Pushing her pride aside, she donned the ugly boots, wanting him to see her wear something he gave her, and switched out her current dress for one of the nightmarish ones.
Various trunks lined the open walls, and she opened each one until she procured her bow set. The thought of hunting made her queasy, and while she’d practiced shooting the bow in hopes of impressing him if they ever met, she’d never intended to shoot a living animal.
That would change today. He liked to hunt, and she would ask him to go. She strapped the bow and quiver across her back.Do not puke.
She set off down the hallway in search of someone to help her find Rennick, but after taking what felt like ten turns down various massive hallways, she vowed to obtain a map of the palace as soon as possible. She’d been walking for an hour and had seen no one, as if the floor was completely deserted.
After another turn, she resigned herself to the fact that she’d die of old age in one of these hallways. Thankfully, an older maid with light brown skin and a tight grey bun hurried up a set of stairs Amelia had not seen.
“Excuse me!”
The maid looked up, freezing when she saw Amelia. “Yes, Miss?”
Amelia approached her with a friendly smile and glanced at the stack of linens in the maid’s arms. “I’m sorry to ask because I know you’re busy working, but have you seen King Rennick?”
The woman’s lips pinched together when she took stock of Amelia’s attire. “He is usually in his study in the mornings.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know my way around,” Amelia explained sheepishly. “Would you mind taking me?”
“Of course, Miss. It’s on the main floor.”
Amelia followed the woman through winding halls and down two flights of stairs, asking her questions about herself to pass the time. She went by Birdie, a nickname her father gave her, and she was sixty-four with three children. Her husband worked as a groundskeeper at the palace, and they’d been married for thirty-three years.
By the time they rounded the final corner, Amelia held half of the linens, and they were laughing like old friends. Birdie tipped her head to an open door down the hall. “He’s in there, Miss.”
“I told you to call me Amelia and thank you.”
Her heart raced at the sound of Rennick’s deep voice, even if she couldn’t make out his words. Since their carriage ride in, she’d been trying to suppress her emotions, and she prayed he didn’t feel her anxiety.Calm yourself.
Birdie smiled when Amelia turned to bid her goodbye, but they both stopped when a melodic voice floated down the hall.
The unknown voice said with a giggle, “You’re terrible, Ren.”
Rennick’s deep laugh followed. “No worse than you. Do you have any plans today?”
The linens in Amelia’s hands fell to the ground, and Birdie’s brow lowered, looking between Amelia and the study.
“Are you okay?” the older woman whispered low enough for only them to hear.
“Who is the woman with him?” Amelia whispered back, already knowing the answer.
“That’s Miss Ora.” The sympathy in Birdie’s voice was too much. Did she think Ora was his mate and Amelia was his mistress?
Amelia’s heart that beat nervously moments before shattered, joining the crumpled sheets on the floor. She wanted to disappear,to go home, to do anything but stand in the hall and listen to him with her.
Birdie jumped back, looking around frantically. “What in the world?” Her hand reached out, bumping into Amelia’s shoulder. “Where did you go?”
“What do you mean?” she asked the woman, still staring at the office.
“You’re a royal,” Birdie breathed in awe.
More laughter sounded from Rennick’s study, and Amelia didn’t have time to decipher the maid’s odd claim because everything in her broke.Everything.
A deep grunt sounded from the room, followed by Ora’s sweet voice. “Ren, are you okay?”
Amelia ran.
24
