I move to one, rubbing the petals between my fingers.
“Apparently the King decided to turn my room into a floral boutique,” he mutters, pouring a second cup for me. “In case you weren’t sure if he likes you.”
Holding the cup out to me, he gestures to the bathroom with his chin, “You should see the bathroom. There’s a basket of flower petals. So you can bathe in them.”
He annunciates the last sentence with clear annoyance.
Taking the coffee, I curl up onto the couch, “It is a bit overwhelming. When did they bring these in?”
“At about four this morning. Something tells me he didn’t get much sleep.”
I make a face, “Me either. I have no idea what he has planned for the day, so I have no clue what to wear.”
Liam snorts. “Just make sure it something you don’t mind being photographed in. Just in case.”
“Good point,” I say, sipping the dark nectar. “What are you going to do today?”
“I am going to go drop off your paperwork, then once the other lords have headed back to their own homes, I’ll settle back into my new room.”
“Where’s that?”
“Third floor. Aiden wants to move me into his wing. It’s normally reserved for the royal family, but seeing as it’s just him now…” He shrugs.
“What about me?”
“You,” he says pointedly, “will stay here until you find your own place. One of the perks of being a noble—you get your own house. It doesn’t have to be on your land, and it doesn’t have to be a huge estate, just something close to the capital and comfortable is fine. I’m sure Sarah will have some real estate options all ready for you. The income from your new lands will pay for the property, as well as provide your annual income. You’ll want to look into hiring an accountant to manage it all for you. It won’t make you rich, by any means, but it’s probably more than you made in the city. Though once you’re queen, it will all be moot anyway.”
“If I become queen,” I correct.
Rolling his eyes, he gestures around the room, “Yes, clearly the King isn’t crazy about you at all.”
“As my mother used to say, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
He narrows his eyes, “I’m pretty confident in my chickens, thank you.”
I grab a quick bite from the breakfast tray and dress in what I hope is a modest, yet pretty blue sundress, trading my usual kicks for a set of strappy sandals. Braiding my hair, I apply a minimal amount of makeup and head for the garage.
Aiden is already there, waiting for me. With no one around, he holds out one arm and I step into it, kissing him softly—but quickly—on the cheek.
“You look beautiful,” he offers, opening the back door of the black sedan idling to his right.
“Thank you, I wasn’t sure what your plan was today, so I hope its appropriate. Though if we’re climbing any mountains, I’ll need a change of shoes.”
Aiden is looking less like a monarch and more like I remember, casual in his light tan slacks and simple, short sleeve shirt. He’s even traded his fancy black dancing shoes for blue Nikes.
He grins, helping me into the seat before sliding in beside me. “No mountains—at least not today.”
In the front of the car two men sit, the driver who looks back at us in the mirror, and another larger man who keeps his back to us.
“Ah, this is my driver, Daniel, and my guard Kato you’ve met.”
“Hello,” I say.
Daniel inclines his head, and Kato looks back at us. His face is round but not chubby, his hair shaved close to his scalp. He nods, “Miss.”
“Please, call me Haven,” I insist. “So,” I turn back to Aiden who takes my hand in his. “Where are we going today?”
“I thought I’d take you to one of my favorite spots on the island. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but an easy walk.”
We drive for almost an hour, Aiden holding my hand the whole time. He points out things as we pass, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand as he talks. Eventually he settles back in his seat, his whole body turned toward me.
“So, how have you been?” he asks.
I have to think about it for a moment. “Up until yesterday, I’ve been kind of blah. Going through the motions. Liz got engaged, so that’s exciting. They’re talking about going up to the Berkshires and eloping. Other than that…” I trail off. “What about you? I mean, besides the obvious. What…what happened with your mom? I didn’t know she was so sick.”
“She had been ill for some time, but we thought she was recovering. It was quite sudden, the doctors say. An aneurism in the heart. There was nothing they could do.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say.
“As am I. My mother and I weren’t very close, I would have liked to rectify that before she passed. I’d have liked her to meet you. I think she’d have liked you.”
I raise one eyebrow, “Really?”
He smirks, “No, probably not. But that’s more a comment on her personality than yours. She didn’t like anyone.”
“Even Genevieve?”
He nods, “Especially Genevieve. My mother was House Neuygen before she married my father. Duke Lee’s cousin in fact. There is a bit of bad blood between them and House St. Lauraunt. It goes back several generations.”
“That’s interesting. What kind of bad blood?”
“My great grandfather was engaged to a lady of house Neuygen, madly in love, so the story goes, but before they could be married, she contracted Small Pox. Though she survived, it left her forever weakened. The council decided the illness disqualified her from selection and so he was forced to marry another. He chose a woman from house St. Lauraunt, but as his heart still belonged to another, he was unfaithful to his wife—quite publicly. It very nearly thrust the country into civil war, in fact.”
“That’s awful. For all of them,” I say.
“It is. Since then, the heirs to the throne have chosen their wives very carefully, not out of love, but based on who they believe would best serve the nation. It’s why the proposal to change the law won’t pass. For a ruler—love simply isn’t part of the equation.”
“And you’re alright with that?” I ask seriously.
Aiden frowns, “I was—or rather I’d accepted it—until I met you. I’d never dared dream it could be any other way.” He hesitates, lowering his voice before continuing, “Which is why when I came home, I confronted my mother. I told her I didn’t want to be king—not if it meant my life wouldn’t truly be my own. She told me I was selfish—that it was my duty to rule. Then, a few days later, she was gone.”
“You can’t possibly think that was your fault,” I say, squeezing his hand.
“I don’t know. I wonder.”
“No, hey, there’s nothing you could have done, and you had every right to be honest with her about how you felt. What happened was not your fault, and you can’t shoulder that responsibility.”
When his eyes fine mine again, his expression softens. “Of course, you are right. But no more dark thoughts today. You showed me the beauty of your city, now it’s my turn to show you mine.”
The car turns off the paved street and onto a narrow gravel road. The jungle around us grows dense until the only light is spots of golden rays streaming through the canopy. The car pulls to a stop, and Kato steps out of the car. He wanders around for a few minutes, finally returning to open my door.
“All clear, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you,” Aiden says, stepping out behind me.
Following a well-trod path we set off into the forest, Kato a few yards behind. Holding out a hand to help me over a boulder blocking our way, Aiden pulls me into his arms, stealing a kiss before we continue on. Finally, the narrow path opens, revealing a massive clearing.
Despite hearing rushing water, I see only flat stone. He leads me around the edge to an area carved out and another path, this time worn into the stone, leading into a tight crack.
Aiden squeezes through first, and I follow. Soon we are several feet below the forest, in a massive cavern. Light pours in from above, a hole that’s also spilling water into a churning pool. The waterfall is easily forty feet high, the stone around it covered in mossy greenery and hanging vines. From a low branch, a bright yellow bird sings.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, looking around. “It’s like being on another planet.”
“It’s called the Falls of Eden,” he says. “Legend has it that it’s part of the original garden itself.”
I chew at my bottom lip, “Can we get closer?” I ask.
He smiles, nodding. But Kato interjects. “Please, let me secure the area first.”
Aiden motions for the burly man in the black suit to go ahead and he skirts the edge of the rock ledge, disappearing behind the water before reappearing on the other side.
“All clear, Sir,” he says, making his way back to us.
I follow his path, my hands running along the sharp stone as we make our way to the water. Soon I can feel it on my face, cold and tingly. Ducking behind the falls, the stone expands into another massive cavern, the only light shimmering through the falling water. The stone is smooth inside, the ground fading into a thick carpet of moss. He steps to the ledge, holding his hand out into the water.
“It’s from a fresh water spring in the mountains. We divert some of it for water reserves, but most of it comes here, eventually flowing out to sea.”
“It’s breathtaking,” I say, watching the light reflect off his face.
“I want to show you everything,” he whispers. “Seeing it with you is like seeing it for the first time.”
“I want that too,” I offer, holding my hand out to him.
He takes it and I pull him away from the ledge and into my arms. His face is inches from mine, his body warm and damp from the mist.
“I want you, Aiden,” I whisper, kissing him softly. “Please.” I nibble at his bottom lip, then his chin, finally kissing the lump of his neck.
He moans, his hands running down my backside, then up my thighs, taking the hem of my dress with them until he’s cupping me from the back. He kisses his way down my neck, onto my shoulder, his hips rocking against me.
“Haven,” he says, his voice shaking. “I was afraid I’d never hold you again.”
“So was I,” I admit. “Now I’m here and everything is so crazy and complicated, but none of that matters. All that matters is that we’re together.”
“Are you sure?” he asks.
I take his hand. “You know what the best part of today is?”
He shakes his head.
“The best part about today is that there’s tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that.”
Grinning, he pulls me into his arms for a final kiss before we make our way from behind the water fall.
“You know, we’re never going to get to everything I have planned if we keep stopping to make out,” he teases.
“If you didn’t schedule some time for at least a little of that, then you didn’t plan well enough. That’s not my fault.”
“Yes, my shortsightedness, to be sure. I suppose I just underestimated your…” he hesitates, struggling for the word.
“Be careful,” I warn.
“Powers of persuasion,” he decides.
“Nice save.”
Hand in hand we walk back to the car. If Kato knows what went on in the cavern, he doesn’t let on, his face stern and all business. Along the path a cluster of crimson flowers blooms in tall bundles. Reaching down, Aiden picks one, showing it to me. “This is called Scarlet Paintbrush, it’s the only flower found nowhere else on earth. Ancient people used it to make dyes for fabrics or even for painting their faces for tribal ceremonies. It’s why the royal seal is red.”
“It’s lovely,” I admire, taking it between two fingers.
“It reminds me of you. It grows in soil that no flower should be able to grow in, needs almost no sunlight to sustain itself, and even fire can’t destroy the plant. No matter how many things try to stand against it, it remains, blooming in the most inhospitable of places. Tough, yet beautiful.”
Taking the flower back, he tucks it behind my ear.
“Lady Sully,” he says with a grin. “How lovely you are. How strong.”
“Did I tell you I decided to name my house after Liam?” I ask as we continue on.
“You didn’t. That’s a wonderful choice.”
I shrug, “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. I’d still be in the city, pining over you, never knowing where you went or what happened to you.”
“I owe him so much for bringing you back to me. Though, to be honest, I suspect that I’d have come to see you again. I don’t think I could have stopped myself. I considered it, going back after the coronation, maybe watching you from a far, just to be sure you were alright. Just to see you again.”
“You wouldn’t have said hello?”
He frowns, “I don’t know if I could have faced you, not if I’d gone ahead with engaging myself to someone else. It seems cruel to see you again under those circumstances.”
“Well if you had, we still would have ended up here, because there’s no way I would have let you do that to yourself. You deserve so much more than that, Aiden.”
He smirks, “I’m glad you think so. I’m honored that you would fight for me, even if I would not fight for myself. Especially after the way I…Hoven, I’m so sorry I lied to you. About who I was.”
“I understand why you did. I don’t like it, but I get it,” I say as Kato opens the door for us and I slide in.
Once Aiden is in and the doors are closed, I lean over to him. “Hey, these windows are tinted, right? No one can see inside?”
He raises one eyebrow, “Yes. Why do you ask?”
Sliding across my seat I curl into his side, my head on his shoulder. “I know we can’t be seen together—I mean like this. But I really just want to be close to you. Just for a little while. If that’s alright?”
Draping his arm over my shoulder he pulls me in even closer, holding me gently. “Always.”
Our next stop is just before lunch, at a small marina in a picturesque cove. We pad down the wooden dock and stop in front of a ruby red sail boat, the name Le Petit Rouge emblazoned on the side.
A man in a white and red uniform stands beside a short plank connecting the ship to the dock, and as we approach, he salutes. Returning the gesture, Aiden holds out a hand to help me across. The boat, while not huge, is much larger from on deck. Probably fifty feet long, with sails stretching into the sky for what feels like forever, it’s impressive.
“There’s a small cabin below, a kitchen area and a sleeping area and even a little bathroom,” Aiden explains. “But mostly this boat is built for speed. It’s the smallest we have, and the one we race in the annual Regatta. She doesn’t get out much besides that,” he says. “But she was my father’s favorite. Sailing was the one place where he could escape the pressures of the crown and just let himself relax. When I was young he’d bring me out every weekend he was in town.”
“So you have some really good memories on this boat,” I say, patting one of the sails.
He nods, “I do. And I’m excited to make a few new memories on it as well. With my own family.”
As if on cue, another car pulls up, this time with Liam, Tommy, and Sarah spilling out. The boys are in shorts and t-shirts, Sarah in a lace dress with a striped blue and white swimsuit beneath.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he says, waving to the group, one arm around my waist.
“Are you kidding? I could kiss you. It’s perfect.”
“I’ll take a rain check on that kiss,” he whispers, releasing me to greet the others as they board.
“I hope you don’t mind us joining,” Sarah says, hugging me warmly. She holds out a cloth bag to me before I can answer. “And I brought you this, in case you want to take a dip.”
“Of course I don�
�t mind,” I say, peeking in the bag to find a red bikini. “Thanks.”
She winks and I turn to the others, “Hey Tommy, Liam. I thought you guys were tied up all day?”
Tommy squirms, glancing back to Sarah.
“The council ruled early, they are tabling the proposal.”
“Is that the same as rejecting it?” I ask.
“Basically,” she says. “It means they don’t want to vote on it. Which could be a sign that at least some of them are seriously considering it. It doesn’t change our plans, either way.”
“I dropped off your paperwork this morning,” Liam says, clasping Aiden on the back.
“Don’t say I never did anything for you,” he says.
“I would never,” Aiden swears. “And thank you again. All of you, for making this happen, for bringing Haven here. It means more to us then you will ever know.”
“Oh, already an us, huh? I like it,” Tommy says, then points to me. “You, go change.” He points to Liam, “You go make some drinks,” then he points to his sister why eyes him warily. “And you, set up the picnic. I’ll help the crew get us underway.”
“What about me?” Aiden asks.
Tommy shrugs, “I don’t know, go get fanned and fed grapes or something. Whatever Kings do.”
Aiden laughs and Liam rolls his eyes. I head below decks and change into the swimsuit as ordered. When I return above, Sarah has laid out a large plaid blanket across the front deck of the boat, and she’s laying back, sunglasses on, soaking up the sun.
“Did anything else happen today?” I ask.
“Not really, though someone must have told Genevieve that you were out with Aiden today, I’ve never seen her so high strung.”
“By someone, you mean you, don’t you?”
Tilting her head to me, she slides her glasses down the bridge of her nose just enough so I can see her wink, then sets them back on.
“Oh, you’re mean,” I tease.
“I’m strategic. A flustered opponent loses focus, is easier to defeat.”
“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” I mutter, taking a spot beside her.
“Hey,” she asks, looking at me again. “What’s with the scars?”
My arms cover my stomach on reflex. How had I forgotten? How had I gotten so comfortable around these people in such a short time?
Once Upon A New York Minute: Part 1 Page 14
