Page 24 of Pawns of Fate
She hadn’t gone very far when footsteps approached. She turned around to see Nicholas with a pensive look in his eye and lips thinned with concern.
“Rose, are you alright?” he asked.
Perhaps he was upset that she hadn’t returned to the banquet.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I needed a little fresh air.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I just worried because you weren’t on the porch. Ava told me you were there.”
“I was, but the gardens were too tempting. I only intended to wander a little bit. I would have returned to the banquet soon.”
“It’s okay. The banquet is over now, anyway.” Nicholas wrung his hands together. Was he nervous? “There’s actually aspot in the gardens that I would like to show you, if you don’t mind my company. Unless you wanted to retire for the night?”
Rose looked into Nicholas’s sky-blue eyes. She saw genuine hope in them and found it odd. Nicholas was making it harder and harder for her to believe that she was only a pawn to him.
“I’d like to explore the garden with you.” Her pulse quickened.
Nicholas beamed, then took her hand into his and led the way.
The Sharp gardens weren’t as sprawling and spacious as those at Robson Castle. Rose could tell, even with only the use of moonlight. They were more compacted and layered because of the mountainous terrain, just as Nicholas had told her. There were many more trees and fewer flower beds. It had a more practical feel than any other castle garden Rose had seen. Still, the scent of pine trees filled the air, and soft grass cooled her bare feet. It wasn’t a bad garden at all.
They strolled down the path, and Nicholas held out his free hand, saying a few words to cast a spell. A rune flared to life on his palm and produced small sparks of electricity that danced around like fireflies in the night.
He let out a small huff of dissatisfaction, but the little sparks enchanted Rose.
“They’re supposed to light our path, not jump around like that.” Rose glanced at him, noticing his slumped shoulders and sheepish expression.
“I think they’re lovely.” She smiled gently and squeezed herfiancé’s hand.
Nicholas guided her to a section of the garden surrounding a small pond, which was bathed in moonlight. Silver flowers and white lilies bloomed around the water’s edge, giving the area an ethereal, numinous feel.
“These are the moonflowers I showed you on the journey here.” Nicholas motioned to the elegant silver flowers that wove around the large, white lilies. “They only bloom on nights with a full moon.”
“They’re captivating,” Rose whispered with a bit of awe. She wished she could bend over and touch them, but her gown was quite restrictive.
“They only grow in mountainous terrain. The ones here are nice, but one day I’ll take you to where they grow wild. On nights with a full moon, they cover the whole mountainside, and it looks like the stars have taken residence with us, an entire sea of silvery light.”
“I’d like to see that.”
Nicholas led her to a small bench beside the pond. They sat down, which took some effort on Rose’s part.
“Ava fell on her face when we made her wear a formal dress like this.” Nicholas chuckled.
“She told me. Poor thing!”
“We didn’t realize that wearing dresses like these required training,” Nicholas said regretfully. “She hasn’t had to wear one since. Even her wedding dress was simple by high society standards. It doesn’t seem like the full skirts were a problem for you, though,” he added.
“I had etiquette tutoring at my uncle’s.”
“What I meant to say” —Nicholas took Rose’s hand into his— “is that I’ve been very impressed with how well you’ve handled” —he gestured as if including the whole castle— “all of this. You’ve done more than I could have asked, especially given the circumstances.”
Rose really couldn’t figure this man out. Was he complimenting her or reminding her that she was about to serve as collateral for his family? Her heart screamed that it was a genuine compliment. Her head warned her against letting her guard down any further.
“I’ve stuck my foot in my mouth.” Nicholas wrinkled his nose, and his head swayed.
“No, I’m just…” Rose sifted through all the words scrambling around in her head. If nothing else, Nicholas had been honest with her. She could be honest with him. “It’s hard for me to know where I really stand with” —she gestured as if including the whole castle— “all of this.”
Nicholas nodded. “I understand.”
