"With Peter," Captain Steiner said."He's very good."
There was something in her tone that made me look at her more closely, but her expression gave nothing away.
"You know him?"
"We've met.He comes highly recommended."
"From Solmarina, isn't he?"Petra asked."I heard he works with royal horses throughout Europe."
"That's what he told me."I paused, suddenly curious."What else do you know about him?"
"Why?"Chef Auguste asked with a knowing smile."Is he handsome?"
Heat crept up my neck."I'm engaged, remember?I'm not supposed to be noticing whether other men are handsome."
"But you did notice," Petra said with the first real grin I'd seen from her.
"I noticed he's...pleasant to look at.In an objective, purely observational way."
"Pleasant," Captain Steiner repeated, and I swear she was fighting back laughter."Objectively."
"Very objectively pleasant," I said defensively."He treats me like a normal person instead of some political chess piece.That's all."
"And he's teaching you to ride," Chef Auguste added."Very romantic, horseback riding."
"It's not romantic.It's educational.I need to learn basic equestrian skills for my royal duties."
"Of course," they all said in unison, but their expressions suggested they weren't buying it for a second.
I left the kitchen with my cheeks still warm, passing by Lord Chancellor Renaud's office on the way.The door was slightly ajar, and I could hear him speaking in what sounded like rapid German to someone on the phone.But what caught my attention was his desk, visible through the gap in the doorway.
Among the usual papers and official documents, there was a framed photograph that seemed oddly personal for such a formal office.It showed Renaud with a young girl, maybe six or seven years old, who was hugging him and laughing at something off-camera.They were standing in what looked like a park, and both of them looked genuinely happy.
The sight of the photo humanized him in a way that was oddly unsettling.The man who'd been noting my weaknesses and taking notes on my failures had a granddaughter who clearly adored him.It was a reminder that even people who made my life difficult weren't necessarily villains.Just complicated individuals with their own motivations and concerns.
* * *
MY WORRIES ABOUT CONTRACTSfaded the moment I walked into the stables and saw Peter waiting for me with Celeste.
God, he was unfairly attractive.I'd thought maybe I'd built him up in my head overnight, that he couldn't possibly be as good-looking as I remembered.But no.If anything, he was worse.Better.Whatever.The afternoon sunlight caught the bronze in his hair and highlighted the way his riding clothes fit across his shoulders, and I had to remind myself that I was an engaged woman who was absolutely not having inappropriate thoughts about her riding instructor.
I was failing miserably at that reminder.
"How did the princess lessons go?"he asked, and his smile was so genuine and uncomplicated that some of my tension melted away.
"Let's just say I'm still not curtsy-ready.Madame Delacroix may need therapy."
"Curtsying is overrated anyway."
"Easy for you to say.You're not the one who has to master seventeen different types of deference by next week.There's a different curtsy for dukes versus earls versus foreign dignitaries versus the Queen's third cousin twice removed."
He laughed, and the sound did things to my insides that definitely weren't appropriate for an engaged woman."Is there really a different curtsy for the Queen's third cousin?"
"Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a different curtsy for every day of the week."
He led Celeste out of her stall, and I watched his hands move over the horse with confidence.Everything about him suggested years of experience with horses, but also something more.There was an authority in his movements that went beyond simple expertise.
"Ready to try cantering today?"he asked.
