Page 12 of Love Letters & Lemon Drops

I look at him. "What did you do?"

"Nothing much," he responds.

"He's being modest, Princess," the woman says. "He came to the farm every day to help bottle feed the poor things. Their mother broke her leg, and the stress made her lambs come early. The village vet said that he thought the lambs would die, but Prince Arthur was having none of it. He has a way with animals."

"I've heard from his sisters." I put my hand on his arm and smile at him. It sounds like the same Arthur who has been writing to me, but also something new. He hasn't told me the details of his accomplishments at caring for animals. Perhaps he doesn't want to come across like he's boasting.

Arthur smiles. "I was hoping to share some of your food with Princess Solana," he says to the woman running the stall.

"Of course." She picks up a wooden bowl and stirs the large metal pan beside her. She scoops some of the rice dish into the bowl and hands it to Arthur along with a couple of spoons.

He digs into his pocket and takes out a coin, giving it to the woman.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"We're busy with wedding preparations this week, but I'll visit the farm when I have a chance. Please send for me if you need anything," he says.

"Of course."

I watch with interest, wondering if my translation abilities are stopping me from understanding the nuances of the conversation, but both of them seem to be genuine with what they're saying.

Arthur turns his attention to me with a smile. "We should take a seat." He leads me over to where some wooden tables are set out, and we sit down. He places the bowl between us and hands me a spoon.

My fingers brush against his as I take it, making my breath catch in my throat. No one has ever had an effect on me like this, though perhaps that's because I haven't given anyone a chance. I was never much interested in anyone like that until I met Arthur, and even then, it wasn't immediately something I wanted to pursue. At seventeen, he'd been kind and sweet, asking me to dance because it was what was expected of us. It's only once we started writing to one another that my feelings started to grow. Once I got to know the real person and not the prince he puts on show for the world.

Nervously, I dip my spoon into the dish and bring some to my lips. Arthur follows every movement a little bit closer than he has to, filling me with a deep sense of awareness in what I'm doing.

There's an explosion of flavour on my tongue, spices that seem both familiar and not at the same time. "This is good," I say to Arthur. "We have a similar dish in the south of Someil near the coast, but we make it with prawns and different spices."

"You should give the palace cook the recipe for that," Arthur says. "I imagine the kitchens will make it for you."

"I wouldn't want to cause more work for them."

"They want to," he says. "I've been giving them the names of the dishes you've talked about in your letters, and they've been excited to try them, I'm sure they'd like to hear about them from someone who has actually eaten them."

I pause with my spoon over the bowl. "You've been doing that?"

"I wanted you to be able to ask for food from Someil if you got homesick," he responds.

"Arthur..." My voice cracks as I say his name, hardly believing that he's being so sweet. "That truly wasn't necessary."

"I will do anything I can to make sure you're comfortable, Solana," he says softly. "I want you to have a home here."

"That's very sweet." I set down my spoon and reach out to touch him, a lot more purposefully than any of the previous brushes against one another we've done. It feels right. After years of getting to know one another, it's taking longer than I thought to relax into the more physical part of our relationship, but I know it will come. How can it not when he looks at me with those adoring eyes and reveals all of the thoughtful things he's already been doing for me?

If this is a taste of the life I have to come in Falhaven, then I feel like I'm going to be very happy here.

Chapter 7

A knock sounds on my sitting room door and my maid soon steps inside and curtsies.

"What is it, Maria?" I ask as I set down my embroidery hoop. It seems that the handkerchief I'm making for Arthur won't be finished today.

"Prince Arthur is here to see you, Your Highness," she says.

I nod. "Very well, show him in."

She does a double-take for a moment. "Would you like me to fetch the Duquesa?"

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