I followed Gemma out of the main square and out toward the farms. We stayed on the main road, which was little more than a packed dirt track once we left behind the final row of houses in the village proper. After about twenty minutes, we turned south, and Gemma pointed out the clump of green and purple that was our destination.
Powerful yet delicate, the scent washed over me as we came closer. I closed my eyes and inhaled. I’d have to buy a bar of the soap Gemma made if it was ready before I left. Lavender wasn’t usually my preferred scent, but I couldn’t deny how lovely it was.
I watched the other woman for a moment, seeing how she cut entire stalks of blooming lavender to place in her basket. Following her lead, I cut a few stalks myself, looking for the ones teeming with tiny purple flowers.
“Have you made soap before?” I asked Gemma as we worked.
“Yes, but not like the bars Pa buys in Haiwella. Adelaide has a few ideas, though, and thinks we can make a finer soap than they use even in the palace.”
I had interacted little with Adelaide, the owner of the village apothecary. In her late twenties, she ran the apothecary by herself, which meant she was always much busier than Gemma, Kayla, and Hannah. Nor did she want help from someone with no clue what they were doing. I accepted the fact that any help I gave would only cause more work for her and hadn’t offered after the first time she refused.
I wondered what she based her assessment of palace soap on. “Who knows, maybe the royal family will discover your soap and start using it themselves.”
I felt disingenuous making the comment. Would Gemma one day laugh with me when thinking back on this conversation? Or would she feel betrayed by my lies? Knowing her, she’d forgive me in a heartbeat. But it wasn’t Gemma’s reaction I was truly worried about, I admitted.
Especially since I had not only used my charm on Alan, but I had also outright denied that my pendant was a charm. I never should have shown it to him as an example of an icosahedron—it had been a rash decision made without thought. But denying that the diamond was a charm had been a conscious choice. I could have admitted my deceit and allowed Alan, like the Wrisons, to become immune to the charm’s effects.
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Gemma laughed, pulling my thoughts back to the present. “Imagine a member of the royal family coming out to a village like Skorsa to shop.”
I laughed with her, though the sound came out forced to my ears. “I believe the crown princess has been to stranger locations than Skorsa.”
Gemma dropped another sprig of lavender into her basket. “But her travels were about finding her future husband, not shopping.Do you think she has already decided on her consort? She stopped making those summer visits throughout the kingdom last year.”
“I think we’d know if she had chosen a man to marry.” I focused on cutting more lavender, hoping Gemma would let the topic drop. I had discussed my future marriage countless times over the years, but it had never felt as awkward as this. Partially, it was because I was pretending to be someone else, I knew. But mostly, it was because when Gemma had mentioned my future husband, for the first time, I hadn’t imagined an indistinct figure.
I had seen Alan.
Which was... not ridiculous—I refused to think that—but it was, at the very least, premature. I barely knew the smith. I wanted to help him get out from under Powell’s power. That was all.
I almost snorted, listening to my own thoughts. I barely knew Alan, but I knew the feel of his lips on mine. I knew my interest in him went beyond helping him with his stepfather. But that was still a long way from wanting to marry him.
Except now that I had pictured him in that role, the thought of choosing anyone else felt untenable. My hope had always been to find a man I could respect, one who would work hard for the good of the kingdom, whom I could get along with comfortably. But comfort no longer sounded all that appealing compared to the passion of kissing Alan.
Before Gemma could answer, a call cut across the field. “Hullo, ladies!”
Gemma jumped to her feet, spinning around. Luckily, she had left her basket on the ground, or all her lavender would have gone flying. “Cole!”
I rose from my crouch more slowly.
“I heard you came out to gather lavender and wanted to offer my help.” He finished crossing the meadow and leaned down to kiss Gemma.
She threw her hands around his neck and kissed him back enthusiastically enough that I thought it best to clear my throat and remind her of my presence. She stepped back, her grin wide, andtucked herself against Cole’s side. He glanced at me for the merest second, then away, his cheeks red.
“Why aren’t you at the farm?” Gemma asked. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but don’t you have too much to do at this time of year to sneak into the village?”
“We’re not in the village.”
“We are on the opposite side of the village from your family’s farm.”
“Dandelion threw a shoe, so I had to take her to Powell.”
“Shouldn’t you still be at the forge, then?”
Cole shook his head. “Alan can handle her just fine without me. And Powell has a few other things to work on before he can get to my horse. I’m to wait for word at the tavern, but since I don’t expect to hear anything until nearly supper, I came to find you.”
I had already been trying to go unnoticed, not wanting to intrude on Gemma and Cole’s time together, but at his words, I froze. He had mentioned Alan easily, without a hint of scorn. It hadn’t been in reference to blacksmithing, just handling a horse, but still. Could I build on that?
Gemma’s brow furrowed. “If nothing is an emergency, he should take care of Dandelion first, so you can get back to the farm sooner.”
