“With so many guests today, it shouldn’t be too difficult to avoid him,” she suggested.
I thought about that. It would be a very large affair. Perhaps, if I was careful, I could avoid Jeshua for the most part. “Well, I can certainly try. Maybe I’ll attach myself to some other royal for the day.” I snuck my toes out from under my nightdress and pushed them toward the fire. I wished I could simply sit here with Gretchen for the day, but we both knew there was a schedule to keep. I forced myself to sit at my vanity and allow Gretchen to work her magic.
It would be a day of celebration in all the cities of Dalthia. Most would have a simple celebration in the evening, but here in the capital the celebrations took up the entire day. There were four different events: first, a breakfast with my family, then a picnic for lunch to which everyone was invited, and I do mean everyone—royals, nobles and commoners. Then for dinner, a large banquet would be held for nobility and visiting royalty. The evening would end with one of the most extravagant balls anyone was likely to experience.
I dressed more plainly for breakfast than usual, with my hair braided loosely and hanging over one shoulder. One of our traditions was to make the family breakfast a very relaxed affair. We had it in a private dining room with no servants present and no interruptions allowed. The table was set beforehand with all the food and drink we might require, then we were left to serve ourselves. I suspected this would be my favorite part of the day. My interactions with my family of late had been very limited, so it felt good to be reminded that when we were left to ourselves we tended to get along—and even have fun.
Before we served ourselves, we turned to my father expectantly, knowing what was coming.
Father stood, glass in hand, and we all reached for our own glasses. “Today, our dear Ariella is sixteen years old,” he started into his usual birthday speech. “There will be much celebration today, and there will be many people who will wish you the best. So let me be the first: may you find in this new phase of life a purpose that brings you joy and satisfaction.”
“And a husband!” Marilee called out, bouncing a bit in her seat.
I rolled my eyes but my father responded seriously. “While marriage is certainly something to be considered, there is no need to be hasty.”
I raised my glass. “Agreed, Father.”
He smiled and we all raised our glasses. “To Ariella’s contentment,” he said.
“To Ariella’s matrimony!” Marilee chimed in.
“To anyone’s matrimony but my own,” I said over the laughter that followed, in an attempt to ward off any further talk of marriage. I would let my older sisters concern themselves with matrimony. At this moment, I wanted no part of it.
“To Ariella.” My mother’s voice concluded the matter and each of my sisters repeated, “To Ariella.” We all drank and then broke into buzzing conversation as we served our own plates.
I was grinning and found myself wishing this dynamic with my family were the norm instead of the exception. We took ourselves far too seriously.
My good mood lasted throughout breakfast, but was quickly squelched as I crossed the grand hall, still laughing with my sisters, and found Jeshua waiting there for us. Both my laughter and my feet stopped of their own accord. It had been almost a year since I had seen Jeshua. He was now twenty-one and everyone agreed he would soon be looking for a bride in earnest. I just prayed that all my instincts were wrong and that he wouldn’t look to me.
“Prince Jeshua!” my father boomed in greeting. “We didn’t expect you here so early. Are your parents here?” He reached out to shake Jeshua’s hand.
“No, I decided to ride ahead. I was quite disappointed when I arrived and was told you could not be disturbed.” He sounded as though being barred from seeing anyone he wished to see was unthinkable.
“Quite right,” my father confirmed. “It is tradition to have a very private family breakfast on birthday mornings.”
I tried to shrink back behind Kalina and Jensa. I did not want his attention at this moment—or ever, for that matter. I ended up next to Marilee and she tugged me closer so she could whisper in my ear, “Perhaps we won’t have to look far for a husband for you,” and then settle into a fit of giggles. I started to shush her, but found it unnecessary as my three older sisters stepped forward to greet His Highness.
I escaped shortly afterwards to prepare for the picnic.
I shut the door to my chamber and leaned against it, sighing. Gretchen regarded me quizzically and I answered her unspoken question. “Jeshua is already here.”
She smiled and shrugged a bit. “Might as well enjoy his admiring looks.”
“That’s the thing. He doesn’t give me admiring looks. He…leers at me. It makes my skin crawl.” I turned my back to her so she could help me out of my casual morning dress. Though the picnic was outside, it was not a casual affair. With so many nobles and quite a few royals in attendance, we had to be at our best. I sat and talked with Gretchen for the better part of an hour before I was expected to make my appearance.
She redid my hair in a loose chignon just before it was time for me to go. I turned to her, trying to draw courage from her friendship. “You’ll come down soon, won’t you?”
“Yes, Highness, I’ll only be a few minutes behind you. Don’t worry, I’ll be there even if you don’t see me.”
“I’d better see you. You may be one of the only sympathetic faces I encounter.” I wondered if I might see Gavin at the picnic as well, and the thought made my stomach quiver.
Gretchen put her hands on my shoulders and took a deep breath, encouraging me to do the same. “Now, do try to have a good time, Highness.” She tried to give me a stern look, but it was lost in her teasing eyes. “It is your birthday, after all.”
I groaned. “It really is ridiculous that I dread my own birthday above all other days. Although,” I realized, “breakfast really was a very nice affair. I actually got along with my sisters.”
“Well, see then?” Gretchen exclaimed, grabbing onto this bit of good fortune. “If that’s not a birthday miracle, I don’t know what is. Now, go down and wait for the rest of your miracles. They’re bound to come.”
I closed my room, ready to head down the hallway with a smile until Jeshua pushed himself away from the wall beside my door.
I sucked in a horrified breath and tried not to frown too deeply as he bowed. I curtsied and tried to take control of the situation. “Prince Jeshua, are you lost?”
He gave me an arrogant smile while his eyes raked over every inch of my person. “No, I believe I’ve found what I was looking for.”
“Oh. Well, good day then.” I dropped a very quick and dismissive curtsy and turned away from him.
He caught up easily. “I thought I might escort you out to the picnic.”
My lips pressed together, not knowing what to say. He hadn’t asked permission; he just assumed he could. I hated that about him.
I refused to take his arm, but it made little difference. He ended up putting his hand to the small of my back as we moved through the palace and insisted on helping me into one of the carriages that waited, ready to transport us from the palace to the picnic spot on the side of the hill. We rode with my two youngest sisters, Marilee and Lylin, who effectively squelched all conversation by giggling and talking to each other behind their hands almost the entire way. Marilee was spoilt and silly but she had so much joy and so many smiles that it was easy to overlook her silliness. Lylin was much more shy but tended to come out of her shell when prompted by Marilee’s over-exuberance.
We reached the hill and my sisters hurried off before I could prevent it, leaving me once more with Jeshua, whose hand went immediately to the small of my back as he walked along, too close for my liking. I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling this possessive contact gave me. Walking along in the sun, my feet quickened in anticipation. Perhaps I might be able to enjoy this outing—if only I could get rid of Jeshua. Making our way up the side of the hill
, we encountered more people and I was obliged to stop and greet those who came up to me, wishing me well. Thankfully, this forced Jeshua to step back.
I enjoyed the chance to interact with others, but also wished I could greet the commoners. They kept a respectful distance and only the children were bold enough to approach. I received many hugs around my waist from little girls in pinafores, and many shy handshakes from boys who blushed from head to toe when I bent to kiss their cheek. I wished there were some way to get to know them better.
Through it all, Jeshua stayed close at hand, resting his hand on my arm or back at any opportunity. When we had almost reached the top, I spotted one of my sisters.
“Kalina!” I called, hurrying over to her and out of Jeshua’s grasp. I grabbed onto her outstretched hands as though they were a lifeline. Out of all my sisters, I felt closest to Kalina, perhaps because she was just older than me.
“So, the guest of honor has arrived. And you’re even on time.” She sounded surprised.
“Of course I am. What possible reason could I have to be late?”
Her eyes cut over to Jeshua for a split second. “I could think of some.”
I was sure she would like nothing more than to have a gentleman be as attentive to her as Jeshua was to me, but her insinuation made my jaw clench. “I have no designs where Jeshua is concerned,” I murmured.
She laughed. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Ella.”
“But, I’m really not—”
“I’ll go let Father know you’re here.” She moved to extract her hands from mine, but I held on tighter.
“No,” I insisted. She may not believe me, but I wouldn’t let her leave me alone with him. “I want you to stay with me and it’s my birthday, so you must give me what I want.”
It was the sort of thing I would never say, but which everyone expected. While I cringed inside that I had resorted to being the spoiled princess, Kalina just smiled and entwined her arm with mine. We set off together, though she cast more than a few longing glances back at Jeshua as I continued my greetings and we eventually sat down with our family.
I sat down under the awning that had been erected for my family, drawing close to my sisters. Our conversation turned lighthearted, but any laughter was shushed by my father. We were in view of the entire Kingdom, and he wanted us to act with dignity.
I enjoyed watching the vast amount of people spread across the hill. I caught sight of Gretchen about halfway through the meal and entertained myself by watching her interact with those around her. I kept hoping to see Gavin’s face in the crowd, but couldn’t find him.
Convincing Marilee to walk about with me was easy enough, and she chattered amiably while I only half listened, searching the crowd for Gavin. When I did see him, his eyes were already on me, a smile threatening to spread across his face, though he kept it barely concealed. His eyes were teasing as he inclined his head in greeting then pulled his shoulders back and gestured toward his clothing. I held my lips in check, though I could feel my entire face smiling. His usual earth tones were gone, as was the dirt. His shirt was a deep blue, a color I had never seen on him before, though the sleeves were still rolled up out of his way. His trousers were cream colored, completely useless where his profession was concerned, but the effect was stunning.
I smiled despite my best efforts, then looked with curiosity to the people surrounding him. A girl sat nestled into his side, both arms wrapped around his upper arm as she rested her head of dark ringlets on his shoulder—this must be nine-year-old Kinley. A middle-aged couple sat behind him. The man had Gavin’s dark hair with gray starting to run through it. The woman had plump cheeks and was keeping a sharp eye on the boy, who I guessed was Fynn. His gangly body hung just on the edge of falling into maturity. He was staring at Gavin, his face screwed up in concentration as he turned my way to see what had caught Gavin’s attention. I turned my face away.
“Ariella?” Marilee’s voice broke my concentration and I turned to her.
“Yes?”
“I asked you why we’ve stopped.” She looked in Gavin’s direction. “And what were you staring at?”
“Nothing.” I pulled her along, but couldn’t help one more glance in his direction. He was still staring at me, and I couldn’t help the blush that heated my cheeks.
I wanted to sit down with my family, but saw that Jeshua was there, in earnest conversation with my father, so we continued to wander until it was time to leave.
Walking down the hill, I decided to take a precautionary measure as I drew level with my father. “Will you be starting the ball with me, Father?”
Surprise lit his face. “You can start it with whomever you wish, Ariella.”
“Well, I wish to start it with you. Is that all right?”
He gave a ready smile. “I would be honored, my dear.” He bowed his head as though humbled by the idea. I slipped my arm into the crook of his elbow, and we shared a carriage for the ride back.
Once inside the palace, I excused myself and raced up to my room to avoid being waylaid by Jeshua. I breathed a sigh of relief as I shut the door behind me.
I went to sit by the fire, smiling as I thought of my brief glimpse of Gavin, then frowning as I anticipated the ball and the inevitability of Jeshua asking for a dance. As I sorted through every possible way to avoid him, Gretchen came tumbling into the room, dropping a quick curtsy with a “Princess.”
“Gretchen.” I smiled at her ruffled appearance.
“I declare, that man follows you about like a stalking predator.”
I was gratified that at least one other person had noticed. “He’s much worse today than he usually is,” I admitted, though I didn’t tell her how worried that made me or how I had been expecting it.
“At first, I couldn’t figure why you wouldn’t want the attention of so handsome a man, but the way he looks at you, it’s as if…” she struggled for a moment to find the words, “as if he owns you.”
My brows furrowed of their own accord. It was precisely what I had been thinking. “Why can you see that but no one else can?”
She perched on the chair next to mine. “I was on the lookout for it. I might not have seen it if you hadn’t mentioned your worries this morning.”
“I suppose people see what they want to see. Everyone loves the idea of a fairy tale wedding. For some reason, people suppose that princes and princesses have more romantic lives than other people. And perhaps that’s true in some regards. Maybe our lives are more romantic, but that doesn’t mean there is any more romance in our lives.”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” Gretchen sounded confused and I laughed at myself. I had been thinking aloud and didn’t really know if what I had said made sense even to me. But something about it was true…
After lounging around with Gretchen for a few minutes, we got to work transforming me into the guest of honor for the dinner and ball. I was actually excited to step into my dress. This was the first time I had refused all the suggestions of the dressmakers and had a gown made that was entirely my choice. It was cream colored with scrolling embroidery trailing down the center of my skirt and fanning out to cover the bottom edge.
Gretchen pulled my hair up, but I had her leave several curls out to drape over one shoulder. It was not in keeping with today’s trends, but I did not much care.
My time ran out and I left the haven of my room. I had the foresight to stop at Lylin’s room so we could walk down together and kept up a steady stream of animated conversation with her, pretending not to notice Jeshua as he lingered at the end of the corridor. Seating at dinner wasn’t a difficulty, since the royal family sat at the high table. Thus I enjoyed dinner without looking over my shoulder every minute. There were several toasts in my honor—some sincere, many that were flowery nonsense, and all of which embarrassed me.
When dinner wound down I was almost relaxed as I drifted away from the table with Kalina and Marilee. Our conversation paused for a moment and Prince Jeshua to
ok the opportunity to pounce.
He took me by surprise, and I was unable to keep my sisters from leaving as he seized my hand and forced it into the crook of his elbow.
“Ariella, I do believe you get more beautiful each time I see you.”
I swallowed in distaste, wishing he would stop his infernal habit of touching me whenever he was close enough. “Thank you,” I forced myself to respond.
“So beautiful, in fact, that I’m afraid I will have to impose and demand I be allowed the first dance with the guest of honor.”
My nostrils flared in fury, but otherwise I managed to keep my face calm.
“I’ve already asked my father to share the first dance with me, Prince Jeshua.”
“I’m sure your father would let me escort you onto the dance floor in his stead,” he suggested magnanimously before pressing his lips to my hand.
I pulled my hand away. “I’m starting the ball with my father.”
I turned my back on him, determined to find my father before Jeshua could try to bend me to his will. Fortunately, he was already striding toward me, his face lit with anticipation. My father and I had become quite close; in fact, I rather adored him—especially at this moment. He looked every bit the part of the noble king, dressed in all his finery, stepping forward to grasp my hands with so much poise and confidence that no one could doubt his authority.
“Ariella, dear.” He kissed my hand and tucked it around his arm. “I wanted to escort you down myself so I can see your reaction.”
“My reaction to what?” I wondered.
“Your reaction to the location of your birthday ball.”
Now I was confused. Were we not having the ball in the ballroom? I allowed him to lead me through the castle, knowing that he wanted it to be a surprise. And it was a surprise when we ended up in the courtyard. Lit with torches and star light, it was a breathtaking sight.
“Whose idea was it to hold the ball here?” I asked as we made our way into the party.
Just Ella Page 6