Love Schemes

by Stacy Charasidis

  “He left?’ she asked, hurt. Her father never left her when she fainted. This wedding had changed him.

  Belle shrugged. “Said he had something to do.”

  Finally she went to see Cook, who shook her head. “They’ve gone riding, sweetheart. They left mid-afternoon and said they’d be back tomorrow.”

  “They? They who?”

  “The whole posse of old farts–all four of them are gone.”

  “You mean to say they just up and left when the wedding is the day after tomorrow?” Seraphina asked incredulously.

  “Yep, that’s what I’m saying.”

  “Argh!” she yelled, looking around.

  Cook’s eyes went wide. “Don’t touch my pots! Go outside and rip up weeds if you’re angry!”

  Brody strolled in at that moment. “Hey Daisy, have you seen my dad? I’ve been looking everywhere for him. Need to talk to him about an important matter.” He smiled winningly at her.

  “They’re GONE!” Seraphina screeched angrily, flexing her fingers and looking for something to throw. Cook was guarding her clean cookware with her body.

  Brody sighed and shook his head. “I knew it. I lost my lucky coin this afternoon and this is what happens. Nothing is going right for me today.”

  “Brody, forget your lucky coin! We have a serious problem! We may not see our fathers until the bloody wedding! Tell me you ran your errand today!”

  “Yeah, it’s all done,” he said, but he didn’t look happy about it. He didn’t want to hurt his father.

  Cook was looking at them suspiciously.

  Seraphina sighed. “Don’t worry, Daisy, I won’t touch your pots. You can go to bed.”

  “You’d better not,” she warned as she shuffled out to her rooms for the night.

  “Ah, this really sucks,” Brody said, punching his hands together. “I didn’t want it to be this way.”

  Seraphina was furious. “Well, too bad for them. They’ll rue the day they tried to make us get married. Grrr, kings! I hate them!”

  “We have tomorrow, after that, we ride.”

  “Yes, we ride,” Seraphina agreed.

  Chapter 41 – Faith and Seraphina

  Later, Seraphina stopped by Faith’s rooms.

  “Go away,” Faith said, curled up in her bed. She didn’t want to talk to anyone.

  “You weren’t at dinner so I brought you something to eat,” Seraphina said softly, knocking again. “Can I please come in?”

  Faith gave in. It just wasn’t in her nature to stay mad. “Sure, the door’s open.”

  Seraphina peeked in, a full tray in her hands. She walked in, closed the door behind her, and put the tray on the bed. It was covered with a linen napkin. When Seraphina pulled the napkin off with a flourish, Faith smiled faintly. Cheese, bread, and a whole lot of dessert, even chocolates. They must have come from Seraphina’s secret stash.

  She sat down on the bed and took Faith’s hands in hers. “Okay, tell me everything, and don’t leave anything out. I’m sorry about today. The image of your sad face came after I stopped feeling sorry for myself. My father has disappeared, the wedding is still on, I’m in love with a man I used to hate, who is not my betrothed, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Once I got over it, I realized what a crappy cousin I’ve been.”

  Faith sniffed, trying to keep the tears at bay. “Then there’s me. I WANT to get married, but the man I want to marry doesn’t think he’s good enough for me. He refuses to consider it. He even tried courting another girl!”

  “No!”

  “Yes! A fat peasant! I dragged him here so he wouldn’t do anything stupid, but sometimes I think he’s dumber than Brody.”

  “Wow, that’s harsh.”

  “It’s true!”

  “And?” Seraphina prompted.

  “Well, I slapped his face today and kicked him out of my life for good. Let him marry that parson’s cow.”

  Seraphina smiled as she studied her cousin. “So, you feeling better now?”

  Faith smiled sheepishly. “Yes, but she’s still a cow.”

  Seraphina laughed out loud. “It’s okay to get your feelings out. Let Zuric stew for the night.”

  “I tried to make him jealous with Doran, but it didn’t really work.”

  Ah, Seraphina thought to herself. Doran, always the gentleman. Her heart beat faster at the thought of him.

  “He’s a great guy, Seraphina. At least he’s not stupid like Zuric.”

  “Have a chocolate,” she said, handing one to Faith.

  They talked about Brody’s and Ava’s plans to run away. “We’re going too if our fathers don’t see reason,” Seraphina said smoothly.

  “Aren’t you scared? This is all you know.”

  “Nope, not as long as Doran is with me.”

  Faith straightened, a look of excitement on her face. “You guys can stay with me!” she said excitedly. “The fortress could use some youth, and I’m so lonely with dum dum Zuric looking to court a local farm animal.”

  Seraphina jumped up. “That is absolutely brilliant, Faith! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. You’re a GENIUS,” she said happily, doing a dance around the room.

  Cheer restored, Faith jumped up and danced with her. She wouldn’t be alone anymore.

  Chapter 42 – The Day before the Wedding

  Before anyone but servants were up, Doran left the castle and headed for Gold River Village. Timing was everything as the wedding loomed the very next day. His plan had to go perfectly.

  He hadn’t been able to spend the night with Seraphina. They found out after dinner that Zuric was missing. A full-scale hunt had been organized. He’d only had a minute to kiss Seraphina goodnight before starting the search in the woods. He’d noticed Zuric had been moody and silent the last few days, but he’d been so caught up with his romance of Seraphina that he’d neglected to check up on his friend. Faith had been pale and silent as well. Now with Zuric missing, he dreaded telling Faith when he saw her later. At the same time, she may have some idea what happened to him. Lover’s spat? Considering Zuric’s code of honour, he didn’t think the guy would just take off, but sometimes a woman pushed you to crazy town and you moved there whether you wanted to or not.

  When he got to the smith, the man was pumping the bellows and stoking the fire. The rhythmic way the man moved was mesmerizing. The forge smelled of burning wood and steel, but Doran found it a comforting place to be. Of course, when the heat of summer hit full force later in the day the place wouldn’t be so pleasant. For now though, it was nice.

  “Ah, Doran. I have your ring.” The smith was big, burly, and bald. His hands were black from the forge, his arms already streaked with sweat. His fingers looked like sausages, thick and long, and when Doran gasped at the delicate beauty of the ring the man had created, he wondered at the mastery it took to make something so fine and beautiful with such big hands. He had reshaped the ruby into a heart, and molded the gold from Doran’s childhood ring into a ring with two delicate intertwined hearts, placing the ruby at the centre. Doran was amazed. He didn’t know what to say.

  The smith grunted. “Do you like it, man?”

  Doran looked at him. “I’m speechless. It’s absolutely perfect. Such talent in those hands of yours, like magic.”

  The smith laughed with a wide smile full of teeth. “There’s a bit ‘o magic everywhere, Doran.”

  “The heart-shaped ruby is absolutely perfect. How did you do it so fast?”

  “Magic,” the smith laughed.

  Doran stayed and had coffee while he chatted with the smith over his extraordinary work. “Even your coffee’s good,” Doran said with appreciation.

  “Ah, well, that’s the wife’s magic,” he admitted.

  After paying the smith, Doran headed back to the castle.

  It was pandemonium, again. He only made it to the courtyard before he was accosted.

  “Dooor-aaan!” Daisy yelled. It had to be serious if she had left her domain in the middle of bre
akfast preparation.

  “I’m listening!”

  “Weevils in the flour!”

  George, the stable master, walked up to him as Daisy hyperventilated. “Two cows are missing,” he said calmly.

  Ava walked by. “Seraphina’s looking for you.”

  Brody came by on his horse. “No luck finding Zuric. I’m going to eat and head out again. There’s a guard complement out right now.”

  “Great, thanks Brody. I’ll ride out with you after breakfast.” Drat, where was that man?

  “Dogs, in my kitchen!” Daisy was still yelling.

  Belle came by, carrying a pitcher of water. “Doran, Seraphina’s looking for you.”

  “Yes, I heard. Is that for her? Did she faint?”

  “No, why would you think that?”

  Because it’s the day before her wedding to a man she doesn’t love, so instead of going through with it, tomorrow they would be running away together, incurring the wrath of kings. “No reason.”

  “Tampering with my wine caskets!” Daisy had finished her list of grievances. Had she said something about weevils? “I’ll take care of it, Daisy.”

  She left, grumbling.

  Faith walked up to Doran. “Any news?” she asked worriedly.

  “No, do you know what might have happened?” he asked gently.

  “I slapped his dumb face and sent him away,” Faith said despondently. “It’s my fault. All this worry for nothing. I’m sure he left of his own accord. I was absolutely horrible to him.”

  “But he left all his things. I don’t think he had any intention of leaving. Something has happened,” Doran said decisively. “We’ll keep looking. Hopefully he’s sleeping it off under a tree…”

  Faith nodded. “Thanks Doran. By the way, Seraphina’s looking for you. It’s important.”

  Right, better find the fiery redhead before she loses her temper. Patience was not a virtue with the princess. Besides, he wanted a long, steamy kiss. He had plans for tonight and he wanted her in a very romantic mood.

  The day passed in a flurry of activity. After kissing Seraphina and hearing her news about Faith’s offer, Doran’s day got better and better. He chased the dogs out of the kitchen, sent for fresh flour from the miller, and checked the wine caskets in the cellar.

  “They look fine to me,” he said to Cook, but she looked mutinous.

  “Someone’s tampered with them, Doran.”

  “Fine, leave it. I’ll get you new casks for tomorrow.” Even though you probably won’t need it, he thought to himself.

  That evening Ava heard through the grapevine that the kings had returned to the castle with Zuric in tow. They were not to be disturbed and guards were placed outside their chambers to discourage visitors, particularly “whiny” royal children.

  Doran didn’t care. They had their plans. He headed to Seraphina’s room. When he arrived he knocked softly, looking around to make sure he wasn’t being observed. The hallway was as silent as a tomb. He gave a small prayer of thanks. He was desperate to be alone with Seraphina. It was amazing how madly in love he was, considering how much he’d hated her when he’d first met her. Fate was a funny mistress.

  Seraphina opened her door and pulled him in. Before the door had closed she’d wrapped her warm curvy body around his. Her nightgown was so thin he could see every part of her body through the filmy fabric. The room was filled with moonlight. Her rooms had a huge balcony and the doors were open with the cool night breeze flowing in, causing the curtains to float and dance.

  Her mouth was hot. He held her tightly for a few minutes, savouring the taste of her as they kissed before running his hand down the side of her body. He cupped her breast and found it firm, the nipple stiff. His body went into overdrive as he continued his exploration to her lower back and over the swell of her bottom. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him passionately, rubbing her body against his.

  He broke the kiss and laughed with delight. “My beauty,” he said, kissing her neck and pulling the fabric of her gown aside to kiss one of her bouncy breasts.

  “I want you Doran,” she said softly, pulling him toward the bed, her hand slipping into the front of his pants. He groaned as she took hold of him, exactly as he’d shown her yesterday.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered, kissing him and undoing his pants with her other hand. He stepped out of them as they headed to the bed.

  He picked her up and she squealed in surprise and delight. He sat her on the side of her bed and knelt down. He took her hands and looked up at her. He was about to ask this beautiful girl the most important question he’ll ever ask in his life, and he had no pants on, and his shirt barely covered his butt.

  Such was life.

  “Seraphina,” he said her name like a caress.

  “Yes, my love? No more stalling,” she said, giving him a kiss and trying to tug him to her.

  “No stalling, but that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  She looked at him curiously, curling her fingers with his.

  Damn, the ring was in his pants. He reached behind him to pull them toward him. He took out the little gold box.

  It glinted in the moonlight.

  Seraphina had gone very still.

  Doran looked up at her. “I love you, Seraphina. I love you more than anyone I’ve ever met. I see you and I see my life stretching out before me…a happy, sexy life filled with love and children.”

  Seraphina’s eyes had filled with tears and she was breathing heavily. One fell, trailing down the paleness of her cheek.

  He really hoped that was a good sign.

  He opened the ring box, turning it in the moonlight. The ruby looked dark but the shape of the hearts was unmistakable.

  “Will you marry me, Seraphina? I promise to be true and love you for the rest of my life…even if it’s short because your father is going to kill me. We belong together, you and I. You know it.”

  “From the moment we met?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

  “Uh, no,” he said, ducking as she swatted a hand at him. “But now I love you more than life itself, and I want you to be my wife. I know you love me too. I can feel it when you look at me, touch me, and especially when you kiss me. Will you share a life with me?”

  Seraphina fell to her knees beside him, crying silently and wrapped her arms around his neck. He gathered her close, enjoying the feel of her warm body against his.

  “Well?” he prompted her after a minute.

  The smile she gave him was radiant with happiness. “Yes, Doran Silversmith. I would be honoured to be your wife.”

  He took her finger and slid the ring on. It fit perfectly.

  “It’s two hearts, see, and—”

  “I get it,” she said, cutting him off with her mouth.

  Later, Doran couldn’t explain what happened except to describe a dam bursting. All his desire and passion for Seraphina exploded. He pulled Seraphina up, ripped off her gown and tossed her on to the bed. She laughed, putting her arms out in welcome as he tore off his shirt and jumped on top of her. He kissed her fiercely, possessively, his tongue tangling with hers. They rolled around on the bed, pressing their bodies together, then she was underneath him, her legs spread wide and he was inside her, and it was heaven. They both moaned at finally being joined. He thrust deeply and rhythmically, building to a crescendo. Seraphina moved her hips with his, meeting every one of his thrusts before she screamed with pleasure. He groaned with his own release. Then he lay on top of her and they kissed softly and lovingly.

  He didn’t let her go.

  Chapter 43 – The Wedding Day

  Doran left Seraphina in the early hours of the morning. He’d woken her up because he’d had to untangle himself from her sleeping form. She’d slept like a rock, her fingers curled possessively over her new ring. He’d kissed her goodbye and gotten dressed quietly. Despite the fact that he hadn’t gotten much sleep, he wasn’t tired. Nervous energy pulsed through him. T
oday was the big day. If he didn’t find King before the ceremony and try to get him to see reason about the marriage, then things were going to get pretty embarrassing when no one showed up to the wedding. He knew the horses and provisions were ready, and Faith had written them a letter of introduction to give to her steward when they arrived at her castle. She would follow them home as soon as it was possible.

  When he got to his rooms, Murdock was waiting outside his door. He approached curiously. “Murdock? Is everything okay? It’s very early to be up.”

  Murdock scowled his usual smile. “I need to speak to you, Doran.”

  Great, Doran thought. He knows. With a sigh, Doran turned to unlock his door. “Fine, come in Murdock, but it’s not going to change anything.”

  “Oh, I think it will,” Murdock said ominously.

  Doran saw a dark shadow appear out of nowhere before they knocked him out and he fell, unconscious, to the floor.

  Trevan picked Doran up like a sack of potatoes. “I spoke to the torturer. He’d going to unlock the dungeon’s torture chamber for us.”

  Murdock rubbed his hands together gleefully as they headed to the dungeons. Trevan was glowing with excitement. Murdock had spent a lot of time with Trevan in the last few days as they mapped out the rest of their plan. Trevan couldn’t wait to get his hands on Doran. Murdock wouldn’t stay for the actual torture session. He had other people to kill. Anyway, from what Trevan had planned, he didn’t think he could watch. After all, he had a very sensitive stomach.

  They got to the chamber. The door was unlocked as promised so they went in. Trevan dumped Doran unceremoniously on the ground.

  The torturer arrived shortly afterwards.

  “I see you found your way in.”

  “You’re the torturer?” Murdock asked disbelievingly.

  George, the stable master, frowned. “What? It pays to have more than one skill these days. I moonlight as the town’s executioner. You got a problem with that?”

  “I guess not,” Murdock said, backing up a little.

  “We don’t need him,” Trevan said from the other side of the room. “We just needed the room. I can take care of the rest,” he said, grabbing Doran roughly.”