by Sarah Olson
“Does that scare you?” he asked, caressing my cheek.
“It should,” I said. “But it doesn’t, and that’s what scares me.”
“Then perhaps that means we are meant to be together, don’t you think?”
I stared into his brown eyes, unable to answer. It suddenly felt like my fate was being sealed.
He took the silence as a chance to lean in and kiss me. His lips were warm and he made it hard to breath.
“Come on,” Richard said when he pulled away. He took my hand and led me from the room.
I knew marrying a prince should have been nerve-wracking, since it meant a whole lot more of responsibility I probably did not know existed, but I felt ready. I knew if it were Richard by my side, I would be wonderful at it.
Chapter 11
THE TOUR OF the palace astounded me. Richard led me down hallway after hallway, pointing out the tapestries and sculptures that lined the walls, and telling me the history behind them. He led me to each room and showed me the ornately sculpted furniture covered in beautiful embroidered fabric. I was in awe.
“And these are my chambers,” Richard said, pushing open a dark wooden door.
We entered a large sitting room with a settee and chaise lounge in the center, and a handcrafted davenport desk in front of one of two large windows, next to a bookcase packed to its max with books. A cold fireplace sat between the two windows, with a painting of the royal family hanging over it. A handsome carpet stretched across the clean wooden floors.
“This is where I meet my guests and a quiet place for me when I need some time alone,” he said.
“It’s wonderful.”
“And here is my bedroom,” Richard continued, taking my hand and leading me to a door on the far wall.
My eyes widened as he opened the door. There was a round bed, unlike anything I had ever seen, in the center of the room. Sheer dark blue curtains hung around it, and there were white and blue pillows arranged neatly in the center.
“It’s round!” I exclaimed.
Richard laughed. “I know. The first time I went to Malan with my father, the room I stayed in had one just like it. Apparently that’s the style in Malan and I had to have one just like it in my chambers.”
“It’s so different though,” I said, passing my hand over the white silk sheets.
“Different is what defines Malan.”
I took in the rest of the room and gazed out the windows that overlooked the wall to a large stone fort in the distance. “Is that where your father’s army is?”
“Yes, far enough it doesn’t interfere with the palace’s grandeur, but close enough for his men to be here if there was ever a time of need. You want to know
a secret?” he whispered in my ear as he pushed the hair from my neck.
“What?” I whispered back, feeling goose bumps rise at his touch.
“While enemies would be overwhelmed with the soldiers coming from the fort to protect the king, more would be headed through underground tunnels to attack the intruders—tunnels that also provide a perfect escape route for the royal family.”
I turned and looked into his brown eyes. “Underground tunnels? Can you show them to me?”
“Only if you don’t tell anyone,” he said playfully.
“I promise I won’t!” I exclaimed excitedly.
“Very well then.”
He led me from his chambers, down the long flight of stairs, through another hallway and into the high-ceilinged library that had been an earlier part of the tour.
He walked to the back of it and we slipped through a door into a room with a desk, fireplace and three more shelves with books and ornaments. He turned the sculpture of a horse on the third shelf from the door and it shook as if it had been roughly detached from the wall. Richard grabbed the side of the shelf and told me to step back. He kicked back the carpet, revealing scratches all over the wooden floor, and yanked the shelf back with all his strength. With a terrible grating sound, it swung open and revealed a staircase that led down into darkness. A musty smell accompanied by a wave of cold air hit me in the face as I gawked into the hidden doorway.
“Don’t look so surprised, all castles have secret passageways,” Richard said, smiling. He reached in and pulled a torch from the wall to light in the fireplace. “The fire is always kept burning in case there is an emergency,” he continued as he lit it. “Come.”
Richard gave me his arm and led me down the narrow staircase. Our steps echoed through the passageway as we descended.
“This will take you all the way to the fort?” I asked, shivering.
“Yes, it’s roughly half a mile and then you hit two doorways. The one on the right leads to the dungeons, and the one on the left to another passageway that will take you into the center of the fort.”
“This is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it, most girls wouldn’t dare to come down here unless they had to. You told me once you liked exploring so I figured this is a place you’d like to see.”
I laughed. “You were right.”
A moment of silence passed as we walked through the flickering orange light that lit our path, the dirt floor muffling the sounds of our steps. The tunnel had been dug out and reinforced with large stones.
“Layla,” Richard said, shattering the stillness. “My father asked me if I was serious about you—if I really was considering asking you to be my bride.” He stopped as if waiting for me to say something.
“And what did you say?” I asked, nervously.
“I told him I was, but that the choice was ultimately up to you.”
Do not be nervous. This is what you want.
I turned and looked into his eyes flickering in the torchlight. “I want this. If you want me the way I want you, I am yours.”
Richard placed the torch on one of the sconces on the wall and pulled me close to him. “I want you,” he whispered and then kissed me so deeply I thought I was going to drown.
My feelings of anxiety were gone, and the only thing my spinning mind could comprehend was if I ever lost Richard, I would lose everything.
He pulled away and put his hand on my cheek. “I love you, Layla.”
My heart fluttered at his words. “I love you too,” I whispered.
Chapter 12
WHEN I RETURNED home from the palace, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. The king and queen had accepted me, and for that I was beyond ecstatic. I told Betsy and Robert all about it and they seemed genuinely happy for me.
Since Richard was going to have to accompany his father in the coming week to Malan, he asked Robert if he could take me on a picnic. When Robert said yes, I nearly fell out of my chair in excitement.
Robert lent Richard his old wagon and together we rolled out into the forest. The cool air brushed my cheeks as we made our way deeper into the leafless trees.
We stopped in a quiet meadow that was about a twenty-minute ride from my home. The dead leaves crunched underfoot as Richard set out a blanket with a basket. I sat down next to him as he pulled out bread, ham, fruits and delicious looking pastries.
“Is this just for the two of us?” I laughed.
“What’s a picnic without a lot of food?” he asked playfully as he filled two silver wine goblets he had packed in the basket. He handed me one. “To us.”
I took a sip, trying to ignore the bitterness.
“Thank you,” I said. “This is wonderful.”
Richard pushed a strand of hair from my face. “You are most welcome.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.
I closed my eyes, savoring the warmth his touch brought me.
“Shall we eat?” he asked when he pulled away.
I nodded. “I’m starving.”
The food was delicious. The ham was still juicy and the bread was soft. The fruit was sweet and the pastries were to die for. Somehow we managed to eat most of it.
“More wine?” Richard asked.
“Yes, please.”
He poured the wine into my goblet and I took a sip to help wash down the last of my meal. I could feel the liquid fogging my mind.
Richard watched me intently. “Layla,” he said after a moment, “there is something I need to ask you.”
I looked at him expectantly, while my heart somersaulted in my chest.
“Could you really be happy with me? Happy by my side for the rest of your life?”
Was this the moment I had been hoping for all this time? I nodded. “I do not think I could ever be happier.”
“I hoped you would say that,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his trousers. He pulled out a small box and moved so he was kneeling in front of me.
“What are you doing?” I laughed trying to cover my quivering voice. But I knew what he was about to say.
“Layla, I love you. And I know we have only known each other for a short time but if you would do me the honor, I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?” He opened the box and held out the most dazzling diamond ring I had ever seen.
I covered my mouth as tears of joy sprang in my eyes.
“Is that a yes?” Richard asked nervously.
“Yes! Yes! I will marry you,” I gasped.
Richard flashed me one of those handsome smiles of his and slid the ring onto my finger. “Good,” he said as he pulled me into a long and passionate kiss that sent my head into a spin.
I kissed him back hungrily as I discovered a part of myself I had never known. He laid me down on the blanket as his lips crept down my neck to my collarbone. I did not want him to stop, even though I knew I should.
“Richard,” I gasped.
“It’s all right,” he whispered against my collarbone. His hand began to pull up the skirt of my dress and I suddenly understood exactly what he wanted.
“Richard,” I said again, “we shouldn’t.” Fear laced itself through my mind, but an unfamiliar desire began to burn within me.
“We are going to be married,” he said, his voice just a whisper against the cool breeze. “No one will see. We are alone.”
It was the only reassurance I needed. I let my emotions take over, and then there was no going back.
The stillness of the forest surrounded us as we lay beneath the trees. Soreness throbbed in my lower body. Shame dumped a heavy load on me as my thoughts drifted to what we had done. It was as if I could almost hear Betsy’s voice telling me this intimacy was for marriage. I swatted a tear from my cheek and sat up ignoring the pain.
“Are you all right?” Richard asked, sitting up as well. He wrapped an arm around me.
“We should not have done that,” I said quietly, the voice of reason screaming in my head.
“Layla, it’s fine,” Richard said. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. We are going to marry.”
“But we should have waited.”
“What does it matter? You will only have ever been with me. If you had wanted me to stop you could have told me.”
He was right, I could have. But he was also right that I would only ever be intimate with him.
I nodded.
“Look at me,” Richard said, kneeling in front of me. “I love you.” He pulled the sleeve of my dress back up to my shoulder. “And you love me. You have given yourself to me, and I to you. All we need now is to get married and we will be together forever.”
“But how soon will that be?” I asked.
“My father will make the announcement in one month.”
“Richard—”
“You know how he is about tradition—royal engagements are always announced at the beginning of the new year. The time will pass by quickly, I promise.”
I took a breath and nodded.
“Smile, my love. What you gave to me today has made me beyond happy. I cannot wait to marry you. Did you not enjoy it?”
“I did,” I said. “I just do not want to do that again until our marriage is official.”
Richard smiled. “Whatever you wish, my love.” He kissed me, more gently than before. “Let’s put everything away and head back. I wouldn’t want your uncle out searching for us.”
I shook the image of him stumbling upon us in the forest so disheveled. “Let’s go.”
Richard wrapped the wine goblets carefully as I put the leftover food away. When we packed the basket I went to reach for the blanket and gasped. A few droplets of blood stained the fabric where I had been laying. “Richard.”
He glanced down and saw it. “It’s a good thing the blanket does not belong to your aunt.” He folded it quickly and jammed it into the basket.
“That would not have ended well,” I said with a chuckle to hide my discomfort.
Richard helped me onto to the wagon and we set out for my home.
I held my hand up so I could admire the diamond. “You really think I will be a good princess?”
“Of course!” Richard exclaimed. “With me by your side, you will be the very best.”
I blushed and snuggled into his shoulder. “Thank you for this. It was terribly romantic.”
“That is something I would most definitely have to agree on.”
We rode in silence up to the cabin where I slid the ring into a pocket on my dress.
“Do I look decent?” I asked, making sure my dress was not clinging to me in an odd fashion.
Richard tucked a stray hair behind my ear and smiled. “Yes.”
“I cannot tell them about the engagement yet,” I said. “We must keep it between us for now—except for your parents, of course.”
The door to the cabin opened and Robert stepped out. “You both stayed out there for quite some time,” he said.
“I apologize, Mr. Fallon,” Richard said, sending me a slight nod. “I had not realized the time had flown by so quickly.”
It was nearly dusk now.
“I do hope you enjoyed yourselves.”
“We did,” I said with a smile.
“Good,” Robert said.
We stood in an uncomfortable silence when Richard clapped his hands together and said, “I’m afraid I must be off. Thank you for allowing me to take Layla out, Mr. Fallon.”
“When will you come by again?” I asked.
“When I get back from Malan,” Richard said. “Probably a few weeks.”
“Of course,” I said, feigning a smile. I wished he would stay, especially after today. “Come back as soon as you can.”
Richard took my hands in his. “I will as soon as I can.” He kissed my lips gently and then headed off to get his horse. He strapped the basket securely to the saddle and then turned back to me. “I will write to you.”
I gave him my best smile, and then watched him ride away.
Chapter 13
T
HE NEXT MORNING I woke to the sound of men’s voices. I pulled a robe around me and crept to the door just as it opened. Robert stood in the doorway, his face serious.
“What’s wrong?” I asked fearfully. Had he found out about Richard and me? “Who’s here?”
“The town’s physician,” he replied grimly. “Your aunt is very sick.”
“What?” I exclaimed. I ran down the hall and into their room.
Betsy lay there on the bed sheets—face shiny with sweat and her graying hair spread out around her on the pillow.
“Layla,” she whispered, reaching out her hand.
I took it and sat down beside her.
The physician was stirring powder into a glass of water. “Drink this,” he said to her. He helped her raise her head and had her gulp down the concoction. “That should help stop the coughing for now but you need to consider what I said.”
“Consider what?” I asked.
“The doctor here—” Betsy began, and then fell into a fit of coughing. She grabbed a handkerchief and covered her mouth.
“I told her she needs to leave Maplewood Forest and move to the flatlands in the Harvest Plains down south for the winter. The climate there would be better for her health, but she doesn’t want to g
o.”
“We will talk to her, Doctor,” Robert said from behind me.
“Very well,” the physician said. “That is all I can do for now. If she worsens, send for me.” He patted Robert on the shoulder and left.
Robert followed him down the stairs.
“Why don’t you just do what he says,” I asked Betsy.
“I don’t want to leave the forest,” she replied in a raspy voice. “And I will get better without the warm weather. Don’t worry about me.”
“I’m going to worry.”
“Look,” she said, weakly sitting up, “we all get sick sometimes, and what do we do when we get sick?”
“We listen to the town’s physician,” I said.
“We rest. I’ll be fine without going down south.”
I shook my head. “You are too stubborn, my dear aunt.”
She smiled and patted my hand. “Now I want to hear all about your picnic.”
I knew it was a struggle for her to smile about it, but I appreciated her effort.
“It was enjoyable,” I said, making sure all traces on my face of discomfort were unreadable.
“Good.”
“Sweetheart,” Robert said from the doorway, “we really need to talk about this.”
“I’m not going to the Harvest Plains!”
“He said you would need to go before the sickness worsens. I will not be surprised if we get snow by the end of this week. And when we get snowed in, it will be very difficult to get you down there.”
“Robert, I’m fine,” she said, pulling the sheets off her to stand.
“Aunt Betsy, no!” I said, trying to keep her in bed.
“Leave me be,” she said, pulling away. “I need to prepare breakfast.”
Fighting her was useless because, despite our efforts, she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen. Weeks continued on like this with Betsy telling us to leave her alone as she made every meal, cleaned the house, and did everything in her daily schedule. The only difference was Robert would not let her go to town for work, so work came to her. She would sit in her room or by the fire with all her sewing tools as she worked on gowns and other clothing. Once they were completed, I would take them to town so the buyers could pick them up.