I balked. “Your permission? Am I a child who must seek permission to live my own life? I may not be the perfect little lady trained in propriety but I am not a child. I am not a prize to be given or taken, and I am not a fool.”
“I do not believe you are,” Nick replied.
“I left my tower to be free,” I said, stomping my foot. “And that is what I am. I will make my own decisions. I will.”
Nick nodded his head, his shoulders slumping. “As you should.”
As I headed down the hallway, moving toward Kiki, other voices started echoing through the corridor. Kiki stood near the entrance, watching a parade of sweaty, boisterous men come through the door.
“What is this?” I asked, staring at the large group of men.
“Practice,” Kiki answered, a smile on her face.
The men walked past us toward the dining hall and Kiki smiled at them. I did the same, following her lead, and felt several men’s gazes roam over me, making me blush and look away.
“Do you always watch them?” I asked, stepping closer to Kiki as the men grinned and waved at her.
“Of course,” she replied. “I do not get to practice with them while there are guests in the castle, so instead I have to live vicariously…” She scanned the crowd. “Why David, did you grace this lot with your presence today?” she called to one of the men.
The man spun, smiling at her. “Just showing these noblemen how things get done.” He winked, and she laughed.
Two men peeled away from the group, coming straight for me and Kiki. Nick joined us, standing by my side, though he did not utter a word. I should have been fine with his silence. Grateful, even. Instead, I felt a strange pain in my gut and found myself wishing he would say something. Anything.
When he did not, I amused myself by mimicking Kiki’s posturing, smiling at the two men who did approach us. Both were jovial, though sweaty and covered in black and brown muck. The smell of them wafted toward me and I stepped back, not wanting to get whatever they were covered in on my new gown. They looked us up and down, one with a grin on his face, the other with a raised eyebrow.
“Hello there, Kiki, and what trouble are you getting into today?” the one with chocolate brown hair asked, holding out his hand. Kiki placed her hand in his, and he leaned down and kissed it.
“Evidently not as much as you. What did you do, wallow in the manure?”
They both let out deep, rumbly laughter and closed in on us. I took another step back, afraid something would shake off.
“This whelp tripped me,” the first said, smacking his companion.
“Only because you flung me into a tree.”
This made the men laugh, Nick joining in.
Kiki glanced at me with an exaggerated sigh. “Ahh, men.”
I wrinkled my nose. “If all men smell so, I am rather glad I spent so little time around them.”
This seemed to amuse them even more, for all three burst into laughter again. I turned to Kiki wondering what I had said, but she was laughing as well.
“Perhaps there are benefits to being locked in a tower,” Nick said.
“Yes,” I replied, smiling my brightest smile. “At least there I can do as I please.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, instead glancing at the two men.
“So, is this lug going to make introductions?” the one with the brown hair asked.
For a moment, I wondered if Nick would, but his manners returned. “My lady, may I present Earl Penn von Eisenburg and Count Bryan von Thalunburg. The other two Charming Nobles. They claim to be my best friends.”
“No one else would put up with you,” the earl–Penn–said, making the men laugh.
Both men bowed to me and I paused, unsure how to proceed. I had not expected men–even such grubby men–to bow to me.
“Pleased to see you up and around, my lady,” Penn said.
“Pleasure,” the count–Bryan–said, his face stiff.
“And this,” Nick said, gesturing to me, “is Lady Katherina von Stroebel.”
I leaned down to curtsey, but Nick stopped me. “You are higher in rank than they. You do not curtsey to them.”
“I am sorry.” I bowed my head, the words coming out automatically.
Kiki patted my arm. “Do not be concerned. If they paid attention to the rules of decorum, we would never have any fun around here.”
The men found this quite amusing, apparently, because Penn burst out in more peels of laughter, while the others smirked. I could not keep myself from immediately warming to the two men. I studied them for a moment, trying to remember them from the tower, but the memory was elusive–I could only recall a vague sensation of floating.
“I have spent a good portion of my life attempting to understand why Nick here has a higher rank than I do, because he is certainly not nearly as handsome as I am,” Penn said, winking at me. He was quite attractive and had a lovely smile, and I realized I was blushing.
“Appearance has nothing to do with rank,” I replied, trying to sound the lady of rank I knew I was. Ironic, considering my life only a few days ago. I had been merely a peasant. Now I suddenly was catapulted into a world where I had very little concept of the rules. Even when I tried to act like I did, I managed to make mistakes.
I wondered if I would ever learn to live outside my tower.
Unaware of how deeply the words hit me, Penn continued. “No, it does not,” he said. “If so, I would be king, and these two peasants.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, and his smile was so charming I could not help returning it.
Bryan rolled his eyes at Penn.
“It seems to me in your current state, you are more apt to be a stablehand than a king,” I said and, though I had not intended it as a joke, everyone roared with laughter.
Kiki wiped tears from her eyes. “I think you have been put down, Penn.”
“Oh, so wounded,” Penn said, hand over his heart.
“Enough,” Nick said, grinning at Penn. “You waste your time.”
Penn ran his gaze over me. “Yes, Nick, I think you have done very well. She is a fine prize indeed. I would not let her part from you for any reason.”
Bristling, I crossed my arms over my chest. “He has no say in the matter.” I turned and walked away, and with each step, my frustration grew.
Kiki came to my side. “Are you all right?” she asked, as we moved out of earshot of the men.
We stopped in the middle of the corridor and I let out a shuddering breath. “They act as if Nick owns me. As if I am his chattel.”
Kiki nodded. “I hate to tell you this, but there are many men in the world who assume that loving someone is the same as owning them. A particular habit I do not condone in the slightest.” She glanced at the cluster of men.
“I will not be owned again.”
“I agree wholeheartedly…” Her voice trailed off, and I wondered if the men had decided to follow us, so I turned to see.
Not all the men, but just Bryan, his hair matted and sticking up in odd directions, making him look like a prickly bush.
He reached Kiki’s side, blushed and looked down. “I wanted to apologize.”
I blinked. “For what?”
“Penn can be…bold. He meant no harm, my lady.” Bryan kept his head down, as if he could not bear to look at me. He leaned over, whispered something in Kiki’s ear then nodded at me and walked away.
I stared at Kiki. “What did he say?”
Kiki shrugged. “He feels bad and wants you to know not all nobles are asses like Penn.”
I gasped at her language.
She let out a sigh. “I forgot to govern myself again, did I?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“I never have done well with governance.”
Chapter 36
“You are an ass,” Kiki said.
Nick raised his eyebrow, staring at his little sister. She had barged into his study as though she owned the place and immediately dropped into the chair
across from him. He shook his head at her lack of decorum.
How he would ever find anyone to marry her, he did not know. Not that she was even remotely mature enough to marry, obviously. She was a little girl with a penchant for colorful language. He hoped someday she would grow out of it.
“And what, pray tell, did I do to deserve such a dressing down?”
“For one, Penn’s comment–how could you let that slide? And send Bryan to apologize? That was rather unfortunate, brother dear.” She did not bother sitting like a lady, instead she leaned forward, glaring at him, as if she were a boy.
Nick grimaced. He was not in the mood for a lecture. “For your information, Bryan did that of his own accord.” Nick would have apologized–Penn could be quite the dolt when his tongue roamed unchecked–but it seemed the last thing Tressey wanted was to be around him.
Nick could not say the same, however. He had wanted to go to her the moment he realized Penn’s words had hurt her, but he had stayed where he was.
Why, he was not sure.
Come to think of it, his sister might be on to something. Perhaps he was an ass.
“He should not have had to. You should have said something to Penn.” Kiki stood up and paced the room.
“Penn is the ass. Why are you yelling at me?”
She stopped, hands on her hips. “Because you are the fool who has your betrothed believing you think you own her.”
“In a way, I do.”
Kiki calmly crossed the room and slapped him.
“Girl!” he snarled at her, his hand against his cheek where she had struck him.
It was not the strike that hurt him as much as the judgment implicit in it. He knew he probably deserved this reprimand and hated himself for it. He was a nobleman, for goodness sakes. He knew better than to behave like this.
Why he was behaving like this, he did not know. What he did know was that Tressey was driving him to distraction. Partly because he had once been so bound and determined to avoid marriage and now that he had met her he could think of nothing he wanted more.
He wanted to wake up next to Tressey every day for the rest of his life, to see her smiling face. To memorize each curve and learn the language of her body. And yes, he wanted her to belong to him, but he would belong to her as well. He just did not understand why she suddenly did not seem to want the same thing.
If it was because of the dowry, well, he had been seven at the time. He knew nothing of the world, and accepted the terms as a child. As he grew older, he had never truly thought he would find Katherina, so had not considered the dowry important.
But evidently, it was very important.
To her.
Kiki put her hands on her hips, and stomped her foot, jarring him from his thoughts. “Challenge me, I dare you. The soldiers have taught me some interesting tricks.”
He jumped out of his seat, glaring down at his sister. “Why are you being such a brat?”
“Why are you acting like an ass? Rapunzel–”
“Katherina,” Nick corrected.
“It matters not. Your Tressey is a very sweet, very confused girl right now. And you are making her feel even more confused, not to mention rejected, because you are being an utter… ugh… an ass!”
“I am not the one who wanted to call off the betrothal! I am not the one who would not listen! I wanted to talk to her. I tried! She ran off any time I attempted to speak to her rationally!”
“She is hurting, you big goat. Her entire world has been turned upside down, and now she thinks you won her like a prize and she is obligated to marry you whether she wants to or not.”
“I would never force a woman to marry me!”
“Right now, Tressey feels forced! And it is your fault!” With that, Kiki spun and stormed out of the study, slamming the door behind her.
Nick ran his hands through his hair. Forcing anyone to marry him was so far out of his comprehension, he could not believe it. It was never what he wanted Tressey to think. Did he want the provinces to merge? Of course, it was a good move for both provinces.
But that was not why he wanted to marry her.
He wanted to marry her, because…
Because he loved her.
Chapter 37
Dinner could not have gone worse.
I did nothing right. I passed food the wrong way. I drank from the wrong glass. Ate with the wrong utensils. When I tried to make a joke about it, everyone stared at me like I had a fish up my nose.
I had Nick on one side and Bryan on the other, but neither said much to me. Bryan could not even seem to bring himself to look at me. Kiki sat on his other side and he said a few things to her, mostly jokes that made her laugh, but whenever I tried to say something, he merely stared at his plate and nodded.
Though I preferred that to Lady Eva and Lady Corline’s scathing comments all night. Every time I did something improper, one of them made a loud, mocking remark. By the time the main course was served I wanted to kick Nick for not saying anything. Failing that, a plate to Lady Eva’s head would surely make a nice, satisfying thump.
Why did no one say anything? They all seemed to be watching–even the Duke and Duchess von Hohburg watched out the corner of their eyes–and I felt as if it was yet another test I did not understand, yet another test I was destined to fail. I finally had enough.
Eva had left off discussing how terribly uneducated I was to pounce on the food not being up to her standards.
“Perhaps if you were not such a bitter tart, you would appreciate this fine meal.”
The room went deathly silent at my words.
“It probably tastes amazing to you, someone who never had a decent meal in her life,” Eva retorted.
“I appreciate everything that is given to me. Do you?” I fired back.
She raised an eyebrow. “Obviously not, because Lord Nicolas has been handed to you, yet you treat him like manure under your shoe.”
I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I had tried to be polite to Nick, but I still had not been able to shake my frustration.
Lady Eva smirked at my lack of words, a confident grin on her face, as though she had won.
Surprisingly, Penn, sitting next to Lady Eva, came to my rescue.
“You are the master at treating people as though they are beneath you, Lady Eva. Shall I remind everyone here that your family is the lowest ranking one at this table?”
Nick leaned forward, his eyes dangerously dark, and tossed his napkin on his plate. “I believe, Lady Eva, that you were warned once about your behavior. After this meal, you need to pack your bags. It is very much past time for you to leave.”
Lady Eva stood, tossing her napkin on the table. “Come, Lady Corline,” she said, and the two stormed from the room, though Lady Corline was less enthusiastic about going.
“Thank you, Nicolas,” Duchess von Hohburg said. Then she turned her attention to me. “Do not let that… what did you call her? A tart?” she smiled. “I think that is probably a good word. Do not let that tart make you feel bad, Lady Katherina.”
I smiled, blushing a bit. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
Kiki leaned over the table. “Nick? Can I make sure Old Boma is hooked up to her carriage?” Penn, Bryan and Nick burst out laughing. Even the Duke and Duchess von Hohburg laughed. The von Stroebels were as confused as I, though.
“You are not right, child,” Nick said.
“Who is Old Boma?” I asked Nick.
He turned and looked at me, the amusement still in his eyes, and in that flash, I knew my heart had won. Regardless of the circumstances, I loved him. Whether it was right or wrong, I loved him. And I wanted to be his betrothed, a part of his life. The warmth there, between him and his family, the happiness in all their eyes, I wanted that.
I craved it so much.
Nick, having no idea of my epiphany, answered my question. “Old Boma is an old, very tired horse. One that tends to do exactly what she wants, rather than what any driver wants.”
/> I shook my head. “I do not understand.”
Kiki finished for him. “Old Boma would probably take an extra four or five days to get them home, simply because the horse is so stubborn. Which is why we put her to pasture. She does not do anything she does not want to do.”
I looked at Eva’s empty seat. “I do not think she would appreciate that.”
Kiki smirked. “No, probably not.”
“Though I would love to see how she handled it,” Bryan added. “Spoiled little brat.”
Bryan was quite handsome now that he was clean–with his blond hair and shirtsleeves tight against the muscles of his strong arms. He and Penn looked very dashing.
I understood why women would be so interested in them both. Neither of them looked at all irritated at Eva’s departure.
“I take it you are not fond of Lady Eva?”
“No one is,” Bryan replied, not looking at me. He fiddled with his plate, pushing the food around.
Penn snorted. “Leave it to you to be blunt, Bryan.”
“Maybe she will find a husband soon,” Kiki said.
“Why would you wish that on anyone?” Bryan asked.
“Then she would not have to come back next year,” Kiki said as she stirred the food on her plate.
This got a laugh from the entire table. Dinner went much better with Lady Eva gone, and while the other visiting ladies were still not exactly friendly, Lady Eva’s expulsion from dinner made everyone else a bit nicer.
As we left the dining hall, Lady Eva stood near the door, waiting for the carriage to be brought around. Nick, Penn and Bryan were speaking to Duke von Hohburg, and Kiki had walked on with the other girls to a parlor down the hall.
I did not think anything about it, and started to follow.
I should have waited for an escort.
As I crossed the corridor, Eva approached and grabbed my arm. “Nick was going to marry me. He was going to reject his betrothal and marry me. I would be a duchess. Now you are here, a foolish little peasant girl who has no idea about anything, not even how to eat a formal meal. You think you can make a duke happy? You have no idea what goes into being a duchess, running a castle, or a province.” Her eyes were wide, almost crazed as she spoke.
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