Page 19 of Eliza's Cursed Dragon

He was so excited his words blurred into one another but I got stuck on pour a pond. He was going to build a pond for my brothers? Who was this man? The idea that he was a king or prince entered my head and filled me with giddiness. Wouldn’t that be like a dream come true?

Not much later we said goodbye to the Pinkertons and loaded into Edward’s truck. My brothers in the bed in the back and me next to Edward in the front seat.

I had never been in a mechanical vehicle before. I had watched them drive by at dizzying speeds, but I had never sat in one. Curiously, I watched Edward put it into gear, turn the steering wheel, and slowly we pulled away from the curb.

My stomach lurched when he drove faster. Never in a hundred years would I have thought it possible to travel this fast. I held on to a handle and threw nervous glances alternately through the window and at Edward, who seemed relaxed behind the wheel. Eyes on the road.

When he looked over at me, a puzzled expression moved over his features. “You look like you’ve never been in a car before.”

Then something like realization hit him. “You haven’t, have you?”

I shook my head and he slowed down. Grateful, I sank back in the seat.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I held up my hand, my thumb and pointer finger making an O, like I had seen others do to indicate it was okay.

“We’re almost there anyway,” he said, pulling off the highway and passing the hotels I had seen from afar.

A long road wound through the hills for a couple of miles, with nothing between the hotel and our destination, which turned out to be a small palace.

Impressed, I stared at the mansion as we drew closer and navigated a half-circle driveway with a fountain in the middle.

Just like at my father’s palace, several wide stone steps led up to large double doors, which opened as soon as we exited the truck.

“Master Seymore, we were getting worried when you didn’t come down for breakfast,” an older man called out from atop the stairs.

“I’m sorry, Simon, I didn’t mean to worry you. Something happened and I brought a guest home, this is…” He looked at me startled, remembering that he didn’t know my name. “Susan?” he mouthed.

I grinned and shook my head. He had been closer the first time.

Edward found his bearings. “Miss Swan,” he introduced me. “Please find accommodations for her and… her pets.”

On cue, my brothers flew out of the truck’s bed, landing next to us. They began waddling up the steps as if coming home.

“I see. Miss Swan?” Simon’s expression was dubious, but he held his composure as he watched my brothers enter the mansion. I would have loved to call them back and remind them of their manners, but I couldn’t, so I shrugged apologetically at Edward, who only chuckled. “No worries, I want you all to feel right at home here. Alright?”

A bright smile that I couldn’t have stopped even if I had tried, spread over my features, and he grinned back at me just as idiotically.

“If you please?” Simon pointed at the winding, double staircases in the large foyer. “I will ready the lavender room for her if it pleases you, Master Seamor. It’s the largest with a wide balcony for… her pets.”

“Perfect,” Edward praised. Taking hold of my elbow, he led me to the other side of the house first. “Let me give you a tour, I have a feeling your swans are planning their own.”

My eyes followed William’s waddling tail as he turned a corner, while Richard and Philip were off in another direction.

I would have loved to tell Edward how sorry I was and that we did have manners, but all I could do was pull my lips into a rueful line and hope he understood my meaning.

His chuckle told me he did. “No worries, princess. I want all of you to feel right at home here.”

“Here’s the large dining room.” He opened doors to our left, giving me a glimpse of a room housing a table that would comfortably seat twenty people.

“The small dining room.” He opened another set of doors to a more intimate space, a round table for four was set in the center.

To the right he pointed and said, “Library and my office.”

The two rooms were separated by a set of sliding doors, open at the moment and in stark contrast with one another. The library was done in old-fashioned brown tones, with leather couches and recliners and a fireplace. Just as expected, floor-to-ceiling shelves were stacked with books, some of which were so old, they were kept behind glass. A sliding ladder rested in the center.

The other room was decorated in cool metallics, from a shining chrome desk to gray chairs and couches. A computer sat in the corner of the desks and paper was scattered across the surface.

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