The Fae Prince: (Fae of Ballantine)

by Serena Meadows

  When he got to the kitchen, Eli was standing at the stove turning bacon, and he was glad he’d put on the pants. He shuffled over to the table, sat down, and said, “I need some coffee, and fast; it must be the middle of the night.”

  “The coffee pot is over there, and there are cups in the cabinet above,” Darby said, cracking eggs into a pan.

  Colin looked over at the coffee pot and then back to Darby. “You want me to get my own coffee?” he asked, a bit surprised.

  She looked over her shoulder at him. “That was the general idea.”

  It took him a second to understand that if he wanted coffee, he’d have to get it himself, so he got to his feet and shuffled over to the pot. He found a cup and poured some coffee but stopped after just an inch or so was in the cup. “This isn’t the kind of coffee I drink; mine is lighter than this, kind of creamy looking,” he said, taking a little sip of the black stuff in the cup, then grimaced. “And it’s sweet; this stuff is awful. Don’t you have anything else?”

  Darby was just turning from the stove, a frying pan in her hand, but she stopped and stared at him. “Are you joking?” she asked.

  “No,” he said, looking into the cup again. “This isn’t at all like what they bring me at home.”

  She crossed over to the table, picked up a plate, and expertly slid the fried eggs out of the pan, then set it back on the stove. “I think you need some cream and sugar,” she said, laughter bubbling up on the last word. “That’s the way coffee comes if you don’t add anything.”

  “Cream and sugar?” he asked, looking down into the cup again and then back up at Darby.

  This time she couldn’t stop the laughter; it came bubbling up to the surface, and soon she was outright laughing at him. “Are you really this helpless?” she asked when she’d calmed down.

  Colin was beginning to get angry. “It’s not my fault I never had to get my own coffee,” he said.

  Darby studied him for a second. “No, maybe not, but it is pretty sad that a grown man can’t even fix himself a cup of coffee,” she said. “Sit down, and I’ll get it for you this once.”

  He opened his mouth to shut her down but realized that she was right. He’d never in his entire life poured himself a cup of coffee, let alone made any. His anger drained away, replaced by a feeling he rarely felt: embarrassment. “I can do it myself if you’ll tell me how,” he said, trying to retain just a little dignity.

  ***Darby***

  Darby felt bad that she’d laughed at Colin, but it had been impossible not to; the idea that he couldn’t even make a cup of coffee was so foreign, it had struck her as funny. After she’d showed him the refrigerator and the cream, gotten the sugar out for him, she’d gone back to the stove, a smile still on her face, and finished cooking their eggs.

  When the three sat down to eat, Colin tore into his breakfast without even a thank you, cleaned his plate, then sat back with a satisfied sigh. “That was the best breakfast I’ve ever had,” he said. “Which reminds me, I have something for you.”

  He got up from the table and headed down the hallway. “What do you suppose that was all about?” she asked Eli, who’d said little the entire morning.

  Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I have no idea.”

  Darby knew that Eli was still mad at her, so she reached out and put her hand on his arm. “It’s only for a few days, and then he’ll go back to the castle,” she said.

  “I don’t like him, Darby; he acts like we should wait on him,” Eli said, a scowl on his face.

  “It’s just what he’s used to,” she said. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to wait on him.”

  Eli raised his eyebrows. “You were going to get his coffee,” he said.

  Her reply was cut off by Colin coming back into the room. “This is for you,” he said, setting a folded slip of paper in front of her, a big grin on his face.

  Darby wasn’t sure what to expect when she unfolded the paper, so what she saw didn’t make sense at first, and she looked up at Colin. “I made you a list of the things I’ll need while I’m here,” he said when he saw her confusion. “I thought it would make things easier. You can run into town after breakfast. The tailor on First Street has my measurements. I’m sure he can whip something up for me.”

  Darby could only stare at him in shock for several long seconds before annoyance replaced the patience she’d had before. “You want me to go to town and buy all this stuff for you?” she asked, wanting to be sure she was right.

  Colin nodded. “And I also wanted to let you know that I like to have my sheets changed every day. I put an extra set on the list, so laundry will be easier for you,” he said, clearly proud of himself for his forethought.

  A bark of laughter burst out of Eli, and she shot him a dirty look. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I think maybe you should sit down. We have a few things to get straight.”

  Colin looked from her to Eli, then sat down at the table, a look of confusion on his face. “I don’t understand,” he said, clearly upset that Darby wasn’t happy with his list.

  “I know you don’t, so that’s why I’m going to explain it to you,” Darby said, taking another deep breath. “Out here in the real world, we all work for a living; no one waits on us or does our shopping.”

  “You want me to get a job?” he asked, still slightly confused.

  “No, but I’m not going to be your servant,” Darby said, pausing to let that sink in. “You’ll have to take care of yourself, and in exchange for room and board, you can help out around the farm.”

  A look of disbelief appeared on Colin’s face. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Darby shook her head. “I never joke about money, and I’ve already paid my taxes for your upkeep. I’m not paying twice.”

  “My upkeep?” Colin asked, clearly beginning to get angry. “You make me sound like an animal or something.”

  “Where do you think all the money comes from to pay for the food you eat, the castle, and all those servants, the clothes you wear?” she asked, ticking each item off on her fingers.

  “Well, I never, I mean, I didn’t ever...” his words trailed off.

  “Let me finish that sentence for you,” she said, raising her eyebrows at him. “You never thought about it.”

  Colin shook his head but didn’t say anything, so she went on. “We pay taxes so you can live like you do. If that’s not upkeep, I don’t know what it is.”

  “But working on a farm, I mean, that’s a bit beneath me. I am a prince after all,” Colin said, looking from one to the other. “Isn’t there something else I could do?”

  Darby shrugged. “It’s up to you: stay here and pitch in or find your way back to town.”

  Colin looked around him, then over at Darby again. “I guess I could find something to do to help,” he said.

  “You can start with the dishes; we cooked you can clean up,” she said, getting up from the table. “I have to get ready for work.”

  Chapter Ten

  ***Colin***

  Colin watched Darby disappear down the hallway, wondering how things had gone so wrong so quickly. Then he noticed Eli staring at him with a look of triumph on his face. He wanted to strike out at the man, take all his frustration out on him, but sensed that it would be a mistake.

  “There’s dish soap under the sink,” Eli said, getting to his feet. “I’ll see if I can find some clothes for you to borrow. They might be a little big, but I’m sure you can make it work.”

  He knew an insult when he heard one, but he ignored the younger man, promising himself that he’d go naked before he’d wear the clothes. When Eli was gone, he looked around the kitchen, then walked over to the sink and stared down at the stack of dirty dishes and pans. It couldn’t be that hard to clean a few dishes, he decided, experimenting with the faucet.

  Soon, he had a sink full of soapy water and was feeling pleased with himself. But when he twisted the faucet to turn it off, water just kept spilling out, and his br
ain froze as he watched the water rise. Just as the water flowed over the top, bubbles cascading with the water, and flooding the kitchen floor, Darby came into the kitchen.

  “Oh, my God what are you doing?” she asked, twisting the faucet and pulling the plug at the same time.

  “I couldn’t get the water to shut off,” he said, staring at the mess.

  Darby sighed. “I have to finish getting ready for work; leave the dishes for now,” she said. “There’s a mop in the closet. Do you need me to show you how it works?”

  Colin glared at her. “I’ll figure it out,” he said.

  He’d seen the servants at the castle mopping, so he felt fairly confident that he could figure it out. As he sloshed barefoot through the cold soapy water to the closet, he wondered if it might not be easier to go back to town and try to beg a room from someone. But then the memory of the last time he’d been there came rushing back, and suddenly mopping didn’t seem so bad.

  When Darby came back, he was just squeezing out the mop for the last time and wondering where to dump it. “I see you managed to figure out how to use a mop,” she said, setting the bundle of clothes she’d been carrying down on the table.

  “I’m not a total idiot,” he said, but feeling a little silly standing there barefoot, in his pajamas, holding a mop.

  “Fair enough,” Darby said, shrugging her shoulders as if she weren’t convinced. “I found these clothes in the back of a closet. I think they might fit you.”

  Colin wanted to outright refuse but realized that he couldn’t afford to be picky, so he walked over to the table and picked up the jeans and shirt, trying not to let his aversion show. “I don’t usually dress so...” he searched for the right word. “Ummm, casual.”

  He got the feeling that Darby was beginning to enjoy herself. “Well, I think you’ll find that it’s easier to work out in the field in these, but if you’d rather go like that, I’m ready whenever you are.”

  “The fields?” he asked, feeling like he’d missed something again.

  Darby nodded. “I was thinking you could work in the lavender beds this morning,” she said. “They’re ready for harvest, but I haven’t had time.”

  Colin stared at her. “You want me to go out there and work? In the dirt and stuff?”

  “That was the idea,” Darby said. “And this afternoon, you can help me in the barn.”

  “With the animals?” he asked, wrinkling his nose.

  “Well, that is generally what you find in a barn,” she said, slightly amused.

  And that was exactly where he found himself later that day, wondering if the smell was going to make him bring the lunch he’d just eaten back up. Darby seemed not to notice the stench in the barn and had already disappeared into the darkness beyond the big double doors. He wondered how someone who smelled as good as she did could even walk into the barn and wished he was out in the lavender field again.

  When Darby had left him, a spool of twine in one hand and a giant pair of scissors in the other, he’d been dreading the morning. The rows of lavender spread out before him, a purple ocean that he was supposed to conquer, and he’d been sure that’s he’d never be able to do it. But it wasn’t long before he discovered that the sweet smell of lavender and the musky scent of the earth beneath him had their own kind of magic.

  As he tied off the plants and snipped the fragrant stems, he found himself falling into a soothing rhythm and enjoying himself. His clothes had still felt funny, and the boots he’d shoved his feet into had pinched, but as each bundle hit the ground, he felt a sense of satisfaction he’d never felt before. When the sun had risen high into the sky, sweaty and tired, he’d gotten to his feet and turned to see then neat bundles lying on the ground, and for the first time in his life, felt a sense of accomplishment.

  Now the lavender seemed like nothing compared to what he’d have to do inside the barn, and he nearly turned around and walked away, but Darby poked her head out of the door and stared at him. Reluctantly, he took a few steps forward, then inhaled a huge breath and ran past her inside. He could hear her roaring with laughter behind him, but he didn’t care.

  ***Darby***

  Darby again found herself laughing at Colin, who’d turned white as a sheet and was trying to breathe through his shirt. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad,” she said, walking past him to the back of the barn. “I left the door open; that’ll help a little.”

  “How can you stand the smell?” he asked.

  “You get used to it,” she said. “And it will get better after we clean the stalls and pens.”

  Colin looked like he didn’t believe her but dropped his shirt away from his face and took little breaths. “How are we going to do that?” he finally asked after looking up one side of the barn and down the other. “They’re full of animals.”

  Darby couldn’t help but grin at him. “They don’t mind if we work around them,” she said. “Except the pig. Don’t go near her; she’s about to have babies and is a little grumpy.”

  As if on cue, a pointed snout came out from between the slats of a pen at the back of the barn, and there were some loud grunting noises. She walked over to the pen and reached inside to stroke the pig's head, then pulled her hand back, trying not to laugh at the look of horror on Colin’s face.

  “I can promise you one thing: I’ll never go near that thing,” he said, his eyes huge.

  “How about we start you out with something a little easier?” she suggested, walking over to her milk cow. “This is Mabel; she gives us all our milk. She’s really very sweet, and if you give her a handful of hay, she’ll be happy to let you do whatever you want to her.”

  Colin eyed the cow suspiciously, but she just stood staring at them, chewing her cud. “Okay, what do I have to do?” he asked, wrinkling his nose at the smell coming from the cow pen.

  Half an hour later, just as Colin was gagging as he deposited an especially juicy cow pie into the wheelbarrow, Eli came into the barn. He stood staring at Colin for a few seconds, a scowl on his face, then said, “I’m back from town.”

  She’d sent him into town that morning on a fact-finding mission, and judging from the look on his face, he’d found out some things he didn’t like. “Colin, I need to talk to Eli for a few minutes,” she said, trying not to laugh when the shovel he was carrying slipped out of his hands. “Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes?”

  He blew out a big breath. “It’s not like you’re helping me,” he said, a bit too forcefully.

  Darby sensed a tantrum coming, so she walked away from him and followed Eli outside. When they were far enough away that she knew they couldn’t be overheard, she stopped Eli. “What did you find out?”

  “Do you want the good news or the bad?” he asked.

  “Uhhh, I hate that question,” she said. “Give me the good news.”

  “He is who he says he is, well, as close as I can tell anyway,” Eli said, shooting a dirty look over his shoulder at the barn. “The bad news is that you’ve got us involved in something we shouldn’t be involved in, and it’s only going to attract attention we don’t want.”

  Darby sighed, not sure what she’d wanted to hear, but knowing that wasn’t it. “You’d better tell me what you heard.”

  “Well, first of all, he wasn’t in the parade, and that got people talking, but the king and queen released a statement explaining that he’d gone to find a bride,” Eli said. “But I talked to a few people who’ve heard rumors that the prince was seen by royals leaving the castle on the morning of the parade on foot, carrying on a single bag.”

  Her heart sank. “That sounds just like what he told me,” she said. “I was really hoping it wasn’t true.”

  Eli gave her a strange look. “What you’d rather he be some crazy guy who thinks he’s the prince? What’s wrong with you, Darby?”

  “Nothing, and that’s not what I want,” she said, confused again. “I don’t know what I want.”

  “You need to get rid of him before his
troubles come knocking on your door. Prince or not, he’s bad news, Darby,” Eli said.

  “I promised him he could stay for a couple of days,” she said. “Is anyone looking for him?”

  Eli shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t run into any of my friends in the guard today. But even if they aren’t looking for him right now, they will be soon. A prince can’t just disappear.”

  Darby knew that he was right, but she couldn’t bring herself to send Colin away. “I promised, Eli,” she said. “I’d better get back to the barn; he might let the cow out or something.”

  “You’re making a mistake, Darby, a mistake that could hurt us both,” he said, then turned and walked away.

  There was a little part of Darby that knew he was right, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind and headed back to the barn. She couldn’t just turn Colin out. She’d agreed to let him stay, and she wouldn’t break her word. If deep down inside, there was a small part of her that didn’t want him to leave, a part that was drawn to him, she pretended it wasn’t there.

  Besides, she told herself, the teasing and flirting had stopped, just like she’d wanted, so that had nothing to do with her decision. But when she walked into the barn and found Colin whispering into Mabel’s ear and feeding her oats from his hand, desire burst to life deep inside her, and she sucked in a deep breath. He turned at the sound, and their eyes met, and a knowing look appeared on his face, then he went back to whispering in the cow’s ear.

  “If you’re done in here,” Darby finally managed to find her voice, “we need to check on the chickens. With another mouth to feed, we might need to give them a little more food.”

  Chapter Eleven

  ***Colin***