Page 56 of Once Upon A Bear

His mother glanced at him suspiciously. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“I know how much you want to see me settle down,” he said.

His mother crossed her arms across her chest. “I am not sure I believe you.”

“But it’s true,” Kellan said, with an air of importance. “So there’s no need to announce to everyone at the ball that I am searching for a bride, because I’ve already selected one.”

The whole family said nothing, the silence landing between Kellan and his mother like they were about to spar in the training yard.

If anything, Gideon was glad that it had taken attention off him and Guinevere, because if Kellan hadn’t stepped up, he assumed his mother would have started on that topic next. And as much as he wanted Guinevere, he didn’t want to discuss it with his mother, with his whole family standing there.

“I think this ball will be one to remember,” his mother said vaguely. “Now, Sophia, Liliana, come with me. We have much to prepare.”

With that, the ladies swept out of the room, leaving Gideon to look at his father and brothers in alarm. “What did that mean?”

Chapter twenty-one

Guinevere

Guinevere stood in Beatrice’s bedchamber, surrounded by giggling girls.

After hearing that she was going to the ball, her friends had come together to help her prepare, and it was overwhelming. Beatrice and her new maid were helping her get dressed, while Linnea had come to Eldenwilde for moral support.

“You look absolutely stunning,” Beatrice said as she looked her up and down, and Guinevere had to admit that she did feel stunning.

“Absolutely gorgeous,” Linnea said.

The dress that Beatrice had let her borrow was dark green and embroidered with golden flowers, and it felt like perfection. If she hadn’t known better, she might have guessed that Beatrice had had it made to fit her, but that was silly.

Beatrice wouldn’t do such a thing, would she?

“Did you notice the details on the bodice?” Beatrice asked with a grin.

Guinevere moved closer to the mirror and inspected the details embroidered along the side of the bodice, where a trail of tiny golden honeybees traced their way across the edge and along the top of the bodice.

She whipped her head around and narrowed her eyes at Beatrice, who did her best impression of an innocent person.

“Did you have this made for me?” Guinevere demanded.

Her friend simply grinned. “It sets off your hair beautifully.”

“You know you’re basically admitting that you did,” she said.

The seamstress who had helped fit it to her was still in the room, so Guinevere turned to her. “Was this dress one of Lady Beatrice’s?”

“It was not, miss,” the seamstress said with a twinkle in her eyes. “I must say, it does suit you remarkably well.”

Guinevere turned to Beatrice, who danced out of Guinevere’s way when Guinevere held up a playfully threatening fist.

“You shouldn’t have spent the money on me,” Guinevere protested.

“On the contrary,” Beatrice exclaimed. “I prefer to think of it as payment for services rendered in the past.”

Guinevere folded her arms across her chest, noting how the dress only seemed to flatter her even more with the motion.

“This is unfair,” she said.

“What would be unfair is letting you go to the ball without a dress, and you look absolutely beautiful, so there’s nothing you can do about it,” Beatrice said with a smile.