by GG Shalton
“I will not force you to do anything tonight. But I do need everyone else to think we had a night to remember. You will lay beside me in my bed and sleep with me, but I promise that I will not touch you. In the morning, I want the servants to see us sleeping together. Keep this a secret. Do you understand?”
“I think so,” she replied, leery of his bargain and what it would mean for her. Would she owe him a debt?
He reached for her hand and walked her to the bed. The fur slipped down, and he made a slight audible moan within the back of his throat. “You are superb. And I must be mad to agree not to touch you.”
She quickly tried to cover herself and he looked away to not embarrass her. They walked to the bed and she slid beneath the covers, tensing when he crawled in beside her.
“Relax, I won’t touch you in that way.” He started laughing. “But I may pull you closer if I get cold in the middle of the night.”
She smiled, realizing he was jesting with her. “I am glad I can be useful.”
He turned to the side and propped up on his elbow. “Tell me what happened to your family.”
“You want to know about my family?” she asked incredulously.
“They must mean a lot to you for you to do this for them.”
“They do. Andre doesn’t allow me to speak about them. He says it bores him to hear about my childhood and angers him if they mean more to me than he does.”
“I am not Andre. I want to know more about you. Why did you sacrifice yourself and allow Andre to bargain for your virtue?”
Joslyn began speaking and having his attention built her trust in him to speak more—more about Merle, her parents, the parade, the trial, the burning of her stable, and of course, she even told him about Samuel.
Before she knew it, an hour had gone by and he had not grown bored with her talk.
“Andre is without honor. He will pay for not only the atrocities against my soldiers but for what he did to you.”
“Please, do not avenge me. It will only cause my family to be in danger. I must keep them safe. You have humiliated him, and he will blame me. His obsession with me is what keeps my family fed and alive. You can’t speak to me again after this day. He will not forgive me.”
He reached out a finger, moving the hair away from her face and touching her cheek gently. “I can’t imagine not seeing you again after this day. Let me protect you. Stay with me, Joslyn.”
She shook her head. “You really are mad!”
“A few days of rest from servicing the duke. Think about it.”
“Tempting, but I must decline.”
He yawned, fluffing his pillow. Leaning over to blow out the candle, they laid in darkness. “We will speak about it more in the morning.”
She bit back her retort and turned to her side. It was nice to sleep in a bed with a man that she did not fear.
Chapter 14
Joslyn startled awake. She forgot where she was for a minute not recognizing the furnishings and she looked over seeing the Duke of Norton sleeping beside her. She took a moment to study him, his mouth open as he breathed in deeply. Such a large man, sleeping like a baby. Focusing on his scar, she wondered where he got it, imagining he received it in a battle if the rumors of his skills were true. The Duke of Norton had a fierce reputation, but underneath the tough exterior, she saw a rare gentleness.
Scooting out of the bed, she quietly dressed, hoping to escape his prying eyes. The fire was lit, which meant the servants had been there and left. She had fulfilled her part of the bargain. Andre would be brimming with anger, and she wished to find him as soon as she could to appease his anger.
She found Sara sleeping on her bed, still in her uniform and her hair out of pins. “Sara?” she shook her, Sara’s eyes popping open in alarm.
Jumping out of bed, she grabbed her arm. “Joslyn! Thank God you are back. I was so worried.”
“They forced me to go with him.”
“I know. The whole palace was talking about it. The duke was taken to the vault after fighting with the guards and throwing expensive vases to the ground.”
Joslyn covered her face, the tears starting to fall. “It wasn’t my fault, Sara. The king treated me like a slave, giving me to his guest for the night.”
“Oh, Josie! I can’t believe royalty acts like savages. The way they talk about the lower class is ridiculous considering our morals are higher than theirs.”
Joslyn wiped her nose on her sleeve. “When will they let Andre out?”
Sara shrugged, sitting closer to rub her back. “I heard not until tomorrow. Although he is in one of the royal vaults, if you can imagine such a place. A luxurious prison is what I was told. The king thinks he needs a few days to cool off.”
She worried her lip. “He will blame me. I will be punished.”
“Is there anything I can do? I am afraid to talk to you about the Duke of Norton.”
“It was not bad,” she replied honestly.
Sara’s hand stopped rubbing her back. “What?”
“I don’t want to talk about it more than that. Please don’t push me. Just know, he was not cruel to me.”
Sara stared at her surprised. “There was a time you would have told me anything. This world has changed you.”
“I don’t know the girl I used to be anymore.”
Joslyn asked a maid to have a tray delivered to her room. The last thing she wanted was to face a room full of people who witnessed her being bartered the night before. After an hour, she realized that no maid was coming and took it upon herself to find her way to the kitchens. With Andre safely stowed away, she would be safe trying to venture out on her own.
She soon realized the palace was a lot larger than she originally thought. After so many hallways and twists and turns, she was afraid she would not be able to find her way back to her chamber. After walking along corridors after corridor, she finally saw a few maids cleaning the hallway.
“Excuse me, could you let me know where the kitchens are located?”
One of the servants spoke up. “They are up the stairs at the end of the hall and then through the brown door over the bridge and down the stairs again.”
“Thank you.”
Both women curtsied and then left. She turned on her heel and headed down the corridor. As she went around the corner, she heard a familiar voice and stopped, hoping to tiptoe backward and not be noticed, but his eyes immediately found hers.
“Joslyn?” The Duke of Norton looked right at her as a smile formed across his face.
“Good afternoon, Your Grace.” She acknowledged him, smiling at his cousin the King of Burra, and a pretty woman on his arm.
The king smiled politely. “You look lovely today, Miss Rhodes.” The king held out the hand of the woman standing beside him. “This is my wife, Queen Krislyn. My darling, this is Miss Joslyn Rhodes. A friend of Maxwell’s.”
Joslyn curtsied. “I am honored to meet you, Your Majesty.”
She nodded a greeting. “You must walk with us, Miss Rhodes. We are going to visit the gardens.”
Their kindness melted her heart, but she couldn’t allow the queen to be seen with her. The poor woman probably had no idea she had no status. “A gracious offer, Your Majesty, but I must decline. I am going to the kitchen to order my meals for the day.”
The Duke of Norton offered his arm to her and said, “Nonsense. The kitchen will not run out of food. You can dine with me later. I find the great hall a bit stuffy in the palace. Perhaps we will go into the city of Locket to eat.”
The queen smiled, rubbing her hands together in delight. “That is a great idea. I need to do some shopping as well.”
The king joked, “I think I feel the coffers getting lighter already.” The queen playfully smacked him as they walked ahead of Joslyn and the duke.
Joslyn wrung her hands worriedl
y, whispering, “Your Grace, I really should not go walking in the garden. I think it’s best I keep clear of the king.”
“Today, I am not Your Grace or the Duke of Norton. Please call me Maxwell. If your king wishes to please me, he will not interfere. Now come, we have the entire day together. Do not fret. I heard Andre is otherwise engaged in the vault for today.” A cocky smile came across his handsome face, his features showed his years of battle—hardened and without fear—but at that moment, his face was lit up with a bit of mischief.
Joslyn’s heart fell into her stomach. The queen and king had stopped walking and turned back toward them. “Are you coming?” The king raised his brow awaiting their answer.
Knowing that the powerful King of Burra was waiting for an answer caused her to momentarily lose her voice. She couldn’t help but look around the corridors for any witnesses to the duke’s hold on her arm. She tried to reassure herself that Andre was safely behind locked doors in the vault, but the thoughts of his guards finding her with the Duke of Norton caused her to panic.
Finding the strength, she pulled her arm away. “Your Grace, pardon my regrets, but I really must return to my room.”
Queen Krislyn walked back toward them with her husband following. Her gaze held a mix of concern and reassurance. “Miss Rhodes, please feel free to return to your quarters if that is what you wish. We only hoped for a few hours of entertainment. I have longed for another female’s company after being stuck with these two brutes and their shenanigans.”
That did it. How could she refuse the queen? Her kindness was unlike people of her station and she purposely overlooked Joslyn’s lot in life and accepted her company. “Of course, Your Majesty. I look forward to spending a few hours with you.”
Queen Krislyn held out her arm as Joslyn accepted it and the men walked behind them. The gardens were spectacular, and she longed to run through them. The queen was all smiles watching Joslyn’s reaction as they walked through mazes of greenery. This was a different garden from where Andre had taken her earlier.
“I have never seen anything quite like it,” Joslyn squealed with excitement. Her appreciation caused the others to grin.
Queen Krislyn tugged on her arm. “They are beautiful. We have gardens that overlook the ocean in our palace. Hearing the waves is the best peace I can find.”
Joslyn took in a deep breath, looking up at the sky. “My dream is to see the ocean one day. I have heard soldiers from my village speak about blue waters farther than the eye can see. But I have never seen it for myself. I draw pictures of what I think it would look like. My father used to tell us one day, he would have one of the visitors from his blacksmith shop bring sand from the shores and let us feel it. But we never got the chance.”
The queen smiled, asking, “Where is your father now?”
The duke stepped closer to her in support as Joslyn looked down, afraid to speak. Feeling more comfortable with the queen because of her kindness, she wanted to answer her question. “I hope he is well and at home with my mother and sisters. It upsets Andre, I mean the Royal Duke, if I speak of them. He assures me that they are being taking care of, and I hold on to that hope, even though I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Have you been with Andre long?” The queen slowed their walk when they came across a row of fruit trees.
An awkward pause in the conversation caused the group to stop. “A few months, Your Majesty.” Joslyn didn’t look at them and spoke with her head lowered, visibly struggling with speaking about her relationship with the Royal Duke.
With a look from the king, the queen stopped her inquiries.
The king cleared his throat. “Let’s sit for a spell. I want to challenge Maxwell.”
Joslyn sat in the grass, watching the king remove his cloak for the queen to sit beside him. The duke laughed. “I have no cloak, my dear, but I will sit beside you.”
She felt her face warm at the use of his endearment. “I am fine, Your Grace.”
“Maxwell.”
Smiling she whispered, “Maxwell.”
The queen clapped her hands together. “What is the challenge?”
Breaking the silence, a small bird fell from a nest onto the ground near Joslyn’s foot. Trying to fly away, she noticed the tiny animal struggling to fly higher as it scraped along the ground. Queen Krislyn wrinkled her nose trying to jump away from the bird.
Joslyn bent down oblivious to any danger and gently took the bird into the palm of her hand. Petting its head, she watched it squirm and chirp frightened of the group. Looking up into the trees, she studied the branches and turning toward her companions she whispered, “I see the nest not too far up over the broken limb. I will see if I can place the bird back into it.”
Wide-eyed, the queen said, “You’re going to climb the tree? Are you mad?”
The Duke of Norton laughed deeply, bowing and holding out his hand. “Oh, fair maiden, allow me.”
Joslyn looked at him with a bit of reservation in her eyes. “Be gentle.”
He winked. “I am always gentle with delicate creatures.” He narrowed his eyes as she put the bird softly into his hands. “Before I risk my life, I must ask what reward you would give a man for returning your beloved bird to the safety of its nest?”
The king and queen smiled wickedly seemingly understanding where Maxwell was going with his question. Joslyn dragged her eyes away from the bird and rested them on the duke’s smug face. “Pardon?”
He raised his brows suppressing a grin enjoying her discomfort of his suggestive words. “A reward. It means you give me something for your appreciation.”
She slanted her head suspiciously. “What kind of reward would you want?”
“Hmm… I don’t really need any gold. But there is something I would like from you.”
She glared at him, rolling her eyes sarcastically. “I can only imagine.”
He laughed at her reaction. “Nothing too harsh. If I risk my neck and possible death to return the bird to its nest, then you must spend the day with me.”
She raised a brow skeptically. “Death?”
“I could fall and land on my head. Besides you might even enjoy yourself too.”
She lost her smile, replacing it with a worried expression. “I am not sure that I can.”
He looked up at the trees, sighing before turning to her one more time. “But I want to take you outside of the palace gates into the city of Locket. I will not wear my uniform and we can dress as the citizens. Though you will not be able to disguise your beauty.”
“I am not allowed in Locket.”
“Easily rectified. I will take care of all the details.”
She rubbed her lips together pondering his invitation. “Very well. If you will return the bird, I will spend the day with you.”
He nodded triumphantly as he took his arm and pulled himself up while cradling the bird. Joslyn could not help but notice his muscles bulging as he wrapped his leg around the limb. He steadied his legs and climbed higher only using one arm. Impressed by his physical abilities, she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Although he had a bad reputation of being a fierce fighter, she found him gentle and a bit humorous with the way he liked to tease her.
Reaching the nest, he placed the bird into its home and wiped his hand on his tunic. Climbing down, he jumped as he got closer to the ground, landing right beside her. “My rescue efforts have been completed, my sweet lady. Your day belongs to me.”
She took his arm and looked up seeing the king and queen smiling as they began to walk through the gardens ahead of them. The stillness of the air gave Joslyn hope that no guards would catch her with the royalty from Burra. After a few moments of the queen speaking about different flowers, the king turned around challenging the duke.
“The first one to run up the hill and across the stream, grab a flower, and come back to gi
ve it to the ladies, wins.”
The duke smiled mockingly. “Do you need a head start, old man?”
“Ha! I am only one year your senior!”
The queen giggled. “They are still children at heart. We have four children and they are less competitive than these two!”
Joslyn watched their bantering and enjoyed the easiness of the mood. Maxwell whispered to her, “I could use your cheers.” Joslyn could not hide her smile, and she felt elated at the chance to watch them.
The queen held up her scarf as the men stood beside her and she yelled for them to go. The men were off running wildly and climbing the hill. Both athletic, they were neck and neck until they reached the hill.
Maxwell pulled ahead, and the king jumped on his back to try and slow him down. He spun around holding the king until his leg slipped from his hold and they both landed on the ground rolling halfway back down the hill. Unphased, they took off back up the hill and Joslyn followed the queen after them, so they could see them run through the stream. A few rocks allowed them easy passage until they reached a tree of leaves. Picking the flowers, they both ran back down the hill. Maxwell was winning until the king stuck out his leg and tripped him, so he could pull ahead and win the race. The queen ran and jumped into his arms laughing.
“My hero.” She buried her face into his neck as he swung her around. He handed her the flower and she brought it to her nose.
Joslyn tried to hide her laugh, covering her mouth with her hands. Watching Maxwell’s approach, she couldn’t help giggling at the look on his face. He glared at his cousin with feigned contempt. “You cheated, Your Majesty.”
The king laughed, holding on to the queen. “All is fair in love and war, my loyal subject.”
Maxwell looked at Joslyn and bowed, placing the crumbled flower in her hand. He cocked his brow. “What are you laughing at?” Playfully pretending to be mad, he reached for her and tickled her, before wrapping her up in his arms. She pushed him back, and he allowed her to break away from his grip. Looking over at the king, he rubbed his chin. “You have ruined my pride, Your Grace. How will Miss Rhodes feel protected now?”