Page 65 of Pippa of Lauramore
I was awake most of the night, tossing and turning, thinking about Archer leaving. I had hoped sleep would come after I poured my heart out to Leonora last night, but it still evaded me. I dress with haste, once again pulling on my riding clothes. Perhaps I can ride with Archer to meet Galinor. I won’t have an escort home, but I don’t mind. Archer probably will, but I’m not going to worry about that right now.
It won’t be the first time I’ve found myself alone in the forest. I doubt it will be my last.
The maids and servants are awake, all of them preparing for the morning. No one stops me from leaving; they have no reason to. I am no longer a prisoner of the palace. I hurry through the courtyard, hoping to find Archer in the armory.
“Archer’s already been here and gone, Princess. If that’s who you’re looking for,” one of the armory guards informs me.
The man looks tired. His night watch is almost over.
“When did he leave?” I ask, hoping he might be in the stables.
“It’s been awhile, Your Highness. It was still dark when he left.”
No.
I hurry to the stables, hoping there’s some chance he’s still there. I rush in, but all I find are horses and one very sleepy stable boy. He’s the same one Archer and I handed our horses to last night, and—now that I think of it—the same one I gave my message for Galinor.
“Archer’s gone?” I ask, leaning against a stall. I give a friendly mare an idle pat.
The boy nods.
I scrunch my nose. “Are you always on watch in the evenings? Do you ever go home?”
“Only since the tournament started, Princess,” he says, his voice quiet. “I’m here to watch the horses at night. King Ewan said if I did a good job, he’d make me a stable hand.”
“Watch them do what?”
He looks at the ground. “Just watch ‘em.”
I tilt my head, thinking. “And if you see anything unusual, you are to report it to the King?” My voice sounds tight.
He nods, looking guilty.
The laughter builds up in my throat. I haven’t slept,and I’m exhausted. I’m worried about Archer. Now there’s this.
The boy looks back up. His eyes are huge.
“You snitched on me, boy.” I’m still laughing. “I heard you on the night of my birthday, didn’t I?”
“I was in the next stall. I fell asleep in the hay.” He hangs his head. “I felt horrible about it after I told King Ewan.” He looks up. “I did deliver your message to Prince Galinor. I thought that might make it up to you.”
“All this time, I still thought it was Archer,” I say, more to myself than to the boy. I cross my arms. “Did Father promote you? Are you a stable hand now?”
“Yes, Princess,” he says, and he sounds as if I’m going to drag him to the gallows.
“Well, at least something good came of that mess.”
Lady Marigold doesn’t seem sobad now that I know she has no feelings for Archer. Leonora was right, though. Marigold is smitten with someone. Someone she danced with at the scavenger hunt feast, she says. She will tell us no more, thinking she’s given us a tidbit of information but kept her secret safe.
She doesn’t know how closely I watched her partners during the dance. There were two: Archer and Galinor.
How can she be so kind to me when she knows it’s Galinor I’ve chosen to win? When I thought Archer was falling for her…
Well, I was less than gracious with my thoughts.
Perhaps she is as well, but she hides it better. I glanceat her. She’s painting a little blue bird on her canvas. She looks over and gives me her soft smile.
“It’s not very good,” she says, laughing a little. “The colors you’ve chosen are beautiful, Pippa.” Her eyes are shining with sincerity.
