by C. J. Pinard
With a wistful nod, Mariselle replied, “Why are you and Oscar not assigned to the same castle? Are you two no longer husband and wife?”
“We are still wed,” Shawna replied quickly, the smile on her face forced, but Mariselle could see the pain behind her soft eyes.
“Then why were you sent here, to the North Haven, while your husband and son are in the East Haven castle?”
Shawna lifted a shoulder and let it fall as she continued to fuss over combing out Mariselle’s very wet, auburn hair. “I don’t know, milady. It’s been a very trying time for our family.”
Inside, Mariselle was fuming mad. She couldn’t believe any of the Rothhaven brothers would separate a family like that. But was that really so surprising? They probably didn’t even know.
“Have you asked to be moved back there?” Mariselle asked.
Shawna shook her head. “Oh no, miss. I wouldn’t dare.”
“Why not?” Mariselle asked. “King Griffin is a good man, I bet he wouldn’t care.”
“I just couldn’t ask, it’s not allowed,” Shawna said softly.
“Well, I’m not going to tolerate you and your Oscar being separated. You still love him, do you not?” Mariselle asked Shawna in the reflection of the mirror as the maid brushed through the redhead’s wavy hair.
“Of course I do. He is the love of my life. And I miss my son with all my heart. I pray for him every day that he will not be sent to war and die for these kings and their heirless kingdoms.”
Immediately, Shawna realized her verbal faux pas and slapped a hand to her mouth. She set the hairbrush down onto the vanity and immediately stood with her face downcast. “My apologies, milady. I should not have said such things.”
Mariselle just smiled. “Sit down, Shawna, I need braids, please. I want to have lush, pretty waves in my hair tomorrow, for I am sure I will have an urgent request from King Alexander that will require his full, undivided attention.” She ended the sentence by pushing up her breasts with both hands and waggling her eyebrows to show the chambermaid that she understood what she was working with.
Shawna smiled and picked up the hairbrush. “As you wish.”
Once the hair braids were almost completely in place on Mariselle’s head, Shawna asked, “Is there anything else you need from me, miss?”
“Just your friendship,” the redhead replied with a shy smile.
Shocked, but pleased, Shawna replied, “I beg-a-your pardon?”
“I need a friend, Shawna. I’m lonely. Can’t we be friends?”
Shawna’s face showed a mixture of concern and excitement. “But… it is not permitted.”
“I’m not a princess. I’m not even royalty. My father was the sheriff. My mother was a housewife. That hardly grants me any special treatment,” Mariselle replied. “You know as well as I do that I don’t belong here. I need a friend. You are friendly and honest and I genuinely like you. I need that in my life here at this castle.”
“That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” Shawna confessed quietly, her face beaming.
Mariselle bit back a smile. “Really? You’re so sweet and pretty, you should be complimented more often.”
“Oh, gosh, miss. Now you’re making me blush,” Shawna replied as she finished the last braid and secured it with a cloth tie.
“Well, I mean it.” Mariselle walked over to the bed and sat down. Pulling a braid over her shoulder, she began to fiddle with it.
Shawna stood awkwardly next to the bed. “Is that all, milady?”
Mariselle sighed. “I suppose it might take a while to break you from that habit?”
Shawna’s brow furrowed. “I beg-a-your pardon?”
“Calling me ‘milady’. Call me Mariselle. Or Mari. I don’t mind. Please sit.” Mariselle patted the empty side of the bed as she smiled up at the chambermaid.
Looking apprehensive, Shawna reluctantly sat down. “So comfortable and luxurious,” she murmured as she ran her hand over the silky bedding.
“Where do you sleep?” Mariselle asked her.
“In the maid’s quarters, of course,” Shawna replied, looking at her with amusement dancing in her eyes.
Mariselle looked down at the silky red bedcovers and shook her head. “I’m ashamed to say, I don’t know where that is.”
“Hey,” Shawna said, bringing Mariselle’s attention back to her. “I will give you a grand tour of the Castle North Haven tomorrow. You’ll never have to wonder where anything is after that.”
Mariselle felt elated about that. She had grown bored over the past couple weeks since Griffin had brought her there, and then had left. Mariselle sighed wistfully as she recalled her first time with Griffin—which had been her first time with any man.
“What’s got you all dreamy, miss?” Shawna asked, breaking Mariselle out of her daydreams.
“Oh, you know. Just the Rothhaven brothers. Do you know why they keep me here, under their watchful eye?”
Shawna grinned a little. “I have heard the gossip and rumors, miss. I mean, Mari.”
This amused Mariselle. “You have? And what are they?”
The chambermaid took a deep breath and looked toward the heavy wooden door that secured Mariselle’s chamber shut so tight. “That you might be able to produce an heir for the kings.”
“See, that’s the thing. Yes, I am menstruating. I mean, not at this moment, but I got it last month, and the month before that. The other maidens haven’t had it at all, have they?”
Shawna shook her head. “No, not even Princess Eva or the duchess, from what I’ve heard. I know I certainly am not having such things.”
“Well, you’re lucky then,” Mariselle replied dryly.
Shawna grinned. “I won’t lie, I haven’t missed it, that’s for sure. And I’m not having any more children, so I don’t really mind.” A mask of seriousness colored her face. “But there are younger maidens who wish to be mothers. I would like to be a grandmother someday, too. This curse from that evil witch Angelique has taken away their dreams, and may very well destroy Syracuse.”
Mariselle looked down at the bedcovering. She pulled a piece between her fingers and remembered the brief time she’d spent with Angelique. The woman had been kind, and even through all of these years, she couldn’t understand why the witch had placed a spell on the Rothhaven brothers. They had just been barely teens when the curse was placed.
“You know that witch was involved with King Edward, right?” Shawna remarked, lowering her voice and glancing toward the door once more. “I was there. I had just got the job as one of the Queen’s handmaidens, and I saw a lot of things that I shouldn’t have. Of course, I never said a word. And then after he married Lizbeth, it all stopped. The boys were born and the kingdom ran as normal.”
Mariselle’s eyes widened. “What? Surely ye jest.”
She shook her head and made the sign of the cross along her chest. “I swear on my life. Angelique was in King Edward’s bed almost every night. My mother used to scoff about it. I was just nineteen then, but I do remember it very clearly.”
“Wow,” Mariselle breathed, the wheels turning in her head. “Do any of the Rothhaven brothers know this?”
Shawna grabbed her own braid and began toying with it as she looked up at the ceiling, as if she were trying to form the right words. “I’m not sure, mi—er, Mariselle. I don’t think so, though.”
“From your perspective, have you ever seen a member of the staff get involved with a king or even a prince?”
Shawna’s head whipped to look at Mariselle quickly, and she regained her composure, but not before Mariselle saw the alarm in her eyes. “No.”
Mariselle grinned. “I don’t believe you. But it’s okay, I will get it out of you someday, because we are going to be great friends.”
“I would never tell. You have to know that.” Shawna looked serious.
Mariselle nodded. “It’s fine. But… back to Angelique. So it makes sense now. Obviously she cursed the Rothhavens b
ecause King Edward dumped her like yesterday’s trash.”
Nodding, Shawna licked her lips and nodded. “It would appear so.”
“Then why didn’t she do it before King Edward and Queen Lizbeth had children?”
“Well, she wasn’t a witch then, just a chambermaid like me. From what I overheard, when I was cleaning the king’s solar room once, was that Gaylen the wizard said she’d been trained by a powerful goddess witch named Hecate. I’m sure it was she who taught Angelique all her spells.”
“Well,” Mariselle said, getting up from the bed, “Hecate sure taught her well then. Because this curse is doozy.”
Chapter 3
Mariselle woke the next morning with a yawn. After taking care of her business in the bathroom, she dressed quickly, scrubbed her teeth with a rag and some tooth powder, and wandered out of her bedchamber. It wasn’t long until she ran into Lord Tyson, who she knew was Alexander’s number-one man.
“Oh, good morning, miss,” Lord Tyson said, smiling tightly at her.
“Hello. Could you tell me where Alexander is this morning?
His brow furrowed. “Alexander? If you’re referring to the king, it would be advisable to do properly.”
Suppressing an eye-roll, Mariselle lifted her chin. “I’m sorry. Could you tell me where King Alexander Rothhaven is this fine, beautiful morning?”
He swallowed down a retort and said, “He’s in the courtyard, if you must know.”
Mariselle said, “Thank you.”
Tyson left without a word as Mariselle decided to skip breakfast and find the handsome king instead.
Through what seemed like a maze of candlelit hallways, Mariselle followed the light and finally located the courtyard. She was a bit embarrassed that she hadn’t been able to locate it easily, having been there before, but she had been quite imbibed at the time, and knew King Griffin and King Alexander had been refilling her cup with a lot of brandywine.
Once in the courtyard, Mariselle paused when she saw Alexander standing at the fountain that centered the courtyard. It was a horse reared up on its hind legs, its mane feathered out as if it was blowing in the wind. It was made of some kind of gold and black marble, and had water shooting from its mouth and into the pool below. There was an edge to sit on, but the king just had his leg propped up on it. He seemed to be staring off in thought, his hand to his chin. There were two manservants flanking him, as if waiting for a command.
Mariselle watched closely as Alexander stood beside the fountain. He didn’t seem all that uncomfortable about the company, as he ignored the servants. Very briefly, Mariselle felt a twinge of sympathy for the king. He had to be missing his parents. Since her mother’s death, she had been alone quite a bit, but she also knew that sometimes the solitude did her soul good. There had been times when people from the village and the local church had come by to ask how she was doing. Mariselle always hated that question. She had been only sixteen when she’d lost her mother from the plague, and nothing anyone could ever say or do would bring her back. She knew she was in this big ol’ world alone, and it was why she chose to take the trip with Griffin to see his brother at Castle North Haven in which she found herself.
As the sensual, erotic night with Griffin came flooding back to her mind, she shuddered. The encounter had been beautiful and sexy, but Griffin’s abrupt trip back to the East Haven had caused confusion in Mariselle’s young heart. She knew Griffin should get the first heir; yet, she had felt in her mind and heart that the way Griffin had worshipped her body and had made love her was more than a means to procreate. He had told her how beautiful she was, and how he’d always desired her since they were young.
Mariselle believed it, too. The mere thought of the hours of lovemaking they’d done caused her teeth to sink into her lip.
As she looked at handsome twenty-five-year-old King Alexander, she couldn’t believe they were brothers. She recalled her time, in this very courtyard, that she had got down on her knees and had pleasured him. The memory caused her to shudder, and she longed for so much more from the strapping, black-haired, blue-eyed playboy.
“It’s a beautiful fountain,” Mariselle finally said, after watching Alexander admire it for so long.
Alexander swiveled his head and looked at Mariselle standing in the doorway of the courtyard. Her fiery red hair glistened under the sun, and the way her black gown hugged her body caused him to have to rein in his desire for her. “It is.”
Mariselle approached him slowly. “Hi.”
Alexander dismissed the servants without breaking eye contact with Mariselle. “Leave us.”
The two men left the courtyard without another word.
“Hi.”
Butterflies began to swarm in her belly as he pierced her with his icy-blue stare that was anything but cold. In fact, it heated up her insides and the warmth spread all the way down to her core.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“Looking for you,” she replied coquettishly.
“I see,” he murmured. “You look beautiful this morning.”
She grinned up at him, still not breaking eye contact. “Thank you. What are you doing out here, my king?”
He chuckled and looked at the fountain, but his expression turned sad. “I was admiring the fountain.”
She bit back a smile. “I can see that. Is this fountain special to you in some way?”
He nodded sadly. “Yes, I had it built to commemorate Amber.”
Confused, Mariselle asked who that was.
“The first horse I had as a boy. Griffin and I actually helped deliver her when she was born. I broke her, and she became mine. Griffin already had a horse.”
Wondering where this was going, and fearing the horse was dead, Mariselle touched his arm and said, “Go on.”
“She’s being put down today. She’s got some kind of sleeping sickness. Got it after she birthed her own foal.”
Mariselle could see the hurt in the king’s eyes and she put her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. This fountain is a beautiful tribute.”
“I’m headed out to see her and say goodbye.”
She nodded. “I understand. Do you want me to come with you, so I can at least meet her?”
Alexander stared at the redhead for a long few seconds and nodded. “That would be appreciated.”
He grabbed her hand in his and led her out of the courtyard, through a heavy metal gate, and across the field of bluebonnets. Mariselle could see the stables across the field and had been looking at them through her window at night. It helped her relax to watch the horses feed and graze before they were brought into the stables for the night. She couldn’t see them too closely, so even when she found out which one had been Amber, she wasn’t going to recognize her.
They reached the stables, where the stable workers and ranch hands bowed at the king’s appearance. One, in particular, greeted the king, a middle-aged man with friendly brown eyes and dust and hay all over his clothes.
He removed his hat and raked a hand through his too-long sandy-blond hair. “You wish to see her, Your Majesty?”
“Yes. Have you met Miss Mariselle Langer?”
The man smiled warmly at her. “No. I have not. I’m Richard, nice to meet you, milady.”
“Mariselle will be staying with us for a spell. I know you’ll treat her with respect, just as you do all the guests.”
Richard grinned. “Of course. Do you ride, miss?”
Mariselle had only been on a horse a couple of times. “No, not regularly.”
“Well, if you are interested, we can teach you.” Richard jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “Emily here is an excellent teacher.”
Mariselle looked over to where he pointed and saw a young woman sitting on a small stool, trying to re-shoe a horse, who didn’t seem to want to stand still.
She popped the shoe on and stood up with a smile. She gave the king a brief look that Mariselle couldn’t quite decipher, and bowed slightly. “Your Majesty.�
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“Hello, Emily.” His pale cheeks flushed a little.
“Nice to meet you,” Mariselle said, not really meaning it, as she now understood the weirdness.
Man whore.
“You as well, miss. I can give you a tour of the stables later, if you’d like,” Emily said.
“Thank you.”
Richard waved his hand, “C’mon, Amber’s in back.”
Mariselle tried not to breathe through her nose at the pungent smell of the stables as she followed behind Richard and Alexander down the middle of the stalls. Ones containing horses of all sizes and colors lined each side, and Mariselle thought all of them looked beautiful and well-cared for. They reached the very last stall, and Alexander stopped short and looked inside. Sitting down in the stall was a gorgeous amber-colored horse. She had her eyes closed but was moving her head back and forth as if she could hear some invisible tune playing inside her head.
“Amber,” Alexander said sternly, but lovingly.
The horse popped her eyes open and looked at the king. She made a whinnying sound and tried to stand, but she couldn’t.
Alexander opened the stall’s half-door and went inside.
“Your Majesty,” Richard started. “She’s been biting, so I would be—”
“It’s all right, I know what I’m doing.”
“Of course, sire,” Richard said quietly.
Mariselle watched as Alexander got down on his knees and petted Amber’s head as he talked soothingly to her. She couldn’t hear what he said, but her heart skipped a beat when he saw how tender and loving he was with his pet. She never thought of Alexander as cold, but he definitely had an aggressive and harsh side she’d witnessed a few times. Then there were all the women Shawna and June had told her about. She tried not to think of that, and instead concentrated on the king and his beloved horse.
He stayed that way for a few long minutes as Mariselle and Richard watched on. She almost felt as if she was intruding on some intimate moment, and almost asked the king if he wanted to be alone, when he suddenly spoke.