Page 55 of Ladybird

“Touch you?” Sage reached up and gently smoothed back Regina’s hair. “Is there something else you’d like to tell me? Were you and Hunter…intimately involved?”

Regina felt as if she would die if she didn’t confide in someone soon. Since her sisters weren’t here to talk to, and she’d never mention this in a million years to Robin, she felt Sage was her only and best choice. Sage had become a good friend to Regina since she’d married Robin.

“Yes, Sage, he did touch me,” she admitted with a sniffle. She blotted her eyes and then continued. “Hunter and I…we made love last night.”

“Oh!” Sage’s eyes opened wide and she held a hand to her heart. “I see. Does Robin know about this?”

“Nay! And neither will you ever tell him.”

“Honey, did Hunter force himself on you? Because if he did, you need to let your brother know at once.”

That only made Regina cry even more. “Hunter didn’t force himself on me. If anything, I was the one who initiated it.”

“Then you have feelings for the man?”

“No! Yes. Oh, I don’t know. I am so confused. I thought I was falling in love with him, Sage. But now I’m not sure what to think.”

“Does he feel the same way about you?”

“I thought he did.” She blew her nose in the cloth. “He even called me his Ladybird when I was in his arms.”

“Ladybird?” Sage smiled. “Oh, that is cute. I like it.”

“So do I.” Regina wrung the cloth in her hands.

“Then what’s the problem, Regina?”

“I…he…oh, I don’t know. Last night was wonderful. Better than I had ever imagined it could be. I’m sure he thought so too. Then, it just seemed like he was ignoring me all morning and I don’t know why. It was like he regretted what we did together.”

“You need to talk to him, Regina.”

“I can’t. Nay. I don’t want to.”

“It is unfair of you to judge the man simply by what you think he might or might not be feeling. After all, he’s had a hard life. He had been raised at a young age as a mercenary and then lost everyone he ever loved. He’s been left with an unruly boy to raise all by himself. And as you have noticed it doesn’t seem to be going well. Did you ever consider that mayhap he is trying to do his best but it is just not good enough for anyone?”

“Oh, Sage, do you really think that is how he feels?” Regina started wondering if mayhap she’d judged Hunter too harshly, just like Sage said.

“I am only telling you this from experience. I was once a person with nothing, trying to raise my siblings on my own. I know how hard it can be. You are a noble, Regina. Your life has been good and easy. You’ve always had everything you ever needed or could possibly want.”

“Nay, not everything,” she said sadly.

“What do you mean?”

“I thought I was happy just raising my birds, Sage. But once I met Hunter, I started to realize how empty my life really was without having someone—having a man to love. A man like Hunter.”

“Mayhap he is that man you’ve always wanted and you just didn’t know it until now. If you think at all this might be true, I urge you to go and talk to him right away. Talk about your relationship with him and tell him how you feel. Be sure to ask him how he is feeling as well. Do it before he finds the thief and leaves the castle. Do it before the best thing that ever happened to you goes out that door forever.”