The Second Son

Chapter 4

I spent the rest of dinner in my own head. I couldn't figure out why the Prince had lied to protect me and when I told him about my friendship with the Arbors, he didn't say anything. It was strange for him to not have an opinion. Most people were prejudice against the Arbors and considered them to be primitive and uncivilized which couldn't be further from the truth.

I knew very little about Prince Henry. He was the second son of the king which meant he was not first in line to the throne. I had heard him jokingly referred to as "the spare heir". His older brother, James, would be king one day. And when he married and had children, they would be in line for the throne before Henry. Basically, he had no chance of ever being king.

As was typical of second sons, Henry was training to be a soldier and would probably become a high ranking officer in the military. There had also been rumors that he was a bit of a lothario. He was known for charming lots of women but had never settled down with anyone.

I found it surprising that his parents had not arranged a marriage contract for him. I thought that was a common practice within the royal family as a way to cement an alliance.

Maybe Prince Henry's position as "the spare heir" made him a less desirable prospect for marriage. That would make him and I alike in that respect. I started to feel sorry for him. He would always be in his older brother's shadow.

I was so deep in thought that I didn't even realize that dessert was being served. The servants went around the table dishing out baked apples to everyone. I turned my attention back to the conversation happening around me. Henry and my cousins were discussing something about fighting maneuvers. Not exactly an interest of mine.

After I finished my dessert, I stood up and excused myself for the evening. All the men stood as I left the table. I quickly made my way back to my room so I could take off the uncomfortable gown I had thrown on to look presentable for dinner.

As I laid in bed trying to fall asleep, I couldn't stop thinking about my strange day. I decided I needed to speak to Prince Henry in private. It was driving me crazy trying to figure out why he hadn't told the truth about our encounter in the woods.

The next day, I woke early to get down to my surgery and get to work. The plants I had gathered yesterday would need to be cleaned and prepared for the various medicines I wanted to make. After I dressed in my work clothes, I stopped by the kitchens to grab some tea and toast. No time for a proper breakfast.

When I reached my surgery, I wasted no time. I started right in on washing all the plants. As you can imagine, this was dirty work. When I was about halfway done, I heard a knock on my door. Thinking it was someone in need of medical attention, I told them to come in without even looking up. A deep, familiar voice grabbed my attention.

"Well this is not what I expected to see when I found you. Whatever is going on in here?"

Of course it was Prince Henry and I was a filthy mess with leaves and flowers scattered all over the place. I quickly stood up and bowed my head out of respect.

"Excuse my appearance Prince Henry. I was just preparing the plants I gathered yesterday to make some herbal remedies. It's a mess, I know. But worth it in the end. I didn't realize you were stopping by."

He walked in and started checking out the bottles and tins I had on my shelves.

"Please no formalities Emily. Just call me Henry. I much more prefer the way you spoke to me yesterday before you learned who I really was. I have a feeling that's who you really are. I liked it. Not many women would stand up to a man like that."

I turned my face away from him so he wouldn't see me blush. Did he just compliment me? He continued to walk around and examine everything. That confidence I witnessed yesterday was still there except now I understood where it came from. He could do whatever he wanted and no one would stop him.

The silence in the room was making me uncomfortable. I felt like I needed to say something.

"Prince....I mean Henry, is there something I can do for you?"

He put down the jar he was examining and turned to face me with the most charming smile plastered on his face. I could see why he was considered a "ladies man".

"Yes. Have lunch with me? I requested a picnic basket be prepared by your chef. I thought maybe we could take a walk and find a nice spot. I'd like to hear more about what you do here. It's very intriguing."

As if I had the option to say no to him. Even if I did, I would still go with him. He covered for me last night and he does seem genuinely interested in my work. Not to mention, I haven't been able to stop thinking about him since we met.

"I would love to. I need a little bit of time to clean up in here but I'll meet you by the stables in about an hour."

He somehow smiled wider at my response. I felt like I was blushing again. What is wrong with me? No one has ever had this effect on me.

"Sounds great. See you soon Little One."

He turned on his heel and walked out the door. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. I was really hoping we could just forget about that nickname but I guess the cocky guy I had first met in the woods was still around. And I just agreed to spend some one on one time with him.

A/N  Some more boring exposition. Things are going to get much more interesting soon! Thanks for reading!