There, she had drawn the notice of Emma again, who wanted Quinn to push her on the swing, but Quinn didn’t mind. She’d pushed Emma “higher” for several minutes before turning her attention to a little boy, about Emma’s size, who’d been watching quietly.
He turned out to be Emma’s twin, Alex, who was grateful for his own turn, though Quinn was almost certain he’d never have asked.
“Um... I.. uh...” Quinn stammered for a moment trying to run the day through her head. It had been incredible, overwhelming and amazing all at the same time. How was she supposed to describe all that? Searching for a response, she finally settled on one word that contained how she was feeling. “It’s astonishing.”
Linnea nodded in understanding, “I can only assume it has been a lot to take in; it’s not every day you end up in a different world.”
“Yeah, I’m still having trouble believing that it’s real – that something like this could actually happen.” It did feel more real now, though, and maybe it was the time with the younger children in the gardens that had done it. They were so normal – so happy and sweet – maybe this place wasn’t so unlike her own world after all.
“Well, it did, and you’re here. And I, for one, am quite pleased about it. The next few days will be much more fun with you around. Now, let’s get you dressed for dinner. I have the perfect dress.”
“What?”
“You’ll need a dress for dinner. It’s a big, formal affair tonight; we have lots of out-of-town guests who are starting to arrive.”
“I, uh … dinner?” Although she’d enjoyed the children, Quinn had been grateful so far that she’d been secluded from massive amounts of attention. Even lunch had been a picnic basket carried by Linnea to a quiet field where they could watch several of the family’s horses grazing nearby. Linnea had peppered her with questions, fascinated by the details of Quinn’s life in Bristlecone. Unlike Thomas, Linnea had never been allowed even a short visit in Quinn’s world, and it was obvious that she knew much less about it than her twin brother.
If Linnea was this curious, there were bound to be others who were, too, and Quinn wasn’t sure at all that she would have any idea how to handle them – and keep the secret of who she was at the same time.
“Yes, dinner. It will be fun, and you will enjoy it. Go have a nice bubble bath, and I’ll be back in half an hour with the dress.” Linnea had out of the room, certain that Quinn would do as she said.
As she climbed in the bath – Nathaniel had told her that it was fine to get her stitches wet – she was able to calm herself a little bit. She’d just keep quiet. Nobody was going to ask about Bristlecone who didn’t already know who she was. Maybe she could just listen at dinner, try to learn more about this world. Dinner in a castle should be interesting at least.
Two hours later, she found herself being led down to the dining room by Linnea, who had spent the entire last hour dressing her like a doll, braiding her hair in intricate loops, and helping her into a soft, green gown that flowed in gauzy layers down to her ankles.
She had never worn such a long, heavy dress before; it took several steps down the long hall before she felt balanced. The long, curving staircase in the main hall was another matter altogether. Linnea had to hold her by the elbow the entire time; she couldn’t figure out how to keep the hem of the dress from getting under her feet. The borrowed heels she was wearing didn’t help, either.
“I am going to fall flat on my face in front of your entire family - what will they think of me then?” she complained to Linnea when they reached the wide landing halfway down.
“Oh, we already know that balance is a problem for you; it’ll just become a nightly habit for Will, stitching you back together again,” the familiar voice came from behind them on the stairs, and the girls turned to see Thomas running down the steps toward them.
Quinn narrowed her eyes at him, “Not funny.”
Thomas smiled back, “Yes, it is funny. Although, it would be a tragedy to mess up that dress. You, my lady, are dazzling.”
“It is charming on her, isn’t it?” Linnea reached up to Thomas’ shoulder, brushing away a nearly-invisible piece of lint from his shoulder. Quinn was startled by his outfit.
Dressed as he was, Thomas looked truly like a prince from another world. Over his white, button-down shirt, he wore a purple velvet cape, fastened at the base of his neck by a silver bar with circular designs at each end. Something about the designs felt familiar to Quinn, but she couldn’t place what. Atop his head was a purple velvet beret with a silver medallion of the same design in the center.
“Indeed; I take it this was your work, darling sister? You are quite lovely this evening yourself.”
Quinn agreed. Linnea’s dress was a soft cream color, overlaid with thin crisscrossing stripes in a purple that nearly matched Thomas’ cape. The light color set off Linnea’s dark curls and gray eyes.
“Always with the compliments, Sir Thomas, the Charming.” Linnea’s smile was teasing.
“It’s in my nature, little sister. Would it be too much for me to ask for the pleasure of escorting two exquisite ladies downstairs?” Without waiting for an answer, Thomas took Linnea’s place at Quinn’s elbow, deftly assisting her the rest of the way down the stairs.
“Where is William? He came back with you, didn’t he?” Linnea asked.
“He’s back, already in the dining room probably. Doesn’t know a thing about taking time to dress for the ladies, you know,” Thomas chuckled.
“How are things in Mistle Village?” Linnea wondered.
“Calm, for now. We’ve left them with enough supplies to get them through until after the ceremony.” Quinn had no idea what they were talking about, but she noticed a concerned look in Thomas’ eyes that belied his cheerful grin.
Walking into the dining room was exactly like stepping into a scene from a movie, Quinn thought. The longest table she had ever seen stretched through the center of the large room. The table was draped in a purple cloth and set with beautiful silver dishes. Arrangements of fresh flowers in a variety of colors created centerpieces every few feet, lit softly by candles placed in the middle.
There were people all over the room standing in friendly groups. The women were all dressed in beautiful, flowing gowns, and the men in elegant suits.
Young children ran about freely, often testing the sliding power of their dressy shoes against the polished marble floor. Off to one side, Quinn could see a cluster of small children, shrieking and jumping to catch the iridescent bubbles that a young man was blowing.
As Thomas led her further into the room, she was shocked to see that the bubble-blowing man was William. She’d never seen him like this, smiling and laughing as the youngest children hopped around him. Tiny Sarah toddled near his feet, and Quinn watched as William directed a stream of bubbles right over her head, grinning wildly with obvious pride as she grasped several in her chubby fingers.
Despite Thomas’ teasing comment about William not taking time over his appearance, Quinn was surprised at her reaction to seeing him in his formalwear. He wore the same style of cape and hat as Thomas, which made him look royal, rather than silly as she might have expected. He was - dashing, she decided. She laughed inwardly at the old-fashioned word, but could not think of a better description.
Even his glasses made him seem somehow older, and more sophisticated than she’d ever considered him to be.
“Quinn! I’m so glad you’ve joined us for dinner.” She turned around to see Queen Charlotte approaching, wearing a billowing, violet gown with intricate patterns flowing down the skirt. Her hair was beautiful, dark curls flowing down her shoulders, crowned with a delicate silver tiara adorned with purple jewels. Even with the tiny baby swaddled in a lacy white blanket cradled in her arm, Charlotte truly looked the part of a queen; Quinn was in awe.
“You look lovely, my dear. That color is perfect on you.”
Quinn blushed, “Thank you.”
“Did Linnea take good
care of you today?”
“Yes, Ma’am, she was wonderful.”
“Just as I promised, Mother,” Linnea, “I know how to treat a guest.”
“I know you do, Linnea. Thank you. You look quite charming yourself tonight, sweetheart.” Charlotte planted a kiss on the top of her daughter’s head. “And you, Thomas, are dashing in that suit. What a lucky mother I am, to have such beautiful children.”
“I think we are the luckiest parents around,” a tall man stepped up behind Charlotte, placing an arm around her waist and leaning down to kiss her cheek. Then he turned his head “This must be the delightful Quinn. I’m Stephen, my dear, welcome to our home.”
Quinn was instantly impressed at this man, who she knew was the king. He was very tall - she could see immediately where William and Thomas had gotten their height. His gray eyes were intelligent and kind. The edges of his deep purple cape were lined with some kind of white fur, fastened at his throat by the same silver bar. The thin, silver crown on his head bore the same design, underneath a triad of gleaming purple jewels.
Quinn felt as if her entire body was glowing crimson. “Thank you … Your Majesty. I’m sorry for just … barging in.”
The king’s warm smile reached all the way to his eyes; Quinn could see that his sincerity was genuine. “Please, Quinn, it’s Stephen. You are truly most welcome here. Your presence has caused quite the enchanting stir around here.”
“Thank you, then, Stephen. It’s very nice meeting you,” Quinn wasn’t sure where her sudden confidence was coming from, “It’s beautiful here.”
Stephen and Charlotte both smiled warmly at her.
“Thomas, why don’t you go with Quinn to find your places? Maybe you and Linnea could introduce Quinn to some of the rest of our family?” Charlotte suggested.
“Of course,” Thomas extended his elbow toward Quinn. Reminded again of a movie, she took hold of it and allowed him to lead her to the long table.
At dinner, she found herself sitting between Thomas and Linnea, across from William and some of the younger children. William surprised her by smiling politely as servants moved among them, passing out plates of roast and vegetables.
“Hello Quinn, how’s your leg today?”
Quinn smiled back, “Much better, thank you. They tell me you did a great job fixing it.”
William looked slightly embarrassed, “It was no problem. I am sorry about the whole valoris seed incident. I had no idea that would happen.”
“Well, I’m fine now. Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you were there, and knew what to do. Surprised, but glad.”
William just shrugged and smiled, “It’s not something I could have just told you about one day at school.”
“Even if you had ever talked to me,” Quinn agreed.
Thomas snorted. “So the truth comes out – it’s Will the recluse.”
Chagrin twisted William’s expression.
Linnea cast a disparaging look at her twin brother. “Now, Thomas, not everyone has the gift of charm. Be nice.” Thomas only grinned in response.
Quinn smiled at the easy camaraderie between the siblings. They were obviously close, even with William who was so often absent. She found herself missing her own siblings, glad, that if what Thomas had told her was true, they were not missing her. She realized, with a sudden ache in her throat, what it must be like for William all the time in Bristlecone, missing his family, and knowing he was missing large chunks of their lives.
Across the table, Emma, who had so eagerly skipped into Quinn’s room that morning, was studying her intently. “Quinn, you’re pretty!” She blurted out suddenly.
Heat filled her cheeks. “Thank you, Emma.”
“She is, isn’t she?” Thomas said, looking down at her. “Quite lovely in that dress, don’t you think, William?”
William glanced across the table at Thomas, looking more irritated than anything. “Very much so,” he answered before returning his attention to his plate.
Emma looked back and forth between Thomas and Quinn. “I’m going to marry Thomas when I grow up,” she announced.
Quinn smiled, “Sounds like a good plan.”
“But you can marry him for now, if you want.”
The table erupted in laughter as Quinn flushed bright scarlet.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Miss Emma,” Thomas chortled.
After the plates had been cleared, Thomas stood and extended his hand to Quinn. “Shall we?” he asked.
Quinn looked at him questioningly, “Where are we going?”
“It’s time for the dancing!” Linnea told her, pulling her up and handing her over to Thomas.
Quinn’s heart rat accelerated. “Dancing? I don’t dance.”
“Everybody dances,” Linnea exclaimed, following along as Thomas pulled Quinn from the room.
The idea of dancing, here in a castle, with Thomas and William watching was a thousand times more nerve-wracking than the thought of dancing with Zander at the Valentine dance in Bristlecone.
She’d known Zander her whole life; she knew he was telling the truth when he said he couldn’t dance either and that dancing with him would involve little more than swaying in time to the music and chatting with friends.
She was quite certain that ballroom dancing with princes and princesses would entail a bit more than that. The thought of Zander and the Valentine dance sent an unfamiliar throb of emotion through her chest, and she was suddenly glad that she would be home before she was missed by anyone.
Quinn followed Thomas and Linnea into an enormous ballroom. It was beautiful, lit by soft light coming from a crystal chandelier in the center of the high ceiling and hundreds of tiny, twinkling candles everywhere. Small tables dotted the edges of the room, subdued light emanating from even more candles in their centers. Several sets of large, glass double doors were open to the evening air at one end of the room. In a far corner, a group of musicians had begun to play a lively tune. Quinn couldn’t identify all of the instruments.
“I suppose this is just a typical evening for you?” she questioned Linnea. She wondered if she were going to spend the next ten days having to dress up every night like this, and another little thrill of fear ran through her as she thought again about being stuck here for that long.
“No, actually, this is quite formal for us.” Linnea smiled. “The baby’s Naming Ceremony is the day after tomorrow, which is kind of a big deal for us. Our extended family members and many other guests have been traveling in from all over the place. We do like to entertain when we have guests.”
The conversation was interrupted then, by the approach of another girl. She was older than Quinn was by a couple of years. Quinn was so instantly reminded of William that she immediately had no doubt that this must be another of the Rose siblings. Linnea had told her earlier today that there were thirteen altogether, counting the newest baby. The girl’s long, dark hair fell in a straight curtain down her back; the sides were pinned up by delicate silver combs. The violet accents on her long, lavender gown matched Linnea’s.
“Rebecca!” Linnea called out. “Come and meet Quinn!”
Rebecca smiled warmly at her, her gray eyes twinkling with the same kind of friendliness Thomas and Linnea had extended toward her. “Hello, Quinn … you’re William’s friend, aren’t you?”
“Uh... yes.” Quinn wasn’t sure how to elaborate.
“Well, it’s nice meeting you. I’m Rebecca. Where is William anyway?”
Quinn looked around, searching the unfamiliar faces in the room; she had no idea when William had disappeared again. “It’s nice to meet you too, Rebecca,” she replied politely.
“Has my little brother been behaving around you?” Rebecca asked, raising her eyebrows toward Thomas.
“Of course I have! Have you no faith in me, dear sister?” Thomas interrupted.
Rebecca directed a teasing grin at Thomas before she turned to Linnea, a darker expression on her face. “Did you see that Tolliver’s just arriv
ed?”
Quinn saw Linnea’s eyes widen. “No, where is he?”
“Over there,” Rebecca gestured, “talking to Gavin, already.”
Quinn followed Linnea’s gaze to the side of the room, where two men stood talking. One of them was dressed only in a formal-looking suit, but the other, the shorter one, wore a flowing green cape in the same style as the princes were wearing, though the shimmer at his neck was gold, not silver. A thin gold circle sat atop his head.
“Which one is Tolliver?” Quinn wondered. The name had sounded significant when Rebecca had spoken.
“The one in the crown,” Linnea answered, an odd expression in her eyes. “Awfully confident he’ll be next on that throne, isn’t he? Already wearing that around.”
“Have you ever known Tolliver to be anything but confident?” William had suddenly returned from wherever he’d gone, coming from behind Quinn.
“I suppose not,” Linnea sighed.
“Sometimes a sense of humor gets you further than confidence, though, doesn’t it darling?” Another man had walked up behind Rebecca, putting his arms around her waist. Rebecca smiled and turned, planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Quinn, this is Howard, Rebecca’s husband. Howard, this is Quinn, a friend of William’s.”
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Quinn,” Howard smiled warmly, his green eyes twinkling in the candlelight.
“Nice to meet you, too … Howard,” Quinn replied, still a bit awkward in this formal setting.
“Will the rest of you excuse me while I take my lovely bride for a turn on the dance floor?” Howard asked.
“Of course,” Linnea returned his grin, and they watched as Rebecca and Howard walked hand-in-hand to the dance floor. He held her close, one arm around her waist, and the other hand holding hers. In the few, short moments that Quinn watched them, she saw Howard lean in to kiss Rebecca three different times; Rebecca’s pink, flushed cheeks were visible from where Quinn was standing.
“Dance with me, William?” Linnea then asked, taking her brother by the hand and leading him over toward the band. Quinn watched in awe as the usually-reserved William twirled his sister effortlessly across the floor, both of them smiling and laughing.
Seeds of Discovery Page 11
