by Andrea Boyd
“You know what you have done.”
“Rian, we were just being good hosts to the queen. It is what our parents would expect from us. There is nothing to tell.” Garrett’s words stung. Was that what this outing had been about, just them performing their duty as hosts? Rian looked a little doubtful, but he stomped off in the direction of the castle without saying another word.
A couple of stable hands had taken our horses during the exchange. I was the first in our group to head toward the back of the castle. I did not ask what Rian’s accusation had been about. The whole exchange between the brothers had left me feeling unexplainably angry. The closer I got to my chambers, the more irritable I became. I was sure the rest of them could sense the change in my mood. No one spoke until we were at my door.
“Listen, do not worry about Rian. The little brat is always trying to stir up trouble.”
I turned and stared at Reagan. Despite myself I had to ask. “Maybe you would enlighten me as to what kind of trouble Rian was supposed to be stirring because I have no clue. What are you and Garrett supposed to be guilty of?”
Garrett was the one to offer an answer. “Nothing. Not a thing. If I had to guess, I suppose Rian feels that Father would be interested to know that you were out with us as opposed to your being with Dunbar.”
“Has your father indicated that you should not spend time with me?”
There was enough of a pause and glances shared between the two men to give me my answer.
“It is no secret how he feels about the subject. He would prefer if you spent your free time with Dunbar rather than either of us.” Garrett’s response only added to my frustration.
I felt angry at Coman, at my situation, and at the fact that one of them had not settled things for me. Was their father’s obsession holding them back, or was it as simple as their inability to picture themselves married to me?
One thing was certain, I needed to get into my chambers before my mixed-up emotions spilled out for all to see. That would surely send them running away. “In any case, I appreciate the escort this evening. I will be sure to inform your mother of what fine hosts you both are. I am sure she will be proud.” I could hear the sarcasm in my own voice, but I seemed helpless to stop myself.
“Brianna . . .”
“Good evening to the both of you.” I curtsied hastily and slung the door open. I did not bother shutting it behind me. Gwen would take care of it. I kept going until I got to the bedchamber where I sat down at the vanity and started unbraiding my hair.
She came in and stood behind me, looking at me through the reflection in the mirror. “Are you all right?” She had an incredulous look on her face.
“What? Do you think I was too rude?” I started brushing my hair with more vigor than was necessary.
“I think they may be as confused as I am. Talk to me and tell me what is going on. Why are you so angry?”
I whipped around to face her and busted out crying. I think I was just as surprised as Gwen at my outburst of tears. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me to her. The last time I remembered crying was when my mother died. “No one wants me except for stupid old Dunbar. I might as well give in and get it over with.”
“What are you saying?” I pulled back and looked up into her face.
“You heard the both of them. They were just being nice, good hosts even. In fact, all my life no man has ever shown any special interest in me except for Dunbar. Why am I even still looking?” I wiped angrily at the tears streaming down my face.
“Are you saying you believe Dunbar’s interest toward you is genuine and not fueled by the desires of King Coman?”
“Good point. I am not even truly desirable to Dunbar either.”
“That was not my point at all. I would just hate to see you make the mistake of choosing the wrong man only because you are feeling sorry for yourself. Brianna, between your parents dying and running a kingdom, you have not had the opportunity to show interest in any man, and how many men would be daring enough to show interest in a queen if she did not first initiate the relationship?”
I did not know what to say. I headed toward the bathing chamber, undressing as I went. Gwen followed, apparently not finished with me. “I would not be so quick to give up on Reagan and Garrett. The pressure King Coman puts on his three eldest cannot be all that easy to overcome.”
I glared at her through my tears. Her words were not helping. My father had never tried to bully me, but I could not imagine I would give into it. Still, I knew my father had been nothing like Coman.
Gwen reached and turned the water valve to the on position while I continued to undress. One of the things I envied about Gilvary was that there was a line of warm water that came directly into the royal bathing chambers. “I am afraid it is cooler than you may like, but it is very bearable. Let me know if you would like for me to send for hotter.” I was relieved that she was apparently ready to allow our conversation to rest for now.
I stepped over into the ornate tub. This tub was built in and lined with colorful tiles. It was twice as wide as the one back home but not very deep. I liked mine better. “The water is fine. Thanks. Why do you think it is sometimes too hot and not at other times?” The flow of my tears had stopped, but there was still a tremble to my voice.
“The water comes from a reservoir at the back of the kitchen. It is fueled by the cooking fires, so it would be heated while they are burning and starts to cool after the fires are banked for the night. I imagine that would have been hours ago.” I listened as she scrubbed my hair, and my body started to relax. Between the ride and the crying, I imagined I would be too tired and sleepy to stay up much longer.
My emotions had settled and the tension was starting to drain away. I could now think over what had happened with a clearer head, but I still was not sure where to go from here. The situation seemed more desperate than before. Which one should I choose? Maybe the right man would be found outside of Kearnley after all.
“Gwen, do you really believe that either Reagan or Garrett can ever learn to like me enough to make a marriage work?”
“They both seem good natured enough so that if you were to marry either one, I believe they would try to make the best of it.”
“Do you think either of them showed more interest toward me this afternoon than they have in the past?”
“It is hard to say, really. Reagan seemed no different than we discussed earlier, but Garrett did appear to have more to say when you two were alone. I am pretty sure I missed some happening between the two of you with the looks you were sharing and the way you suddenly needed help dismounting. Was that a ploy on your part to gain more attention, because I believe it was working?”
I told her what had been said between me and Garrett while I finished bathing. I had thought he was flirting, but maybe it really was just friendship he sought after all. I did not mention it to Gwen, but I was curious about what he was about to say to me when we were so rudely interrupted by Rian. Someone needed to take a switch to that boy’s behind.
Wrapping up in my robe, I sat in the armchair next to my bed and started towel drying my hair while Gwen had her bath. Normally a servant would have to haul water for the small tub that sat at the foot of the bed in Gwen’s room, but I insisted that she use my tub instead. Sometime later, Gwen woke me and sent me to bed.
Eight
IT WAS LATE when I got up the next morning. I decided to save my energy for the ball and took all my meals in my suite while I lounged around reading. I had a lot of time to think about how I would proceed. I convinced myself that I was not staying in my chambers for cowardly purposes.
For one thing I needed to deal with the situation with Dunbar. I wanted to head him off before he proposed if possible. A ball was supposed to be a joyful occasion. I was still determined to talk to him about it but hopefully not on this day.
Then there was my reaction in front of Garrett and Reagan from the night before. When Gwen asked how I planned to smo
oth it over, I stated that I would simply pretend it never happened and see what came of it. They may chalk it up to me being a moody female, but I did not care. That was better than trying to explain something I did not fully understand myself. Besides, Gwen had us both sitting around with curling rags in our hair long before time for the festivities to begin.
She arranged my hair low, close to the nape, to make room for my top hat. Every Session’s ball had a theme, and at this one everyone would be wearing hats. My silk hat had feathers, ribbon, netting, and pearl accents. Every piece of it was the same color of cream as the rest of my ensemble. She helped me to carefully slip my form-fitting dress over my head, grabbing the hem and pulling it down to flare out at the floor. The sleeves flared from the elbow down to my wrist. I tugged them into place while Gwen secured my hat.
I waited while she hooked the front of her dusk blue bustier over the white blouse and charcoal gray skirt she was already wearing. The skirt was straight down the front with gathers and ruffles down the backside. She had been able to bring her own blond curls up higher in the back since she had chosen to wear a mini hat at the front of her head. She added the matching gray hat with blue feathers to complete her look, and then we were both ready.
We ran into the Mahons’ two-year-old daughter and her nursemaid, Damini, as they were coming away from the ballroom. I was surprised to see the child wearing the western style of clothing usually worn in Kearnley instead of the Cordelian style her mother preferred. She had a tiny hat held on with a chin strap that matched her red skirt and vest.
Gwen and I both curtsied as we came before her. The scowl she gave certainly took away from her otherwise adorable appearance. “Princess Adrika, you look very lovely tonight. How did you like the ball?” There was always a party for the younger ones before the actual ball began. I remembered it well from my own childhood.
She folded her arms and poked out her lip. “My name is Rika.”
Her nursemaid knelt down level with the toddler. “Now Rika, that is no way to respond to Queen Brianna. You have been taught better than this. Now what do you say?”
“I want to go to my room. Right now, Mini.” She stomped her foot to accentuate her words.
Damini stood and addressed me. “I am sorry, Your Highness. I am afraid she has had too much excitement this evening. I must get her to bed now.”
This brought a wail from the little girl. The nursemaid gave a low curtsy and then hurried away with her charge. Gwen and I shared amused smiles as we made our way on toward the ballroom.
Terence was waiting by the door with a huge grin on his face when we arrived. He bounced on the balls of his feet with excitement at my approach causing the blue feather in his silk hat to sway. “You said you would dance the first dance with me, remember Queen Brianna?” His grin was contagious.
“Of course I remember, Terence. If you are ready, you can escort me into the ballroom now.”
He held out his right elbow. Realizing his mistake, he scrambled around to my other side. I gave a wink and a small wave to Gwen, and she smiled before turning away.
A band took up space on a temporary platform in one corner of the room. They started the first song as we entered, but Terence continued walking until we were in the very center of the dance floor. Despite the faster pace of the song, he kept his own time by counting the entire time while we went around in a slow circle. This gave me plenty of time to view the grandeur around me.
The room had been transformed with pale pink tulle draped across the ceiling and to the floor on every side. A profusion of gray candles gave off a romantic glow throughout the ballroom. There was a long table filled with food on one side of the room. A tall, pale pink cake with cascading gray flowers and a miniature hat on top anchored one end of the table, and a bowl of pink punch sat on the other end. A variety of hors d’oeuvres filled the space in between.
When the first dance ended, Terence’s serious expression was once again cut through with a beaming smile. “I did not step on your feet the entire time, did I, Queen Brianna?” He truly was a joy to be around.
My smile must have been just as big as his. “No, you did not. Thank you so much for the dance, Terence. You have already made this night very special.”
At a touch on my elbow, I turned to find Dunbar waiting there. I was stunned to see that he wore the exact same color and style as me. Even his hat had similar accents to mine. Here again, we looked like a couple. I did not even try to keep the distaste from my face or the derision from my voice. “Dunbar, I have to say you look very dashing tonight considering that your outfit looks exactly like mine. Did you pick this out yourself?”
“Well, it is not exactly the same, but I am glad you like it. By the way, you look very beautiful as always. Actually mother ordered clothing made for the whole family. She had planned to dress me in all brown tonight, but when I made ready to dress, this outfit was presented to me instead. What a coincidence that you would be wearing the same color. Fate seems to be pulling us together. Do you not think so?”
“I do not believe in fate.” What I believed was that his mother had someone to spy out my clothing and then brazenly dressed her son to match. He gave no response to my short reply. I had made things awkward, but in that moment I had not cared.
The Barnalis had been nudging me and their eldest together for my entire life. Until now, it had been very subtle. At this visit to Gilvary, they had made it blaringly clear that they intended for me and Dunbar to be together. My father was no longer here to intervene, and it was no secret that my time to be married was at hand. Their meddling had gone way too far this time.
Unwilling to create a scene, I allowed him to lead me around the dance floor. If I had to describe Dunbar’s dance style I would have to say he was precise. It may be an odd description, but he was a lot like my old dance instructor, back stiff and not a step out of place. At least I knew what to expect and was no longer just going around in circles.
“It was nice of you to give the first dance to Terence. I wish it had been me, but if it had to be someone else, I am glad it was with him.”
I was not entirely sure how to respond. “I like Terence. He makes me smile, and I need all of those I can get.”
“I know the last couple of years must have been hard for you. You should not have to carry that burden all by yourself.”
“Burden?”
“Of running the kingdom.”
“Oh, I would not call it a burden. I would say it has been more of an honor, and I would like to think I have done all right up until now.”
“I was not implying that you have not done well on your own. I was just stating that you should not have to. A queen should be taking care of things inside the castle and raising a family, like my mother, not dealing with the politics of running a kingdom.”
“And the king should have the sole responsibility of ruling the kingdom, like your father does? Is that how you see it?”
“Exactly.”
“Hmm, I will have to keep that in mind if I should ever marry.”
He smiled. “According to the law, that should be happening very soon.”
I did not like where this conversation was going. If I did not head him off, he might just pop the big question right then and there.
“Dunbar, I will have to deal with that someday, but if it is all right with you, I do not wish to discuss it tonight. We are at the ball, and for now I would like to put off all of my troubles and just have fun. What do you say?”
He only nodded his agreement, but I could tell he was disappointed. His demeanor made me think that he had indeed planned to propose tonight. I would need to take care of this first thing in the morning.
After that, I danced with all who asked. I tried hard to avoid Dunbar, but I still ended up dancing with him twice more before the night was through. He put on a seemingly false cheeriness each time, but he never mentioned anything leading to marriage again.
Reilly had made a point of introducin
g me to Duke Brigid while informing me that Duke Mannix had been unable to make it due to his declined health. To be honest, I had already forgotten these two were ever on my list of potential mates.
Duke Brigid did not offer to dance with me, or anyone else for that matter. He did, however, introduce me to his cocky little nephew, Brett Eveny. It seemed the Duke was already prepping him to take over his title. It appeared that Owen’s information had been correct.
I really expected to have danced more with Reagan and Garrett after our outing, but I had only caught glimpses of them at a distance across the dance floor. Whenever I tried to maneuver around to be closer to one of them, they seemed to head in the opposite direction. Maybe my outburst the night before had done more damage than I had ever imagined it would. It was getting late when Reagan finally came over and asked me to dance.
And he looked incredible, dressed in all black from his top hat down to his boots. The only contrast was the white shirt he wore and a vest that was the exact golden brown color of his eyes.
He pulled me closer as we glided across the dance floor. “You look very stunning tonight. I noticed as soon as you walked through the door.”
I smiled and raised one eyebrow. “Yet, you are only just now asking me to dance. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”
“I noticed Garrett cannot keep his eyes off of you, and he has not danced with you either.”
“Really? Is it supposed to make me feel better to know there are two gentlemen here tonight who may find me attractive, so they make a point of not dancing with me? If so, then I must say you have strange customs here in Gilvary.”
“I am sorry to have kept you waiting, but Garrett and I have been given strict orders to dance with you once and no more. To tell the truth, I am surprised Garrett has allowed Father’s threats to stop him.”
