Colby released his hand, plopped his hat on his mass of curly red and white hair, and took a step back. “Well, we’ll get right on your fox problem. Don’t you worry.”
As the huntsman and his team left, Hugo waved at them, relieved they were taking their pack of exciting, barking dogs with them.
The moment he closed the door, his mother called from the top of the stairs. “Hugo, what the devil is all that racket? Who was at the door?”
Next to him, Augustine sucked in a breath and opened his mouth. Hugo was on him in a flash, slapping one hand over hislips while wrapping the opposite arm around Augustine’s bulky form to keep him from escaping. Under his tight grasp, he could feel his brother laughing with his entire body.
“It’s nothing, Mother. A local huntsman and some of his friends have offered to take care of our fox problem. He wanted to warn me they’re going to be hunting in the woods near our house. Return to bed. It’s too early to be up,” Hugo admonished.
His mother huffed and muttered. “Uncivilized, that’s what it is. It’s uncivilized to be up so early.”
Hugo continued to hold his brother until he heard his mother’s bedroom door shut. He released a heavy sigh and allowed Augustine to slip away. His sweet, loving brother let out the most evil laugh Hugo had ever heard.
“Don’t,” Hugo snapped.
“What? I haven’t done anything,” Augustine said, false innocence causing his words to lilt higher than normal.
“Yet.”
“Yet,” Augustine agreed, his smile shifting to match his laugh. “Exactly what was left out of your tale last night?”
Hugo groaned, his shoulders slumping. “Merely that I ran into Prince Everand while hunting the fox, and bandits attacked us. We escaped together. I didnotsave him. He was the one who was doing all the saving.”
Augustine’s eyes narrowed, and his grin shifted into a skeptical frown. “I don’t know. You have always been the best rider of all of us. I wouldn’t be surprised if you managed to tame a horse named Demon.”
“That is doubtful. I didn’t even know that was the horse’s name.” Hugo shook his head, trying to clear it of nonsense. “Please don’t mention this to Mother. You know how she gets. She’ll embellish this worse than Prince Everand already has and attempt to force this into a marriage. We all know how utterly impossible that is.”
But Augustine didn’t immediately agree with him. His brother shifted his weight from his left foot to his right while scratching his messy blond hair. “I don’t know. This Prince Everand doesn’t sound like the stuffy type. He might be a good?—”
“Donotfinish that sentence,” Hugo cut him off. He pointed a finger at his brother, nearly touching the tip of his nose. “Prince Everand is royalty, and we are…” His voice faded as he failed to find a gentle enough description.
“The sons of a baker and a charwoman,” Augustine smirked. “True, but I wonder if Prince Everand would care.”
No, Ev didn’t seem the type to care.
But his mother and father would. That was all that mattered.
“Please, August, don’t tell Mother,” Hugo pleaded. All the nervous energy that had carried him out of bed fled him in the blink of an eye. He just wanted to return to his pillows and not think about the world for a day or two.
“Fine,” his brother moaned and crossed his arms over his chest. “I won’t mention it, but I think you’re selling yourself too cheaply.”
A ghost of a smile slipped across Hugo’s lips as he trudged up the stairs. Ev had told him the same thing.
He tumbled into bed and wrapped himself up in his blankets so that no part of him was visible to the outside world. It took a while to fall back to sleep, but he didn’t mind because it gave him a chance to replay each and every kiss he’d shared with the prince.
The next deathseeker didn’t bother with knocking. He flung open the door and pulled at Hugo’s blankets, forcing him awake.
“Hugo, you must get up right now,” Dorian ordered.
“Why?” Hugo whined.
Why was the world so against him getting a few hours of sleep? It was a conspiracy. The universe hated when he was well rested.
“There is an official from the royal court here to read an edict from the freakingking,and you have to be present. Something about saving the prince and rewards. Mother is shouting for the smelling salts. Get up!”
Hugo flew out of bed a second time and started snatching clothes. At this rate, he was going to have a heart attack before supper. Thankfully, Dorian was more clearheaded as he shoved smarter clothing choices into Hugo’s hands and helped him to dress in record time. They hurried down the stairs to where the court official was waiting in the parlor, sipping tea and listening to Mrs. Baker fawn over him. The poor man looked eager to escape this madhouse, and Hugo was prepared to follow right on his heels.
“Mr. Hugo Baker?” the official inquired, putting his teacup and saucer aside as he rose gracefully to his feet.
