Page 59 of Hidden Falls

I wrapped myself in one of the thick, warm white towels and went to stand in front of the closet filled with millions of creepy clothes. “He said there would be more activities.” Yesterday, we’d hit balls on a range, and the whole family had played golf together on my father’s personal course. “What should I dress for today?”

“Ahem.”

“What the hell!” I whirled around, clutching my towel to my chest.

Noella stood in the bedroom doorway. “I knocked, but you must have still been in the bathroom.”

“You about gave me a heart attack.” I turned back to face the open closet. I gestured to the many outfits on hangers with coordinated shoes on racks below. “What should I wear?”

“Your father said to dress for riding and archery.”

My heart gave a big happy jump. “Riding? Archery? What is this, Robin Hood?”

I was excited. I had “a knack” for riding which we’d discovered during the brief time I had lessons when I was twelve; unfortunately, we couldn’t afford to keep them up. I’d also been a good shot at archery in Girl Scouts back in the day.

Noella came to my side and gazed at the rack of clothing. “The riding and archery are combined; they use part of the golf course for a riding and shooting course. You should dress for riding. He also said you’ll meet his falcon, so pick something with long sleeves.”

My eyes flew wide. “Falcon?”

“Yes. The don—that’s your father—hunts with a peregrine named Cielo. That means ‘Sky.’” Noella stepped forward and moved the outfits around until she found a pair of heavy-duty riding pants with suede patches at the knees. She handed those to me, then pointed below. “There are the boots and socks. You can pull them on with those boot hooks. Let’s get a tunic. And I’ll find your gloves.” She continued rummaging.

“Gloves?” I was turning into a parrot, repeating everything, but this was—so not my scene. At all.

“Riding gloves for handling the reins. Also protects your fingers from the bowstring. But then you need gauntlets for handling the falcon. Here’s your helmet.” She handed it all to me; my arms were now overflowing, and my towel was falling down.

“Do you want help getting dressed?” She cocked her head.

I may have been freaking out under the pile of stuff, but I didn’t need help getting the clothes onto my body. “No thanks. I got it.”

“I’ll fix your breakfast then. Unless you’d like to go down and join the family in the main dining room?” Noella had eyebrows that got a lot of action; right now, they were up by her hairline. There was a little smirk tucked in the corner of her mouth; she knew I’d rather be tortured than join the family in the dining room.

“No, thank you very much. I’ll eat up here.”

“As you wish. I’ll be back soon with your meal.” Noella retreated and closed the door.

I was left standing in the middle of the room holding a pair of riding pants, knee-high riding boots, a long-sleeved shirt, a bra, and panties she’d somehow added in there, socks, a velvet riding jacket, a helmet, and two pairs of very expensive-looking leather gloves.

Maybe I really was a princess.

* * *

Finally, I was dressed for riding and had combed out my still wet hair so hopefully it would dry okay.

The tall leather boots were impossible to get on. I was going to have to ask Noella for help when she finally returned with my breakfast, which I hoped was soon because my tummy was rumbling like an empty volcano.

The bedroom was really more like an apartment with a sitting room; it had its own fireplace, with a cute little couch in front of it. A bookshelf filled with many of the books I’d read and enjoyed lined one wall.

This wasn’t bad for a prison.

I grabbed a book and sat down on the itty-bitty sofa to pass the time.

I’d hardly opened my favorite,The Hunger Games, for a reread, when I heard a knock at the door. “Come in!”

Noella entered, carrying a huge tray. A miniature, fancy silver tea set with two small teapots and a plate covered with a dome rested on it. Noella set the tray on the table under the window that looked out at the front of the house—a window I’d opened and thought about climbing down from. “I thought you’d want something with a lot of protein since you’re going to be getting exercise today, and I wasn’t sure if you wanted coffee or tea, so I brought both.”

“Noella, this is so nice. Thank you.” I set the book aside and came over to the table. “Wow. You didn’t have to do all this.”

She looked down modestly and fiddled with a rosebud in a vase on the tray. “Will you let me braid your hair? It will keep it neat under your helmet when you’re riding.”

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