Every now and again, I take a furtive glance at Beaufort. He’s found a chair and seems quite content to sit and watch the two of us. He smiles at me and my heart bursts into a million moonbeams and rainbows and all the crazy things I’d forgotten existed in the world. I stare down at my chest.
“Look,” the little girl says, recapturing my attention. She has one of the dolls in her hand. This one has a plain white dress and long golden hair. “This one looks just like you.”
“A little,” I say.
“Oh, and this one looks like Beau.” She picks up another of the dolls – this one is clothed in a dark suit with dark hair and pale skin. She rests it alongside the golden-haired doll. Then before I know what she’s doing, she’s rolled the male doll on top of the female doll and is making smoochie noises.
“Oh Briony, I love you so so much,” she says, imitating Beaufort’s low-pitched voice.
“Right, Hells Bells,” he says, jumping to his feet. “I’m afraid playtime is over. Back to your studies.”
“Awww,” she pouts, “already? How long are you staying for? Will you come see me again?”
Beaufort’s shoulders droop a little, although the smile remains fixed on his face. “I’m sorry Hells Bells but this was only a fleeting visit. We’ll be leaving again soon I suspect.”
“But you only just got here!” she says, leaping up and grabbing my arm. “And you’ve been away for ages.”
“That’s because I’m at the academy now, remember?”
The little princess’s gaze falls to the floor and I can see how much she loves her brother and how much she is missing him.
“I’ll tell you what,” Beaufort says, searching for a way to pacify her. “If we’re still here later, I’ll come read you a bedtime story tonight and I’ll get Dray to come visit you before we go.”
“Dray’s here!” she squeals, eyes lighting up.
“And maybe, if you’re good and promise to pay attention in all your lessons, Briony might let you meet her dragon.”
“Dragon!” the girl gasps, looking at me with a new admiration. “You have a dragon?” She frowns. “Is it a toy dragon like my horse?”
“Nope, it’s a real one,” I tell her.
“And Briony can ride him,” Beaufort says proudly.
“Woooow,” the little girl says in amazement and I realize Beaufort has done a good job at distracting her about his imminent departure.
Beaufort calls out a woman’s name and an older lady, dressed in a nursing uniform, emerges from one of the doorways. “Princess Arabella is ready to return to her studies.”
The woman curtseys. “Certainly, Prince Beaufort. Come along, Arabella.”
“Princess Arabella,” the little girl mumbles, climbing to her feet and sloping towards her nurse maid, giving her brother a death stare as she passes.
When she’s gone, Beaufort shakes his head.
“Sorry about the thing with the dolls. She was obsessed with knowing where babies came from last year. All of us resisted telling her the truth, except flipping Dray.”
“It’s probably good she knows,” I say, climbing up onto my feet.
He shakes his head. “Like I told you, she’s a handful.”
“I like her,” I say.
“Good,” he says. “Because it’s important to me that the two of you get along.”
That feeling in my chest again.
“I think you’re just like Thorne,” I tell him, settling my arms around his waist. “All hard on the outside, totally soft on the inside.”
“I’m only soft for the people in my life that I care about,” he says, and then he slides his hands into my hair and kisses me.
