After Princess Catherine II married Edric, the Duke of Connought, theUnknown Bridewas given to a staff member who’d recently become engaged.
Queen Catherine’s mum gave herUnknown Bridegown to one of her maids to wear at her wedding reception when she married Prince Rein IV.
A memory of the queen flashed through Daffy’s mind. The day she found ten-year-old Daffy in her dressing room wearing the blue dress. She squeezed her eyes shut to fade the scene. The queen had been so angry…
“Daffy, are you hearing this?” Rick stretched across the table to tap her foot.
“What? Yes. No. What’s going on?” She glanced to where Rick pointed. To Marlow, who told an animated story.
“I’m in the ski lift, you see, and in the distance is this, this pinkthingsticking out of the snow, flailing.” He demonstrated by flopping his arms and body about. “As we glide over I realize it’s Blinky, crashed into a snow drift headfirst, her pink ski suit legs sticking straight in the air.”
“What?” Daffy turned to her friend. “Are you all right?”
Marlow concluded his story. “From the ski lift it looked just as if a giant rabbit had swallowed cotton candy.”
The gang, including Blinky, laughed and toasted her Olympic-level blunder.
“But are you all right, Blink?” Daffy stretched around Thomas to touch her arm.
She was being such a sport, but being the brunt of a joke wasn’t always fun.
“Oh gosh, of course.” She looked up at Thomas. “I had my hero. He rescued me.”
Daffy peered at him. He was blushing. “Just a friend helping a friend,” he said.
“You’re a good friend, darling.” Daffy rubbed her hand over his back, but he didn’t look at her.
He wasn’t usually so shy with praise, but then he’d never been called a hero before either. Not that she was aware of.
Tonya and Kayle announced their craving for hot chocolate, which sounded good, so Daffy joined in the order. So far, she’d not had much time alone with Thomas. The whole lot wanted to hang together. Gus’s inquiry surfaced.
“You’re not going to the lodge? To be with him?”
Maybe it was time she took their relationship to the next level. She had his ring. His promise.
“Anyone for more skiing?” Frank glanced at the lads. “Jones? Albert?”
“I’ll go.” Ella rose to her feet.
“Not me.” Leslie Ann sank into her chair, eyes closed. “I’m beat. This piece I’m doing on the queen—”
“We know.” Everyone. In unison.
Leslie Ann didn’t even open her eyes, but gave them her best snarl. The idea of more skiing led to talk of dinner, followed by the Sunday-morning departure time.
Thomas roped his arm around Daffy and nuzzled her hair, his breath hot on her skin. “What do you think about staying with me tonight?”
She twisted his ring about her finger. “I was thinking maybe I could.”
He pressed his lips to her cheek. “I was hoping so.”
She searched his eyes. For what she wasn’t sure. A hint of his heart. An “I love you.”
“Thomas, I know you proposed, but why do you think we’re not very, well, verbal? We’ve only said ‘I love—’”
“Did you tell her?” Blinky moved from her spot on the other side of Thomas and plopped on the center table. “Daff, I can get you a great deal for your wedding and reception at Saldings on the Waterfront.”
“Saldings?” Very fancy. Very pricey. “We’ve not really talked about it. We haven’t even set a date let alone a budget.”
