Page 73 of Waking Roslyn

“The same way my parents did it,” I yelled at him.

I could tell I’d caught him by surprise.

“Why do you suppose that the Saldian nobility object to the idea of me inheriting the throne? It’s because my mother was not nobility.” I lifted my hands and let them fall down again, slapping against my sides as the wind and rain lashed at my clothing. “It’s bad enough that the king might not be able to produce an heir healthy enough to succeed him. The crown going to someone outside his direct line is bad enough, but having it go to me? To a gutterling? Such contamination to the throne is unacceptable. And so I am here.” I spread my arms wide, gesturing to this lovely place that was not my home. “Hiding from the countrymen who wish me dead for no other reason than that my parentage doesn’t meet their high standards.” The last words came out almost like a growl as all the bitterness and anger I felt toward those trying to do me harm rose up. I was so tired of hiding. I hated being away from my home. I missed my parents desperately.

“Gads, Rose,” he said as he approached, no longer seeming to care about the rain. “I’m sorry.” I could see that he meant it, but there was more than just concern on his face; he also looked shocked. “That’s awful and inexcusable, and I wish that’s not how things were.”

I stiffly nodded my thanks.

“Please, Rose,” he said, walking toward me with his hand outstretched. “Please come back inside.”

I only hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to take his hand. He immediately draped his arms about my shoulders and propelled me back to the shack and out of the rain.

Once inside, he shut the door and I stood with my clothes dripping in the small space. I wiped the water from my face as I noticed how heavy my dress was. Luckily it was a bit warmer inside this tiny hut, but my discomfort was now caused by the tension between us. He’d hurt my feelings, and I’d lashed out at him.

When I looked up, it was to find him staring down at me, his eyes heated and his muscles coiled even as he hunched under the low roof. Finally, he took a deep breath and then bent to retrieve his coat from the ground. We’d both abandoned it there, which meant that it was still a bit dry, so he shook it off and came close enough that he could wrap it around my shoulders. I stared at his face as he tugged it closed over my dress and then ran his hands down my arms.

His eyes found mine, and I swallowed.

“I do want to know you,” he said. “But I didn’t realize that…” He shook his head and the questions written on his face tightened all his features.

“What?” I prompted.

He ran a hand through his soaking hair. “I knew you were the daughter of a duke, but…you are in the royal line of succession?”

My heart dropped. I hadn’t thought through what it would mean to him if I confessed all of that. But what was done was done, so all I could do was answer honestly. “Yes.”

He gave a slow nod, letting his hands drop from my arms as he took a step back. He looked behind him and decided to try sitting on the rickety table. It managed to hold his weight and he looked at me, our eyes nearly level. “And the people who wish you dead—it’s because you might someday be queen of Saldine?”

I gave a shrug. “Saldian nobility values pure blood. Nobles fraternizing with the lower class isn’t just looked down on, it’s an offense to them.”

“Isn’t that the way it is in every kingdom?”

“To an extent, yes, but just look at Princess Marilee and Sir James,” I said, gesturing over my shoulder in the direction of Sutton Manor. “She married a man who was only a gentleman. No title. And while some look down on that, I don’t get the impression they are hated or rejected for it. Even Edmund, as pompous as he is, and as much as he seems to dislike James—it’s for personal reasons. Edmund dislikes James as a person. He doesn’t hate him just because he’s a gentleman who married a princess.”

John let a sardonic grin spread across his face. “I suppose you’re right.”

“My father fell in love with a servant, not someone just a step below him. Not a gentleman’s daughter, but a common servant. And in my kingdom, that’s not just odd, it’s unacceptable. Especially when that union produced me.” I pinched my lips and shrugged, hating that this was the truth of my life. “I am a blight on the face of nobility.”

“You are not a blight,” he said, as though offended on my behalf.

“I am to them. There is one crown prince in ill health, and after that, the crown would fall to me. My father is the king’s oldest cousin. The king has no siblings, so I am the next in line.”

He blinked for a moment, giving a little shake of his head as he tried to make my words make sense. “What of your father? Would he not inherit before you?”

“No, he will not be permitted to inherit. And can you guess why?”

He seemed hesitant to answer, but I waited, knowing he knew the truth. Finally, he said, “Your mother?”

“Yes. They could not possibly allow a woman born so low to become queen. It is unlawful. But me? I have just enough royal blood that I would not be prevented. At least not by the law. And it’s that same wretched law that has put me in this position—that put my life in danger.”

“If they had cut your father’s family out of the line of succession altogether…”

I lifted my hands to my sides. “Then I would not be in this mess. I would have been happily forgotten and allowed to grow up in the halls of my parents’ home.”

He let out a long sigh and reached his hand out. I took it and he pulled me close enough that he could enfold me in his arms. “I’m sorry.”

I just nodded and sniffed down my frustration, but the longer I stood there, soaking in his warmth and calm, the less frustrated I became. “Of course,” I murmured into his chest, “if I were not in this mess, then I would not be here. And I am glad to be here.”