Royal Fools

XXXIII. Damsel

He scoffed, because she was right. He had a lot of wicked things, most of them she'd enjoy, others only for when he had to make hard decisions for the crown. And yes, she would love to be his queen. That had always been the goal.

"Are you thinking of wicked things you can do to me upstairs?"

His shoulders shook as he snatched the cloth from his shoulder and threw it at her. "Get the table ready. I'm almost done."

***

They spent the rest of the day outdoors. Birchfield in spring was an entirely different place. Florence relished on the flowers bathing in warm sunlight in the woods, the sparkling water in the pond and the beautiful path that led to the Fitzwilliams. Branches arched toward each other from both sides with a blanket of wild flowers on the ground.

They walked hand in hand and made their way to the small cottage, where they were greeted with warm welcomes, fresh biscuits, and tea. Mrs. Fitzwilliam was ecstatic to learn that they were getting married as her husband smiled, saying, "I've always known."

The couple asked how long they would stay in Birchfield, to which Emory only said they were waiting for things to settle in Coulway.

Florence asked him about it later as they sat in the tree house. "What do you mean?"

"Our engagement is to be announced today," he said.

Her eyes widened as he stole the bottle of wine from her hand. "What?"

"Should I have waited?"

"Waited for us to return, yes!" she said. "I would love to be there to see everyone's reaction."

He choked on the wine and laughed. "You're insane."

"I deserve the satisfaction."

"You will have more, trust me," he said, setting the wine aside to cup her face. Her arms worked around his shoulders, giggling as he guided her on her back. The kiss was slow, slowly building in intensity as her hands roamed his back.

"Now?" she asked.

"No, of course not," he said. "This bloody tree house is not built for what you have in mind. And you're not yet ready." She rolled her eyes as he spoke and he laughed. "But this is just as beautiful," he murmured before dipping his head for another kiss.

They also visited the Davidsons, opting to go on foot to enjoy the view along the road. Sunlight filtered through the birch trees as they walked by, hands clasped and arms swinging. Little Suzy was the happiest when she saw Florence again. They bought baskets of foods to share with the family, and they spent the entire afternoon talking and playing with the children.

They left at dusk, her arm hooked around his as they reminisced about their days in Birchfield and talked about the future.

"I want an heir and dozens of spares," she announced, causing him to stop and look at her in disbelief. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked. "I know I'm quite small, but I can carry a child."

"Do you know how many women die at childbirth?"

"No, but I heard there are quite a lot."

"Then we'll only have three."

"We'll discuss this some more after I survive the third childbirth." As they continued walking, she added, "And it's not like you can stop making babies."

"There are ways."

"What way?"

He sighed. "For one, I do not need to..." She watched him struggle with his words. "Spill inside."