Page 30 of May Queen: May Day

“Lady Flora, you broke the seal,” said Albreda.

“Of course, I did,” she said, scanning the contents of the missive. “How else am I going to read it?”

“What does it say?” asked the woman.

“Oh no,” she said, reading the words on the parchment.

“My lady, what is it?”

“Lord Ricard says in his missive that unless the money promised is sent immediately, he is going to break the betrothal.”

“What’s wrong with that? You said you don’t really want to marry him anyway.”

Flora did say that, but after the kiss they’d shared, she was starting to get used to the idea of being Lord Ricard’s wife. “There’s more,” she said, lowering the missive, feeling her heart beating from her chest.

“What is it, my lady?”

“Lord Ricard also said that he knows where the pagans are hiding and that he is going to capture one or more of them right away. He also says the rest of them will be killed.”

“My lady, what are you going to do?”

“There is only one thing I can do, Albreda. I am going to sneak away to the forest to find my father and warn them that Lord Ricard means them harm. If I don’t find them first, I am afraid they will be killed.”

* * *

Ricard waitedbehind the tree just outside the castle gates with Nash at his side. He knew the girl was going to try to escape again and, this time, he’d planned on following.

“My lord, are you sure we should be doing this?” asked Nash, feeling uneasy about spying on Flora.

“You told me Flora has the missive and Lang didn’t deliver it to the messenger like I asked, right?”

“Aye, my lord,” said Nash with a sigh. “They were talking at the door and I read their lips from out in the hallway. Lady Flora asked for the missive and Lang gave it to her.”

“That no-mind brother of mine will do anything for a drink and a smile from a pretty lady.”

“Oh, so you think Lady Flora is pretty?” asked Nash with a mischievous grin.

Ricard bit his tongue, realizing his thoughts had slipped out without him meaning to divulge that information to his busybody squire. “Well, she doesn’t have the face of a wild pig like you made me believe she did when we first met her.”

“I only suggested that was the case, but I see now that I’m wrong. Lady Flora is very pretty and very nice just like Lang told her she was.”

“What?” Ricard’s head snapped around. His horse whinnied beneath him. “My brother said that to her?”

“Aye, he did. Haven’t you told her the same thing?”

“Nay. Why would I?”

“Well,” said Nash, making a face. “I supposed since you were her betrothed, you’d tell her things like that. After all, Lang isn’t the one that’s going to marry her.”

“Nay, he’s not. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“My lord?” asked Nash. “Does this have something to do with the fact that Lady Flora likes Lang better than you?”

“She does? How do you know that?” Anxiety coursed through him. His betrothed was supposed to like him, not his brother. He wanted her to like him. It was important that she did.

“I haven’t seen her smile at you the way she did to Lang. She even winked at him.”

“She didn’t.”