Page 10 of Besotted
I’d missed seeing Father during the past months, but even if I’d had the opportunity to be with him, I doubted I would have asked him about my future spouse, not when we always had so much catching up to do about everything else.
No, ’twas better to direct my inquiries to Aunt Idony, even if doing so made us both squirm. “What you are telling me is that not only will I have no choice, but ’twill not matter at all if I am attracted to the man or he to me?”
Aunt Idony unfolded and then refolded her hands, still coated in dirt from her work in the garden. “I cannot claim to be an expert in these matters, but I have heard many royal marriages turn out to be amiable.”
“Friendly?”
“Friendship is a solid foundation for any marriage.”
“But I am friends with Chester and have no wish to marry him.”
“Of course not. You must marry royalty.”
Royalty. That meant I would never be able to marry a pauper like Kresten who had no name, no wealth, and no alliance to offer. Not that I wanted to marry him. “So I must resign myself to a loveless marriage with a man who may or may not be attractive to me?”
“As I said, I’m not the expert, but I do believe if you put forth effort, you might learn to love the man you marry.”
I understood everything the dear woman was telling me—that I would need an advantageous match, one that would be for the greater good of Mercia. As queen, my duty and loyalty to the country superseded my personal desires. Attraction, love, and any other feelings paled in comparison to Mercia’s strength and well-being.
Even though I agreed, I couldn’t keep disappointment at bay. After the whirlwind of emotions I’d experienced while dancing with Kresten, I hoped to have more of the same in my future. But I had no guarantees.
I sat up taller and straightened my shoulders. I was the queen of Mercia and must do what was expected of me. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t meet with the handsome woodcutter again, did it? If I might not ever get to feel the deliciousness of attraction with my future husband, at least I could experience it one more time with Kresten.
Chapter
4
Kresten
She wasn’t coming.I sat back on my heels in my hiding place, worked the kink out of my neck, and tried to shrug off the dismay.
A dozen paces away, Jorg mouthed,Let’s go.
I held up a finger, indicating one more moment, and peered again through the thick foliage into the glade where I’d danced with her yesterday. She’d said shemightreturn to pick berries, not that she definitely would. And apparently she’d decided not to.
I should have guessed so. She’d likely had too much time to think over the matter and come to the conclusion that a rendezvous in the middle of a deserted forest with a stranger wasn’t such a good idea. I didn’t blame her.
On the other hand, I had hoped she’d sensed I meant her no harm and that she could trust me. Obviously, I’d failed in that regard.
A pebble hit me in the back, and I glanced over to find Jorg nodding in the direction of the ravine, his brows furrowed with irritation. Already we’d expended valuable labor time by hiking to the river, locating the secret tunnel, and traveling to the clearing. And now we’d been waiting for over an hour for her to appear.
’Twas past time to leave.
But for some inexplicable reason, I couldn’t force myself to go. In fact, I had half a mind to locate her trail from yesterday and track it to her home. The only thing holding me back was the vow I’d made to go away and never come back if that was what she wished.
Certainly, that wasn’t what she wished. Was it?
Again dismay settled over me, chasing away the hope that had grown since yesterday’s meeting. After I’d left and made my way back to the ravine and the river, Jorg had taken one look at me and almost punched me. Even with his superior tracking skills, he hadn’t been able to locate the hidden opening and had searched for me all the while I’d been gone.
Though I hadn’t planned on telling him about the young woman, I’d needed to placate him in some way.
“She is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” I’d said after describing how I’d outmaneuvered the boar, landed in the cavern, then explored the woodland beyond, only to hear her singing.
“You think every woman is beautiful.” Jorg’s scowl could have scared away a basilisk.
“Not like this one.” I hadn’t been able to stop smiling or reliving every moment of my time with the young woman. “She was truly God’s most exquisite creation. And I must see her again.”
“We’re already behind on our labor schedule today, and we can ill afford it again.”
