Ravishing Rapunzel (Passion-Filled Fairy Tales, #6)(23)

Rapunzel, afraid her face might give her away, turned to the iron loop and began pulling her braid through as she spoke, hopeful her voice stayed even. “Not really, mother,” she said. “I just thought I was getting a bit slovenly, so I cleaned a bit, made sure things were neat and tidy. Also, I made muffins yesterday.”

“Oh,” Gothel said, relief in her voice. “That’s it. Smells like apple muffins. I love those. Where are they?”

In Bradyn’s belly. She couldn’t say that, so she turned to her mother. “I’m sorry. I ate them all. I only made a quarter batch, since it was just me.”

Gothel frowned. “Do save me some next time, dear.” She walked over to the sofa, carrying the heavy bag, and set it on the floor there. Gothel plopped down on the sofa and waved Rapunzel over.

She came, wondering what in the world her mother had in the shoulder satchel. The bag was about twenty inches in length and six inches in width. A flap covered the opening, and Gothel pulled it back to reveal several thick, leather-bound books.

Her mother pulled one out and pushed it toward Rapunzel. For an instant, she thought it was a Ferrus Lucunditas book, and smiled, thinking her mother had finally come to the same realization as her aunt. But as the book came into view, it was clear it wasn’t a book about the nature of a loving relationship between a man and a woman. It was a book that reinforced everything her mother ever told her. Scrawled in scary black lettering across the front of the book were the words, “The Wickedness of Man.” Her mother set the first book aside and pulled out a second one. This was also leather-bound, but it had bold block letters that said, “Man’s Sins.”

Gothel ignored the clear frown on Rapunzel’s face and pressed ahead, pulling out another book, and then speaking. “I know you think I’m telling you wrong about how bad it is out there, Rapunzel, and how good you are to be safe here, but I’m not exaggerating. I found these books in a shop and acquired them so you’d see how awful things are.”

Rapunzel nodded, her heart sinking at her mother doubling down on her desires to keep Rapunzel inside. She swallowed as she looked into her mother’s violet eyes, one that were filled with genuine concern. “I understand that there are wicked people out there, mother, but I’d like to just leave the tower, even if I only went to the woods nearby. Is that too much to ask?”

Now Gothel frowned. She patted Rapunzel’s knee. “I’m going to try to figure that out for you, dear. I think the FaeRisen can help. Have you thought more about it?”

Rapunzel nodded. “Just a little,” she said, unable to hide the hesitation in her voice. “I was concerned that I’d be giving up a life with a husband and a family without ever having known one.”

Gothel shook her head bitterly. “Love and men are overrated. Most men are takers and most women are givers, and all the men do is take, take, take, until they’ve used up all the good in the woman. You don’t want that, my dear. You’ll get freedom with the Fae, and then you can find a family the way I did, taking in an orphan abandoned by the wicked of the world.”

Gothel’s smile was warm, but the words rang hollow to Rapunzel. She had found a good man, one she could love and make a family with. She looked at her mother, then reached over and grabbed one of the books. While she wanted nothing more than to hurl it across the room, she pulled it close to her chest, and said to her mother, “I’ll take this to my room to read.”

With that, she headed up the stairs of the tower, to the uppermost floor, set the nasty book aside, and found her hidden copy of Volume 1. There was love in this world. And she wanted to read about that, not wickedness.



*

Gothel left on the second evening of her return, saying she’d be back in three days. Rapunzel bid her adieu, and went upstairs to open the shade as her signal for Bradyn to see in the morning. However, she was quite surprised to hear him call for her a half an hour later.

He climbed in, carrying a pack on his back, and smiled when he saw her. “So, how long do we have?”

“Three days,” Rapunzel said, pulling her hair through the loop.

“Not long enough,” he said.

She nodded. “I know, but let’s enjoy it.”



*

Rapunzel opened her eyes to the morning sun, but to something else, too, the arms of her beau. It was both stunning and easy to awake, his body spooning hers and his strong arms wrapped snugly around her. She could feel his soft steady breaths on her neck. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect thing than to be with him, like this, always.

She felt a nip at her earlobe. “Good morning,” he whispered. “Did you sleep well?”

Rapunzel grinned and turned to him. “I slept very well, especially with you, here,” she said, stroking his cheek.

“Well, perhaps you can come with me, back to my kingdom, and when you awake in my arms, I can say how happy I am to have you here.”

Rapunzel sighed and bit her lower lip. “I don’t know, Bradyn,” she said, her voice filled with worry. “More than anything, I want to leave and be with you, but I worry. I worry that I will get sick, that I haven’t outgrown this illness. I worry that she’ll come looking for us and find us and punish us.”

He grazed his fingers along her shoulder. “Rapunzel,” he said softly. “I know you worry, but don’t. I will keep you safe. As to your mother, she has no idea who I am or where she could find me, so if we left, she wouldn’t have any idea where we went. Second, I do think you worry a bit too much about this illness. I mean, I’ve traveled many places, and never heard of any malady like this.” He paused, hesitation in his voice. “Have you considered that perhaps you are not ill, that perhaps your mother tells you this to keep you from leaving?”