Princess Freckles

4. The Bud

The ladies stood the same as before, in a line and to the left of Lady Delphi. The carriage was ready to go, and Chammielle dared hope the Prince would not speak of their time together alone. To anyone. If he was an honest person, perhaps he would in good company. But oh! She prayed he would not divulge such things to a gossip. It would mean ruin for her.

He'd pretended their walk had gone smoothly, brightening as they came out from the line of trees. He'd thanked her for her beautiful poetry and even asked if she could share some more with him at a later date. The girls took no notice of her cautiousness and asked the Prince more questions, even inviting him to come again before their mother had arrived. Now, he was leaving.

Chammielle felt relieved and let her nostrils flare ever so slightly as she breathed deeply.

"Lady Kuchen, I so enjoyed my time with your charming daughters. My day has been quite eventful, and I am saddened to depart so soon. Please give my regards to Lord Kuchen."

Lady Delphi inclined her head prettily, her age simply magnifying her regal and lovely appearance. Chammielle wished she at least looked like her even ten years later. The triplets clearly took after her, but she dared not hope to be that beautiful.

"Thank you, your highness. I know you must have a busy schedule. Hopefully we provided you with a small respite from your taxing work."

"To serve the kingdom is nothing, but I must say I was quite...inspired."

As part of ceremony, he stepped forward and did a light bow holding the matron's hand. Then came down the line to kiss each of the girl's hands. By the time he reached Chammielle, she'd almost forgotten she wasn't wearing gloves.

His hand was soft as any nobles', but held strength and even a very faint roughness as it sent warmth up her arm and into her belly. His lips came to the top of her hand and it was akin to hearing thunder close by rolling through her. Her painted on smile of serenity melted away and her lips parted in surprise. What was happening to her today?

It seemed to last longer than the others, but that had to be wrong. His breath hit her skin as his mouth departed from her hand, a tingling sensation radiated through her fingers. They twitched and his thumb smoothed over them as he straightened.

A small smile pulled at the right of his mouth and his eyes sparkled. Quickly she realized her mouth was open and she closed it, averting her eyes. What was wrong with her?

Lady Delphi Kuchen was positively glowing, some of her girlish youth rekindling at the sight of the Prince kissing the hands of her daughters. She was positively beaming with pride. Of course she would be, there wasn't a chance he wasn't going to pick anyone but Aster. She was easily the prettiest girl in half the kingdom, and lovelier than most of the nobles.

Chammielle kept her smile simple, poised. This didn't mean anything. She was not going to be his choice.

They exchanged pleasantries, and she was forced to prolong her eyes wandering the treeline. Her stupid heart was thumping so loudly she couldn't hear the birdsong. This prince really needed to learn not to manipulate women with his charms. Especially ones he had no intention of actually courting.

False hope was worse than misery.

She only looked back once she heard the hinges of the carriage door. His eyes moved away from her and down to the stepping stool, a tease of a smile on his lips. He was too dashing for his own good.

His baby blue coattails curled behind him. The door clicked to a close. The horses whinnied and pranced. And then there was nothing but a trail of dust to remind her they had been there. That and the tingling in her hand.