“If your life was that bad before, did you… like being a frog?” Cambren asked curiously.
Ellie owed him an honest answer. “Only because of you,” she said, meeting his gray eyes as bravely as she could. “I’d never had a friend before, and you turned out to be the best friend I could have ever imagined.”
“Then why would you think that would change now, just because you happen to have auburn hair and green eyes and fingernails?” Cam’s expression was almost painfully earnest. “I won’t lie and say that I don’t think you’re beautiful, but I would hate very much to lose your friendship because of it.”
“But now we have to deal with all the human awkwardness,” Ellie protested, wondering how he could go on being so obtuse. “There were no possible nefarious motives for either of us while I was a frog, but now we would both have to wonder what the other one is thinking. Am I only spending time with you because you’re a prince? Are you only spending time with me for my looks? How much is it appropriate for us to be in one another’s company and what things are appropriate for us to say? How do our relative stations affect our interaction?”
“I’ll be happy to remind you that I’m a prince on a regular basis if it will convince you to spend time with me.” Cam shot her a cheeky grin. “And I can’t see that our relative stations have affected much of anything. You did tell me to stop being absurd, just a moment ago.”
“Yes, but I shouldn’t have,” Ellie said, biting her lip to keep from smiling back at him. How did he do that? Somehow he managed to make her feel like laughing, even when everything seemed grim and hopeless.
“Can you imagine if anyone had heard me?” she said instead. “I can’t go around speaking to you the same way I did when I was a frog. And your father!” She shut her eyes in dismay at the sudden thought. “Cambren, what about the way I spoke to your father? When he finds out who I am, he’s going to be angry, offended… he’ll probably have me thrown out of Anura for my presumption!”
“Oh no, I don’t think he’ll do that,” Cambren said, a bit too cheerfully under the circumstances. “My father is far shrewder than even I ever realized, so I doubt he’ll be all that surprised when we tell him.”
“Tell him?” Ellie squeaked. “We can’t tell him.”
“But we’ll have to,” Cam insisted. “Eventually.”
“No,” she retorted, “we don’t. I can go back to the library and no one ever needs to know about any of this.”
“Actually… no, you can’t,” Cambren said, looking at the ground before casting her a compassionate glance. “You see, I stopped by the library when I was looking for you, and…”
“Wait, you were looking for me?” Ellie interrupted. “Why?”
“Well, because I wanted to see you,” he pointed out, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “I wanted to ask for your advice and it seemed like a reasonable excuse to talk to a girl that I found far more interesting than any other I had ever met.”
“Oh.” Ellie’s fingers seemed to wrap themselves in her robe of their own accord.
“Anyway, when I stopped by, I was informed that you had left your apprenticeship and gone back home.”
Ellie’s hand shot up to cover her mouth in horror. “No,” she whispered, her knees trembling in shock. “That was my dream. I’ve worked so hard… waited so long… they can’t just…”
But they could. Her chin dropped and her hair fell back around her face, concealing hot, angry tears of disappointment.
Ellie felt a warm hand cover her cold, trembling one and grasp it gently. “I’m so sorry,” Cambren said, and his voice came from much closer this time. “I had no idea how much it meant to you. I should have found a better way to break the news.”
“It’s not your fault.” Elisette wiped her eyes on her sleeve and tried to find her composure. She didn’t want to break down completely in front of a prince, even if he had already seen her cry.
“I’m sure if I asked them, they would let you have your apprenticeship back,” he said hopefully. He was still holding her hand.
“No.” Ellie shook her head and tried to smile, but it was hard. Even in her distress, his hand on hers made her heart race oddly. “They wouldn’t. They were already looking for a reason to dismiss me because of all the trouble I caused.”
“Trouble? But you were so good at being a librarian! You found my book when no one else could.”
“Oh, it wasn’t about the books,” Ellie assured him. “They didn’t like that so many people were coming in just to see me. It isn’t like I asked them to come, but they came anyway, and they were disturbing the other patrons and not being careful with the books and… I think Farrel was probably glad to see the last of me.” She put her chin up and pulled her hand from his grasp to tuck her hair behind her ears. “I suppose I should accept that it was never going to work and just go home.”
“Where is home?” Cam clasped his now empty hands behind his back as he waited for her answer.
“Astoria.”
“I suppose that explains the fairy godfather,” he noted.
“Yes, and I hope I never see him again,” Ellie growled. “He’s done nothing but ruin my life.”
“Actually,” Prince Cambren suggested, “I know this is probably an unpopular opinion at the moment, but I feel rather grateful to him.”
“Whatever for?”
“Well, if he hadn’t turned you into a frog, I’m not sure I would have ever worked up the courage to get to know you,” Cam said frankly. “I wouldn’t have believed someone as beautiful as you would even notice me, let alone want to spend more than a moment or two in the same room with me. We never would have been friends, and Father’s challenges would have worked out quite a bit differently.”
Ellie couldn’t help but smile at that. It was probably true. She and Cambren would never have exchanged more than a few awkward words at the library now and then, and she would never have known how kind he was, or how funny and honest and loyal…
But neither would she have known what she was missing, now that she would be forced to return home in disgrace. “You’re right,” she said with a sigh. “But I’m certainly not going to thank him for it. He might get the idea that…” She gasped. “That’s it!”
“What?”
“That’s what broke the spell! Gratitude! He was in a snit because no one ever thanked him for his ridiculous gifts, so he said that I would be a frog until I learned to be grateful.”
Cambren chuckled. “He probably wouldn’t be pleased if he learned that your gratitude wasn’t directed at him.”
Ellie snorted. “I’ve never seen him be pleased about anything.”
As if in response to her words, a sharp, familiar cracking sound disturbed the peace of the garden.
“Are you talking about me behind my back, brat?”
Ellie turned to see the scowling, stubbled face of her fairy godfather glaring at her from the other side of a hedge.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “I didn’t call you.”
Mortimer’s brow creased in bewilderment. “Then how did you break my spell? You were supposed to learn to be grateful, and then call me back so you could tell me about it.”
“I am grateful, just not to you!” Ellie said, rolling her eyes. “I happened to be thanking Prince Cambren for his kindness, and poof, I’m back to normal. Which was completely embarrassing by the way, thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome,” Mortimer said, his face turning disagreeably smug. Then his expression changed. “Wait. Did you say prince?”
“What?” Ellie’s eyes darted to Cambren. Oh, no. This was not good. “No, no I didn’t,” she said hastily. “This is not a prince. Not at all. It’s just a man, someone I know. Definitely. Not. A. Prince. You can go now, goodbye!”
“Because it seems the Fairy Council still isn’t pleased with my progress,” Mortimer complained, crossing his arms and grimacing. “They were quite demanding about it. Said that I still ne
eded to work on being thoughtful. Kind. And other ridiculous qualifications of that sort.” He shuddered.
“In that case, I have six siblings,” Ellie reminded him. “You can feel free to go do something kind for one of them. But ask first!”
“No, no, I’m already here,” Mortimer said crossly. “I’m right in the middle of a new experiment and I don’t want to have to make an extra trip.”
“But I don’t want anything,” Ellie assured him hastily. “And I don’t need anything either. I’m fine, just as I am. Completely fine, thank you.”
“Hmmm.” Mortimer was scowling and tapping his stubbled chin. “Wait, aren’t all of your older sisters married now?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she insisted fiercely, almost desperately.
“And you have two younger sisters who will be needing to marry soon. Probably expect me to find husbands for them, or some such rot,” he declared, rolling his eyes.
“Then you should go find them! Talk to Anneliese! She wants an adventure!” Ellie clamped her lips together after that. Liesa didn’t understand how dangerous magic could be, and was all too likely to accept whatever Mortimer chose to bestow in a fit of misguided generosity. That was an experiment guaranteed not to end well.
Cambren suddenly spoke up. “You could get Elisette’s apprenticeship back,” he suggested helpfully. “That would be kind, and I’m sure she would be very grateful.” He winked at Elisette, despite her horrified attempts to shut him up.
“No,” Mortimer mused, “that’s not it. I think I like my first idea better. Besides, the prince is already here.”
Ellie panicked. “No!” she said, dashing to stand between Mortimer and Cambren. “No spells. No magic.”
“I’m trying to help you, silly girl,” Mortimer grumbled. “You need to marry, and there’s a prince standing right there. One little spell and it’s all taken care of.”
“You can’t meddle in our lives like that,” Ellie pleaded. “Think of Eva!”
Mortimer shot her a glare. “This is quite different. Royal matchmaking is the most ancient and honored of all fairy traditions. We can tell when two people are sufficiently compatible, so there’s no way for it to go wrong. Even you have to admit that it worked out very well for Sophie.”
It had, but no particular thanks were due to Mortimer for that.
“Also,” he continued in an extremely self-satisfied tone, “if I provide a happy ending for you, it will please the council and maybe they’ll leave me alone for a change.”
He raised a hand, preparing to cast his spell. “Move aside now, so I can be sure this works on both of you equally.”
“No!” Ellie cried. “I won’t let you do this!”
Behind her, Cambren took a step closer until she could feel the warmth of him at her back.
“Begging your pardon, Sir Mortimer,” he said politely, “but I have a question.”
Mortimer’s hand dropped. “What is it?” he snapped impatiently. “And make it short. I’ve been here far too long already.”
“Do you really need to cast a spell if we’re already betrothed?”
Ellie froze.
Mortimer blinked uncertainly. “I… Well, that would seem to be a waste of magic.”
“A tragic waste,” Cambren agreed seriously. “Why cast a love spell on two people who already care for each other?”
“Hmmm.” Mortimer stroked his stubbled chin. “You’re quite sure? I can return to the Council and tell them that Elisette is quite happily engaged?”
“You may tell them she is no longer in need of your prodigious matchmaking talents,” Cam agreed with a nod.
Mortimer sighed. “Very well, then. I suppose I’ll have to keep looking for ways to satisfy them.”
“You may also tell them,” Cam added, “that you were responsible for bringing us together, if it will help your cause.”
For possibly the first time ever, Ellie saw something approaching a smile on Mortimer’s face. “You may be sure that I will,” he said smugly, turning to go, his wings shimmering brightly in the sun.
“You know,” he added, turning back to look approvingly at Cambren, “you’re not nearly as annoying as most princes. Perhaps I may visit you again and see what can be done for your children.”
And with that, he vanished.
Ellie sagged with mingled relief and dismay, and might have fallen to her knees if Cam hadn’t been standing close enough to catch her.
“You stopped him,” she breathed, allowing herself to lean back against the warmth of his chest while his strong hands held her up. “I can’t believe you stopped him. I would never have been able to forgive myself if he’d actually used magic on you.”
“I’m sorry,” Cam said, from right beside her ear. “It didn’t actually seem that terrible, but I could tell it was distressing you so I thought it would be best to get rid of him.”
“Not that terrible?” she echoed, turning to look up at him in surprise. He was so close she could see the pale glint of stubble on his jaw, and a strange, shivery warmth ran through her at the look in his gray eyes. “He was threatening to make us get married. You can’t have wanted to be forced into marriage with someone you barely know.”
“And this from someone who so recently threatened me with a state marriage?” Cam teased her with a slight grin. “As Mortimer said, it’s practically traditional for princes to marry someone we don’t know.”
“But not if you don’t have to,” Ellie insisted. “And I assure you, Mortimer’s magic is very effective. You would have been forced to marry me whether you wanted to or not.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Cam asked casually, his hands slipping down her arms to grasp her fingers.
“Forgetting what?”
“Our betrothal,” Cam replied with a straight face.
“Our… but you very specifically did not say we’re betrothed,” Ellie reminded him. “You only suggested it to get rid of him!”
“Well, yes,” Cam said with a shrug, “that’s true, but he did say he was going to tell the Fairy Council. What if they consider his word binding? What if they show up to make sure Mortimer was telling the truth? Princes have to be very precise about this sort of thing.”
“Cambren, you didn’t say anything that could be construed as a promise, I swear. Not even to a fairy.” Ellie wasn’t about to let Mortimer get away with this. He was going to be insufferable enough as it was. “I won’t let them trap you into anything, or claim that you made any binding vows.”
“Well,” Cam suggested diffidently, still holding her hands but not quite meeting her eyes, “if they do show up, we wouldn’t want them thinking Mortimer failed and trying to fix things themselves. Maybe we should make it official, just in case. To, er, avoid magical consequences.”
When Ellie didn’t answer right away, he added hastily, “It would only be for a while. Mortimer did say we were compatible, after all. And since the betrothal wouldn’t be magical, we wouldn’t be stuck with it. You could jilt me later, if you wanted to.”
“Oh.” Suddenly, Ellie discovered that a peculiar fluttering sensation had taken up residence in her stomach. “You mean, you actually want to be betrothed? To me?” She was finding it rather difficult to breathe. “Why?”
“Well”—Cam moved just a tiny bit closer—“we’re friends.” He shrugged. “And it seems ever so much better to be betrothed to a friend than to let my father betroth me to a stranger for the sake of politics. You’re good at solving problems, you make me laugh, and I’m very much looking forward to teaching you how to not be afraid of horses. All of those seem like good reasons to me.”
“Ah.” The fluttering subsided somewhat. Ellie wasn’t quite sure what to make of his explanation. Was that all she wanted out of a betrothal, if she wanted one at all?
She liked Cambren. Admired and respected him more than any other man she’d ever met. There was no one she’d rather spend time with, and no man she’d ever found handsomer. Even his brother
s, attractive as they were at first glance, could not bear comparison to his intelligent gray eyes, firm jaw and ready smile. But handsome or not, shouldn’t there be a little more to a proposal than that?
“I can understand if you don’t want to be betrothed to me,” Cam hastened to add. “I didn’t exactly ask in any proper or traditional way.”
“Well, and what if you had asked me?” Ellie blurted out. “What would you have said?”
“Oh.” Cam looked startled, then thoughtful. “I suppose I would have said that even though you’re not a frog anymore, and you have all the choices in the world—where you want to go, what you want to do, and who you want to be with—I would very much like it if you would choose to stay here. With me. Because I like you.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a familiar way and his eyes met hers with quiet sincerity. “You’re brave and smart and you don’t make me feel awkward or out of place. Talking to you is the best part of my day. I know that I’m not much of a catch for a woman who could have anyone she wanted, but I can offer her a medium-sized palace with no dogs, a very nice pond in the garden and all the spiders she can eat.”
Ellie burst out laughing.
“Also, there’s a tremendously dusty library that is sadly in need of cataloguing,” he added hopefully.
“I won’t stay betrothed to you on account of your books,” Elisette said primly, even as her heart leaped at the prospect. “But I don’t think I’m ready to jilt you just yet.”
“No?” Cam smiled, and his eyes brightened with hope.
“No.” She shook her head. “After all, as you said, someone might come back to check on Mortimer’s handiwork. And with or without your palace and your pond and your library, you’re the best man I’ve ever met. You’ve always treated me with kindness and respect, and”—she dropped her gaze shyly—“spending time with you has been the best part of my days as well. I think it might be rather nice to be betrothed to a friend.”
A Beautiful Curse Page 13
