Waiting For Spring
Chapter 15

Several days after meeting Alice’s brothers, I found myself at her side again for another court event. One that entailed watching the men in an archery competition. An activity deemed too dangerous for women to participate. At least, that's what the captain of the guard had said when I had asked while he was dropping Lucinda and I off in the roped off observation area. In case some of us women got any ideas and accidentally strolled into the shooting range. A rope seemed like a weak deterrent.

“Doesn’t the king look impressive?” A frilly blonde giggled close to where Alice and I were sitting. Her friends giggled with her, only solidifying in my mind that they were lacking intelligence or sense, but probably both.

“I’ve heard talk that in Gwendyln the warriors do not wear anything over their chests.”

“Scandalous,” they tittered again.

“I wish our own warriors could adopt that custom,” another added wistfully. “Can you imagine the Captain of the Guard without all that armor?” I couldn’t hold my groan of displeasure any longer and it earned me one of Lucinda’s throat clearings as a reward.

“Are these the girls you want me to be more like?” I shot over my shoulder at my disapproving tutor whose only reply was a displeased noise in the back of her throat.

I returned my attention to the field to see the King take his place. His royal blue coat stretched across his broad shoulders as he pulled back on his bow. His face was a mask of concentration and his breathing appeared slow and measured. After a final breath he released the arrow on an exhale and it sailed through the air until it embedded itself in the target with a solid thump.

The men surrounding him were quick to applaud his efforts. Praising him on his perfect shot with thumps on his back and firm hand shakes. The captain was at his side saying something before they both broke out into boyish grins and were laughing uproariously.

Vaguely, I could hear Alice saying something beside me, but I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off the King. His smile took away the edge of darkness I always found in his eyes. It made him seem lighter and I couldn’t help but think that he never had that look about him when he was around me.

With me, he was angry, stern and disciplined. Never had he shown me this side of himself, and there was a part of me that was disappointed to have never experienced it.

As if sensing my eyes on him, he looked over where I sat beside Alice and his eyes effortlessly found me. I heard the girls beside me titter excitedly, arguing over who he was looking at and I could have sworn they nearly fainted when he shot me that same smile he had shared with Troy.

My own breath had become short and my heart had started to beat an irregular rhythm in my chest. I could feel heat rising in my cheeks and I bowed my head in the hopes we were too far away for him to notice the effect he was having on me.

“Lady Anne? Are you all right?” Alice worried beside me and I felt her white lace gloved hand rest against my own gloved hand. I nodded my head, afraid of what might come from my mouth if I spoke.

I could still hear the girls whispering excitedly beside us and I couldn’t explain why it was making me grind my teeth. They were just silly ladies of King James’s court. This was their sport. Watching the men and gossiping about all their fine features. It shouldn’t bother me, and yet, all I wanted to do was escape their grating laughter.

“I wish to go for a walk around the gardens,” I announced, pushing to my feet while keeping my gaze lowered. Lucinda rose as I did, already flattening out the thick folds of her grey skirt and pulling at her gloves to ensure her appearance was better than perfect. Alice remained seated beside me and I was thankful she didn’t want to join me.

I had noticed throughout the morning that she had her eyes on a bumbling Lord who had almost shot the other men on three separate occasions. The other men were all watching him with wary expression and I couldn’t really blame them.

I nodded at a distracted Alice who waved me off, losing a silver bracelet in the process before scurrying over to the teacup it had flown into on the next table over. I was not sure the world was ready for those two as a couple.

Lucinda trailed two steps behind me as I left the lady's tea. Behind her were two guards, following our every step and trying to anticipate my next three.

They had introduced themselves to me as Francis and George. They were the guards that watched me when Mantai and my other silent guard weren’t.

Francis was the tallest guard I had met. His trousers were several inches too short and his arms seemed to always be coming out of nowhere to open doors and to pull me back when I was doing something I shouldn’t. He was always watching with his wary blue eyes and never trusted me enough to get out of arms reach. I had a feeling Troy had some firm words with him about me.

George was the thickest guard I had ever seen, apart from the man that had been charged with my care after I had nearly set fire to my rooms. George’s arms were bulging from his royal blue uniform. He tried a different tactic with me than Francis. He liked to keep me talking because if I was talking I wasn’t plotting. Little did he know that I was an expert multi-tasker.

“Is the entertainment a little too dull for your tastes today, Lady Anne?” George asked, and I was already fighting the urge to smile at his tactics.

“I suppose I would replace it more interesting if I were allowed to participate in the activity.” I shrugged, turning sharply at one of the leafy hedges, knowing it would shield us from the view of the people participating in the archery.

“I would pay good coin to see you with a bow in your hands,” George chuckled as I took another turn down another lane of hedges. Lucinda made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat and I fought the urge to hiss something snide at her.

We continued through the garden for several more silent minutes before I heard the gravelly voice of Francis.

“Lady Anne, is there a destination you have in mind?” His voice was suspicious, and I couldn’t blame him for thinking I was up to something mischievous because generally, I was.

I made another quick turn at a break in the hedges and they quickly gave way to the much shorter bushes of colorful flowers. There were so few flowers left now but, in the distance, I could see the familiar tree with the rampant rose bushes beneath it. There were no flowers left on them anymore. All that remained were their thorns.

Smiling, I darted through the patches of flowers intent on my destination. My followers keeping close behind me.

“Miss Lucinda, do you think it might be possible to have tea beneath that tree. It is so lovely today. Don’t you think it would be nice to have our lessons out of doors?” I asked over my shoulder and I was pleased to see an approving look on my tutor’s face, If somewhat shocked.

“If you can promise dedication to your studies,” she bargained, and I looked ahead to hide my growing smile.

“Of course.”

Nodding her assent, despite the cough coming from Francis, who seemed to suspect there were several things on my mind, and none of them were my studies.

Moments later, she scurried off in search of a maid, but not before instructing the guards to keep me contained to the tree I had indicated would be our afternoon study spot.

I knew, by the backwards glance she gave the guards, even as she was leaving she was starting to have her doubts about my intentions. It was probably the cheshire grin that I was failing to keep off my face.

As soon as she was out of sight, I detoured away from the tree and almost instantly Francis was questioning my intentions, “Lady Anne, you heard just as well as I that you are to remain beneath the tree.”

“I know.”

“Then why have we changed course?” I picked up the pace, knowing Lucinda wouldn’t take long to replace a maid and retrieve the books she needed for our afternoon lessons.

“I wish to retrieve a book from my chambers.” I offered, not missing the snort from George. I looked over my shoulder and shot him a grin before I turned to face forward again.

I was already nearly at the glass doors that led from the garden to the castle when I felt Francis wrap his hand gently around my upper arm.

“Miss Lucinda has instructed you to remain where she left you,” my eyes narrowed at the glass doors, refusing to turn around and face Francis as I breathed out an angry breath.

“It won’t take me but a moment.” I barely managed to get out through my clenched teeth.

“I don’t need to remind you, Lady Anne, that your actions have consequences.”

“I think I can handle Miss Lucinda’s angry glares,” I shot back, attempting to loosen his grip on my arm.

“You and I both know, the consequences you receive will come from a higher power, princess,” lowering his voice so no one would hear him say my real title, but I didn’t miss his threat. The king would be furious if he found me ignoring Lucinda’s directives, again. Any chance of receiving another of his breathtaking smiles would be out of my reach.

“I’ll take my chances.” I ground out, my feet relishing the feel of the cool grass as I slipped my feet from my heels. As I felt Francis take a step closer, I braced my feet, throwing all my weight into the elbow I threw into his gut. Immediately, his hand fell away from my arm and he doubled over.

Knowing, I had seconds before George would catch me, I dropped to the grass in a crouch and swung a leg out, taking his out from under him. Not taking the time to assess the damage I had done to my guards, I jumped up from my crouch and hitched my skirts up to my knees, charging for the doors of the castle, in a flurry of lavender ruffles.

Thankfully, the doors stood open to let the fresh air pass through the castle, allowing me an easy run through the entrance.

My bare feet gripped the marble floors, far better than my heels would have and I used the leverage to make a sharp turn down the closest hallway. I caught a quick glance of my guards, smiling when I saw they were still trying to pick themselves up after my surprise attack.

Not slowing up, I ran swiftly down the cool corridor, that was thankfully bereft of any servants or guards. Majority of the castle was out at the court activty. The women still blissfully nattering on about how good the men looked, and the men lost in a world of arrows and self-praise at their insignificant triumphs.

Turning down another hallway, and then another, I started to slow my pace when I couldn’t hear any heavy feet in pursuit. Hopefully, the guards hadn’t seen where I was headed and had taken another hallway. Or they were still rolling around the gardens, trying to figure out how I had bested them.

Releasing my skirts and patting down my hair, I started to catch my breath as I looked in the rooms for a place I could hide until someone inevitably found me.

Several of the rooms were locked and the others were nothing more than sitting rooms with empty hearths. After testing what felt like the hundredth door, and replaceing it locked I let out a groan of frustration, only to whip my head in the direction the sound of rapid footsteps.

Leaving the locked door behind, I ran in the direction I thought was opposite to the direction of the footsteps, intermittently testing doors in an attempt to replace one that was unlocked.

Rounding another corner, I found the hallway only had one set of doors in the very center. Hearing the footsteps start to get closer, I glanced over my shoulder to replace no one had caught up to me yet, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep running because eventually I would take a wrong turn and probably run straight into my pursuers.

When I reached the tall wooden doors, I almost cried in relief to replace them unlocked. I could now hear voices as well as their footsteps and I was certain they were only moments from turning down this very hallway.

Pushing the doors open, and then leaning against them once they were closed, I let out a relieved breath. Shutting my eyes, I leaned my head back against the door as I tried to slow the beat of my heart.

“Lady Anne?” Startled by the voice, I slammed my head against the doors as my eyes popped open to replace a man standing between an aisle of books, watching me with an amused smile.

“Figures,” I muttered. “In an attempt to escape my studies, I’ve trapped myself in a library.”

“It seems we are both trying to escape something,” the man chuckled, and I looked a little more closely only to realize he was the man from the ball who had returned my slipper.

“Lord Gregor?”

“Ah, so you do remember me.” I was distracted as I heard the footsteps and voices moving closer until they were almost on top of me. They must have heard the doors rattle when I slammed my head against them.

Barely offering Lord Gregor a smile, I slipped behind the first row of books, just in time to hear the door slam open and several sets of feet stumble in.

I shot Lord Gregor a pleading look, but his attention was quickly pulled from me as I heard Francis ask, “Excuse me for the intrusion, my lord.”

“No harm done,” Lord Gregor smiled, keeping his eyes firmly off me and on the guards who he had probably deduced were after me. “What can I do for you?”

“The Lady Anne seems to have…” he paused as if contemplating how much he should reveal, and my mind suddenly flashed back to the conversation I had with Troy after the king had me removed from the ball, only a week ago. “Wandered off.”

“I see.” Lord Gregor hummed, schooling his features into a look of concern. I clutched my chest, trying to slow my racing heart and my frantic breaths. It hadn’t escaped my mind that my fate suddenly rested in the hands of the very man I had been warned against.

“Have you noticed any disturbances since being here?” Francis questioned, and I held my breath as Lord Gregor thought the question over.