most-comfortable bed she’d ever slept on, and when she woke up, was surprised to see the sun already rather high in the sky. She was sure she had never slept so late in her life.

  A servant was standing by to help her dress in a lovely blue-green gown, loaned to her by Margaretha, who happened to be Sophie’s size. When she emerged from her room, Margaretha and Kirstyn, who was carrying Adela, escorted her to the kitchen to get her some food, giggling all the way.

  Sophie ate her breakfast, sighing in between bites, as her new sisters — for that is what they declared themselves to be — alternately hugged her arm, patted her shoulder, and bantered playfully with each other. Gabe’s brothers, meanwhile, occasionally piped in with a story about the time they almost got a bull’s eye in archery, or a unique frog they had found once in the pond. To belong to such a family — it was all she had ever wanted, ever dreamed about. She only hoped they wouldn’t hate her in the days to come.

  She longed to tell Lady Rose her secret. She would understand, wouldn’t she? She was obviously in love with Duke Wilhelm. Sophie could see it in her face every time she looked at him. She would understand how Sophie had fallen in love with Gabe. After all, Sophie hadn’t meant for those feelings to develop. But Gabe was so loveable, so kind and gentle and charming and handsome … Gabe was Lady Rose’s son too, so perhaps she would understand.

  “Sophie! What’s wrong?” Margaretha asked, wrapping her arm around Sophie’s shoulders and looking at her with warm brown eyes. Sophie marveled at how Gabe’s sister could look at her with such love after only just meeting her. The girl had no doubt lived a sheltered existence, but there was no selfishness in her expression.

  Sophie took a deep breath to absorb the tears, smiled, and shook her head. “Nothing, nothing.”

  “Aren’t you happy to be here with us?”

  “Of course! I am very happy,” Sophie said, but her words only made her remember how much she wished Gabe were there.

  “You are sad! What is it? Do you miss your home? I would be terribly sad to leave my home, which is why I am determined to never get married. I’ve already told Mother and Father I plan to stay here with them for the rest of my life.”

  “No, no. I don’t miss my home.” Sophie shook her head again and looked down, afraid to look anyone in the eye.

  “Do you not want to marry Valten? Is that it?” Kirstyn, the second oldest, asked, bending low to see into Sophie’s face. Her light brown hair hung in perfect ringlets by her cheeks. There was a serious but kind look about her light blue eyes.

  Sophie couldn’t speak as she tried to blink back the silly tears. Was her distress that obvious?

  “I know he looks quite scary,” Kirstyn went on. “I’ve always been a little afraid of him myself, but he is a good brother, and I’m sure he’ll be a good husband.”

  “Tears work quite well with him too!” Margaretha exclaimed. “If I want something from him, all I have to do is cry and he gives it to me. He can’t resist tears. He doesn’t talk much, but Mother says men don’t always want to waste their words, while women sometimes have enough to spare. Mother is very wise, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, she is,” Sophie agreed, hoping the conversation would be steered away from Valten.

  Adela, the youngest at only two years old, said, “Valten carry me!”

  Margaretha smiled at her little sister indulgently. “She’s talking about the time she scraped her knee and Valten carried her all the way home.”

  “Don’t worry about Valten, Sophie,” Kirstyn said. “I saw him smile at you last night. I think he likes you already, and before you know it, you two will be looking at each other the way Mother and Father do.”

  Sophie didn’t know what to say to that.

  Soon it was clear that Sophie couldn’t eat anymore, so the sisters showed her around the castle, promising to also show her around the courtyard and, if they could find Valten to escort them, to show her around the Marktplatz and the main sections of town. Sophie enjoyed being with them, so she went along, vowing to confess the truth of her feelings for Gabe — and her lack thereof for Valten — as soon as she was able.

  They showed her every part of the castle, pointing out the various family members’ bedchambers, including Gabe’s room, which Sophie paid extra attention to. As they wandered around the courtyard, the sisters telling Sophie various stories of their adventures gro
wing up, they turned and there was Valten, standing with his usual stern expression.

  The three sisters greeted him and, with a slight softening of his expression, he bent down to receive a kiss on the cheek from each of them. He cleared his throat and said, “I came to ask Lady Sophia to go on a picnic with me.”

  If Sophie hadn’t been sure he was incapable of such things, she would have believed he was blushing.

  What was it with unwanted men and picnics? Unlike her first few requests from Lorencz, she couldn’t think of a single excuse to turn Valten away. “Can Margaretha, Kirstyn, and Adela come with us?” At least she wouldn’t have to be alone with him.

  “As you wish.”

  Valten led them out of the town gate after collecting a basket of food from the kitchen and a blanket for them to sit on. The three sisters skipped arm in arm across the meadow, leaving Sophie and Valten behind, no doubt on purpose.

  “Have my sisters talked you to death yet?” Valten asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  “Oh no.” Sophie smiled. “I’m enjoying them very much. They are very sweet girls. You’re very fortunate to have such a wonderful family.”

  He was looking at her strangely, as if he didn’t understand her words. He probably took them all for granted, probably wasn’t even worried about Gabe, his brother, who could be in danger or hurt or lost.

  Trust …

  Sophie took a deep breath.

  The sisters exclaimed at a baby rabbit they had found hiding in the tall grass and called Sophie and Valten over to look at it. It didn’t hop away, but its nose twitched and its heart was beating so hard Sophie could see its brown fur vibrating.

  Valten took a brief look, then walked on, so they turned and followed him.

  The picnic was rather awkward, with Valten’s presence dampening Sophie’s spirits. The outing would have been so much more fun if he weren’t there. But at least he carried their heavy picnic basket. God, forgive me for being ungracious.

  After they finished eating, Margaretha and Kirstyn took Adela to see if the rabbit was where they had left it while Sophie and Valten packed up the basket. Just when Sophie was sure she had survived the picnic without having to say more than a few words to the man she hopefully wouldn’t marry, Valten asked, “So did my little brother really rescue you, or did you have to rescue him?”

  Valten’s look of disdain made Sophie want to punch him in the face. “Gabe was very brave, as a matter of fact. He saved me not only from Duchess Ermengard, but also from a wolf that was about to attack me, and as I mentioned at the inn, he took an arrow that was meant for me.” She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I doubt anyone could have done any better, even a man who’s won every tournament he’s ever entered but who has never faced a true life-and-death situation.”

  Valten stared at her, his jaw as hard as stone. His face turned red, but he never took his eyes off her. Finally, as though it was difficult to unclench his teeth, he opened his mouth and spoke. “So Gabe is your hero then?”

  Sophie wasn’t going to keep quiet any longer. If he wanted to know the truth, she might as well tell him now instead of waiting. “He is.” She stared back at him.

  “Is there something between you and Gabe that I should know about?”

  She tried to think of the best way to say this, but before she could speak, his sisters ran toward them, squealing.

  “We saw two more babies! And the mama! When we tried to pet her babies, she hopped up to us and tried to scratch us.”

  The girls continued squealing and giggling. Valten turned and picked up the basket with far more force than was necessary, and they all headed back toward the castle. And Sophie determined to go straight to Lady Rose to tell her the truth.

  Chapter

  28

  Sophie returned from the picnic, only to discover Lady Rose had gone to visit an orphanage and wouldn’t be back before supper. Sophie spent anxious hours in her room, and attempted to remain calm during her periodic visits from Gabe’s sisters.

  Sophie chafed through supper, which offered no moments to tell Lady Rose even part of what now weighed upon her. Instead, she picked at her food while suffering Valten’s glares, until she decided to glare right back at him. But that only made her feel guilty, so she returned to ignoring him for the rest of the meal. The moment the last dish was cleared, she begged Lady Rose to allow her to speak to her alone.

  Lady Rose ushered her to her sitting room while the rest of the family stayed in the Great Hall to hear music and talk.

  “What is it, my dear?” Lady Rose asked. “Did you and Valten not have a good time on your picnic?”

  “The truth is …” Sophie had thought this moment would be a relief, but now, as she looked into Lady Rose’s kind face, she was terrified that what she had to say would anger her future mother-in-law. What if Lady Rose hated her for falling in love with Gabe? What if Lady Rose told her she had to forget about Gabe and marry Valten? But she couldn’t hold the words back any longer.

  “I am in love with Gabe,” she blurted. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with him. He immediately told me I was betrothed to his brother, so I tried to think of him only as a brother, always as a brother, but I … I failed.” Sophie blinked back tears.

  “Oh, my dear.” Lady Rose held out her arms and enfolded Sophie. “Oh.”

  At least she didn’t seem angry.

  “I’m so, so sorry,” Sophie said. “I would never want to upset you or your family, but I love Gabe so much, I can’t imagine loving anyone else. When he left me at the Cottage of the Seven, he said he had to do something important, and I know now that he went to find my father. But I’ve been so terrified that something has happened to him, that he won’t be able to come back to me, or that he won’t be able to make a way for us to marry.”

  “Oh, Sophie.” Lady Rose continued to hug her, then she pulled back and looked her in the eye. “I’m so glad you told me. And I’m sure Gabe will return for you, if he said he will. But perhaps we should wait for him to come before we tell anyone else about this.”

  “I think Valten already knows I love Gabe. Or at least suspects I do. But he doesn’t love me, doesn’t even know me, so he won’t be too hurt, will he?”

  Lady Rose smiled, but it was a sad smile. “I don’t think his heart will be broken, but his pride may be bruised. And sometimes, it’s worse to hurt a man’s pride than to break his heart.”

  Sophie couldn’t see why Valten should be offended. He hadn’t even known she was alive until a few weeks ago.

  “Valten is a very … determined man,” Lady Rose continued. “It will be hard for him to think of his little brother winning the love of the woman he should have rescued, the woman he should have married and protected.”

  Sophie was being heartless not to feel any sympathy for Valten. Of course it would be hard for him.

  “He will recover.” Lady Rose squeezed Sophie’s shoulder. “And you will be good for Gabehart, I have no doubt. He was always a rather thoughtless, though good-hearted, boy. I’m glad you’ve won his heart.”

  Sophie looked at this amazing woman in wonder. “I’d hoped you would listen, but I never imagined you would be so understanding. I was afraid you would be angry at me.”

  Lady Rose shook her head. “I know a thing or two about falling in love with someone while trying not to.” She gave Sophie a mysterious smirk. “And in the meantime, I’ll stop insisting that Valten spend time with you.”

  Sophie’s eyes went wide, her groan turning into a muffled laugh.

  There was a twinkle in Lady Rose’s eye, but she sounded rather sober. “Duke Wilhelm may be upset, however, and Valten certainly will. But don’t worry. If you and Gabehart are meant to wed, I’m sure there is a way to work this all out. We will wait for Gabe to come, and we’ll hope he is able to break his betrothal to Brittola in a way that is satisfactory for all.”

  Thinking of both Brittola and Valten made Sophie sad. Her happiness would bring them … heartbr
eak. Or at least bruised pride. Must her happiness cause them pain?

  The next day, Sophie and Margaretha walked down the long corridor near the Great Hall. The mid-afternoon sun was shining through the narrow windows that looked out at the inner courtyard as they went inside the library. Margaretha wanted to show her a book.

  The library was a large room, though less than half the size of the Great Hall. The fireplace connecting the library to the hall was ablaze, and candles were burning on the tables even though the room appeared to be empty. Sophie had already discovered that the family often retired to the library after supper to enjoy music and each other’s company. It was a cozy room, with plenty of chairs and rugs for sitting.

  Before Margaretha could find the book she was looking for, Sophie heard a shout, muffled through thick stone walls.

  Margaretha grabbed Sophie’s hand and hurried toward the door that led to the corridor. “Let’s go see who’s here.”

  Someone burst into the corridor from the courtyard. By his clothing, he looked to be a groomsman from the stable. The young man looked left, then right, where he spied Margaretha and Sophie as they exited the library. “Good ladies, I wish to tell his grace, Duke Wilhelm, that his son, Lord Gabehart, is just arriving with a visitor.”

  Margaretha turned and screamed, “Mother! Father! Gabe is home!”

  Sophie stood still, but only for a moment. She gathered her skirt and ran out into the courtyard, Gabe’s sister at her heels.

  They made it as far as the well in the center of the courtyard before the steward came toward them. “Ladies,” he said, bowing to them. “I have a message from Lord Gabehart for Lady Sophia.”

  Margaretha’s eyes were as round as her open mouth.