Doran held her hand under the table and squeezed it in support.
Dessert was served.
Chapter 32 – Brody and Ava
Brody found Ava in the garden, leaning against the castle wall. He approached her hesitantly. “Ava?”
She rubbed her eyes and hiccupped. She’d never cried over a man before. Ever. She loved men, all men. She never tied herself to one boy alone. She didn’t want to have a relationship. She wanted to have fun. She looked up as Brody approached quietly, like he would a skittish horse. He was making calming noises, and she hid a smile. He leaned against the wall beside her then slid down to sit in the grass. He didn’t touch her, and she actually ached for it. She knew why, of course. There were people everywhere who would probably wonder at what they were doing. Only the royals were currently at that hellish dinner.
He didn’t look at her as he pulled up some of the long grass and played with it, looking around the backyard. “You okay?” he asked.
She looked down at his blond head. What was it about this man that made her so wild for him? He wasn’t the smartest, but God, he was so sexy. His body was well-built, firm, and muscular. Add to that a beautiful smile, and a kind personality…she just loved him, the whole package that was Brody.
She looked out over Cook’s gardens to the rolling hills beyond. The kings were serious. They wanted this man to rule these lands with her cousin. It seemed inevitable. How do you fight the combined will of kings? She couldn’t do it. It had to be Brody and Seraphina, together.
Ava sighed. Brody’s desire to please his family was a huge issue. He didn’t like upsetting people. He allowed that weasel Murdock to boss him around and yell at him in private. She hated that old, pinch-faced sourpuss.
He didn’t like conflict. He wanted to ride horses, eat well, drink ale, hang with his buddies, and make love (she thought with a blush). He’d told Ava he wanted to get married, but to someone who liked him, who would share his life and have fun with him. “Life is supposed to be a blast!” he’d told her earnestly. Seraphina scared him, and she didn’t like him…in a romantic sense anyway.
“Well?” he asked quietly. That was why he was so good with animals. Brody never forced himself on them. He allowed them to get used to him, and then he showered them with care and affection. Even though he was looking around, she knew she had his undivided attention.
“I’m fine, Brody,” she said quietly. “The announcement just caught me off guard and I got a little overwhelmed, that’s all.”
“I’m not going to marry her,” he said decisively. “I just need to figure out how to approach my father. He can be pretty scary when he’s mad, and Murdock is determined I marry Seraphina. He thinks he’ll be running this castle if I do. That’s very important to him. When I told him I wasn’t sure about the marriage he told me I was being selfish.”
“There’s not a selfish bone in your body, Brody. You just know what’s right, and you have to do what’s right for you,” Ava said, quickly running her hand through his hair while no one was looking.
“I know what’s right for me,” he said. “I just have to plan my approach properly so I don’t get slain scaling the castle wall. You know what I mean?”
He sounded worried. “I get it,” she reassured him.
He got up in one smooth movement and dusted off his pants. He offered his arm. “Let’s eat. Worrying makes me hungry.”
Ava laughed. He was hers for now. She may as well make the best of it.
Chapter 33 – Seraphina and King
“I’m not going to marry him!” Seraphina declared loudly as she stormed into her father’s personal chambers.
Phineas was reading, his magnifying glasses perched on the edge of his nose. He was reclining in a wooden lounger draped in furs. A silver coffee service and a bowl of chocolate were on a small table by his side. He closed his book and looked at her.
Oh for Pete’s sake! “Father, is that a book of romance?”
He peered down at it. “Yes, uh, one of your mother’s. She loved these tales. I have to admit, they’re not bad.”
Seraphina snatched it out of his hands and looked at the title. “Love Schemes? Seriously? This is the bedtime reading of a king?” Seraphina snorted and returned the book to him after eyeing the racy drawing on the leather cover. “Is this where your harebrained idea to arrange a marriage for me came from?” she huffed.
“Er, no. But something similar is happening. The heroine, you see, has a mean father….”
“Gah!”
King sighed. “Seraphina, you are my only child, the only proof that I loved an incredible woman who bore me the most beautiful little girl.”
Seraphina went still. She missed her mother desperately. Sometimes she forgot that she hadn’t only been a mother, but a wife too.
“I need an heir. The life of a royal is never easy, my princess. It’s your job to marry, marry well, and continue the family line.”
“We are not compatible in any way at all,” Seraphina said, tears in her eyes.
“You think he’s nice.”
“Yes, but I think puppies are nice!”
“It’s a start, sweetheart. That’s all you need to build the foundation of a strong relationship.”
Seraphina sniffed and sat beside her father, taking his hand. “I guess you had to do that with mom? Find a start?”
King looked shocked. “What? Are you kidding? No way. We were mad about each other, completely compatible. Getting married was a relief. Finally sleeping in the same bed every night and not just sneaking around like a couple of love starved….”
Seraphina stared at him, no humour in her expression.
“Ahem, well not everyone can be so lucky, my dear.”
“Don’t you want the same for me?”
King looked interested and sat up, staring at his daughter. “Absolutely! Do you have an alternative you’d care to suggest? I’m listening.”
Seraphina panicked. Speak for Doran? She thought of the confident, smart man she was absolutely in love with. Did he want to marry her? He hadn’t said anything. They were definitely nuts about each other, but their romantic relationship was a day old. She had no idea what his intentions were, and she didn’t want to find out they didn’t match her secret hopes.
“Well?” King pressed.
“No…no one yet,” she said quietly.
King sighed. “Look Seraphina, if we break this betrothal it’ll ruin a great friendship I’ve had since I was a boy. It will humiliate both of us after announcing all this publicly…and it could cause a war.”
Seraphina gasped. “A war!”
“Kingdom’s have fought over lesser slights. Why I heard one bloody feud started with a dirty sock. That’s it—one dirty sock tossed from one kingdom into the other as an insult. The ‘receiving’ king watched in horror as it bounced rancidly in his grass. The fight was on! Royalty do not take those types of insults lying down, you know. If you rejected Joseph’s son…God knows what he’d do. After all, he’s not always playing with a full deck of cards, if you know what I mean.”
Seraphina frowned. “A dirty sock? I don’t believe you.” Her father loved to tell very large, very false tales, but he had a point about insulting Joseph Larwick. How would he react?
King laughed. “My point is that there will be serious consequences, Seraphina. I expect you to do your duty, and that’s it. You’re nineteen. It’s time to grow up.”
Seraphina was at a loss for words. It was time for Plan B.
Chapter 34 – Brody and King Jo
Brody was not having any more luck with his father.
“Brody, I will not tolerate disobedience. Murdock thinks you and Seraphina will make a great couple.”
Brody turned eyes filled with betrayal on Murdock, who only shrugged. “You know what I want.”
Brody’s brothers were in the room with them. He’d been hoping they’d support him, but it turned out to be a fiasco instead.
“Brody, the girl�
��s totally hot.”
“I hear fiery red hair means…”
“Boys!”
“What? That she has a temper and will be feisty, if you know what I mean.” Aaron was waggling his eyebrows.
“I don’t think Seraphina will like my vintage warrior-knight gauntlets. She doesn’t share any of my interests.”
King Jo looked a bit discomfited at that, but shook his head and steeled his resolve. “No, Brody. Some girls take longer to appreciate us. You can’t always be as lucky as I was with your mother.”
Brody’s brothers agreed. “Mother! Mother! Mother!” they shouted in unison.
“As you can see,” King Jo said, looking at his boys, “we need to marry well, but more importantly, marry smart. We’re just not the brightest cards in the deck, you know what I’m saying? We can’t afford to sacrifice the intelligence gene for compatibility.”
“Isn’t it light bulbs in the deck, father?” Culver snickered.
“No, son.”
Brody was punching his hands together, looking uncertain. King Jo pressed his point.
“Besides, King is one of my best friends. It would humiliate him if you rejected his bad-tempered daughter. Who would I fish with? I can’t afford to take that chance with my buddy.”
“But it could mean my entern—no wait, my ertern— uh, forever unhappiness!”
“No, I’m not going to war because of a girl. You’re getting married, Brody, so get used to the idea.”
“War? What war?” Brody looked panicked.
“The war in your pants, bro.” The boys laughed.
“I’m confused,” Brody admitted.
Then they all looked confused. “Okay, time out.” King Jo said. “Let’s go get some ale. That always helps.”
Chapter 35 – Brody and Murdock
Later on, Brody paced his room wearing his vintage warrior-knight gauntlets and punching his hands together. He couldn’t wait for Ava to arrive. He needed to talk to her. She made things easy for Brody to understand. The meeting with his father had been typical—pointless and ending with large quantities of ale.
There was a knock at the door and Murdock walked in.
Oh God, not now, Brody thought axiously.
“Ah, Brody my boy,” he said, rubbing his hands and looking around. “Are you alone?”
Brody frowned. Did Murdock know about Ava? He didn’t think so, but he started to feel a bit nervous. He didn’t want to start a war and deny his father his fishing buddy.
“Yes, of course.”
“Ah, good. Well, Brody, I know you were angry with me for siding with your father today, but marriage is important. Most importantly, is marrying well. Seraphina is heiress to this whole kingdom and needs a consort to rule at her side! That, my boy, is you.”
“It’s forever, Murdock. Never ending. I can’t do it.”
Murdock’s expression became murderous for a split second before it smoothed back into something pleasant. Brody moved away from him. He’d noticed Murdock had changed in the last few months, and he wasn’t sure why.
“Look, Brody. We need to get out of Oakmoor. It’s holding us back! We need a place of our own to rule—one with unlimited resources at our fingertips! No more scraping for every penny or favour from your father. We can take control of our own destinies! Rise in power and stature!”
“Forever is long, Murdock,” Brody replied. “It’s…forever.”
Murdock huffed. “Okay, so what if the marriage wasn’t forever?”
Brody frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I know you hate Seraphina.”
“Whoa, whoa, there. Hate? No! I like her, she just scares me a little—”
“She’s a selfish hellion; a bad-tempered witch. She doesn’t deserve you.” Murdock looked at Brody calculatingly. “If you marry her…I can ensure she doesn’t survive for very long afterward.”
Brody was horrified. “You want to murder Seraphina?”
Murdock laughed unpleasantly. “I think that when you rid the world of a pest it’s hardly murder. It’s a necessary extermination, like getting rid of rats or bugs. Once she’s gone, we can rule here in her stead and you can marry whomever you want. King is old—he won’t live much longer, and the loss of his daughter may put him over the edge. Don’t you see, Brody? This is your chance to get everything you want, get out from under your father’s thumb, and get away from your bully brothers.”
“Are you mad?” Brody asked, but he could see that he probably was. “No, Murdock,” Brody said, his anger rising. “I don’t hurt people to get ahead. I don’t.”
“You’re a selfish boy!” Murdock sneered, his voice rising. “It’s always about you! Watch Brody! Be his companion, your father said. What did that get me? Nothing! Your father doesn’t even confide in me anymore, just stuck me with his youngest and dumbest. Well, I didn’t travel to this castle to leave with my tail between my legs!”
Brody was angry now. “I’m sorry you’re upset, but it’s no reason to kill. Think of your immortal soul!”
“Bah!”
“I’ll tell my father, Murdock. He’ll put you in the dungeon.”
Murdock laughed, and Brody could hear a tinge of madness in the sound. He hadn’t realized until now how unhinged Murdock really was. All this time he just thought Murdock was a jerk.
He was wiping his eyes, still laughing. “Fine, forget it. The plan was for your advancement, boy. You do what you want, marry the girl and live unhappily ever after. Mind you, if you tell your father what I said, or suggested would be a better way to put it, I’ll kill Seraphina before the wedding and blame you. No one would believe you. You’ve made it clear to your family that you don’t want to marry her. Who would think to disagree with me if I told them you killed her in desperation? What reason would I have to kill her that anyone would believe? No, Brody, my charge, my punishment—you will do as I say and keep your mouth shut. If you say anything, I’ll kill Seraphina, and all her girlfriends with her.”
Murdock would do it too.
Brody’s eyes burned with anger and fear. “Okay, Murdock, I won’t tell anyone, but you leave those girls alone.”
“You’re a fool, boy. Fine, fine, I’ll leave them alone. It was just an idea.”
Brody didn’t believe him, but he didn’t know what to do.
Murdock left Brody’s suite and ran into Ava in the hall. “Doesn’t that girl ever sleep?” he grumbled as he walked by her. His mind stewed with plots and plans. So he wouldn’t kill Seraphina, but perhaps he’d incapacitate her. A riding accident and a coma. That would be nice. Now Doran, he was a dead man. To get Trevan’s help with his plans, he promised to deliver Doran to the dungeon, which Doran hated with a passion. Perhaps Trevan could help plan Seraphina’s accident…it was worth asking him about.
In the end, he would have his revenge and get what he deserved.
Chapter 36 – Meeting of the Minds
Seraphina waited as Doran got the key for their trip to the treasure room. With the castle full of guests, there was no hill, dale, or forest where they didn’t encounter a party riding, hunting, or doing some other outdoorsy thing. Even their spot by the water had been invaded. Thank God that spot had been a secret before King had blabbed about it. She and Doran had frequented it a few more times to be alone. The castle’s guests would have gotten an eyeful.
A few days earlier, after riding there and finding their spot occupied with picnickers, they had headed to Doran’s office instead. He had to go to the treasure room anyway, so she’d gone with him. There they’d found the perfect private love nest. It was Seraphina who had noticed the room had some furniture. They’d made out for hours on a small sofa in the corner. What it was doing there they weren’t sure, but it was very convenient.
Excitement built within Seraphina as Doran smiled at her. Soon she’d be alone with him, and that was all that mattered. She’d prepared for their trip very particularly. She wasn’t wearing anything under her very tight dress. She want
ed things to progress to the next level. She was tired of just kissing, petting, and panting. Seraphina dressed to ensure he didn’t remain a gentleman today.
He kissed her lightly. “Let’s go,” he rumbled softly, desire already heating his voice. He liked the tight dress. Breathless, she turned to open the secret door when a knock sounded at the office door. Doran sighed exasperatedly. Who was that? He looked at Seraphina apologetically when Brody walked in, followed by Ava.
“Doran?” he yelled, slamming the door behind him once he and Ava were in the room. “There you are! Oh, hi Seraphina.”
Since the announcement Brody had been avoiding her. She didn’t mind, it meant having Doran all to herself. He had even canceled Doran’s dancing lessons, telling Doran his heart wasn’t into it.
Doran tried to look casual. “What’s up, Brody?” he asked.
Brody looked very uncomfortable. “Uh,” he looked at Seraphina uncertainly.
Ava stood beside him and nudged him. “Go on, Brody. She won’t bite.”
He flushed a little at Ava’s touch but went on. “Er, the wedding is in two days, and, well, I’m not going through with it,” he said loudly. He looked at Seraphina in fear. Would she freak out? Would she tear him limb from limb? Would she…and this was the worst…cry? After all, he was hot. Quite the catch.
Seraphina smiled at Brody, her eyes crinkling with mirth. “Well, it took you long enough, Brody Larwick. I’m sure your girlfriend would not have liked the other outcome.”
“You’re not mad?” Then he realized what she’d said. “You know about me and Ava?”
Doran explained how he had caught Ava coming out of Brody’s rooms.
“Oh, well, I’m sorry Seraphina. I came here with the best of intentions, but then I met Ava….”
“I’m sure it was a memorable experience,” Seraphina said dryly, staring at her cousin, who only shrugged.
“I am who I am,” she said. “Anyway, you didn’t want this arranged marriage, so I thought I would help.”
Seraphina snorted.
“We’ve decided to run away the morning of the wedding if my father doesn’t change his mind,” Brody said determinedly. He looked at Doran. “My father controls all the Larwick gold and Murdock has all our travel money. I am coming to you for a loan. I will pay you back the moment we get settled and I receive my inheritance from my grandmother. It wouldn’t be long.”
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