A Dove's Tale

Chapter 53

“Hey, Ivetta!”

I looked up from the highly reflective marble floor of the palace’s main hallway, snapped out of my thoughts by the cheerful voice. Belle was approaching me with a blonde butler following her. They both wore wide smiles.

“Hello,” I said politely.

“Ivetta, this is my best friend, Rio. Rio, this is Ivetta.”

Rio’s sea-blue eyes were as friendly as his smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I didn’t know you had another friend in the palace, Belle.”

“I didn’t, either. Sariel hired Rio to be my personal attendant. Isn’t that fancy? I have a personal attendant!” Belle’s brown eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands together in delight.

“Anything for my future wife,” Rio replied brightly.

“Oh, Rio, stop that,” Belle said, laughing him off. “Where are you going, Ivetta? I thought you worked in the library?”

“I do, but I’m done for the day.”

“So early?” Belle asked, studying me. “I didn’t upset Prince Chevalier, did I? He didn’t fire you?”

“No, he didn’t,” I reassured her, giggling. “I just have some stuff to sort out at home before the annual goodwill gala starts tomorrow.”

“Oh, good,” Belle said, relieved. “He’s really hard to read. Mind if we join you?”

“We should probably tell Bossman where we’re going,” Rio interjected.

“And I should warn you, it’s a long walk,” I added.

“That’s fine. I’ll have to hide in my room for the rest of the week, anyway. May as well enjoy my freedom while I can. Rio, would you go tell Sariel?”

“Sure thing,” he beamed, hurrying back into the palace.

“You’re hiding the rest of the week?” I asked curiously.

“For the goodwill gala, yeah. Prince Chevalier doesn’t want the foreign princes finding out about me.”

“Really? I guess that makes sense,” I said slowly, thinking about what he’d told me regarding the rumors of the king’s death. “If they meet you, they’ll think the king has died. They might also try to influence your decision.”

And they might think I was Belle. That would only complicate things further.

“Sariel doesn’t want anybody to know I’m Belle, either. He’s going to give me lessons so I can pass for a noblewoman, but there’s no way I can pull that off by tomorrow.”

“Probably not. But you can focus on his lessons over the next week, so you’re ready when the gala is over.”

“But that means I lose a week of getting to know the princes,” she complained. “I only have a month to decide who will be the best king. It’s a lot of responsibility. Why couldn’t this have waited until after the gala?”

Because I’d already delayed the process by a few weeks when I refused to become Belle. But I wasn’t telling her that.

“Maybe you can see them in secret, or they can come to your room when they have time? So you can get to know them better?” I suggested.

“Maybe. If I even have time for that. Sariel is also giving me lessons in politics, economics, culture, and who knows what else. I have to know as much as I can about what Rhodolite needs, too.”

I was so glad I never became Belle. There was no way I could have taken care of Mother while balancing all the responsibilities that went with being Belle.

“Are you doing anything special for the gala?” Belle asked. “Maybe you can sneak up to my room on your break or something?”

I laughed. “Not likely. I’m actually assigned to the foreign princes, so I doubt we’ll get to see each other over the next week.”

Her face fell. “Oh.”

“Belle!”

We looked back at Rio, running down the cobblestone road to reach us.

“Bossman says we have to head back when we reach the city,” Rio said breathlessly.

“Really? But we’re almost there already! How far is it to your house, Ivetta?”

“Quite a long way. I live in the village on the other side of the city.”

Belle gaped at me. “And you walk back and forth every day?”

“I told you it was a long walk. How did you two meet?” I asked, changing the subject before she could ask why I made that commute. I hadn’t told her about Mother, and I didn’t want to.

“I found him three years ago,” Belle said, smiling over at him.

“Found him? Like a…puppy?”

She shrugged. “He’s as loyal as one.”

“Of course I am! She saved my life,” Rio said brightly.

“He was in pretty bad shape. I took care of him until he was back on his feet, and now he won’t leave me alone,” Belle continued, grinning.

“Well, you are the love of my life, and I can’t keep other men away from you if I’m not around, can I?” he asked teasingly.

“It’s really hard to get a date with him around,” Belle added. “I know he’s just joking around, but people take him seriously.”

Wow. She was blind. Was it too early in our friendship for me to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her? Probably.

“The city’s just up ahead, so you two should probably head back,” I said lightly.

Belle groaned. “Do I have to?”

“I’ll make your favorite tea and bring you a book,” Rio promised.

Belle brightened immediately. “In that case, let’s go! Bye, Ivetta!”

“Bye!”

I waved at them and continued on my way. Poor Rio. Had he been doting on her like this for the past three years? She needed to wake up. Any man who treated her like that more than deserved a chance. Especially since they were friends, which meant they got along well.

Then again, maybe she had thought about it, and maybe the feelings just weren’t there. Like me with the princes.

Well, most of the princes, anyway.

If the foreign princes were going to believe I meant nothing to Prince Chevalier, he couldn’t interfere if I ran into trouble. And I’d almost certainly run into trouble. The next few days were probably going to be like my first days at the palace, except I was running on less sleep and more worry. But I also had more experience dealing with difficult princes. Hopefully, that would be enough to get me through this.

I stopped at the Stotts’ house before I went home. Mrs. Stotts answered the door, all smiles and laughter, and I could see why. Rachel had Jason down on the floor and was tickling him. His face was already pink from laughing, but he reddened more and his dark chocolate eyes widened when he saw me. Suddenly, he was scrambling to his feet, trying to regain some sort of composure.

“Ivy!” Rachel cried, running across the room to hug my legs.

“Hello, Rachel. Did you win?” I asked, patting her head.

“Yep!” she said brightly.

Jason cleared his throat. “‘Cause I let you,” he muttered.

“Nuh uh! Betcha can’t beat Ivetta!” Rachel taunted, tugging my hand.

“Sorry, I can’t play tickle wars today,” I said, pretending not to notice his face darkening several more shades of red.

“Rachel, why don’t you and Jason go play outside?” Mrs. Stotts suggested. “Ivetta and I need to have adult discussions.”

Rachel made a face. “Yick. Adult discussions. Boring! C’mon, Jason, let’s go play by the river!”

“Don’t you dare let her near that water,” Mrs. Stotts warned as Rachel darted toward Jason and dragged him past me.

“I won’t,” he muttered, avoiding eye contact with me.

Mrs. Stotts chuckled after they left. “Those two.”

“Where are your other boys?” I asked, following her into the kitchen.

“Who knows? In the river, swinging through the forest, wrestling in a mud puddle - they’ll come back at dinnertime, and they’re guaranteed to be dirty,” she replied dismissively. “So, there’s a ball at the palace tomorrow?”

“To start the annual goodwill gala, yes,” I said, sitting at the table and accepting the milk and cookies she immediately offered me. There was no point in declining anything from Mrs. Stotts. “I have to be there at six o’clock in the morning, and I don’t know when I’ll get back. Jason said you’d be able to help with Mother?”

Mrs. Stotts chuckled again, her dark brown eyes sparkling as she sat across from me. “Jason would agree to anything for you, but yes, I can help. What sort of care does she need? It seems like she’s getting worse every day.”

There was that pang of guilt in my stomach again. I should be the one staying home to take care of Mother, not pushing her off on somebody else, even if it was only for a day.

“Well, I’ll take care of her in the morning before I go, so the next time she’ll need anything will be at lunchtime. She has some medicine in the bottle on the table, and she gets one or two pills, depending on how much pain she’s having. I try to get her to the table so she can get out of bed and eat and drink something, too. Dinnertime is the same, and she shouldn’t need anything after that until I come back. The only thing is…” I hesitated, but there was no way to gloss over it. “She can’t get to the outhouse anymore, so there’s a bucket beside the bed that she uses. If you could dump it in the outhouse, I’ll scrub it out when I get back.”

“Ivetta,” Mrs. Stotts said, reaching out to put her hand over mine. “I changed diapers and cleaned dirty bottoms for six children. I think I can handle scrubbing that bucket out.”

“Well - you don’t have to-”

She offered me a kind smile. “It’s fine, Ivetta. Where do you keep the soap and scrub brush?”

“Behind the house,” I relented.

“Alright. I’ll take care of her, so you don’t have to worry about a thing, and if I have questions, I’ll just send Jason for the doctor. Now, eat up before you head home. You’re not eating enough.”

I was fairly certain I could double my weight and still not be eating enough, according to Mrs. Stotts, but I didn’t argue with her. It had been a long time since I’d enjoyed the simple pleasure of milk and cookies. Sometimes, it was the little things that had the biggest impact.

Like a present.

I could put together gift baskets for the foreign princes. Readying their rooms would be my responsibility, after all, and what better way could there be to welcome three important guests to the palace than with presents? It wouldn’t have to be anything big. Just something to ease the tension and hopefully put smiles on their faces. Some roses for Rhodolite, and some trinkets tailored to their countries of origin…

I’d have to put more thought into it later.

“Thank you for everything, Mrs. Stotts,” I said, standing up and taking the empty plate and cup to the sink.

“Don’t you dare do those dishes,” she warned me. “I know you’ll be working until dark when you get home.” She wrapped me in a tight hug and kissed my cheek. “Tell Evelyn I’m looking forward to spending some time with her tomorrow, and you just enjoy that ball.”

I giggled. “I’m only preparing for and cleaning up after the ball.”

“Enjoy it anyway.” She released me and gave me a warm smile. “Have a good night, Ivetta.”

“You too, Mrs. Stotts. Thanks again.”