Page 89 of A Tenuous Betrothal
“The springs are as warm as any water drawn for a bath.”
“This I must see,” she said. “Are they close?”
“They are. Ask someone to take you. They’re wonderful for tired muscles.”
“Do you spend much time in your own home?” she asked.
“I do, but sometimes it seems easier to stay at the palace. I have a set of rooms here, as do all my brothers.”
“You do?”
“They’re not far from yours, actually.”
Frederick laughed and indicated with his hands that Marc should continue.
“Frederick will call me out in a moment if I don’t confess. They are, in fact, right next to yours.”
Rhi’s cheeks immediately went the brightest red, which Marc found delightful, even though he shouldn’t. “There is a connecting door between the two, which is locked tightly.” He cleared his throat. “My parents had your rooms prepared assuming we married or were betrothed, and I presume they put you there before our earlier conversation with them. I would not have mentioned it, and I will be leaving tomorrow, so I didn’t think it worth moving you.” He dared another glance at her. “Will you mind terribly?”
“Not at all. I shall pretend you aren’t there.”
Frederick leaned his head back and laughed mightily at that, but neither Marc nor Rhi acknowledged him.
They approached the stables and trotted in. When the stablehand reached for Rhi’s reins, she shook her head. “I’ll brush her down. It’s a fun tradition, and she’ll be expecting it.” She turned to the brothers. “What time is dinner?”
“We will eat late, eight o’clock. And it’s a formal event,” Marc said.
“Excellent.” She turned, seeming to expect them to return to the house, which Frederick did, but Marc joined her next to Firestorm with a brush in hand.
“Are you happy here?”
She sighed.
“Talk to me,” he said.
“I miss this already.”
“Us?”
“Yes. Talking. You. I feel I’ve lost so much in such a short amount of time.”
He pressed his lips together and ran his brush down Firestorm’s back.
She brushed Firestorm’s legs, checking her hooves as well. “I know there’s nothing to be done about my singular complaint. Otherwise, I am happy, yes. This is a beautiful place with lovely people. I will count myself blessed for the rest of my days.”
He should be pleased with her response. He’d brought her here, after all. But he wasn’t.
Rhi started to braid Firestorm’s mane, avoiding contact with Marc. “Your mother is wonderful.”
“She really is. We owe most of who we are to her.”
“I can see that. And she’s still standing.” Rhi laughed. “Some of the stories Frederick told.” She shook her head.
“What do you think of Frederick?” He tried to sound like it was a meaningless question, but he watched her intently.
“He is much like you.”
He ran the brush slowly along the top of Firestorm’s back. “But more in looks than anything else.”
