Page 68 of Quest for her Knights
I hold my tongue, feeling bad for making the man uncomfortable and hoping he doesn’t get in trouble.
I ask Edwin some made-up questions about the trees, and we continue the tour. We run into a few more gardeners, and I greet each of them, much to their surprise. Do Edwin and his brothers really not converse with their staff? He doesn’t seem mean or condescending, more like a very firm boss.
A little while later, I spot some emberroot, a rare herb Blaze once showed me. He said it was great for making healing balms but difficult to find.
“Oh! Emberroot!” I exclaim, squatting down to examine it.
“Yes, I’m surprised you recognize it,” Edwin says, standing by my side.
“Would I be able to take some?” I ask, glancing up at him.
He frowns at me for a moment, then nods.
“Thanks,” I say with excitement, picturing Blaze’s face when he sees it. I glance around for him and find him twenty paces away, scanning the area for danger.
I’ll give it to him later, it would probably seem strange to do it here, in front of Edwin. I gently pull a small batch from the ground and place it in my pocket. After wiping my hands on my dress, Edwin offers his hand to help me up.
When we reach the end of the path, we find Jeramiah waiting for us. I’m passed off to him after Edwin kisses the back of my hand goodbye.
“Did you have fun, princess?” Jeremiah asks as he guides me down a path, away from the gardens I’d just visited.
“Yes, your brother is very knowledgeable about gardens.”
My hand is hooked in his elbow and he grabs it and pulls in closer, so we’re linked at the elbows instead. It brings us closer together, our sides touching as we walk. It feels a bit too close for comfort but I’m not sure how to pull away without being rude, so I just laugh nervously.
“Something wrong?” Jeremiah asks.
“Just a little nerves,” I answer honestly.
He pats my arms and smiles at me. “No need to be nervous around me, Elora.”
I try to smile as I nod, then decide to change the subject. “Where are we going?”
“That’s a surprise,” he says, sounding pleased with himself. I barely know him, so I have no idea what would constitute a surprise from him and it makes me unsettled.
Eventually we round a corner and I see a huge fenced pasture with a few horses roaming around.
“It’s the stables,” I say, looking around at the different horses.
“Yes, you said you like riding so I thought we could go for a little ride.”
Uh oh. I definitely wasn’t skilled enough to ride on my own, was I going to have to admit that to him? But a princess would definitely know how to ride in this world. She’d probably be very skilled at it, too.
As we get to the entrance to the stable, we find a single large horse saddled there. I scan the area but only see the one horse. I look up at him in confusion and he smiles in excitement.
“I thought you could ride with me,” he says as he releases my arm to grab the horse's reins and guide it out of the stable.
“Oh.”
Hell's bells, how do I get out of this?
I amnotokay with riding with him. That feels strangely intimate, and even though I’ve done it with the knights, the thought of Jeramiah’s arms around me makes my skin itch.
I take a small step backwards when he speaks. “Come here.” He beckons me towards him but I freeze, my mind spinning to come up with a good excuse.
“I’m actually not feeling up to it right now.” I place my hand on my stomach for good measure as I look between him and his horse nervously.
He takes a step forward, his hand outstretched towards me. “Elora—”
