She carefully took the silk from her satchel, laying it out flat on her bed. She tucked the masks under the bed, not wanting Aston to see them before their costumes were ready. Having nothing else to do, she set to work cutting material, setting pieces aside as she finished them. When she had all of the pieces for her dress cut out, she started on the sewing. She didn’t stop until she had both sleeves and most of the top done. That was when Aston called her, telling her lunch was ready.
Jade left the room slowly, wiping her brow with her forearm.
“Working hard?” Aston asked, laughing. She stuck her tongue out at him before grabbing a plate and filling it with the salad her knight had made. She went back to her room and grabbed her satchel, coming back to the kitchen to empty its contents onto the counter. Aston looked at her, one eyebrow raised. Jade shrugged.
“We needed more vegetables,” she said. Aston shrugged as well and went to the table, Jade following him. They ate in silence, Jade thinking about her halfway done dress in the other room and Aston fearing what he was going to have to wear to the winter ball.
**
Jacob reached Northsbury late in the afternoon. He checked into Knight’s Inn and walked the streets, looking for his bride-to-be. With her fiery red hair and pine green eyes, she should have been easy to spot. As it was, he was having no luck in finding her.
With a curse, Jacob realized he might be too late. If what the kid had said about Aston being innocent was true, then Aston would undoubtedly be trying to catch the one man who could prove it: The Rogue Royal.
The Rogue had already made his stop here and left again. Jacob was too late. He turned on his heel and went back to the inn, shutting himself in his room to think. He needed a clue, some way to keep up with Aston and Jade.
Looking out the window, Jacob tried to think of a plan. He didn’t want to ride all the way back to Fridel. It would be a wasted trip if he couldn’t find the servant boy from before. As his gaze wandered, his eyes landed on the castle.
“Of course… the winter ball. If I know Jade, she never misses it. Maybe she’ll come,” he thought aloud, sitting straighter in his chair.
One month; it was one month to the winter ball. He would stay in Northsbury until then, waiting for his princess to arrive. When she did, Jacob intended to take her back from Aston Smith.
**
“Are you really planning on going, Mother?” Talbot asked. He had been sitting in his room, alone, when the queen had come knocking on his door. Now, she sat on his bed with him.
“Your father thinks it best we make an appearance,” she answered, looking away from her son.
“Can I stay here?” Talbot asked.
His mother shook her head. “We will all attend. Besides, you are safe. The Rogue isn’t hunting until after the holidays. You may as well enjoy the winter. You don’t even know if the Rogue is interested in you. You aren’t a bad person, Talbot.”
“I am, though, Mother. I’m a horrible person. I’ve ruined so many lives for my own gain,” Talbot told her, standing and going to his window. He pushed aside the deep blue curtains, gazing out over what would one day be his kingdom.
“That’s the way of royalty, Talbot. No one ever made it to a position of power without stepping on some toes,” his mother said, standing smoothing the wrinkles from her dress.
“That’s not the point, Mother,” Talbot sighed. His mother and father would never understand. They saw nothing wrong with the way they lived. To them, power was taken by pushing over others. Talbot didn’t want that kind of power. He used to, but he had changed.
“You’re going to be fine, darling. Now, go downstairs and be fitted for your costume. Your father and I have chosen to wear red this year,” his mother said. When Talbot didn’t answer, she sighed, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
The prince didn’t move from his position at the window. Red? Red like blood. Why would his father choose to wear the color of blood? He knew how terrified Talbot was of the Rogue coming after him. Maybe that was why he’d chosen the color, to make fun of his son and his fear.
With a sigh, Talbot moved, leaving his room and walking slowly down the long corridor. It would do him no good, resisting his father. If anything, it would make the man angrier. Instead, he decided to go along with the king for now, but, if the Rogue did target him, his father would be sorry.
**
Aston had tried several times throughout the day to see what Jade was working on, but as soon as he opened the door, she would throw everything off the bed and out of sight. Now he was spending his time reading more of the book Jade toted around with her. He was almost halfway through it, finally reaching the romance.
Jade made fun of him for reading it, but what else was he supposed to do when she stayed holed up in her room all day and night? It had been almost a fortnight since she began working on their costumes and she barely spent any time with him. He’d been taking care of the horses, cooking, cleaning, and cutting firewood. The snow had finally made itself known, sticking to the ground and slowly deepening. The trees were completely bare, the temperature below freezing. Aston was worried they wouldn’t be able to make it to Northsbury for the ball without freezing to death.
Jade didn’t seem to be worried. She kept saying they would bundle up, pack their costumes in their satchels, and change when they reached their inn in Northsbury.
Aston startled as the door to Jade’s room opened and she stepped out, closing the door behind her. He looked at her quizzically when she came over to him, perching on the couch beside him.
“You like my book?” she asked.
He shrugged. She didn’t need to know how much he enjoyed it.
“I thought I could make dinner tonight,” she said, changing the subject and standing. Aston watched her as she walked to the kitchen before going back to the book.
Half an hour later, the cabin smelled like roasted pheasant and potatoes. Curious, Aston set the book aside and went to the kitchen to investigate. Sure enough, Jade was pulling a medium sized bird from the brick oven, the bird circled with potatoes in the pan. He wandered over and reached for a piece, but Jade smacked his hand away.
“Where’d you get the bird?” Aston asked, shaking his hand to get rid of the momentary pain.
“Did you know there’s a smokehouse behind the stables?” she asked. Aston laughed. He had forgotten about that. He and Delgrab had hung so many squirrels and rabbits in that smokehouse as kids that they’d been banned from it by Delgrab’s father. He hadn’t been behind the stables since.
“How did you manage to find the smokehouse when you haven’t left that room in two weeks?” he asked Jade.
“You do sleep you know,” she answered. Aston shrugged and left the room, hoping Jade wouldn’t take too long finishing dinner. It smelled amazing and he was starved. He smiled when his princess came into the living area, carrying the pan with two cloths, and set the bird on the table. He joined her, cutting into the juicy meat and setting some out on the two plates already at the table.
It was love at first bite. “This is amazing, Jade! Where did a princess learn to cook so well?” he asked her.
Jade shrugged. “Matilda taught me more than sewing. She doesn’t like to feel helpless, and she didn’t want me to be just another pretty trophy on a man’s arm. A woman is made to keep a house, not to look pretty,” she answered.
Aston nodded and went back to eating, not wanting his food to get cold. There was a lot he still needed to learn about Jade du Halen.
**
That night after dinner, Jade joined Aston on the couch. He’d put the book away, hoping she would sit and talk with him for a while before going back to her room.
“Are you almost done with our costumes?” he asked her.
Jade nodded. “I have to put the finishing touches on yours and then I’m done. It’s a fortnight until the ball, right?” she asked.
“Yes. We should leave in about a week, before the snow gets too d
eep for travel. We can stay at Knight’s Inn until the ball.”
“Okay. So…” Jade looked around herself, suddenly feeling awkward. Night had fallen, the moon hidden behind thick, dark clouds. The only light in the room came from the fire crackling in the hearth, and she found herself wishing it were brighter. She could barely see Aston’s face, though he sat right across from her on the couch, his body turned toward hers. As the thought entered her mind, he leaned forward, carefully setting his lips against hers.
How long had it been since they’d kissed? A week? A month? However long it was, it was too long. This kiss was desperate, longing. It was a meeting of two sets of lips that had been aching for each other and were finally given what they wanted.
Jade leaned forward, pressing her lips more firmly against Aston’s. He set his hands on her waist, pushing her back against the couch and settling himself on top of her. Remembering his shoulder wound, Jade put her hands on his chest and pushed back, breaking their kiss.
“Your shoulder,” she whispered, fearing her voice wouldn’t work.
“It’s fine,” Aston replied. He bent down and connected their mouths again, not letting her argue further. He needed to kiss her like a fire needed to breathe. He’d had so little time with her and he’d planned on seeing her every day of the winter. This was the end of their time together. Once spring arrived, he would go after the Rogue alone and send her home to be married.
Aston growled low in his throat at the thought of another man kissing her, touching her. He leaned back and looked down at the woman beneath him. Her eyes were as hungry as his, her lips pink and swollen from his kisses. His eyes asked her a question; her nod answered.
In one movement, Aston had Jade in his arms and was heading towards his room, never breaking their kiss. Once there, he set her on his bed and settled himself on top of her again, his arms wandering over her heated body. His hands found themselves tangled in auburn hair, sliding down slender arms and across a frantic heartbeat. He pulled her dress down to expose her collar bone, placing light kisses there as he pulled more.
Jade’s mind was moving faster than her heart. She wanted to be with Aston, but she was terrified. She’d never been with a man before and Matilda had always told her that a woman’s first time was painful. She was scared of the pain, but not of the man on top of her. His lips set her body on fire, his touch igniting something inside of her that she’d never felt before. As scared as she was, she knew that this was right.
So she quit thinking and gave herself over to the passion.
**
Jade lay content in Aston’s arms. He’d fallen asleep moments before and now she lay listening to his smooth breathing. His breath tickled her ear, but she didn’t move; she didn’t want to wake him. Instead, she traced circles on his arm, her head resting in the crook of his elbow. Every inch of his front was pressed to her back and she suddenly felt whole.
She was in love with the knight. She was sure of that much. However, Aston’s feelings for her were cloudy. Men would take any woman to their bed, and while she thought Aston might be different, she didn’t know him that well. She could only hope, for now, that he felt the same way.
There was also the matter of Jacob to attend to. She wanted to go home someday, and she knew her father would be waiting there, Jacob’s marriage proposal at his side. He would never understand her wanting to spend her life with a knight. Especially when her entire reasoning behind not marrying Jacob was so that she could rule one day. With Aston, there was no chance of that. Unless Aston wanted to be king…
No, Ernst would take over before a knight would ever be allowed to rule Adion.
Sighing, Jade tugged the blankets tighter around her, cuddling closer to Aston. The room was chilled, winter breathing in through the small cracks between logs on the cabin’s sides. She should have been warm, beneath the covers and flush against Aston, but her thoughts made her cold.
Jade closed her eyes, hoping sleep would bring dreams and the morning would bring a solution.
“Action and reaction, ebb and flow,
trial and error – this is the rhythm of living.
Out of over confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress.”
- Bruce Barton -
Nineteen
The next week passed quickly, comfortably. After their first night together, Jade became more relaxed around Aston. A little over a month with the man and already he was closer to her than her own brother, though the relationship was completely different. She was learning more about her knight as time passed, and she was beginning to think she would turn in her own brother just to see Aston walk free again.
The night before they left for Northsbury, Jade packed their costumes into her satchel, marveling at their beauty. She would have to thank Matilda for teaching her to sew. Without the skill, she knew Aston would never have gone to the winter ball with her.
As it was, Aston was still nervous. Every time she mentioned the ball, his shoulders would tense and his expression would turn harsh. Jade knew he was scared someone would recognize him, but their costumes were perfect. She was confident no one would know either of them.
Her satchel packed, Jade left her room and went to Aston’s. Ever since the night when she’d given herself to him completely she’d been sharing his bed. Her knight was already there, nestled under the covers. His even breathing told her he was asleep, and she carefully slid into bed beside him, hoping not to wake him.
A week from tonight, we will be at the winter ball, dancing together for the first time! Jade thought, smiling in anticipation. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, dreading the coming ride but excited about what would come after.
**
Aston awoke early the next morning, sliding out of bed before Jade had woken. He made his way to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and running a hand through his disheveled hair. He rummaged through the cupboard, trying to find something to make breakfast. They would need their strength for the ride, not to mention a full belly was often warmer than an empty one.
After a quick trip to the smokehouse, Aston had bacon sizzling on top of a fire and was in the midst of mixing ingredients into batter when Jade walked in the room. She sat heavily at the table, resting her head on her folded arms.
“Still tired?” he asked her, chuckling under his breath.
Jade didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted her head from her arms, stared him down, and then went right back to resting on the table. Aston laughed aloud before taking the bacon from the metal skillet and replacing it with a little bit of the batter he’d created.
The princess lifted her head again as breakfast smells assaulted her senses. “Are you making hotcakes?” she asked, standing and moving to look over Aston’s shoulder.
He nodded and turned, shocked by how close she was. If he leaned forward just a little, he could kiss her. With a mental shrug, he did just that, pressing his lips to hers before pulling away and returning to his cooking.
As soon as the small, round, sweet-battered disks were done, Aston filled two plates and carried them to the table. He set one in front of Jade and kept the other for himself. He handed her a jar of homemade honey that he’d found in the cupboard and watched as her eyes brightened.
“Honey? I haven’t had honey in years. Father never buys it anymore. He says no one in Adion can make it right,” she said, pouring a generous amount onto her hotcakes and taking a huge bite. Her eyes closed in ecstasy. “He should hire Alys,” she commented before stuffing another large bite into her mouth.
Aston laughed, covering his own plate in the sticky, sweet gel.
When breakfast was over, he grabbed their satchels and went outside. He crunched through the snow to the stables, shaking stray flakes from his hair. Sterling and Edward looked at him warily; he understood. If he was a horse, he wouldn’t want to walk around in the snow either, especially not for two days.
As he saddled his horse, Jade wa
lked in and went to Edward. He could hear her whispering to the horse as she got him ready to go. The knight smiled and shook his head.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the road to Northsbury. The snow on the dirt path wasn’t too deep. Deep ruts cut through the snow, left behind by royal chariots. This was the most common road to their destination and other monarchs had undoubtedly already made the long trek, relaxing in the palace before the big night. It was through these ruts that they rode.
Jade had Aston’s cloak wrapped around her again, her hands buried deep inside it. She didn’t know how he made it through the winter, how he went along as if the cold didn’t affect him. Now, trekking through the snow, all he had on was a long sleeved white tunic, brown pants, and brown boots. Jade was bundled up in her pants and blouse and her black riding boots, as well as the cloak, and she was still cold.
Jade shivered, looking at Aston, wishing she were as warm as he seemed to be.
It was going to be a long two days.
**
Talbot paced the room, his soft boots padding gently against the elegant rug. The carriage he’d shared with his mother and father had arrived at Northsbury early that morning, and now all he had to do was wait.
His father had barely spoken to him since King Roland had been killed. He was still upset with Talbot, still saying the prince should have done something other than wait in the bushes. When had he become little more than another soldier to his father? When had his life become less important? Talbot stopped pacing; he knew the answer to that question.
“When Aston Smith disappointed him,” he thought aloud. He shook his head and clasped his arms behind his back, resuming his pacing. Aston had been his father’s finest soldier, and Talbot had been the one to bear the news of Aston’s betrayal. He’d lost all standing with his father that day.
Tired of his incessant pacing, the prince sat on the bed, sinking into the soft mattress. He laid back with a defeated plop and stared at the ceiling, crossing his arms under his head.
Knight's End (The Knight Trilogy) Page 13
