Free Once Upon a Romance 03 - With True Love's Kiss by Jessica Woodard Page B

more so than in our
little household. Lady MacTíre was grief stricken, and Liam… Liam had never
wanted to be the heir. But when Fain went missing he stepped forward to do his
duty. He asked Thomas to tutor him, to teach him how to run the estate. Thomas’s
father and Lady MacTíre kept things running smoothly, while Liam frantically
tried to cram years of learning into his head. Meanwhile Jamie and I were
rather at loose ends. We’d lost a father and a brother, but really it was
though we had lost our whole world.”
    “What happened?”
    “Time
passed. We all learned to fill the gaps that had been left behind. For my part,
I tried to take care of Jamie, and take over some of Lady MacTíre’s household
duties, so that she would be free to focus on business. The kingdom itself was
in turmoil, with Prince Jestin’s death, and King Lodney was full of grief and
care. He only sent two messages, one consoling us on the death of the Squire
and Fain, and another a few years later that I never saw, but can well guess at
the contents.”
    “Why? What
do you think it said?”
    “I was
getting older. Still young, but marriageable for all that. After the king’s
second message, Lady MacTíre had a long talk with me one evening about my
prospects. I suspect the king was concerned, given Brannon’s new status as the
crown prince, that someone would try to woo me in order to gain a position at
court. At any rate, Lady MacTíre assured me that she wouldn’t force me to wed
so early, but that a decision regarding my husband would have to be made, soon.
I was heartbroken, and when she dismissed me I ran to the stables. I don’t know
what I thought I would do—run away, or just throw myself in the straw and
cry—but it turned out that Thomas was there.”
    Each moment
was still crystal clear in Bianca’s memory. How she’d stumbled against the door
on her way in, and the sound had made Thomas turn towards her. The look on his
face when he saw her tears, and how the words had come tumbling out of him, as
though he couldn’t help it.
    Bianca,
sweetheart, what’s wrong?
    She’d fallen
into his arms, letting him sweep her up and settle her against his chest, while
she sobbed out her fear, that she would be promised to a stranger, someone she
could never love, all because of who her father was. He’d lifted her up and
walked to the corner of a paddock, where an old trunk of riding leathers made a
handy bench, then settled her down on his lap, brushing her hair gently from
her forehead, wiping her tears, and murmuring reassurances.
    “Well, what
happened?”
    Bianca
hesitated, unsure of how to convey those sweet moments in mundane words.
    “He told me
not to worry, that he would speak to Lady MacTíre, and, when we were old
enough, we would be married.”
    He’d kissed
her, too, for the first time, sitting there on that hard, wooden chest, with
her face tear-stained and her heart singing for joy.
    “Lady
MacTíre was satisfied with the match. I would be able to stay with her, as
Thomas grew to take his father’s position, and it was a fine place for the
bastard daughter of a prince. King Lodney agreed as well, presumably well
pleased that it would keep me safe and sound and a suitable distance from
court. And Thomas and I—” She hesitated. There weren’t really words to describe
how happy she’d been.
    “You were in
love.”
    “Yes. We
were in love. Of course, I’d always loved him, but once I asked him when he’d
come to love me, and do you know what he said?”
    “What?”
    “He said he
hadn’t known that he did, until the day I ran, crying, into the stables.”
    Bianca
stared at the fire. There was still the rest of the story to be told. She fixed
her eyes on the glowing ember buried deep in one of the logs, and took a deep
breath.
    “The wedding
was set to be the summer I turned sixteen. At the time, three years seemed like
an eternity to wait, but Lady MacTíre insisted. And I suppose I was content
enough.