Page 81 of The Love Potion
“No, Your Majesty,” Zoe said with a grin. “I’ve got bigger plans than that.”
The prince recoiled. “Bigger plans than being a duchess! Do you look to wed a king somewhere?”
“Oh no!” Zoe said, her skin flushing pink. “I have wagered my dowry that I can make the duke’s stable into the finest one in England.”
Prinny tilted his head. “Wagered how?”
“Two mares,” Zoe said. “The most valuable part of my dowry. They will live under my care at the duke’s stable. With my training regimen and breeding plans, I will produce a horse that will win the derby in five years. I have sworn it.”
“You?” the prince gasped. “You’re naught but a girl.”
“But I’m a smart girl, Your Highness.”
The prince frowned. “And what about a husband? Wouldn’t he want these horses of yours?”
Zoe dimpled as she grinned. “I can wait five years to wed. And when I succeed, I get my pick of the duke’s stable to add to my dowry.”
The prince looked to Zoe’s father. “You have agreed to this?”
The earl nodded. “The girl’s got a knack for horses and a mind to make it stick. She’ll impress you, and the duke likes her chances.”
“Of course, he does,” the prince scoffed. “If she succeeds, he’ll have the finest stable in England. If she fails, he’ll have her breeding mares and five years of her work.”
Zoe lifted her chin. “I’ll be paid for my time, Your Highness. And my father will live with me. He loves the horses as much as I do, and the air will do him good.”
The prince looked at the duke. “So you’re betting on the father.”
“No, Your Highness. It is Lady Zoe who impressed me. And if she succeeds, it will be worth every penny.”
“Huh.” The prince’s grunt was appreciative. The man loved a good wager. “I believe I shall take that bet as well,” he said. He waved a finger at a footman. “In five years, Lady Zoe, I think you will fail. What shall be my forfeit then when you do?”
Zoe frowned, clearly insulted and tongue-tied. She didn’t have anything else to offer but the horses in her dowry. Thankfully, Ras was quick to help her out.
“You may have any one of my horses as recompense. But if she wins, then you must allow her to have her pick from your own stable.”
“My horses are a great deal better than hers.”
“No, they are not!” Zoe said. Then when the assembled courtiers gasped, she quickly added, “I mean, I respectfully disagree, Your Highness.”
“So do I,” drawled Ras.
The prince frowned. Zoe dropped her head in embarrassment, but Ras only flashed a cheeky grin. Clearly, he’d wagered with Prinny before. And in the end, the prince agreed.
“Record it!” he bellowed. Then he smiled at Zoe. “And so we shall see if a girl is worth her weight in horseflesh.”
“Much more, Your Highness,” Zoe said, her eyes flashing. “I am worth a great deal more.”
Far from being offended, the prince guffawed at her audacity. And now Kynthea knew what arrangement Ras had made with her young cousin. She only hoped the girl lived up to her bravado. Meanwhile, Ras whispered in her ear.
“We couldn’t tell anyone before it was done. The prince had to approve it.”
Ah, now she understood. Better to bring Prinny into the wager than have him find out after the fact and voice his displeasure at a girl running a stable. Though they could have told her. She wouldn’t have mentioned it to a soul.
“And what about you, Miss Petrelli?”
Kynthea jolted at the prince’s booming voice right in front of her. “Your Majesty?”
Ras stepped forward coming even with her before the prince. “She doesn’t know.”
