“Congratulations on getting the job. I am so happy for you.”
“Thank you,” he smiled, “but you might not want to get too close, I am quite dirty,” he warned her, amused that she didn’t seem to care about that.
“I have spoken with Isabelle and she will take you to the kitchen to have a meal and to go somewhere to bathe after you finish working.”
He felt touched that she was so considerate, “thank you. That is very kind.”
“I have missed you, even though we only saw each other last night.”
“I have missed you too, but now that I work here I will get to see you every day.”
“I am very grateful that you are doing this to see me,” she said, feeling touched.
He kissed her, “It is not so bad, I like working with horses.”
“Will I be able to see you tonight, or will you need to ride home after work?”
“Unfortunately, I will need to go home, but I will meet with you tomorrow before work.”
“It is not safe for us to meet in the garden during the day when anyone can see us. You will have to meet me in the village.”
She gave him directions to where Bernadette’s cottage was and he tried to memorise them.
“Tell them that I sent you, they are good friends of mine,” she told him.
“I will,” he promised.
She gave him another hug, “I will be thinking of you all day.”
“I will too,” he replied. “Would you like me to prepare your horse?”
“You can help me if you are not too busy,” she replied gratefully.
He unlocked the stable door for Pearl while Rosanna brought her gear over.
“How did you know this horse was mine?” she asked.
“Your brother told me. She seemed to like me when I arrived.”
“Pearl must be a good judge of character,” she smiled.
He politely let her enter the stable first, “You chose a fancy name for her.”
She blushed in embarrassment, “I named her when I was ten. What is yours called?” she asked, noticing that his brown stallion was nearby.
“Jackson,” he replied. “I have only had him for two years but he had a previous owner.”
“How old is he now?”
“Nine years old.”
“I like him,” she smiled. “I hope Jonathon will not be too strict with you. My brother is not exactly polite and friendly with employees.”
“I am sure I can handle him.”
They finished preparing her horse and he risked giving her a kiss goodbye while they were alone.
He followed as she led Pearl outside, “Enjoy your ride.”
“Thank you,” she mounted the horse, slipping her riding boots inside the stirrups and got hold of the reins. “I would enjoy it even more if you came with me.”
“I will ride with you sometime when you are not busy,” he promised, remembering that he needed to exercise some of the horses.
Leonardo prepared his horse while Rosanna waited outside talking with Nicholas.
Nicholas felt sad as he watched Rosanna and Leonardo ride away towards the forest; then got back to work thinking about her for most of the afternoon.
She arrived back with Leonardo two hours later to return their horses. There were a few knights using the stables, so she reluctantly had to act as if Nicholas was a regular employee, even though she longed to kiss him again. He smiled as he took her horse, going along with her act and didn’t try to have any conversation with her. She couldn’t even say goodbye to him without it being suspicious, so she just gave him a smile before leaving.
Jonathon arrived an hour before his shift ended to inspect the stables, and Nicholas felt a little nervous in case he might find fault with something.
“You seem to have done a satisfactory job and I have received no complaints,” said Jonathon. “Keep up the good work.”
“Thank you, your Highness,” he replied politely, remembering how he should address Jonathon.
He continued working and felt relieved when it was time to finish. He was dirty and exhausted, but it was worth it to see Rosanna.
Isabelle came to find him and introduced herself, before taking him into the castle and through to the servant chambers.
“You can use this room to bathe. I have brought a bucket of water and there is a clean towel. When you are done, come over to the kitchen and the cook will give you some food.”
“Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.”
“You are welcome. We like to help each other whenever we can.”
She left closing the door behind her, and he felt relieved to finally have a wash. He changed into clean clothes, which he had brought in his satchel, and then went to eat in the kitchen with a few of the other employees.
At noon the next day, Nicholas felt excited to see Rosanna as he dropped his horse off at the stables and walked into the village. He searched for the cottage using the directions he had memorised from yesterday. He soon noticed why Rosanna loved the village so much. Everyone gave him a friendly smile or said hello as he passed, even though some were busy working.
He found a small cottage and went to knock on the front door, hoping it was the right place. A familiar lady answered the door.
“Hello, my name is Nicholas,” he introduced himself. “Rosanna asked me to meet her here.”
“I believe we have already met,” Bernadette smiled as she recognised him too. “It is lovely to meet you again. I am Bernadette.”
He shook her hand politely.
“Come in. My daughter and I are baking in the kitchen.”
Nicholas followed her into the cottage and looked around. There was a delicious smell as she led him through to the kitchen and he noticed a familiar young child.
“This is my daughter, Gretel,” she reminded him.
“Hello,” he smiled at her in greeting.
She didn’t recognise him but smiled up at her new friend.
Bernadette offered him some water, and Rosanna soon arrived and smiled when she found Nicholas waiting. He was a little disappointed that Leonardo was with her, but he understood that she always had to be guarded.
Gretel ran over to her excitedly and Rosanna gave her a hug and greeted Bernadette.
“Thank you for making Nicholas feel welcome,” she said gratefully. “He is a good friend of mine. We met at the ball and he now works at the castle.”
Bernadette nodded, “I met him briefly that night.”
They all chatted and went out into the garden. Gretel sat on the grass to play with her toys. Leonardo talked with Bernadette to give Rosanna and Nicholas some time alone. She felt relieved to finally be able to hug him and feel his arms around her.
“Would I get into trouble if I kissed you?” he asked, smiling down at her.
“We should still be careful,” she replied. “I trust Bernadette, but anyone could see us out here.”
Gretel got bored of playing on her own and went over to Rosanna and Nicholas.
She looked up at him, “Are you the prince?” she asked.
He laughed, amused that someone would mistake him for that, “I am afraid not, but I wish I was.”
He shared a look with Rosanna, knowing that if he was a prince then she could be betrothed to him. She smiled back sharing his thoughts.
“I wish I was a princess like Rosanna,” Gretel chattered happily, “then I would be really beautiful and have lots of dresses and get to wear a crown.”
“You will always be a princess to me,” Rosanna told her fondly.
Gretel smiled, “Would you like to play?” she asked them both.
“Yes,” Nicholas replied and let Gretel take his hand and lead him over to her toys.
Rosanna smiled gratefully at Nicholas, pleased that he didn’t mind playing along with Gretel.
Nicholas soon had to leave to start work, so she walked with him to the front door. They risked a goodbye kiss since no one could see them inside the co
ttage. She felt sad as she watched him walk away towards the castle, but she knew she would see him again tomorrow.
She returned to the kitchen to talk with Bernadette for a while. Leonardo was content to stay outside and play chase with Gretel around the garden. She squealed and giggled whenever he came close to catching her, but he always slowed down and let her get away.
“I need to ask your advice about something,” Rosanna said to Bernadette. “My father told me that I am betrothed to Prince Ethan, but I do not like him. I have tried to speak with my father about it, but he thinks we should get to know each other before the wedding. Do you think he will change his mind about the marriage?”
Bernadette looked surprised by the news and considered what she had said, “I hope he will. I suppose he thinks he is doing what is best for you, but he would want you to be happy. Talk with him again and try to make him understand your feelings.”
“I will try, but I feel so anxious about it.”
“Are you hoping to be with someone else?” Bernadette hinted with a smile.
She blushed, feeling shy to be found out so easily, “how did you know?”
“It is obvious from the way you and Nicholas look at each other.”
She hoped that Bernadette was the only person who had noticed and feared that anyone else might see it too and figure out their secret.
“Please do not tell anyone. We have been meeting in secret ever since the ball, but my father would never approve of him.”
“Unfortunately, he will not,” agreed Bernadette, “but maybe one day he will realise what a kind gentleman Nicholas is. He was lovely with Gretel, I can tell he will make a good father.”
She giggled, “We are definitely not thinking of children yet, but he is the most amazing person I have ever met.”
“You both seem very happy. I hope your father will accept him in time.”
Chapter 9
The next day, Nicholas agreed to meet with Rosanna on her ride, since he needed to exercise one of the horses. They didn’t leave together as that would look suspicious, so he waited ten minutes before riding out into the forest to look for her.
He soon found her and Leonardo beside a stream, letting their horses rest and drink. Leonardo offered to take care of the horses while Rosanna and Nicholas went off to spend time alone together.
Nicholas smiled and held her hand, leading her over to a secluded area nearby where they could sit beside the stream and stay hidden from view.
“How was your ride?” he asked, cuddling her.
“It was great. Leonardo and I were racing until Pearl got tired. How has your day been so far?”
“It has been quite boring, but it is worth it to see you,” he said, looking into her eyes.
“I am glad you are working at the castle now, but I feel so guilty that you are doing all of this for me,” she said. “I do not want you to get tired having to travel so much.”
“I am fine, do not worry about me,” he reassured her.
“I am still very grateful for it,” she kissed him. “Are you still working your carpentry job too?”
“Yes, although I do not work as many hours now. I try to do as much as I can in the morning before I ride here.”
“It must be hard trying to do so much,” she replied sympathetically.
“I can handle it. I have a friend who works with me which helps. Besides, I will be earning more now so that is good. Although I still feel guilty that I do not have much to offer you.”
“I do not care about money,” she assured him. “Our time together means more to me than anything else. I just hope that one day we can have a relationship without all the secrecy.” She rested her head on his chest and felt warm and safe being close to him.
“I do too,” he stroked her hair affectionately.
“What are your dreams for the future?” she asked him thoughtfully, watching the water flowing down the stream.
“I have never really thought about it,” he admitted, “but I hope that one day I will get married and have children.”
She felt relieved that the subject didn’t scare him, especially as they had only been in a relationship for a short time. They hadn’t discussed marriage or children at all and she didn’t expect him to propose to her soon. Although she was happy to know that his goals matched hers.
“That is what I want too. I have always dreamed about getting married and starting a family,” she replied. “Yet, I am quite anxious of the future. It is daunting to think I may be expected to rule a kingdom one day and that will be a lot of responsibility.”
“You would be brilliant at it,” he reassured her. “You are not like other royalty. You are caring and friendly with everyone, no matter how rich or poor they are. You treat everyone as an equal and I think people will respect you more for that. Everyone adores you already.”
“Thank you,” she smiled. “I sometimes worry that it might change me. I want to be there for my family, not working all the time like my father.”
“I do not think you will let anything change who you really are.”
She felt touched and kissed him.
They talked and cuddled for a while, until she remembered that she and Leonardo had to go back to the castle soon. If they were gone for too long then people would worry and the knights would have to search for them.
“I should return home,” she said regrettably.
He gave her a long kiss before they went back to Leonardo.
“I will see you tomorrow,” he promised and hugged her before she left.
* * * * *
Rosanna awoke the next morning, feeling blissful as she thought of Nicholas. She went downstairs for breakfast and her father was already in the dining room when she arrived.
“We will be visiting Prince Ethan today,” he informed her as she sat down.
Her heart sank with disappointment and the excitement of seeing Nicholas faded. If she was away visiting Prince Ethan, she wouldn’t be able to see him as planned. Yet, she knew she had no choice. She must go to help her father see that Prince Ethan was not the right husband for her, even if it meant giving up time with Nicholas.
“I have a meeting to attend, but we will ride there afterwards,” he continued. “They have invited us to stay for two nights, so you can spend all day with Prince Ethan tomorrow. We will ride back the next day.”
She dreaded the thought of spending so much time there and having to be away from Nicholas for two whole days.
“I have informed your maid to pack your belongings, so you do not have to worry about that.”
She nodded, wondering how she could break the news to Nicholas. She hoped that she would get time to tell him in person, but worried that she would probably leave before he arrived for work.
She waited in the lounge reading a book, and then later looked out of the window for signs of Nicholas. She hoped that her father wouldn’t come out of his meeting soon and that it would go on for a long time.
She felt tense when lunch time arrived. She didn’t want to leave and dine with her family or she might miss seeing Nicholas arriving. She held back for a while and felt relieved when she caught sight of a familiar horse riding towards the castle. She quickly went out to the stables to meet him there, feeling happy that Nicholas had turned up early for work.
Luckily, Phillip was out giving a horse exercise, so they were safe to talk in the stables alone.
“I will not be able to see you later today or tomorrow,” she told him sadly. “My father is taking me to visit Prince Ethan so we will be riding there soon. I will only return the day after tomorrow.”
“You will be away for two days?” he asked, feeling upset and knowing he would miss her.
“Yes, I am sorry. It is a long ride so we cannot return on the same day. He wants to at least spend a day there.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he hated to think of her being away and spending so much time with Prince Ethan. “We do not want to encourage their wedding
plans.”
“I will do my best to convince my father that Prince Ethan and I are not suited,” she promised. “I wish I could stay here with you and I really do not want to go. I will hate seeing him, but it will be worth it if I can stop the wedding.”
“I know,” he felt a little reassured that she disliked the visit as much as he did.
“You do not mind that I am going?” she asked him concerned. “I never want to upset you.”
“I am not happy about it, but if it helps us be together in the future then you should go. I just hope that you do not start to like him better.”
“I would never want to be with him,” she insisted. “I care about you and our relationship means a lot to me.”
She snuggled into his chest and he held her close.
“I am sorry but I must go now. My father will be wondering where I am and will probably want to leave any minute,” she felt upset having to say goodbye to Nicholas. “I will miss you and think of you every second that I am gone.”
“I will too,” he stared into her eyes lovingly. “Have a safe journey. I will see you when you return.”
They shared a goodbye kiss and then she went back to the castle, dreading the thought of going away.
Chapter 10
Rosanna saw that the royal carriage was prepared and waiting outside, so her father must have finished his meeting. She rushed over to find him, hoping he wouldn’t be cross that she had disappeared off to the stables. Luckily, he hadn’t noticed that she had left and assumed she came straight from the lounge.
Her father got into the carriage first, so she took the advantage of looking over at the stables. She could see Nicholas watching her from a distance and smiled at him. She had to resist the urge to run back into his arms again.
She climbed into the carriage to sit next to her father, and Leonardo closed the door behind her. She felt comforted knowing that at least one of her friends was joining her on this awful visit. He understood that she was not looking forward to it and gave her a reassuring smile.
Love Letters Page 6