He Objects

Chapter 10: Unforgettable

"Hello, sweet Shadow," I murmured, stroking the velvety soft nose of my horse. He was four years old, and I helped raise him from a wobble-legged colt to the beautiful dappled stallion he became. He was tall, high-spirited, and a wonderful jumper who didn't like to behave for anybody but me. But with all the wedding preparations, I hadn't been on a ride in weeks.

"He'll be happy to get out of the paddock today," Mr. Phelps said, bringing my saddle over. I took it from him and settled it onto Shadow's back. He had long learned that I appreciated the work associated with going for a ride, much to my mother's chagrin.

But perhaps now wasn't the best time to exhibit my skills in manual labor. Evidenced by the strange look on Prince Henri's face when I turned around. I felt myself blush under his incredulous gaze, turning back to Shadow to hide it. I took a steadying breath and grasped the saddle, vaulting into it from the ground.

Prince Henri's eyes were still on me when I looked up. "Impressive," he said. He was standing next to his own mount, a huge stallion that he'd ridden here this morning.

I wasn't sure to what he was referring, so I opted for a bland smile. "Are you sure your horse isn't tired from your journey?" I asked, eyeing the steed as he swung up into the saddle. Not for the first time, I wondered how such a tall man could move with such grace. Pushing the thought from my mind, I glanced again at the horse. Though he looked powerful, the terrain between here and the Baltingshire estate was full of steep hills before it descended into the lower marshlands. It would be hard on any horse. "You could always borrow one of our mounts so yours can get some rest."

"He'll be fine," Prince Henri said mildly, stroking the horse's neck. "Besides, most horses tend to be rather shy around me."

He did look steady enough, so I decided not to push the issue. He knew his animal far better than I did. "Shall we?" I asked, turning Shadow towards the gate, which Mr. Phelps was holding open. As we passed by, Shadow reached out and nipped at the prince's boot, then shying away with a snort. "Shadow!" I scolded, reining him in and calming him at the same time. "I apologize."

"It's alright, I'm used to it."

I stifled a laugh, unexpected. We exited the paddock while Mr. Phelps looked on with worry in his eyes that he didn't dare express in words.

We rode for a while, until the house and stables were out of sight, and the marsh spread out before us. Generations ago, my family built raised trails through the marshes for riding and drawing carts. With few trees, the layout was very deceptive to the naked eye. The trails were actually very windy and narrow, with random offshoots that were used to reach different crops and, back in the day, to confuse the enemy. No stranger had a chance of making it through on their own.

"Would you like to take a closer look at the watercress fields, or the cranberries?" I asked, suddenly remembering our original purpose. While I knew the land well, I still didn't know why he would request such a tour from me. I wasn't nearly qualified to talk about the use of the land in relation to profit. I could only share where everything was.

"Actually, I was hoping to speak with you privately," Prince Henri said, drawing up even with me.

"Oh?" I said faintly, completely unprepared. Shadow huffed at the prince's proximity, but luckily, didn't lash out at him this time. I slowed our pace a little.

"I'm sure you were surprised by the turn of events yesterday," he said, his tone full of surprising gentleness. "How are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?" I echoed, turning the words over in my mouth. How was I feeling? To some extent, I was still in shock, and therefore a little numb to my new circumstances. But underneath that, I felt something, right? I squinted, trying to work out the myriad of thoughts swirling in my mind. I wasn't quite sure how I felt just yet. But I at least had an opinion.

"Honestly, I think it was unfair," I said, looking ahead between Shadow's ears at the marshland.

"Unfair?"

"Yes."

He was silent for a minute, the only sound coming from the wind rustling the grass and the soft clop of hooves on the packed dirt. "I see. You wish to be wed to Felix."

"No!" I said too loudly, startling a flock of red-winged blackbirds into flight. "It's not that," I murmured, feeling my cheeks warm from embarrassment. "It's the timing that was unfair."

"The timing," he said ambiguously. "You would have preferred that I was too late?"

I sighed. He was being surprisingly obtuse. But somehow that made it easier to speak plainly. "Everyone put a lot of time and energy into the wedding. If the crown was concerned about the union, why did you wait until we were standing in front of the bishop to say something?"

I risked a glance at the prince to discover him with raised eyebrows and lips pressed thin. For some reason, this irritated me. "The wedding was planned for over a decade. You must have known about the dowry amount long before now. You should have voiced your objections before subjecting everyone to disappointment and humiliation."

"So you are disappointed."

"Well, my mother is, that's for certain," I snapped, no longer able to hold on to my decorum. "I was humiliated standing there, all because you had to wait until you had the biggest audience to speak against it."

Prince Henri sighed. "I apologize for that. You are quite perceptive. I'll take note not to underestimate you in the future."

It didn't escape my notice that he never refuted my statement about the dowry. "So this is about money," I said bitterly. I had suspected as much, but to have it confirmed still stung. Once a trophy, always a trophy.

"To anyone else, that is how it would seem."

I looked at him in confusion. "Am I missing something?"

He sighed. "Perhaps."

I was growing impatient with his vague responses. "Care to enlighten me?"

"Oh Charlotte," he said, my informal name a strange and intimate caress on his lips that was completely out of place in our conversation. "I wish I could. But now is not the time."

I sighed. "I wish people would stop planning my life without my knowledge or consent."

Prince Henri's brows furrowed. "Is that how you feel?"

I arched an eyebrow at him. "You don't?" I challenged in return. "Aren't you being pushed into this as much as I am? Isn't the whole reason you might have to marry me against your will because your father is afraid that the Kentworths will become a threat if empowered by my dowry? You don't even like me."

"Who says I don't like you?" he asked indignantly. For some reason, he seemed to take offense to that more than anything else that came tumbling out of my mouth.

"We only met twice before yesterday! And you weren't exactly cordial when I saw you at the debutante ball," I said tersely.

"My mother has forced me to review the prospects every year since I turned eighteen. I was predisposed to dislike anyone there," he argued, his tone gaining heat as he spoke. "Truth be told, I didn't see you then."

I felt the blood rise in my body, feeling defensive. "Yes you did. We made eye contact."

"Sorry, but I would have remembered."

"I must be completely forgettable then, because I remember it perfectly."

By that point, we had come to a complete stop, our toes brushing each other as our horses danced in place, spooked by our loud voices. Prince Henri's silver eyes flashed as he glared at me. "You're wrong."

"What am I wrong about this time?" I shot back with a glower of my own.

He leaned over his saddle, his face suddenly close and blocking out the morning sun, his dark wavy hair fluttering in the breeze. His gaze had softened from its glare, but was still filled with such an intensity that I was too captivated to even think about putting any distance between us.

"I could never in a multitude of lifetimes forget about you."