“But-”
“Run!” he shouted.
I ran for the door, risking a glance over my shoulder as I reached it. Arnet was bent over the bed; his forehead pressed into the exact spot I had laid upon. One of his arms spread out along the bed, hand grasping at the blankets as if he were falling. Arnet's other hand was between his legs, inside his breeches, working at himself furiously. I inhaled sharply, turned, and fled up the stairs into the safety of my room. But the sight of him would haunt me through the night.
Chapter Twelve
The next day, when the seamstresses returned, Barret came with them. His presence sent the women into a tizzy, and they fluttered at him, upset that he would invade their sanctum. But Barret calmly explained that this was his specialty, and he'd decided that he'd be the one to construct his bride's dress. The ladies could design it, but Barret would be doing the sewing. When put to them like that, they realized that he was offering to do the most labor intensive parts of their jobs for them. They shut their mouths and smiled at him. Suddenly, Barret was made welcome.
Barret sat at a desk they had brought in for him, and they laid the cut pieces of fabric before him. He set to work immediately with his silver needle, and the women gawked as he bound the silk together without thread, making it into one seamless piece. My mother walked in on this display and stood to gawk with the others, while I went to stand behind my betrothed and massage his shoulders encouragingly.
“Will you come and see me tonight?” Barret whispered up to me.
“Yes,” I agreed immediately.
“Good, I have something for you.”
“Something more than my wedding gown?” I teased.
“Something a little more intimate,” he looked back to his work with a secret smile.
“Hmm... a mystery to obsess over,” I laughed.
But I had no time to obsess over Barret's secret gift. I spent the entire day helping my mother design a menu for the feast. At least we did it all from my bedroom, where I could watch Barret work, out of the corner of my eye. I loved to see his hands flying over the silk, stopping occasionally to caress the material, then he would look up at me with heat in his eyes. It was an exciting shift in Barret. He had been very careful with me so far. To catch the promise of pleasure within those sweet eyes was like being pinched on the behind by an attractive priest. So naughty and yet, so exciting. I wanted another pinch.
Barret's dark blonde locks would fall forward into his face, and he would just brush them away. Over and over. I finally got up and tucked them behind his left ear. The seamstresses giggled, and Barret looked up at me with a sly grin. Had that been a ruse to draw me near? This was even more shocking, that Barret could manipulate me as easily as Robyn.
“Adelysia,” my mother's voice chided, but there was the touch of indulgence to it.
I knew she was becoming fond of my men, slowly warming to the idea of my having numerous protectors. She had told me earlier that the positives of my situation were starting to become evident to her. For example, when I became Queen someday, they would all become Kings. The position of Queen is more tenuous than that of King. A queen can lose her throne to her son, if her husband died before her. But if one of my husbands were to die, I would have three more to depend on. I would remain Queen, even if there were an heir of age to depose me.
I wasn't surprised that my marriage would have added benefits. My father was a brilliant man, and he seldom did anything without fully considering all of the angles. If he wanted me married to four men, he must have had multiple reasons. Not to mention that it actually played in my father's favor to marry me to commoners. His kingdom ended up being more secure. If I had married another prince, that prince could have absorbed our kingdom into his eventually. This way, it stayed intact. Yes, my father was brilliant.
But all of those reasons mattered very little to me. The only things important to me were the men themselves. And day by day, they mattered more and more. I was falling deeply in love with my fiances. How novel.
When the sun began to set, the women left us. My mother was last to go, casting a concerned glance at Barret as she walked to the door. But she couldn't deny me the company of my betrothed, and he was within his rights to be left alone, unchaperoned, with me.
“Be careful that you do not give away too much of yourself, too soon, my dear,” my mother whispered to me when I went to shut the door behind her. “I'll see you both at dinner.”
“Have some faith in me, Mother,” I said gently.
“Addy,” she tsked. “I have every faith in you. It's them, and their magic, that I'm worried about. Magic like that can dazzle a young woman.”
“I am a little dazzled,” I admitted. “But I'm also very happy.”
“Then I'm happy too,” she kissed my cheek and left.
“Are you?” Barret asked.
He was standing a few feet away from me; his needle tucked into its leather case on his belt. He eased forward till he was mere inches from me. I could smell leather and soap on him. The smell of a working man. It was delicious.
“Am I what?” I asked after I savored his scent a second.
“Happy?” Barret smiled shyly. “Are you happy, Adelysia?”
“More so every day,” I nodded.
“And can I hope that I've had a hand in that happiness?” Barret was so close now that his body was gently pressing into mine. He had to angle his head down to look into my eyes. His hands slid up to rest on my hips. “Do I dare hope those smiles, thoserealsmiles, are for me?”
