Keeping Kinley
Page 28
I felt as if the breath had been knocked out of me. She didn’t recognize me as the servant. She recognized me as the guest at the palace.
She waved her husband over. “You remember, don’t you, dear? I said that night that our Rylander looked smitten.”
“I do remember.” Lord Baylor ambled closer, looking pleasantly surprised. “And let me say, I am pleased to make your acquaintance.” He was pleased now, but he wouldn’t be in just a moment, I would wager.
Rylan cleared his throat, wrapping an arm around my waist. I was grateful for the support. “Yes,” he started with forced brightness. “Kinley attended the ball as the guest of her brother, Sir Gavin.”
Lord Baylor’s pleasant expression froze. His eyes narrowed, and he looked me over, no doubt trying to see me as a commoner. I had expected to be intimidated by Lord Baylor, but at that moment, I found his confusion amusing.
“I’m sorry about the mix-up,” I said. “When Ella dresses me up, I look much less like an underling.”
Rylan choked on a laugh beside me.
Lord Baylor fixed me with a cool stare. “Then you are . . . ”
“Kinley Amaro. Daughter of a wood-carver and purveyor of fine apples procured from my orchard.”
“Ah” was all he said before forcing a smile.
It was better than I had expected.
“Wait,” Lady Baylor said. I turned my attention to her, and she looked at me as though trying to put a puzzle together. “Little Kinley? The maid that Rylan used to insist be the one to bring him his afternoon tea?” Her face clearly said that the idea delighted her.
I blushed at the reminder. “Yes, Lady Baylor.”
She grinned and then winked at Rylan.
Lord Baylor, on the other hand, turned red in the face. “You mean to tell me that your betrothed was once a servant in our own household?” he bit out, his nostrils flared and his whole body tense.
I swallowed in trepidation and tried to sink back behind Rylan, who I could feel was also stiffening. I worried that one or both of the Baylor men were going to explode, and I braced myself for it.
But Lady Baylor calmly stepped forward and set one hand on Lord Baylor’s back and the other on his arm. “Why don’t we all sit so that the two of you can tell us all about how you came to be reacquainted. I’m certain it’s a most lovely story.”
Her rapturous approval seemed to take the fire out of Lord Baylor, who gave a frustrated shake of his head and then obediently guided his wife to one of the settees.
Rylan took his mother’s cue and launched into the story of how we had met. I was happy to sit back and let him talk. His mother asked me a question on occasion, and I did my best to answer politely.
Lady Baylor continued to look enraptured, while Lord Baylor seemed less angry but still thoroughly disapproving.
“And where do you expect to live?” Lord Baylor asked.
“I’ve already purchased the piece of land next to the Amaros’ farm,” Rylan answered without missing a beat.
I turned to stare at him. He had done what?
He turned to me, his eyes smiling as he finished answering his father while caressing my face with his eyes. “I’ll be building a house there, right next to the orchard.”
“You will?” I asked as a thrill of happiness coursed through me.
“Yes, I will.”
I wanted very badly to kiss him in thanks, but I held my composure and stared at him with pure excitement. “Thank you,” I breathed.
His eyes lit up, happy and proud that his surprise had been well received. “I told you that you would get your orchard back.”
“Yes, you did.”
After that announcement, it was far easier to enjoy the evening. His mother was warm and welcoming. His father remained standoffish and prickly, but it didn’t bother me the way it had at first. I stumbled once or twice throughout the meal, though I had, thankfully, observed enough of the Mantock dinners not to make a complete fool of myself. Even then, it was clear from Rylan’s expression that my mistakes didn’t concern him. He was my champion in every way imaginable, and I simply did my best to show him the same support.
✼ ✼ ✼
The next day, we visited the land on the other side of my orchard. Our land, where Rylan already had plans to build a house for us to live in. He had already made arrangements with Lord Hayworth to buy the orchard, and as we wandered over the lush piece of land that would soon be our home, we discussed our wedding. Deciding on a location for a common girl to marry a nobleman was not an easy task, so we settled on the only place that made sense. We would marry in the gardens of Gavin and Ella’s villa, a place where both of our families could feel comfortable and welcome.
“It sounds beautiful and perfect,” he agreed.
“I hope your father will learn to accept our marriage.”
“So do I. But while I hope for his approval, I’m relieved that he’s honored our contract, though grudgingly, and will leave my inheritance intact.” He looked at the land surrounding us. “I am relying on it to build a home for us.”
“Will you continue to be his unofficial man of business?”
“No, I won’t. In fact, I’m hoping that when I stop working for him, he’ll realize just how much I’ve been doing. Perhaps, eventually, he’ll be willing to hire me officially.”
“I hope so.”
His fingers threaded with mine, and I stepped closer. “And even if he doesn’t, my mother will always welcome us with open arms.”
“You realize she’s the reason we were able to become friends.”
He nodded. “I owe her a great deal for that.”
“Who would have thought I’d be glad I went into service?”
“I can promise you’ll never have to do that again. From now on, we will take care of our own land and your trees. We will give Herman a pen fit for a pony king, and you, my lady, will rule over it all.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “So long as you will rule with me.”
“Always,” he said, and pressed a soft kiss to my mouth.
“And so long as once in a while you will wear your feathered hat.”
He tipped his head back and laughed.
The End
To My Readers
Thank you for reading! I have so loved writing Kinley and Rylan’s story. Their relationship and chemistry made me laugh. I felt a special connection with Kinley, perhaps because she’s more like me than my other characters.
As an indie author, your support and feedback makes all the difference in how I judge the success of my books. Please take just a minute to leave a review for other potential readers on Amazon, Goodreads or anywhere else. Word of mouth is essential for me to get the word out, so if you enjoyed reading Keeping Kinley, tell a friend!
You can also visit my blog (www.annetteklarsen.com) and leave me a comment, follow me on Twitter (@AnnetteKLarsen), Instagram (@AnnetteKLarsen), or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/authoraklarsen.
Happy reading!
Annette K. Larsen
About the Author
I was born in Utah, but I migrated to Arizona, Missouri, and Virginia before settling in Idaho.
Though I dabbled in writing throughout school, being an author seemed like an unattainable dream. It took me seven years to write my first book, Just Ella. During that time, I taught myself how to write a novel. Not the most time effective method, but it gave me an education I wouldn’t have received from a class or a how-to book. Something about the struggle of writing without a formula or rules worked for me.
I write clean romance because I love it. Jane Eyre is the hero of my youth and taught me that clinging to your convictions will be hard, but it will bring you more genuine happiness than giving in ever can.
I love chocolate, Into the Woods, ocean waves, my husband, and my five littles. And I love books that leave me with a sigh of contentment.
Acknowledgments
I know it’s weird, but I feel like I have to than
k my characters first and foremost. I’m not sure what was different this time, but even though Kinley and Rylan were two completely new characters, they showed up from the very beginning with well-defined personalities and the best chemistry. So, thank you, figments of my imagination for being just that awesome.
A big kiss on the lips and smack on the butt for my husband, Cameron, who’s always there, ready to support me. Thank you for always being excited to help me with covers and all the technical stuff that I don’t want to deal with. You’re my favorite.
Thanks to Jana for being my sounding board and my editor, and for flying up to visit me and photograph my cover! You make my writing so much better, and your enthusiasm for my projects gets me excited to work.