“Tell me, Reeves,” Father’s commanding voice broke my thoughts. “How is the farmstead coming along?”
Reeves sat tall, as if he’d been waiting days to give a report to my dad. Something about it was endearing. It was clear he was thrilled with his land, and nobody had to ask me how I felt about those fields. They were the prettiest in the entire kingdom. Now that I knew I was leaving, I was grateful they had been sold to Reeves. They were too special for Father. They deserved someone who would love them as I did.
“It’s been an honor to step into this landscape and pick up traditions.” Reeves paused and cleared his throat, looking rather nervous. “I appreciate very much that you selected me to be the one to have this privilege.”
Father stabbed a piece of his lamb and held it on his fork as if it helped to make his point. “That piece of land is the best of the best. I’m sure Erralee will miss it.” He popped the meat into his mouth and chewed while peering at me. I involuntarily coughed, feeling something stuck in my throat even though I hadn’t eaten anything. It clearly was the lump of betrayal Father just lodgeddeeper in there. I never assumed it had been an accident he sold my favorite field. It hadn’t dawned on me until now, that perhaps he could have asked me about how I felt first. He didn’t care about my opinion. Had he known all along when he sold that field that I was next? Covering my throat with my hand, I swallowed, mustering up saliva to move the lump. When that didn’t work, I grabbed my glass of water, and took several large gulps.
Reeves side-eyed me, as he appeared to be the only one at the table to notice I was visibly struggling. As I set down my nearly empty glass, Reeves replied to Father, “It was a surprise the first couple of days to find a princess napping in my field.” His eyes hovered over me, pinning me in place. My heart beat as if it were going to knock down the walls of my chest. That was all before he tacked on, “She might be the best part.”
“What’s this I hear?” King Aswell cut in, his eyes locking on me with a murky smile. “Do you sleep outside?”
It wasn’t a big deal. I wasn’t embarrassed. Anyone who knew me understood that’s what I did, but the warning glare I got from Father told me to downplay it. “Um, well, when it’s nice out. Like on summer days, I enjoy the sun. Sometimes I have accidentally fallen asleep . . .”
“Interesting.” King Aswell’s tone was curt. Not rude, but something about it made me feel juvenile. I don’t know what hobbies he expected me to have, but I couldn’t help but like what I liked. I lowered my gaze to my plate and pushed my lamb around with my fork. Even though this was the most impressive meal we’d had in months, I was now thoroughly disgusted with the food.
King Aswell’s presence cast a shadow on my mood. For a man trying to marry me, he sure didn’t make any effort to lift me up, or banter. It’s like he thought he didn’t need to court me or impress me. I supposed he can have that attitude since he'sa king, but I was saddened. I wanted the kind of love that was in fairytales. The one people spoke about that made their hearts race. I seriously struggled to make eye contact with this man.
“I can’t blame her,” Reeves politely interjected. “It’s one of the most beautiful spots. She has excellent taste.” Reeves was smiling ear to ear. I'm sure he was smitten to be having dinner at the castle. I was happy he was here. After everything he’d been through for this country, he deserved a nice meal. It was oddly striking how he'd been through all this suffering on the actual front lines of war, and he wore the biggest smile in a room full of royals.
Well, maybe not the biggest. Ruenella was beaming brighter than a July sun as she batted her lashes at Reeves. She didn’t have a single renegade hair. She must have spent all afternoon preparing for this dinner. She always was more into the pomp and pageantry than I was. Eager to get eyes off of me, I brought her into the conversation. “Ruenella, how was your day?”
“It was lovely.” Her rouged cheeks turned ever pinker. “My trainer was here this morning for Pilates. Then I had brunch in my room while I curled up in bed with a book, and it was so captivating, I had to read the whole thing.”
“Is that so?” King Aswell’s head tilted, his eyes latching on Ruenella. “Anything we need to know about?”
“Unless you like historical romance.” She raised both shoulders into a polite shrug. “I’m guessing you’d pass.”
Father cleared his throat, directing his gaze back on Reeves. “What crops are you planning for next spring?”
“I’m going to do the usuals: wheat, sugar beets, and potatoes.” His eyes moved over mine. “I had planned on planting sunflowers in Erralee’s field, but that was before I found out what a great nap spot that was. I might have to leave it for her.”
“Interesting,” Father mused as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. We all waited while he finished swallowing and set hisnapkin in his lap to hear the rest of this thought. “We’ve never had sunflowers on any of our farms. I’d be curious to see how they fare.”
“I’ll let you know,” Reeves replied with his gaze on Father. He was stirring his food with his fork in a random pattern. He obviously did not even know he was doing it as it appeared to be a nervous fidget. He managed to push off most of his vegetables onto the heirloom tablecloth. I covered my mouth, suppressing a giggle.
I’d spent so many dinners with all the most impressive people who had perfect table manners. Never had I witnessed something so improper in front of my father. Yet, it was so endearing, and refreshing to see someone who was not fake. Reeves was himself. A real person, just being who he was. I only gained more respect for him when he further explained his goals to Father, “To be honest,” he said. “I’d love to add safflowers. I’d like to eventually acquire the field on the other side of the road for those.” He tilted his head toward Father. “Just to throw that out there . . . if you’re ever interested insellingthat land, I have a plan for it.”
“And tell me this.” Father smacked his lips as he shoveled more duck into his mouth. He’d cleared so much meat on that plate, you’d think he hadn’t eaten in months. “What’s special about that field?”
“Erralee’s field has shadows in the evening from the large buttes.” He paused, clearing his throat, as he adjusted his posture to get even taller. “They are lovely, but it does not make for the best sun, except in the morning . . . while Erralee naps.” He shot me a teasing grin, but quickly replanted his focus back on Father. “Safflowers need harvesting in full sun, or they get sticky, and you risk plugging up your machinery. I can imagine the harvest of them in Erralee’s field would take days as we’d only have an hour or two each morning.” Reeves chuckled in areminiscent manner. “I’ve learned the hard way not to risk it. But the north fields are full sun and hold water well.”
I zoned out on the farm stuff, as I focused on watching Father’s lips tighten while he listened. I could not read him well, but he appeared to be soaking up Reeves’ plans. However, he remained silent on what his plans were for that plot of land or even the rest of his farms, which frankly left me unsettled.Would we even have food to eat?I had been unaware, until recently how badly we were bleeding resources, because Father had hidden it. I wasn’t a political type, but I wondered what happened when an entire dynasty went bankrupt. I honestly had no clue. Would another country control us? The thoughts added to the budding pressure I already held in my chest. I spent the rest of the meal not comprehending a word as I tried to pep talk myself into thinking everything would be okay.
I had the power to fix this before we lost everything.
The sudden clanging of dishes brought me back to reality. Servants had returned to the room, clearing our plates. Everyone but Mother had stood up, loitering near the table with drinks in their hands. They were obviously headed to the Grand Hall. Mother was intently staring at me. I checked my dress to ensure it hadn’t gotten spilled on. The dress was in perfect condition without even one wrinkle. I lowered my brow, and whispered, “What is it?”
Her forehead scrunched in an unbecoming way before she leaned in close. “I thought you had decided last night. Everyone has been walking on eggshells all day to see if you follow through. I find itridiculousyou have kept King Aswell waiting like this. What could possibly be more important than this!”
My eye twitched, as if begging me to turbo blink in disbelief. I never asked for a leadership role in this family, and the weight of pressure was becoming unbearable. All I wanted was to believe that I was entering into a marriage where I would be loved. Ihadn’t received any such hint that this marriage was anything more than a peace treaty. Was it too much to want to wait for my own true love? I guess it is when you are me . . . I gritted my teeth and spoke through them. “I intend to follow through, Mother. I spent the day saying goodbye to friends in town. I didn’t know what I’d be forced into once I entered this engagement.” Even though it was against my nature, I added in a sarcastic tone. “Forgive me for needingone dayto live my life.”
“I don’t need to remind you that King Aswell is not a fool,” she hissed. “If anything, you are his charity case. He’s doing us a great favor, and please don’t ruin this.”
My face blanched, and my insides iced over. Mother had never spoken to me like this before. The desperation in her voice distressed me. I scooted my chair back in one swift push and stood as I steeled my jaw. “I’ll take care of it tonight.” Then I turned on my heel and left, tears budding in my eyes.
As I scurried off, I pretended not to hear Mother’s instructions for me. “Do freshen up. And put some lipstick on . . .”
eleven
