Chapter 12

Comfort had been right—after being kissed, I couldn’t stop smiling. All the way back from Avivia, Curtis and I would try to find stolen moments to spend together. But with the massive throng of people we were traveling with, it was difficult to find any time when someone wasn’t hovering close. At night, flocks of villagers would come to question Curtis, to talk with him, to bring their children to meet the prince. I assured myself that once we were back home, there would be plenty of time for being alone with Curtis.

I thought back to his comment about never being allowed to relax. The closer I watched Curtis, the more I saw that what he said was true. He never had time off from being a prince. Demands were heaped on him constantly. I envied Comfort’s ability to sneak off whenever she wanted to with carefree spontaneity. It seemed like Curtis had every minute of every day spoken for.

A ball was prepared for us when we arrived back home. But instead of dancing together as usual, Curtis led me to a dark corridor and asked, “Do you want people to know? About us?”

I thought. It was still a few months until I turned sixteen, and my parents didn’t want me being courted before then. “Would you mind if we don’t?” I said. “Just not yet. Father doesn’t want me—”

“I figured as much.” Then he frowned slightly, as though deep in thought. “I wouldn’t want to do anything that would make your Father distrust me.”

I was surprised. This was a more mature, responsible side of Curtis I wasn’t familiar with. He continued to think. His eyebrows furrowed, and I examined his face with interest. I hadn’t really looked in depth at his features from so close a distance. His nose was almost unnaturally straight. His hazel eyes focused on the problem at hand. I could have counted the freckles that were splashed across his face.

“If your Father agreed, would you want to tell people?” he asked finally.

I considered. Comfort had always snuck out to see boys and had never introduced them to the family. I knew Father would be beside himself if he knew she was sneaking around; he had vowed to distrust any boy that ever showed any interest in his daughters. But also…he would want to know, and it would feel wrong to be deceptive. “Yes, I think so. Do you want to tell?”

Curtis looked at me like I was crazy. “Of course I want to tell. I plan on announcing it to the world, if I can. I can’t have some lowly squire making a move on my girl now, could I?”

I blushed. Finally, Curtis nodded solemnly. “I need to have a man-to-man talk with your Father.” I started to panic. Curtis talk to Father? Man-to-man?

“About what?” I squeaked.

“About you of course,” he replied, completely unabashed. “About us!”

“But… but…” I spluttered. What would Curtis say? What would Father say?

“When?”

“Now is probably a good time.” Curtis said, and started walking back to the ballroom.

“Wait!” I said, pulling him back.

“For what?” Curtis asked. “There aren’t many opportunities that both the Chancellor of the Exchequer and prince have a few minutes to spare at the same time.”

“What are you going to say?” I asked.

Curtis squeezed my hand. “I guess you will find out soon.”

He pulled me behind him back to the ball. We found Father and Mother dancing in the middle of the floor, as usual. I hadn’t realized until now that Curtis was almost as tall as Father. Curtis approached Father and tapped him firmly on the shoulder.

When Father turned, Curtis asked formally, “May I have a word with you, please?”

Father led Mother over to a couch then followed Curtis out of the hall. I sat with Mother on a sofa. Comfort came and joined us. She looked at me, a delighted expression on her face. “Did you and Curtis…?” was all she asked, then trailed off. I nodded. Comfort squealed and clapped her hands, bouncing up and down in her seat.

Mother looked at me curiously. “What is all this about?” she asked.

“About us… me and Curtis, that is...” I said softly.

Mother was too ladylike to gasp. But as she looked between my embarrassed, fiery red face and Comfort’s delighted grin, her eyebrows popped upward. “Really? When did this happen?”

“Recently.”

“Settle down.” Mother chided Comfort in her gentle way. People were beginning to stare at her exuberant cheering. “Your father and I will still need to discuss this.” Then she smiled at me. “But I’m sure we can bend the sixteen rule a little for someone like Curtis.”

I smiled, hope swelling in my chest. We sat waiting for a long time. What could they possibly be talking about that would take that long? Several songs played and I sat with Mother and Comfort, watching as couples drifted by, spinning and waltzing.

It was maddening to just sit and wait. Was Curtis declaring his love for me? Was Father strangling him? What was happening?

I was just about to get up to go find them when I saw Curtis and Father returning. Curtis seemed a little overwhelmed, but managed to smile encouragingly at me and gave a tiny thumbs up. Father beckoned, and I followed him. Father led me around the corner and then turned to face me, arms folded.

I gulped, unsure what to say.

Father broke the silence for me. “Curtis says he is interested in you,” he said.

I nodded.

Father sighed. “Normally, this would be the point in the conversation when I would ask if you like this boy, but I already know the answer.”

“I really do like him,” I assured Father.

He sighed. “I still say you are very young.”

I waited.

“Curtis is a fine young man, and he assured me his intentions are honorable. I guess it is alright, but with some rules.” Father narrowed his eyes. I wasn’t quite sure if he was teasing me by pretending to be overly firm or was genuinely serious.

“I already laid them out to Curtis, along with a few warnings. But to sum up for you—you will have a curfew. You will tell your mother or myself where you are planning to be at all times. You are not to be in any bedroom alone with that boy ever. Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. If he even once treats you with anything less than the utmost respect, you tell me and I will break his scrawny little neck like a twig. I don’t care if he is a prince. Nobody tampers with my girl’s affections. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Daddy,” I said, using my early childhood name for him. This seemed to soften him a little. He hugged me.

“Don’t grow up too fast, okay?” Father said quietly. “You are still my little girl.”

Then he straightened and said, “I won’t tell you to have fun. That is what your older sister is for.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” I said, hugging him quickly.

I found Curtis shortly after Father had returned to the ball. “How did it go?” I asked.

“Your father is absolutely terrifying,” Curtis answered calmly as he casually looped an arm around my waist. “He listed off several different ways that he would utterly destroy me if I step out of line with you. If it was Hubert in my place, he probably would have your father arrested for threatening a member of the royal family, but that wouldn’t exactly put me into your father’s good graces. So instead, I was very polite and agreed to all of his terms and conditions.”

I laughed. “I thought I would be the one getting lectured and threatened from your parents. Be told to keep my grubby hands off their son and stay away from the kingdom.”

“You can put your grubby hands on me any time!” Curtis grinned, then hastily amended, “Just not around your Father. He might use my face to shovel all the horse manure out of the stables.”

“Well, we can’t have that.”

Curtis took my hand in his. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Word spread fast, helped along by Comfort. She and I sat up all night, analyzing and re-analyzing every word, every moment, that I told her about. Just as I knew she would, she was eager to abuse Aria for making a play for Curtis. “Just because she is going to be a queen doesn’t mean she is queen of the world!”

She gushed over Curtis’ standing up for our relationship, to Aria and again to Father. She said I had found my knight in shining armor. Then made me tell the story of our first kiss at least a dozen times. I didn’t mind. I loved remembering it.

We were the sole topic of gossip for weeks. Everyone said that they knew it was only a matter of time, that they had already thought we were a couple, that it didn’t surprise them in the least. Busy as he was, Curtis would always clear his schedule after dinner each evening so he could spend time with me. We would go on long walks around the moat, or through the gardens, or would ride our horses to secluded areas so we could be alone.

Each day seemed like a dream. Everything fell into place and seemed so perfect. I had a happy home life; my parents adored each other and loved us girls. Comfort was the best sister a girl could wish for, always willing to stay up late and giggle with me or help me fix my hair, and always took my side. Due to Father’s status, our family was respected, financially well off, and wanted for nothing. I was on a trajectory to have a successful career. I was in a relationship with my best friend, a prince no less! Curtis constantly bragged about me and made me feel like I was the best part of his life. When we weren’t studying or traveling together, we were playing pranks on Hubert, or sneaking in kisses when no one was looking. It seemed like nothing would ever go wrong.