I am cheering because I did not take an entire month to upload a new chapter this time! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story so far! The plot is finally starting up and developing and I'm so excited to see where it goes :)
Enjoy
XX Divine Romance
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"Look what I made, Princess Suzanna!"
Suzanna turned around to see a small, young girl - no older than seven - grinning up at her. The child was holding up a tiny doll's dress with great pride. Suzanna dropped down onto her knees so she could be eye-level with the girl.
"Why Evie, it is absolutely beautiful. How precious," Suzanna replied. The girl, Evie, widened her grin until all her teeth were on full display. The simple praise from the Princess had undoubtedly just made her day. Evie lived in the town home with all the other homeless, but she was one of the most joyful children around. Suzanna loved to spend time with her when she could find time to visit.
"I made it all by myself," Evie said proudly. Suzanna smiled again. Not only would Evie now have a new dress for her doll, but she was learning valuable seamstress skills that Suzanna hoped would one day help her to find a job.
"Your doll shall look stunning," Suzanna praised.
"I have to show Rose!" Evie cried with a little giggle, immediately running off to find the other special visitor. Suzanna stood back up and scanned the room she was in, hoping to see something to do.
In a dark corner she could see a small boy huddled up, his expression miserable and demeanour downcast. Suzanna walked over to him and slowly lowered herself to the ground, smiling at him gently. The boy looked up at her with wide eyes and pulled his knees up to his chest, his hands tightly clutching something.
"Hello," Suzanna murmured to him. The boy looked back up at her with a downcast expression and did not bother to speak. "What's your name?" she tried again.
"Thomas," he answered.
"What have you got there, Thomas?" Suzanna asked with a smile. She had intended the question to be friendly, but the boy looked at his hands once and his chin started quivering. "Oh - oh no, don't cry," Suzanna begged, moving to pat him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to upset you."
"It's my toy," Thomas said, raising his arm to wipe away the few tears that had fallen. He opened his hands to show a small wooden, painted cart in two pieces. Suzanna was familiar with the common toy; children could push them around and always had a marvellous time.
"What happened?" Suzanna questioned softly.
"Morgan took my toy to play with it but he broke it. It's the only toy I own," Thomas explained miserably, wiping away another few tears.
Suzanna understood immediately. To people who owned so few things, the meagre belongings they had were unequivocally precious and special. To lose his only toy would be a tragedy for Thomas.
"Perhaps we can fix it," Suzanna suggested, holding out her hand. Thomas gingerly laid the broken toy cart in her hand. Suzanna frowned and lifted up the object to examine where it had broken. Crestfallen, she realised the toy could not be fixed - it had snapped in half. She glanced once at the hopeful boy and knew she could not disappoint him any further. It would crush him to know his toy was unfixable.
Suzanna slowly lowered the toy in her hands and smiled as an idea popped into her head.
"Thomas..." she began. "What would you think if I bought you a brand new toy?"
Thomas' face lit up. "A new toy? For me?" he asked in disbelief.
"Absolutely. The markets are open today; I could go right now."
"No one has ever bought me a toy before," he commented.
"I know," Suzanna replied tenderly.
"Thank you, Princess! Thank you, thank you!" he cheered. Suzanna laughed and stood up, delicately handing him back his broken cart.
"I will return soon. Why don't you go play with the other children while you wait?" she suggested. Thomas nodded eagerly and shot up from his position on the floor. Her grinned and hugged her around the legs before running off to find his friends.
"That was very sweet of you," a voice, Suzanna recognized it as Rose, commented. Suzanna turned around and smiled, shrugging once at her friend.
"It is the least I could do."
"Would you like someone to accompany you?"
"No, I will be fine. The markets are not too far. I will return soon," Suzanna promised. She waved and slipped out of the front door.
The walk to the markets only took a few minutes. They were crowded, as usual. In her less glamorous dress she was able to walk past mostly unnoticed. She held the air of a noble, but it was not uncommon for the rich to explore the markets. Hence, only a few seemed to stop and stare at her reverently.
The various owners of the market stalls cried out and shouted to the passer-byers, calling out their goods and sales. Suzanna blocked most of them out and scanned the stalls, searching for one that looked like it was selling toys. Her eyes landed on a man behind a stall, demonstrating to a family how one of his toys worked. Suzanna eagerly walked towards him. She waited patiently for the family in front of her to leave, then stepped up to the stall.
"Are you looking for a particular toy, my lady?" the stall owner asked, recognizing her as nobility. Suzanna glanced up and the man's eyes widened for the briefest moment. "My apologies, Your Highness." Clearly he had recognized her as the Princess - not a difficult task, as everyone knew Suzanna had wild red hair and the characteristic brown eyes of the Royal Family.
"Yes, I am..." she trailed off as she studied all the toys he sold. Suddenly, it did not seem fair to buy only one toy for one boy. "How much are you selling these for?" she asked. The man named the price range for the different toys. Impulsively, Suzanna bought fifteen toys. It would be enough for the children to share around, and the workers at the home would be grateful for the new additions.
The man could hardly seem to believe his luck at such a big sale in one go. He took the toys Suzanna had selected and piled them all into a basket, handing it over to her.
"Thank you, Your Highness," he said sincerely, bowing his head. Suzanna nodded as she handed over the correct coins and turned away, basket swinging in her hand. She began heading back to the home.
As she walked, she passed the same street she had paused at earlier - the one Duke Wilson had come out of. Suzanna froze again, staring down the street. She desperately wanted to know what was down there, but fear held her still.
She was sure she had been standing there for a few minutes when an unexpected voice had her jumping in fright.
"Are you lost, my lady?"
Suzanna turned around. It was a woman dressed in servant's robes - probably a servant for one of the higher class families. She had a sweet face and was small in frame. In an instant, she realised who Suzanna was.
"Oh, Your Highness," she said hastily, dropping into a curtsey. "Can I help you?"
"N-" Suzanna was about to explain she was not lost, but then she glanced curiously at the servant. "Do you know what is down this street here?"
The servant glanced down the dark street and nodded rapidly.
"All the townsfolk do. It is full of thugs, thieves, and miscreants mostly - not a place you would want to venture, my lady. It is rare to see anyone wander down there, and those who do wander rarely bother to come back out."
Suzanna's heart dropped at the news. "Thugs and miscreants? Surely you are mistaken," she replied.
"Begging your pardon, my lady, but it is the truth."
"But then... why would..." Suzanna trailed off. If it was such a terrible place, what business did Duke Wilson have going down there?
"My lady?" the servant asked hesitantly when Suzanna did not continue to speak. Suzanna shook her head, breaking herself out of her thoughts.
"Has nothing been done about this?" Suzanna asked.
"The people down there rarely cause trouble. They are content to stay in their street and stick to their own business. Occasionally the knights are seen going down there - probably to break up fights - but they do not try to clear out the street. The people down there pose no real danger unless provoked or enticed. A wealthy, beautiful lady such as yourself, for example, would be incentive for an attack, my lady."
Suzanna glanced once more down the dark alley. The servant had mentioned the knights - perhaps Samuel would be able to shed more knowledge on the place. She turned back her attention and nodded gratefully at the servant. "Thank you for your information."
"It is my pleasure, Your Highness. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
"No. Thank you." The servant curtseyed again and walked away. Suzanna left her place by the alley without a backwards glance and rushed back to the village home.
When Suzanna returned to the castle, she immediately went searching for Samuel. She was disappointed to find out that he was in a meeting and would not be free for some hours. Sighing, she turned and began walking aimlessly. As she walked, she spotted the Duke ahead walking into the castle. Suzanna widened her eyes and immediately sprinted after him, ignoring the looks people gave her as she ran past.
"Duke Wilson!" she called when she saw him only a few meters ahead of her. The Duke stopped and turned around. He smiled when he saw who had called him.
"Hello, Princess," he replied, as he raised her hand and kissed it. Suzanna could not help herself - her heart skipped a beat in reaction and a warm blush touched her cheeks. She smiled warmly up at him, then remembered why she had wanted to see him. If she could not talk to Samuel, she had to at least try going to the source.
"I wondered if we could talk?"
"Certainly," he answered. "I was heading to the library. Would you like to join?"
Suzanna nodded her agreement and together they strolled to the library. Duke Wilson led them to a table and pulled out a chair for Suzanna. She sat down and watched as he took a seat opposite her and gave her his full attention.
"So," he began. "What is on your mind?"
"I was in town today," Suzanna said casually.
"Was it particularly busy?" he asked innocently. Suzanna planned her reply carefully, she did not want to risk making him angry.
"I am surprised you do not know the answer to that yourself."
"Excuse me?" Duke Wilson asked, but not with venom. He continued to look at her innocently and openly. A tiny worm of doubt found its way into Suzanna's mind - he certainly appeared as though he was not trying to hide anything. She shook the doubt away - it had been him in the village, unquestionably.
"I saw you leaving a street and walking back to your carriage." Suzanna waited, but Duke Wilson did not say anything. "Do you deny it?"
"No."
"Then what were you doing?"
"Nothing of importance," the Duke answered casually.
"Tell me," Suzanna pressed. Duke Wilson sighed and tapped his fingers slowly against the table.
"I heard noises emanating from the street and I went down it to investigate," he replied. Suzanna studied his expression. It was calm and not nervous, she could see no sign of a lie. Perhaps she had been a little... overdramatic.
"What did you find?"
"Nothing pleasant. The people down there seem to be very hard and argumentative. It was a fight between two rowdy men."
"Why go down the street alone? That was dangerous," Suzanna commented. The Duke shrugged.
"I had my sword and was confident in my own abilities. As it were, I went mostly unnoticed. There was already a guard breaking up the fight. My efforts were not needed and I returned to my carriage."
"But what were you doing at the village in the first place?" Suzanna asked as the thought popped into her mind.
"It's market day and I had nothing to do," Duke Wilson replied with another self-explanatory shrug.
Suzanna peered at him once more. She was not sure she believed him, it seemed unlikely that he would go down the dark street in an effort to stop a fight, yet he did not appear to be lying. Duke Wilson smiled reassuringly at her and in a moment her doubts disappeared. He was a gentle man and not prone to suspicious behaviour. She decided it was her own nerves and fanciful mind that made her think there was something else happening.
"I am sorry if I came across as untrusting to you," she finally said.
"It is no matter, my dear," he answered. Duke Wilson had taken to calling her that recently. At first she had been uncomfortable with the name, but she was used to it now. After all, he was hoping to marry her - it could only be expected that he would treat her in that way.
Suzanna and the Duke spent their next few hours together. While Suzanna had been nervous and unsure about him at first, she was now relaxed and comfortable with him. And, surprising even to herself, she found herself laughing and enjoying her moments with him.
It was not love, but the idea of marrying him no longer felt so formidable. He was always respectful and kind, and while he was serious he still managed to demonstrate a good sense of humour. Her father and family liked the Duke, and with each day she started to trust him more.
It was with these thoughts in her mind that afternoon that Suzanna suddenly found herself drawn to the Duke. He was not so bad, really, and she was sure she would learn to love him eventually. She spent much of that afternoon deep in thought, half there with the Duke and half off with the clouds. Eventually, he pulled her back out of her mind.
"Are you listening to me?"
Suzanna snapped her eyes up to refocus back on Duke Wilson. He was staring at her in amusement.
"Yes, of course," she answered.
Duke Wilson continued to talk passionately - something about the state of the local farmers. She thought. She had not been paying enough attention, she realised guiltily. Suzanna slowly drifted her eyes to back out the window. The first few flakes of snow were finally falling - she was not surprised after the freezing morning they'd had. The snow seemed to take her mind to thoughts about new beginnings. She had spent her whole life here in the castle. It was safe; home. But... then again, maybe she needed a little more adventure in her life.
She had friends here she would miss - Rose, Samuel, the servants she was so fond of. But she could visit them. Besides, they were all living their own lives. It was not wise to live hoping to always have them, Suzanna realised.
Outside the window she spotted a familiar face - Samuel. She smiled as she watched him talk to a young, friendly looking man, then bend down to talk to the child with him. Samuel seemed to be so good at talking to everyone - no matter who they were or where they had come from.
Suzanna wished for a moment that she could get up and go talk to him. Inside, her heart dropped at the thought. What did it mean that she would rather talk to another person instead of the Duke? She had already seen Samuel today.
Suzanna watched Samuel glumly.
A woman approached Samuel and Suzanna watched her curiously. She walked up to Samuel with a big smile. When Samuel saw her, he grinned and reached out for her. He did not hesitate in kissing the woman on the forehead.
Suzanna's breath hitched and she looked away from them, shocked. Samuel was courting someone? Sadness touched her heart. She did not know why, but the new discovery shook her. Silly, when she was spending all her time with Duke Wilson.
There was no point feeling down - it had been silly, after all, to even consider Samuel. She had her future and the Duke to think about. With that, she knew in her mind and heart that her decision had been made.
"Suzanna," Duke Wilson said, drawing her attention back to him once more.
"Yes?"
"You looked upset about something," he commented.
"No, nothing. I am okay - I am sorry to have seemed disinterested or distracted. I have had a lot on my mind these past few days."
The Duke smiled and reached over to take one of her hands gently. Suzanna did not pull away, but inside her heart pounded with anticipation of what she was about to do.
"You know... I am leaving in a week," Duke Wilson commented.
"I know," Suzanna replied quietly.
"You already know that I do not expect your answer yet-"
"Yes," Suzanna interrupted suddenly.
"I'm sorry?"
"Yes, I will marry you," she huffed out before she could change her mind. "I have made my decision."
"You are sure?" Duke Wilson responded in amazement, his eyes shining with victory.
"Absolutely," Suzanna replied, her mind in a bittersweet mess.