by A. J. Cove
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Cobblestone Press
www.cobblestone-press.com
Copyright ©2006 by A.J. Cove
First published in 2006
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NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Invisible Rose
Copyright© 2006 A.J. Cove
ISBN: 978-1-60088-074-2
Cover Artist: Simon Boxer
Editor: Tracy Seybold
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Cobblestone Press, LLC
www.cobblestone-press.com
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my friend Kristal, who believed in my writing ability from the start. May she always know how much I appreciate her support and friendship.
Chapter One
"Gabriella!"
Doshi shot from her bed, tangled in her sheets, then fell headlong on the floor in a heap. She blinked in the dim early morning light, attempting to determine what had disturbed her delicious dreams. She didn't have long to wait before discovering the source.
"Gabriella, you get out here this instant, young lady!"
Her father was yelling for Gabriella again. Every time Gabriella took a new lover some woman discovered the two together, word got back to the king and chaos reigned in the castle. Would her older sister ever learn?
Doshi disentangled herself and tiptoed to her door. She pressed an ear to the cool panel and listened intently. Only five maids worked this floor and all of them should have been below collecting their charges’ breakfast or retrieving clean dresses and linen from the laundry, but Doshi heard many of them hurrying along the passage. The inhabitants of Glamdire Castle were eager to see this latest episode in the continuing saga of the Wild Rose. Doshi was no exception.
When she heard her sister's door open, Doshi cracked open her own to take a peek. The king should be distracted enough that she could get a good look and a better listen.
"Father, let me explain,” Gabriella pouted, her head bowed.
Doshi noted the scowl marring her father's features. The normally handsome man of fifty odd years was obviously beyond his endurance. In spite of his anger, Doshi couldn't help the surge of love she felt for her only parent. Even at this early hour, he was perfectly dressed in the obligatory royal green robes, a symbol of the prosperity of the Glamdire Kingdom. Her father, King of Glamdire, took his role as leader very seriously. He would never be caught in a state of undress, even at six-thirty in the morning.
Doshi hoped to someday find a man as tall, handsome, distinguished and fearless as her father. She wanted a man who knew his duty and did it without qualms, no matter who stood against him. She hadn't yet found such a paragon. And so at twenty-six years old, she was still a virgin, to her disgust.
Of course, that wasn't the case with the Wild Rose. She'd had more than her fair share of men. That was the problem. Doshi's gaze slid to her less than innocent sister. Gabriella stood before their father in a floor length filmy white nightgown. Her glorious chestnut hair hung free halfway to her waist. How could she stand there with wide blue eyes looking as innocent as a newborn fawn? It was inconceivable, knowing what she'd been up to the night before and many nights previous.
"Don't bother, Gabriella!” Her father jerked a hand through his own locks, which matched Gabriella's. “I have raised a whore in my own castle."
Gabriella gasped. “Father."
"No! Don't deny it. We've been through this a hundred times. What is it about you? I don't understand these urges you have. What makes you sleep around this way?” The king paced a few steps away and then turned back. “Maybe if your mother was alive..."
"Father, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me,” Gabriella attempted.
"I'll tell you what came over you. Lust. Pure and simple lust came over you. You should be setting an example for your little sister, Gabriella."
Gabriella's hand slid to her waist. Doshi could imagine what she was about to say and steeled herself against the hurtful words.
"Doshi? Pah. She's only two years younger than I am and she couldn't get a man if you paid one to take her."
"Don't you dare talk about your sister that way, Gabriella.” He grasped his daughter's arm and shook her. “Doshi is a very beautiful woman. She just has trouble believing it. You should be helping her build her confidence rather than tearing her down."
Doshi blinked away tears. Her sister was right, though her words stung. She was not confident. But who could be, with such a glorious beauty for a sister? The mothers of prominent men had long debated the faults of the two princesses. Gabriella was too loose. Doshi was too plain.
That didn't stop suitors from coming, she thought bitterly. Prosperity wasn't the symbol of Glamdire for nothing. Her father's kingdom was the richest in the free world. Any kingdom that allied with it through marriage was bound to prosper under her father's golden touch.
Gabriella crossed her arms. “Well, it's obvious you love Doshi more than you love me."
Her father deflated visibly and his voice gentled. “Gabriella, you know that's not true."
"Don't I?"
Doshi dropped her gaze. Even she, with her low self-esteem, knew her father preferred her to Gabriella. Yet, surely her sister realized how hard it was for their father to overlook her promiscuous activities.
Although her father and mother's marriage had been arranged, the two had fallen in love with one another. Neither could dream of being with another. It was this perfect relationship she dreamed of one day having. Not that she didn't dream of having wild intimate relations. She did. But her husband would provide that, or so she hoped.
She sighed and leaned her head against the door frame. There was no use lying to herself. Doshi had listened to Gabriella and her maid discussing her intimate adventures and had often dreamed of taking a lover.
The king glanced up, noticing Doshi and the servants. “All of you get back to work,” he bellowed, loud enough to be heard throughout the whole castle. Then his voice gentled. “Doshi, get back in your room."
As she turned to obey, Doshi saw her father clasp her sister's elbow and direct her inside her room. She shook her head. Her sister was in for at least an hour's lecture. She had also withstood her share of the royal speeches. However, her own indiscretions ran along the lines of tripping and splashing hot soup all over the queen of a neighboring kingdom or sitting on the spectacles of a potential mate.
She padded across her expansive room and flopped down on her bed. An unladylike grunt escaped her lips as she stared up at the ceiling, which was ornately painted with a forest scene and stream, cleverly designed to appear to be moving.
She sighed in frustration. She was not normally so clumsy. Yet every time her father brought a man to the castle for her, she lost all sense of grace. Without fail, she managed to alienate them. Not that any of them measured up to her dream of the perfect mate.
"Maybe I do it on purpose,” she surmised aloud.
"Do what, your highness?” Her maid, Lin, slipped in carrying a
full tray of hot chocolate, eggs, sausage and toast. It had been her chosen breakfast every day for years. She ate it in her room when she was not commanded to join her father at the breakfast table with her sister and her father's lead advisor.
She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Do you think I'm boring, Lin?"
The maid's gaze dropped to the tray and back to her charge. “You? Never."
"Very funny, Lin.” Doshi grinned.
The petite servant placed her tray on a table near the bed and began arranging the green silk pillows so she could eat her breakfast in bed. Watching her, the princess thought even her own maid outshone her.
Lin's delicate limbs were as graceful as any princess'. Her sable hair, though pinned at the nape of her neck, was silky with gentle wisps that curled about her oval face, accentuating sweet almond eyes. Doshi had often seen the male servants ogling Lin as she strolled by them in the halls.
"Mistress, may I speak plainly?” Lin paused in her ministrations.
"You always do."
"Well.” The girl reached out a hand to stroke Doshi's wild mane. “I think you could be as beautiful as Princess Gabriella if you tried."
Doshi rolled her eyes. “That's absurd, Lin. No one in the kingdom is as beautiful as the Wild Rose."
"You are,” Lin insisted. “You're practically twins."
Doshi guffawed and Lin's nose crinkled as if she smelled something repulsive. Doshi covered her mouth. Too late, she remembered what turned people off about her. She couldn't help it. If she were as beautiful as Gabriella, maybe she could be more confident around others. Maybe then she would be noticed for something other than her frequent mishaps.
"If you had more confidence, you'd be just as dynamic as your sister,” Lin claimed. “You have the same rich chestnut hair."
"Mine is frizzy."
"You have the same bright blue eyes."
"Mine aren't so bright."
"And you even have the same voice,” Lin insisted.
Doshi slumped over her plate, stuffing her mouth with egg. “Foolish Lin. You forget where my sister is grace personified, I am clumsy and garish. While she has creamy skin without a blemish, I'm cursed with a sprinkling of freckles over my nose and hair that's so wild, it looks worse than an old mop. Let's not forget, she has a neck as long as a swan's and mine is thick and short. She can charm the hardest heart. I can't charm the softest.” Doshi pushed away her empty plate and dragged a napkin across her lips. “I accept my lot in life, Lin. I am content."
"Oh, your highness, you know you are not."
Doshi straightened her back and narrowed her eyes in her best imitation of her father. “You dare contradict me, Lin?"
"No, your highness, of course not.” The girl was properly humbled, though Doshi thought she caught a glimpse of amusement lurking in her eyes. “I'm saying you could stand a bit of confidence in your beauty."
"I have no beauty!” Doshi snapped. She hated thinking Lin didn't respect her. To be royalty with no presence was pointless.
"I would never want to displease you, your highness.” Lin's voice was hesitant. “You must see you have the same figure as your sister."
Doshi's gaze dropped to her body.
"You both have the same measurements. You're the same height. You have...” Lin hesitated again as her hands rose to gesture above her bosoms.
Doshi reddened.
"...the same blessings,” Lin finished creatively.
Suddenly, Doshi burst out laughing. “I guess you're right there, Lin. The difference is that my sister flaunts her bosoms by having her dresses cut as low as the law allows, which is pretty low if you ask me."
"Yes, and yours are higher than a nun's.” Lin apparently could not bite her sassy tongue.
Doshi glared at her. “Free speech over.” She sprung from the bed. “I'm ready to go out for a ride, Lin. My habit please."
"Yes, of course, your highness."
Chapter Two
Doshi clicked her heels against her mare's sides and leaned forward in the saddle. One more sprint and she'd return to the castle. She laughed out loud at the thought of Lin's face when she saw Doshi's wild hair and flushed cheeks. She'd ridden out without a chaperone or a covering for her hair. Her father would be furious if he knew, but she didn't care. She needed time to herself. She needed to feel free of all the obligations and husband-hunting.
She headed full speed into the trees along a well worn path she'd taken every day for years. She smirked confidently, knowing a low wall was coming up and that Fireflight would take it expertly, as usual.
As her horse left the ground, she saw a man galloping toward her on the other side. Fireflight cleared the wall, but then shied away from the unfamiliar stallion. Her horse reared and pawed the air, sending her flying backward and landing with a hard thump on the ground.
Before she could clear her befuddled mind, the man leapt from his horse and rushed to her side. “Are you all right, miss? I'm sorry. I didn't see you."
His hand on her elbow sent inexplicable shards of delight racing along her limbs. She peeked up at him through her errant locks. As he helped her to her feet, she felt herself drowning in the warmth and kindness of the most beautiful hazel eyes she'd ever seen.
Suddenly, she remembered her state of dress. She must look a sight with her wild mane and mud-caked gown. Though the gentleman wore plain clothes, every thread was clean and his silken blond hair was pulled neatly back from his face.
"Are you sure you're all right?” he queried again.
She still hadn't found her voice. She opened her mouth to answer and then shut it when she heard more horses coming. It sounded like a small army and Doshi wasn't ready to expose herself to their curious gazes. Besides, it might get back to the king and she didn't like to make him angry with her.
She pulled from the man's solicitous hold and ran for her horse. With an unladylike hoist of her skirts, she tucked a foot into the stirrups and flung herself into the saddle, galloping away as quickly as possible. She didn't dare look back to see if he followed or even it he watched her go. His heady scent was still in her nostrils, fodder for her next fantasy.
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"You can forget it, Father. I'm not getting married.” Gabriella's usually flawless complexion was mottled.
Doshi imitated her sister's perfect manners and delicately bit into a biscuit while watching the drama playing before her.
"You will, and that settles it, Gabriella.” The king tossed down his napkin and shoved back from the table. A servant held the chair in preparation of the rising leader of Glamdire. “I will have you settled before this year is out, one way or another."
"No, Father. I will not marry Prince Tarin. I am never getting married.” Her blue eyes flashed defiantly. “I am having too much fun."
Doshi gasped. Her sister didn't often admit she was actually having affairs to their father. She was defiant and demanded her freedom. She flaunted the rule of traveling with more than her personal maid, but still practiced deniability in the face of her amorous activities.
The king paused. He turned a narrowed look upon his older daughter. Gabriella visibly paled. Doshi shook her head. Foolish girl. She shouldn't have said that.
"Gabriella, you believe you've fooled me. But I have many advisors."
Spies.
"I know that my oldest daughter, a royal princess of Glamdire, is called the Wild Rose because her reputation is so tarnished with her many affairs. Don't presume that I am a silly old man, Gabriella, who knows nothing of what's happening in my own kingdom, not to mention my own household."
His voice rose steadily, while Gabriella paled so much Doshi feared she would faint. But Gabriella was as strong-willed as their father and quickly recovered. She would not back down from the king's temper.
"I'm a grown woman, Father. I'm twenty-eight years old. I can live my life as I please."
"There are societal rules—my rules—Gabriella."
"Yes, well...�
�� She toyed with her biscuit, shredding it between twitching fingers.
Doshi suspected her sister knew if she pushed their father too far, he would take steps neither of them could anticipate. King Lagrin was well-known for his great affection for his daughters, but he was also reputed to rule with an iron fist. The day that rigid force was turned upon his family was not something Doshi looked forward to.
"If you defy me in this, Gabriella, I promise you will regret it. You will marry Prince Tarin. I have already sent a missive asking that he attend us here so the two of you can get to know one another before the wedding. Now, ladies, please excuse me. I have much to do."
The king left the table and Doshi sat nibbling, watching her sister. Gabriella, always sunny and charming, was brooding silently, a shadow darkening her perfect features.
"Gabriella?” Doshi ventured. “What will you do?"
Her sister ignored her. Doshi glanced down the table to Draylin, her father's head advisor, as he sat spearing small potatoes. He seemed completely unmoved by the drama that had just taken place.
Unexpectedly, Gabriella glanced up, her eyes glowing. “Well, I guess I'd better do what Father has commanded me, Mouse."
Doshi was leery. “That look doesn't seem very obedient to me."
Gabriella grinned prettily. “Once I am married to Prince Tarin I will be free to do exactly as I please, without these lectures about propriety."
"Won't he have anything to say about it?"
Her sister shrugged. “I'll make an agreement before we say our ‘I dos'. Besides, men have mistresses all the time. What does it matter if I do likewise?"
At the same time, Doshi and Gabriella turned their eyes upon Draylin. Surely he'd tattle about Gabriella's plan. She'd been stupid to mention it in front of him.
Gabriella, always self-assured, blew a kiss to Draylin. Doshi watched him blush and return his eyes to his plate. Was he one of her sister's conquests? The advisor had always seemed too straight-laced for that. The knowledge shocked her and brought him down a level in her estimation.