Love Schemes

by Stacy Charasidis

  She reached over and kissed him lightly on the mouth, her hand rubbing circles on his abdomen. His body responded instantly, and she blushed when she noticed.

  “Feel any guilt when you saw Brody today?” Doran asked. He had to make sure. He was winning on the field of love, but he wouldn’t do anything at her expense. She had to feel great about their blossoming relationship too.

  “Not even a smidgen. He’s a stranger to me, Doran. When everyone departs in a couple of days, I’m going to have a talk with my father.”

  “Good,” Doran said, putting his hand on her face and tugging her toward him. They kissed softly and slowly, enjoying the sensations of their mouths together, exploring each other’s tastes. Seraphina’s chest was pressed against him; her hand had snuck under his shirt to touch the skin of his belly. When it got to be too much he groaned and rolled her over onto her back and pressed against her. Their kiss went from loving desire to fabulously hot as he slid against her. Locked in each other’s arms, the morning spun away.

  They had no idea they were being watched.

  They arrived back at the castle just in time for lunch.

  “It’s about time,” Brody said, wiping his mouth. “You have a dancing lesson, Doran.”

  Seraphina snorted as she took a plate and helped herself to food. Kissing was hard work.

  Doran watched Seraphina fill her plate. Her lips looked swollen and inviting. He didn’t want to dance with Brody. He wanted to continue kissing his new girlfriend.

  “Come on, Doran. Eat your lunch, chop, chop. Let’s go man.”

  Seraphina’s eyes twinkled with laughter. “Yes, Doran, your partner awaits.”

  They ate quickly and headed to the ballroom. Brody was all business once again.

  “Okay, the wedding will be much more formal, so we have to practice the step for the other dances you’ll need. Then you can practice leading Seraphina.”

  The men took a few turns around the room. Without music (Dag had the day off), it was strange just hearing Brody counting and instructing. “One, two, three. Turn! One two three. Twist! Okay, twist your hips a bit faster, Doran! You aren’t a stiff old man, move it! One, two, three…” and this went on for about an hour.

  Finally it was Seraphina’s turn to dance with Doran. Doran took her into his arms and jerked her toward him. They enjoyed the feel of their bodies together. They were about to start when Brody interrupted. He had put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses to observe. They tried not to laugh.

  “What? These help me see better.” He looked at them. “No, no, that’s not proper form. You’re too close together. This is a ball not a brothel. Did you see me touching Doran? No, because it’s wrong.”

  “You can say that again,” Doran muttered.

  Brody’s silly glasses were perched on his nose and he was leaning back to look at them. He fussed and tsked while he separated them the appropriate distance apart. “That’s better, always at least an inch in between.”

  They danced around the room. Doran and Seraphina laughed as they bumped into each other deliberately, and when Brody wasn’t looking, pressed and rubbed their bodies together. When they finished a few dances they were flushed. Brody didn’t notice.

  “Great job,” he said proudly, patting Doran manly on the back.

  “Oof,” Doran said, trying to dodge the meaty hand.

  Seraphina was impressed. “I have to say, Brody, that step is a stroke of genius. I didn’t think Doran would ever get it.”

  “Hey!”

  Brody looked pleased. “It’s all in the hips, Seraphina. I’m good at dancing, and with animals,” he supplied. “And hunting, but you already know that.”

  Ava appeared. “Dinner will be earlier than usual. The kings have some sort of announcement. Dinner will be served at seven o’clock instead of nine.”

  He knew it! Doran felt fear course through his body.

  “Ah, Prince Brody, I could use some help with some heavy lifting. Are you available?” Ava asked innocently.

  “Er…”

  “Ah, go you big lug. I think your work here is done.” Doran said, winking at Ava.

  Brody hesitated. “As your friend, I don’t want to leave you unskilled…you know, in the lurch.”

  Doran waved him off. “I know all the dances, now. I’ll stay and practice with Seraphina.”

  Everyone was looking at Brody with approval. “Okay,” he said eagerly, taking off his glasses and heading toward Ava.

  “Those glasses looked very handsome on you, your highness,” she said as he reached her. He tucked her arm in his.

  “Why, thank you Miss Ava. I think they make me look smarter,” he commented as they left.

  Doran pulled Seraphina into his arms and they hugged and laughed.

  “He is such nice guy. I think Ava really likes him,” Seraphina said.

  “I think you’re right,” Doran replied, turning his face to hers. He told her about surprising Ava and their subsequent conversation that morning.

  Seraphina was delighted. “Can this day get any better? My worries are over! Let’s strongly encourage their lust.”

  “Are you going to tell Ava you know?”

  “Are you kidding? No way. This is going to be fun,” Seraphina added before Doran kissed her.

  Chapter 30 – Faith and Zuric

  Faith wasn’t having a great day. Sir Zuric was very hung over, so when they went for their customary ride he wasn’t particularly attentive.

  It didn’t help that she was angry with him. He’d completely ignored her at the party last night. When she told him he would be expected to dance, she had meant with her. Instead, she was sure every other girl had gotten to take a turn around the room with him. He was a very skilled dancer, she’d noticed from her place at the wall. She felt very sad, and didn’t know what to do.

  She’d known Zuric her whole life. Like Ava, she was the daughter of royalty, but not the ruler of a kingdom. Like Ava, her father was a prince of the realm who had a large manor in the kingdom. Ava lived at Gold River Manor, just outside Gold River Village. Faith lived at The Fortress, a huge manor surrounded by forest. Both her parents were gone now, so Faith lived alone with a bevy of staff. She wanted a mate and to have children. She wanted the manor filled with the sound of running feet and young laughter. She wanted Zuric to marry her and give her babies.

  As a knight of the realm, he had fostered with her father when he was young, learning to be a knight and squiring for the prince. All the children had taken their lessons together so Faith had grown up with him. She had loved him the moment they met. When they were eighteen, Zuric had kissed her behind the stables. They’d gotten caught by her father’s most trusted knight, Sir Charles, whom it turns out, gave Zuric a very stern talking to about honour and the proper treatment of royal princesses.

  She wished Sir Charles had kept his mouth shut, especially since Zuric wouldn’t touch her now. That was a year ago, and Faith was fed up. She wanted to slap both men, starting with Sir Charles.

  The hard thing was that they were always together. Wherever she went, he went. She knew his heart, and he knew hers. She knew that he loved her and that she loved him, but one thing always came between them.

  He didn’t think he was good enough for her.

  There were many unmarried princes among the kingdoms. She could have her pick, he’d argued. She didn’t want a prince. She wanted him, and told him so repeatedly, but he stubbornly refused to listen. Then she found out that Zuric had gone and asked the parson for permission to court his eldest daughter, Hangnail Harriet, and Faith had had a meltdown. The next day she announced she was going to visit her cousin Seraphina and stay until the wedding, two months hence. Seraphina had begged Faith to come months earlier, but she’d been so busy with her Zuric problem she’d stalled. Now she was taking the bull by the horns.

  “Zuric, you’re coming with me as the captain of my guard detail. Pack your things because we are leaving tomorrow.”

  They’d left t
he next day. The parson’s daughter cried as Zuric left. He looked embarrassed.

  Faith glared at the girl. She was very annoyed at the way Harriet carried on and wanted to slap the silly girl’s face until it was red. Really, they’d only gone for a walk. It wasn’t as if they were betrothed and he was going off to war.

  She’d been happy as they travelled and when they arrived things seemed to be looking up. He seemed to fit in well with the other men, but that backfired on her as well when she later realized that, if anything, he was even more aware of his lack of status hanging around Doran, and now Brody. She’d asked Doran to flirt with her a little in order to spur some jealousy or possessiveness in Zuric to see if that would draw him out. Always the utter gentleman, Doran had agreed. He’d done his job too well. Doran was a prince among princes, and Zuric started to compare himself to Doran. She’d continued the flirting in desperation, even after it became apparent (to her anyway) that Doran and Seraphina were falling in love with each other. She’d seen Seraphina’s unhappy looks at their acting, but continued for Zuric’s sake. For what? Nothing. She’d hurt her beloved cousin for nothing!

  They rode quietly while Faith simmered angrily with her thoughts.

  Zuric started to snore lightly, and Faith snapped. She screeched in outrage, causing Zuric to jolt awake and fumble for his sword at the side of his horse.

  “What? What?” He shouted, brandishing his sword and turning his horse to protect her. “Show yourselves!” he screamed to the empty hillside.

  “You fell asleep!” Faith yelled, smacking his horse’s rump. The horse whinnied and looked at her reproachfully.

  Zuric was wild-eyed. “So, no danger?” he asked, his eyes darting everywhere. He was breathing heavily.

  “I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” she said ominously, her hand ready to smack something else.

  Zuric smiled lovingly at her. No one saw Faith’s temper tantrums but him. She was just adorable when she was angry.

  At his familiar, loving expression Faith burst into tears.

  “What?” Zuric moved his horse until they were side by side. “What’s happening, Faith?”

  “You didn’t dance with me last night, not once!” she cried, furious that she was telling him how she felt, but she couldn’t stop herself. “You didn’t even say I looked pretty!”

  Zuric looked like he’d been hit by a horse and carriage. “You were beyond stunning, Faith. I was so awed, I didn’t know what to say.”

  “How about, ‘Faith, you look stunning. Would you LIKE TO DANCE?’” she screamed the last part.

  Zuric grew stony. “We’ve talked about this, Faith. You are royalty and you must marry someone in your class. I danced with eligible girls.”

  “Gah!” she screamed, pulling her hair in frustration. “You are in my class, you moron. You’re a knight!”

  “Name calling does not become a lady,” Zuric said with disapproval. Although she’d been calling him that since they were small, he still didn’t know what a moron was, but he knew it wasn’t a compliment. “Anyway, I am not prince-level class, and I had a lot to drink, so I might have stepped on your toes.”

  At a loss, Faith looked at Zuric. She was completely out of ideas. In desperation, she started unbuttoning the top of her dress.

  “Faith! What the HELL are you doing?” Zuric yelped, looking around. They were completely alone.

  “If I’m compromised, then I can’t marry a prince. I can marry whomever I want,” she said stubbornly. She reached her waist and squirmed out of her top. They were in the middle of a rolling field. Zuric took her reins and headed to the woods. Faith rode with her arms in the air, making whooping sounds.

  When they got to the cover of the trees, Faith pulled off her under things. Her chest was bared and her hair hung like a soft, blond curtain down her back. She laughed at the freedom.

  Zuric was trying to look at anything but her. He was clenching and unclenching his fists. Faith realized that he just needed a nudge. She knew he loved her; she just had to murder the honourable, status-obsessed side of him.

  “Look at me Zuric,” she said softly, riding around him. “My breasts are bouncing in the wind—something not to be missed!”

  He looked up and grabbed her reins as she rode by, halting the horse and pulling it toward him. He looked at her seriously. “You are an utter beauty, my beloved Faith. What do you want from me?”

  “I want a kiss, a long one, with tongue. Oh, and you have to take off your top too.”

  “Fine,” he said, throwing caution to the wind. He unbuckled his heavy leather sword belt and pulled his shirt off.

  Faith caught her breath at his broad, muscled chest. She squeaked as he grabbed her and pulled her onto his horse. “Wrap your legs around my hips. Move as much of that damn skirt to the side as you can.”

  She did as he said and he wrapped his arms around her slight body, sliding them around her back to caress the sides of her breasts. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed in ecstasy as their lips met. Excitement flowed through her as he groaned and deepened their kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth as he crushed her to him and settled her more firmly on his lap. She wrapped her legs tightly around his hips. The sensations were incredible.

  Finally mine, she thought blissfully.

  Chapter 31 – Doran and Seraphina

  When they arrived for dinner, the kings were already seated at the head of the long dining table. They were in full regalia. Velvet robes with fur trim, golden crowns and rings. Larwick had his staff, but how he was going to eat while holding it was a mystery. The dining hall normally sat a hundred people easily, but only the formal dining table dominated the centre of the room. All the other tables and benches were pushed to the sides. Tablecloths had been laid and the formal crystal and china were out. Silver utensils sparkled in the light of the chandeliers. Normally staff and guards ate at the same time as the royals, but today they would take their meal a few hours later.

  This was a special meal, family only. Trepidation filled Doran. Those sneaky royal bastards were up to something.

  “What is going on here?” Seraphina wondered as she appeared behind Doran.

  “Trouble, my beauty. Trouble with a capital ‘K’ for King.”

  “Come in, come in,” King boomed, standing up and waving them forward. Doran’s father smiled and waved. Herrick hadn’t bothered to visit with his son, even though Doran had been gone from Silversmith Castle for a couple of months now. He had just hung out with his old cronies. Doran wasn’t sure if he resented his father or not considering the morning he’d had with the pliant and sexy Seraphina. He decided he was fine with it.

  His brothers, of course, had slept all day. They were already seated, on the same side of the table as the kings, but further down. Doran looked at them as if to ask them what was happening, but they only shrugged. They looked much recovered and were hitting the ale keg once again.

  King pointed to the chairs right opposite their royal majesties. “Sit there,” he told Seraphina and Doran.

  They looked at each other nervously, and sat. They were served wine immediately.

  Brody and his brothers came in right after. Brody was directed to sit beside Seraphina while his brothers were sent to sit with the other Silversmith princes.

  Faith arrived and sat beside Brody. Zuric followed and sat beside Faith. There appeared to be some strain between them. Seraphina made a note to ask Faith later.

  The table filled up with the visiting nobles and their adult children. The little kids were nowhere to be seen.

  Dinner was served. Despite the horrifying puking display of sickness Doran had witnessed that morning, everyone ate with gusto. Platters of meat, potatoes, bread, cheese, and steamed vegetables came from the kitchen. Ava, still in disgrace despite her father’s leniency in allowing her to attend last night’s ball, was serving. She leaned provocatively against the wall behind the kings, waiting to serve them as needed and staring hard at Brody.

  I
t wasn’t the normal “royal” meal with forty courses. Everything came out at the same time, so the dinner had been hastily planned. Because of that, the formality of it was frightening. Everyone ate, and waited.

  Finally, King wiped his mouth and stood up, raising his goblet.

  “A toast, to the future bride and groom!”

  Cheering erupted as people raised their glasses and drank. Both Seraphina and Brody looked a little green.

  King Joseph stood up. “I want to thank my friend, King, for hosting such a fine party to welcome my boy to his kingdom,” he said loudly, wiping a small tear from his eye. “I consider myself the luckiest monarch to be joining our two kingdoms together!”

  “Hear hear,” someone yelled from the far end of the table.

  Ava was no longer smiling.

  Seraphina looked at Brody and he looked as horrified as she felt. She was sure that he, like her, had kind of forgotten theirs was a formal betrothal. Especially now that he was boinking Ava.

  “Which is why we have some great news!” King continued. “Since all our beloved family and friends are here, we’ve decided not to wait two weeks until the betrothal and four weeks until the wedding.” King and King Joseph put their arms around each other’s shoulders. “We’ve decided to hold the wedding next weekend. The joyous nuptials will take place seven days hence.”

  “Not counting today,” King Joseph added.

  Cheering erupted again in the room, but Doran, Seraphina, Brody, Faith, and Ava weren’t cheering. They were shocked.

  Seraphina’s mind reeled. Get married? In a week? To someone other than Doran? That wasn’t going to happen.

  Brody looked very confused and was counting on his fingers.

  Faith looked at Seraphina with a mixture of sympathy and shock.

  Ava was wiping her eyes and fled the room. None of their majesties noticed, only her father, Duke Ethan Kissler frowned. When Ava left, Brody excused himself. People were chattering excitedly. Doran’s and Brody’s brothers were banging the table and shouting, “Party next weekend!”

  King looked at Seraphina, who stared at him in shock.