Once Enchanted

by Marie Higgins

  She explained to him how she had begged her father to let her attend a public school, and how her parents gave her freedom to do most anything. She related a few experiences she and Ryder had enjoyed that had gotten them in trouble with the teacher, and Ormond laughed. She finished by telling him about her trip to visit her cousin for a year.

  “You haven’t been back for very long, have you?” he asked.

  “No, not long at all.”

  “What have you been doing to keep busy?”

  Memories resurfaced of the time she and Ryder had spent together, and a smile stretched across her face. The more she talked, the more animated she became by swishing her hands around her, and clapping, and even giggling like a schoolgirl.

  So caught up in her storytelling was she, that she didn’t realize Ormond’s expression had changed, until he fidgeted in his chair. He wiped the linen napkin across his mouth and then pushed away from the table. Gone was the smile he’d worn not too long ago, and in its place was a scowl.

  “Ormond? What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I—I—I’m confused.”

  “About what?”

  “I thought you loved me.”

  She cringed, not enjoying the way he whined. Her heartbeat pounded in a panicked rhythm, and she stood. “What are you talking about? Didn’t my father inform your mother I wanted to marry you?”

  “Uh, yes.”

  “Then why are you confused?” Clarissa inquired, although really, she knew the answer to her own question. Once more, Ryder’s words returned to haunt her. Do I really love the prince? She was certain Ormond held feelings for her, but now... Did she love him?

  “The way you were talking about your friend, it seems you love him more,” he muttered.

  She really hated it when he didn’t speak up. What kind of man was he, anyway?

  When she caught her inappropriate thoughts, her mind screeched to a halt. She was finding fault with him. In fact, she really wasn’t even enjoying being around him. That wasn’t good if she planned to marry him, was it?

  Nervously, she flipped her hand in the air and released an uncomfortable laugh. “You think I’m in love with Ryder?”

  He nodded, but lowered his gaze to the floor.

  Oh, dear. Her mind played back the way she had talked about Ryder in front of the prince, and sure enough, it had sounded like she was infatuated.

  Clarissa couldn’t exactly tell Ormond that she didn’t love Ryder, because she did. They’d been the best of friends for too many years and had shared so much. How could she not love him? Unfortunately, telling the man she wanted to marry that she did love Ryder wasn’t a smart thing to do, either.

  “Don’t worry, Ormond. Ryder and I are just friends. The best of friends.”

  His mouth pulled tightly as he shuffled from one foot to the other. “I understand.”

  His voice was so low she barely heard him. Well, she must somehow change the subject of their conversation before the tension between them thickened.

  She cleared her throat and asked, “Shall we adjourn to the music room?”

  Ormond shook his head. “No. I think I’d better leave now. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He spun around and moved toward the door.

  “Tomorrow?” She quickly stepped around the table to stop him. She didn’t want him coming too early, since she had to make another visit to the tower. “What time tomorrow?”

  He glanced at her over his shoulder, but didn’t keep his gaze on her for very long. “Morning?”

  “Um, actually, morning is bad for me. How about mid-afternoon?”

  “All right,” he said. “If it pleases you, I’ll bring more flowers.”

  This time, his attention stayed on her face as he awaited her answer. She smiled the best she could and nodded. “I would very much like more flowers, thank you.”

  Slowly, his mouth lifted in a grin, but it wasn’t the kind of pleasant grin she thought he’d display. In fact, his expression almost appeared...calculating, as if he had the upper hand somehow.

  As she watched him leave, she realized this evening had been full of surprises. Mainly in the direction her thoughts had taken during the meal. How had she ever found that man attractive and good company, when he had been quite the opposite today?

  IT WOULD RAIN TODAY.

  Ryder frowned as he stared out the curtainless window. Gray clouds filled the sky, and they were only getting darker as the morning progressed. On days like this, nobody wanted to take a jaunt just to bring food to a prisoner in a tower, which meant Clarissa would not be coming today.

  He glanced at the meager scraps of food still left in the basket. There was enough to keep him alive, but just barely. To be sure, he’d not have energy due to the lack of nutrition today. Perhaps in that way it was good he couldn’t move far, thanks to his chains. However, if Clarissa didn’t come and bring him some books to keep him company, he’d go mad with nothing to do. Indeed, in that case, he would only be able to think about his hungry stomach and solitary confinement.

  Groaning, he shifted on his cot and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. The window had nothing to board it closed, and the cooler temperature was very uncomfortable, especially since he couldn’t move around much.

  He closed his eyes and pressed the back of his head against the rock wall. Think, Grey! He must figure out a way to break free. With Clarissa at home today, he’d have time to plot out an escape. He was an educated man...so then why couldn’t he think straight?

  Yesterday with Clarissa, he’d almost softened her heart. Obviously, his charm wasn’t good enough on its own. Yet, the fact that she thought to kidnap him still made him quite upset. Perhaps that had something to do with it.

  Nevertheless, he must find a way to get to her heart. There had to be a way to break the spell she was under.

  He looked toward the window. He prayed it wouldn’t rain, but when had his wishes come true lately? It frustrated him to be cooped up, especially when he still needed to find out if the witch was the reason some of the king’s guards were ill and dying, or had died. A day away from his investigation was a day too long.

  The grumbling of his stomach had him moving his attention to the basket. Three pieces of stale bread, two apples, four pieces of cheese, and a handful of grapes were left. He supposed he could nibble on one of the pieces of cheese and take a small bite of the bread for his breakfast.

  He sat forward and reached for the bread, but just as his hand moved toward the food, something else caught his attention. Something silver.

  Curiosity got the better of him, and he brought the basket to his lap for a more thorough search. He moved aside the linen napkins lining the basket and thrust his fingers down deeper. Immediately, a sharp object poked him. He yanked his fingers out and looked at the red marks. A knife?

  Anxious to see more, he dug through it again, practically ripping out the cloth lining. There, tucked deep down inside, was a silver butter knife. The longer he stared at the object, the wider he grinned. Unfortunately, the knife wouldn’t be able to cut these chains off of his wrists and ankles, but the piece of cutlery would be perfect for digging into a decrepit wall so he could yank the fastenings out and free himself.

  From outside, thunder rolled in the distance, and the scent of rain wafted through the window. Perhaps he had found something to keep him busy, after all.

  Ryder quickly moved off the cot and to the wall where the chains connected. This was an old tower. He was certain he’d find something crumbling eventually.

  For the first five minutes, he didn’t make much progress, but slowly the rock crumbled away from the wall. Excitement filled him, and he dug faster. He ignored the pain in his fingers from holding the knife so tightly. A little sacrifice would be worth the end result.

  How much time passed, he didn’t know. He couldn’t think about anything except escaping. But then a familiar noise startled his concentration. He stopped and listened.

  “Please...someone...help...me!”r />
  He’d heard that yesterday—or thought he’d heard it. But now the words were clearer than yesterday. And it was a woman’s voice. However, he couldn’t tell the age of the woman.

  “Hello!” he shouted. “Can you hear me?”

  In silence he strained to hear her reply, but just as yesterday, nothing was detected. Perhaps there really were ghosts in this tower.

  He shook away the feeling of helplessness and went back to work on digging the chains out of the wall. But as time passed, he heard another sound. Instead of a woman’s voice, the sound was from a horse as it rode to the tower.

  His heartbeat hammered in anxiousness. It couldn’t be Clarissa. She wouldn’t be foolish enough to ride all this way in the storm. But, just in case, he’d better stop digging and quickly hide the knife. Still, he hesitated.

  Within a few minutes, the echoing of footsteps on the stairs had Ryder moving to his cot quickly and hiding the knife in the jacket of his uniform. He brushed the sweat off his forehead and tried to appear relaxed as he waited for her to enter.

  Finally, she walked into the room. Her gaze fastened on him, and within seconds, her face relaxed. It struck him as odd for her to look at him in such a way, especially since she was so upset at him yesterday...well, before she’d gone to fetch the water bucket.

  She smiled. “Forgive me for being late. I couldn’t figure out how to leave without my parents or the guards asking too many questions.”

  She handed him another basket of food, and then a heavy satchel. He looked inside the satchel and noticed she’d remembered to bring him the books he’d requested.

  He met her gaze and grinned. “I didn’t think you’d come, but I’m relieved you did. I was already half out of my mind with boredom.”

  She chuckled. “And it’s not even mid-morning.”

  It was hard to believe, but she stood close to him. Wasn’t she afraid he’d grab her? If this had happened yesterday, he would have, but today... No, he’d not frighten her off. He’d still try his hardest to win her heart and convince her not to marry the prince.

  He shrugged. “I hate being idle. You should know that about me by now.” He winked.

  “Indeed, I do.” She glanced at the mostly empty basket of food and pointed to it. “I see you still have a little from yesterday. That’s good.”

  “I was worried you wouldn’t come today because of the weather.”

  Frowning, she threw a glance at the window before returning her gaze to him. “I almost didn’t come because of the storm, but I knew you needed food.” She sat on the cot next to him and opened up the full basket. “What would you like for breakfast this morning? It looks like one of the cooks made some scones.”

  He inhaled deeply. The home-baked scent of bread, butter, and honey attacked his senses, making his stomach grumble. “That would be wonderful.”

  Ryder wanted to ask her why she was doing this for him—and why she sat so close to him—but he didn’t dare interrupt her. She’d realize what she was doing soon enough, he was certain of it.

  “So Clarissa, why did you have a hard time leaving the palace this morning?”

  “Well, as you can probably guess,” she said without looking at him as she prepared his scone with butter and honey, “my father wanted to know why I’d even consider riding in weather like this.” She peeked at him, flashing him an endearing smile before returning her attention to the food. “So I made up a story about one of my friends who’s just given birth. I told Father that Annalise was under the weather and needed help with the baby while her husband was at work.”

  He laughed. “And the king believed you?”

  When Clarissa looked at him again, a teasing grin settled on her face. “But of course,” she bumped her arm against his. “You know I could always convince my father of anything.”

  “I’m happy to see that hasn’t changed...or I would have been half-starved.”

  “Indeed.” She handed him the scone.

  “What about the guards?” he asked before taking a bite.

  “Naturally, they wanted to escort me, so I convinced my father that I only needed one of them. Once I got to Annalise’s house, I told the guard to return to get me around noon.”

  Happiness blossomed in Ryder’s chest, but he didn’t want to get overly excited...not yet, anyway.

  “So you will stay and visit with me for a couple hours before going back?”

  She nodded. “If that’s all right with you.”

  He wanted to shout with excitement, but he wouldn’t. Not until after she left, anyway. “There isn’t anything I would like more.”

  “Oh, really?” She arched an eyebrow. “Not even food?”

  “I could go a whole day without eating, but to deprive me a whole day without looking into your lovely blue-green eyes and seeing your enchanting smile would be nothing short of torture.”

  She seemed to study him as she stared at his face, and he wondered if she would believe him. He prayed the spell she was under wasn’t that strong. At least not now. He needed her to believe and trust him again.

  Slowly, she smiled. A twinkle lit her eyes, and his heart melted. It took all of his willpower not to gather her against him in a personal embrace.

  “Oh, Ryder. You are such a charmer. You’ve always been so.”

  “Only to you, my dear.” He took another bite of his scone and nearly moaned as the flavors filled his mouth.

  “So tell me, how did your day go yesterday once you arrived home?”

  Her smile was replaced with a frown and her eyes conveyed the confusion she felt. “Not as well as I’d have liked, unfortunately.”

  “Why?” he muttered between chews.

  “I took your advice and did some serious thinking.” Sighing heavily, she leaned against the wall. “And thinking only made my head hurt. Even my dinner with Ormond didn’t go as planned.”

  Worry was the cause of Ryder’s ragged heartbeat this time. She had dinner with Ormond? And yet, she was still feeling confused, and that was encouraging. Perhaps the prince hadn’t given her flowers last night. “Tell me what happened.”

  As he listened, hope grew. He couldn’t help but feel elated, even though he shouldn’t. She’d crushed his hopes before. What if she did it again?

  As she talked, he continued to see the confusion she felt. She rubbed her forehead a few times, and her eyes filled with moisture. But she didn’t cry. Instead, she blinked until the tears were gone.

  It broke his heart to see her like this, but maybe...just maybe this was enough to convince her of the prince’s trickery, and the spell on the flowers.

  Hesitantly, Ryder lifted his hand and cupped her face. Thankfully, she didn’t jump away. “Have you stopped to consider your heart is trying to tell you something?”

  There was silence for a few seconds, and he knew she was pondering his question, which was what he’d hoped for. Using the pad of his thumb, he stroked underneath her eyes, removing a tear that had leaked through.

  “What do you think my heart is trying to tell me?” she whispered.

  “That perhaps you were too hasty in wanting to marry the prince?” There. He’d said what was on his mind. Apprehension hammered through his heart, and he hoped she wouldn’t get offended by his honesty. “Think about it, Clarissa. I want you to tell me how you felt that morning before you met him. Can you recall that time?” He certainly could. He hadn’t stopped thinking about it.

  The color of her eyes changed slightly, appearing greener, and the worried lines on her face softened. She cuddled her face against the palm of his hand. “Yes, I remember. I had a very enjoyable morning at the hospital, and an even better afternoon while riding with you.”

  “Do you remember telling me you didn’t think you were ready for marriage?”

  “Yes.” Her smile faded. “My parents thought I should have found a man to marry while I was visiting my cousin, and when I returned home without a husband, they were devastated.”

  “Exactly.” He
winked. “But then you met Prince Ormond that evening. Do you recall the thoughts you had right before meeting him?”

  She nodded. “I couldn’t wait for dinner to be over so I could talk to my father about...you.”

  He wanted to laugh with happiness, but he remained serious. He needed her to say what he’d been waiting for—that she knew something was amiss, and that she realized the truth at last. “What did you think of the prince?”

  Chuckling, she pulled away, but only far enough so his hand could drop. She lowered her gaze to the basket beside her as she traced her finger along the edge. “When I first saw him, I thought him to be too shy, and extremely awkward. I didn’t think he was eye-catching, either.”

  Ryder recalled that all of the king’s guards thought this when they saw Ormond.

  “But after he’d given me the flowers...” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I saw him differently.”

  He waited a few moments for her to realize what she’d said. Because the spell was still lingering, he was certain the importance of her words would take time to sink in.

  Soon, her brow creased and the frown deepened. When she met Ryder’s gaze again, her eyes widened.

  “Didn’t you mention something about the flowers being cursed?”

  It took all of his willpower not to shout with joy. He nodded. “I did right after you had chained me to the wall.”

  She leaned toward him and touched his hand. “What were you talking about? All I remember about that night was being very vexed with you and not wanting to hear what you had to say.”

  Adrenaline beat inside him harder than it had done when she had first locked the chains on his wrists and ankles. She seemed as if she would be more receptive now, and he felt he could tell her everything. Now he prayed she realized that he was right about Prince Ormond.

  FOURTEEN

  Clarissa rubbed her forehead, wishing the slight pounding would disappear. She’d been feeling this way a lot lately, and it was only when she was in deep thought about Ryder. However, this time, she just couldn’t ignore the promptings to examine this matter further.