Page 32 of A Cake of Cherries and Charm

Natalie would have to forgive her. There was only so much a girl could take. If the king and queen chose Marianne to be Jonathan’s bride, and Marianne decided to kick Rosie out of the castle, Rosie would at least make the trouble worth her time.

Miss Marianne stared at her. “I… I don’t believe anyone has ever said anything so insulting to me in all my life!”

“Well, then,” Rosie said, smiling, “it seems today you’re rounding out your extensive education.” And with those words, she marched down the steps toward the horse the head groom had saddled for her.

By the time they set out an hour later, Rosie thought she just might lose her mind. Not only did they set out late, but they traveled at a pace far slower than the original six horses would have gone.

There were twenty-three travelers in total, with twelve sitting in open carriages and the others traveling on horseback. The group was loud and boisterous, and Rosie had a headache from all the noise by the time they were two hours in. Not only that, but her backside was hurting from sitting so stiffly in the saddle.

Worse than anything else, however, was Marianne’s constant flirting with the prince.

Rosie had started the journey with her horse beside his. He had insisted on this because, while her horse was well-trained and gentle, she might need him to take the reins quickly, should anything happen. But one of the young men, a Sir Rodney, if Rosie remembered his name right, called out to her and asked her to answer one of his questions about the local wildlife in the woods they were visiting.

“Rodney’s a skilled rider,” Jonathan had said, nodding to the other man. “If you wish to speak to him, I trust he’ll be able to take the reins, should you need it.”

So without a polite way to refuse, Rosie submitted, and Sir Rodney had moved his horse up beside hers to ask her his questions. Less than two minutes later, Marianne had somehow slipped between Rosie and the prince, and they rode that way until they reached their destination.

The only thing more frustrating than Rosie’s constant pain from the saddle and having to listen to Marianne’s giggling was that if she were to admit the truth, the slow pace and the woman’s annoying laugh weren’t the only reasons for her anger.

Every time that viper came near him, Rosie felt sick to her stomach. Which was ridiculous. It wasn’t as though Rosie were in the running to be considered as a candidate for his wife. If she were smart, Rosie would stamp out this jealousy now.

But it just felt so wrong, Rosie despaired as she watched him laugh at something Marianne said. He was truly a good man. And for his parents to even be considering uniting him to such an awful woman was inconceivable. It just wasn’t fair.

He deserved better.

Unfortunately, Rosie’s backside hurt so much from riding that she soon couldn’t even focus on this. And by the time she recognized the woods, Rosie was about to fall off her horse. Thankfully, the familiar scene was enough to boost her spirits and her strength until she called out to the prince that it was time to stop.

“Here?” one of the young lords called out dubiously. “This is hardly a place to picnic.”

“Considering we didn’t come here to picnic, that’s well enough with me,” Rosie retorted. “Though, if you must know, there's a picnicking spot just over that ridge.” She was about to climb off her horse when Jonathan told her to wait. “Let’s leave the horses with everyone else,” he said. “And you need something to eat. You’ve just ridden four hours without having ridden nearly that far before. Your body needs rest.”

Rosie was about to tell him that she was in no mood to picnic, and that, as she had come for flowers, she was going to get the flowers, when her stomach grumbled loudly. Horrified, she glanced around, but judging by the prince’s small smile, only he had heard.

“Come,” he said again. “An hour’s delay isn’t going to fade the flowers.”

Rosie wasn’t sure about that. It was entirely possible that the troll–had she gotten wind of their search–might try to delay or stop them. But she was far hungrier than she had expected to be–almost to the point of feeling faint. So she grudgingly nodded and let him lead her horse over the ridge. Most of the others had already begun unloading from their mounts and carriages, while several servants scurried to unpack the meal.

“Your Highness,” Marianne called, already dismounted and standing beside her horse, “I’ve saved you a spot on the blanket! Come and eat!”

“In just a moment,” he said politely. “I’m going to help Lady Rose dismount.”

Instead of going away as Rosie wished the irksome girl would do, however, Marianne only came closer, leading her horse behind her. “Oh! Do you need help dismounting, dear?”

Rosie took a deep breath and reminded herself that it was not acceptable behavior to slap other women in the face. “I’m not as experienced in horsemanship as you are, Miss Marianne,” she said stiffly. Everything about her suddenly felt stiff. Her legs. Her stomach. Her back. Then true panic struck as she realized suddenly that if she let go of the horse and let herself slide off the saddle, her legs weren’t going to catch her before she hit the ground. She could hardly feel them at all.

Jonathan, however, seeming to understand, placed his large hands lightly around her waist. Rosie sucked in a fast breath, as she hadn’t been expecting his sudden touch. His hands were warm and strong against her aching sides.

“Fall forward,” he said gently. “I’ll catch you.”

Perhaps it was the stabbing pain that throbbed through the entire lower half of her body. Or perhaps it was the soft way he spoke the words. But something about this gentle speech made Rosie’s eyes sting as large tears tried to well up in them.

“I won’t be able to stand,” she whispered.

“I’m a fool!” he said with a sudden frown. “I should have known better than to let you ride this entire way. Here, put your hands on my shoulders. Yes, just like that. Now, like I told you, lean toward me. I won’t let you fall.”

Rosie did as he instructed. And just as she had expected, her knees gave out as soon as her feet hit the ground. But just as he had promised, he held her up, keeping her from falling flat on her face in front of Marianne and all the other curious onlookers.

“Here,” he said. “We’ll do it this way.” Without pausing, he bent and put one hand behind her knees. Then he swung her up into his arms and began to carry her to where the picnic blankets had been laid out.