He looked away.“Goddess preserve all men from such fates.”
“What of you?”she asked.“Is there a wife with tadpoles that will soon be seeking you?”She giggled, her eyes sparkling at her tease.
Would his parents look for him?Would they even care that he undertook this punishment to protect the entire castle?“I am unattached, yet I fear my parents may not expend much effort in the seeking of me.”
“Are you such a wastrel as that?”she asked, eyes twinkling.
The wordwastrelstruck a chord in him, but Bella clearly only teased.“I...do not think myself so.”
“What is your industry, may I ask?”
Riven looked away.“I fear I have none to claim.”
“Ah,” she smiled, her eyes merry.“A wastrel indeed.Gambler?Imbiber of spirits?Gluttonous land baron?Cutpurse?Horsethief?Am I close?”
Her merriment at teasing him lightened his heart’s burden.“Minstrel by choice, since you must know, to my family’s everlasting chagrin.Wastrel enough for your tastes?”
She smiled, angling her hand to shade the sun from her eyes.“Am I to assume your father wishes you to follow in his footsteps, yet you desire to blaze your own musical trail?”
“Clever indeed,” he acknowledged, making her beam.
“Thank you for that,” she said.“Pray tell, what would you do, given a lack of boundaries and expectations and all the world’s coin to do it?”
He stared at her with full appreciation for the question, for no woman had ever asked after his desires before.“I think I should like to build a university where all could study, including the arts, like music and poetry.”
Her head whipped to his.“Where allmencan study, you mean.”
His throat made awumsound.“Think you women would enjoy education?”
Her jaw set.“I do.They would need, however, primary education before university.My parents both taught me to read, write, and learn my figures, but I am the exception.”Her face clouded.
“Why does that make you appear so angry?”
Bella gusted out her breath and looked down to hold his eyes for a moment.“I am one of the few young ladies in town who both is capable of and enjoys reading.Such a pastime garners me few friends, as neither boys nor girls can relate to my love of stories.”
“I enjoy them tremendously, but I call them songs.”
Her laugh a moment later was musical, lightening his heart even more.“Do you, now?”
“Actually, it would seem my parents would prefer I spend my day with novels instead of...following in my father’s footsteps, as you said.”
She grinned at him.“What types of novels?”
“The Repercussions of Taxing Church Mice,”he rattled off, citing a fake title and making her laugh out loud.
“Oh, Albert, you are too funny.I value education ever so much and honestly wish it for others.Now, tell me truly, what do you enjoy reading?”
He eyed her, wondering if he should be so bold as to share.“Truth be told, I read poetry to see if I can create melodies to accompany them.”
“Truly?”
“Truly.I do so enjoy strumming the mandolin and singing.”
“That must be amazing, to hear such lovely tunes in one’s head.I do admit, sometimes I read books and then create new endings if I am unamused by the printed version.Sometimes, I even rewrite their interactions to create more drama if I feel their words fall flat.”
“Clever people enjoy clever conversation, so I understand why you would do this.”
“Doth mine ears mishear, or did you just call me clever?”She raised a brow at him, her eyes dancing with joy.
