Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(29)
“You shouldn’t, Princess Kat!”
“Hush.” I put a finger to my lips. “We’re supposed to be brother and sister. It would look suspicious if I didn’t help you.”
Bertram lets go of my arm, but he remains apprehensive. “You won’t tell His Highness that you cleaned up for me?”
I don’t see how it matters, but seeing him distressed, I nod.
He tells me that ever since ‘that other lady’ moved in, Edward has never cracked a smile. “Every time I see him, he reminds me of a ghost. I haven’t seen any ghost, but I’m quite sure he looks like one. Like he reges…ragre…”
“Regressed?”
“Right, so that’s the word. He has regressed into depression, and it troubles us so.” Bertram looks uncommonly pensive—to be honest, a pensive Bertram is a comical Bertram. “I grew up with him, prince… Kat, and never did I see him so miserable. I heard Duke Henry mention that he wants to relinquish the throne.”
“Are you telling me that Edward doesn’t want to inherit the crown?”
Bertram nods. I bite my lip and tamp down a noise of frustration. I don’t want Edward giving up his duties. But then, considering the zombie state I was in when I left Athelia, I’m in no position to throw stones.
“The king’s unlikely to let him step down, so I’m mighty glad you came back.”
“So you don’t think I’m a witch?” I tease.
“If you were, you could’ve cleaned up my mess with a spell. You needn’t have squatted on the floor and wiped it up.” Bertram breaks into a grin. “When His Highness told me you’re back and I should escort you to Mary’s, it’s like he was back to life, you could see it in his eyes. So glad you came back, Prin…Kat.”
* * *
A harsh wind rattles my bones when we arrive in Athelia. There are piles of frozen snow on the ground, and sailors shoveling snow on the dock. My teeth are chattering—how come it’s so much colder in Athelia?
“The winter’s brutal this year,” Bertram says, noticing me shiver. He takes off his coat and drapes it around me. “Nah, don’ worry about me, I’m built of sturdier stuff. You can give it back when I get the carriage.”
Bertram heads off to hire a carriage. I scramble into the vehicle as soon as he drives up, glad to get out of the chilly wind.
As the familiar scenes of the city come into sight, I feel like crying. Months ago, I had left with regret. And now I’m back. Back in this world that doesn’t have electricity, Internet, or modern appliances. It’s a world less developed compared to my own, and yet I’m happy to be back. I can understand how Claire felt when she chose Jamie in Outlander. When I think of a life with Jason in Portland, compared to a life with Edward here in Athelia, I’m struck by how bland the former is. I chose a life of excitement and challenging work, over my other one which would have been normal, stable, but boring. And it’s worth it. Edward is worth it.
We don’t enter the palace through the gates. Instead, Bertram takes me through another door that bypasses the courtyard and straight into the gardens. We pass the greenhouse, the menagerie, and reach a cottage sitting on the edge of a meadow. Beyond the meadow is a row of tall trees and low houses. From the tour that Edward had given me before, I know those houses belong to the palace farm, which consists of the royal dairy, chicken coop, and poultry yards. His grandfather loved breeding roosters for cockfighting. However, when King Leon started his reign, the royal farm has become more utilitarian. Instead of cockfighting, they now concentrate on breeding hens that can lay good eggs.
“Mary lives here with her son Joel,” Bertram says. “She’s one of the workers in the chicken coop. She collects eggs, cleans the coop, and feeds the chickens.”
Looking around the royal farm, which manages to look rustic and idyllic despite belonging to the palace, I understand why Edward decided to have me stay with Mary. The farm is far enough to keep me from running into Katriona Bradshaw, but close enough that Edward can keep an eye on me. And if Mary is similar to Amelie in character, she must be honest and trustworthy.
A young boy around five or six opens the cottage door. His eyes remind me of Amelie, and he has such adorable rosy cheeks that I’ve an urge to pinch him.
“Mama!” He cries. “Bertram is here with a lady!”
“Joel!” Bertram heaves the little boy into the air. The latter screams in delight as Bertram tosses him up and down with ease. “Higher! I want to go higher!”
A woman in her late twenties appears at the door, hands on hips. “Joel, stop making such a noise.”
Mary looks like an older version of Amelie. Her features are more angular, but there’s the same sternness in her eyes, and the briskness as she walks. “Who are you…” she stiffens, her mouth slightly open. “Your Highness?”
I extract the letter from Edward. “Edward...I mean, His Highness, asked me to give this to you.”
“The prince sent you?”
Mary reads the letter and purses her lips. “Are you that girl Lady Pembroke brought to court?”
“Of course not.” My lip curls in disgust when I think of Bianca. “It was a misunderstanding.”
“His Highness requests you take her in for a while,” Bertram says. “He’ll explain when he comes back.”